Eco Home workshop – Rhian Berning
Nature’s Valley Trust & Rhian Berning of Eco Atlas held a free Eco Home workshop as a part of their Education and Skills-Shop programme on the 20th of September 2016 at the St Peters Anglican Church Hall.
Rhian presented the workshop making it exceptionally fun and interactive. She demonstrated that what we do in our homes and in our everyday lives has a great impact on our natural environment, local community and the welfare of both wild and domestic animals just by the consumer and home management choices we make.
Tips on how to manage your home and environment sustainably:
- Water & Energy Saving – recycle your grey water, collect rainwater, use energy A- rated appliances or established an electricity strategy, such as switching lights off when not in use.
- Recycling – achieve zero waste by reducing and re-using waste. Set up a compost heap or wormery.
- Renewable Energy – use solar and/or wind energy via solar panels and/or wind turbines.
- Green Design – use natural energy resources such as renewable building materials, light and energy from the sun and recycled materials.
- Carbon Neutral – Plant indigenous trees to off-set the carbon footprint.
- Biodiversity – avoid pesticides or poisons in your home and garden, plant indigenous plants and remove invasive alien vegetation.
- Local Products – buy products that are grown or manufactured within a 100km radius. Keep it local.
- Organic Food – only buy food that is produced using a system that sustains the soil, ecosystem and people.
- Fair Trade – check for products that are registered with the Fair Trade Label SA or Fair Trade Tourism.
- Free Range chicken and eggs – ensure they are raised in a humane manner with the freedom to roam and constant access to vegetation, fresh air and fresh water. These chickens should also be free of hormones and antibiotics.
- Eco Cleaning Agents – use products that are not tested on animals, are fully biodegradable and free of harmful chemicals.
- Eco Packaging – use biodegradable packaging and take-away containers that have been made from renewable resources and re-use your product packaging.
Towards the end of the Seminar we were treated to a delicious carbon free vegan meal, catered for by Vinthi Vinni Nueufeld from Curry and All.
Thank you to Nature’s Valley Trust and Rhian Berning of Eco Atlas for this enlightening workshop and to all of those who made this possible! We look forward to many more interesting workshops in the future.
With all of this in mind there is still a lot more you can do to better your living conditions and create a healthy sustainable environment for you and future generations.
If you are interested in finding out more about the workshop or are looking for more helpful tips you can contact Eco Consultant Rhian Berning via her email or call her on 073 232 5169.