manufacture and erect and can be used in a large variety of applications. Earth bricks can be rendered or left in their natural state once laid. Earth brick houses provide: Low environmental impact construction materials. Relatively fast construction. Non-toxic materials. Good fire resistance. Excellent thermal mass. Long lifespan. Rammed Earth Rammed earth walls are made by mixing a combination of clay, sand, aggregate and water and compressing the material into formwork on site. It is a technique that has been used for centuries worldwide and creates a strong and resilient building with excellent thermal properties. In Australia, a small amount of cement is often added to the mix as a stabiliser then coated with a permeable sealer, ensuring the walls are protected from the weather. Formwork can be re-used many times, although it is sometimes cut to the individual specifications of the building. Rammed earth has a high thermal mass and insulation can be added to improve the thermal properties of the home. Rammed earth houses provide: Low environmental impact construction materials if un-stabilised. Non-toxic materials. Good fire resistance. Excellent thermal mass. Long lifespan. Straw Bale Straw has been used as a building material for centuries. Straw is derived from the stalk of grasses like wheat and rice, which are high in tensile strength and have the grain head removed. Straw bales are a renewable building material with low toxicity. The structural capacity of straw bale construction is surprisingly good. In the straw bale method, walls of up to three storeys have been constructed.
Epping 03 9408 0666 Aggregate – recycled crushed concrete Ecobase Reduces raw material use by recycling old concrete. Alex Fraser Epping 136 135 Aggregate – recycled crushed concrete Recycled common aggregates Comes in various sizes. This product can have varying strength. Boral South Melbourne 133 006 Reinforcement recycled mesh and bar Reinforcing bar and mesh Australian product with 90% recycled content. Smorgon ARC Sunshine 131 557 Reinforcement recycled mesh and bar Ecoreo Australian product with 66- 89% recycled content. One Steel Reinforcing Ringwood 03 9879 5360 Reinforcement recycled mesh and bar Mesh and bar New Zealand product with 100% recycled content. Vicmesh Dandenong 03 8795 6666
Formwork Formply Lower impact on biodiversity by using local plantation timbers. Gunnersens Derrimut 9647 9930 Bunnings Concrete slab – insulated slab system Waffle Pod Unipod Air pockets created by polystyrene blocks create an insulating layer between the concrete and the ground to reduce heat loss. Less concrete required for slab pour. Recycling of waste material from building sites. Waffle Pod Sunnybank, QLD 1300 923 353 Unipod Derrimut 9394 1117 Concrete slab – insulated slab system Cupolex Air pockets created by recyclable polypropylene structure create an insulating layer between the concrete and the ground to reduce heat loss. Less concrete required for slab pour. Australian Urethane and Styrene West Footscray 03 9687 7500
Stumps Concrete and steel Concrete or steel stumps are lighter and stronger than timber and are resistant to termites. Fully recyclable. Home Timber and Hardware Eltham 03 9439 5533 Diamond Valley Mitre 10 Diamond Creek 03 9438 2077 Kinglake West Mitre 10 Pheasant Creek 03 5786 5451 Tek Stumps Mt Evelyn 03 9735 5706 Floor joists and bearers Composite Beam I-shaped beam reduces resource use. Tecbeam Hallam 03 9792 2888 Floor joists and bearers Plantation timber eliminates the use of old growth timber. Mitek
Timber frames Studs, noggins, plates, LVL beams and roof trusses Lower impact on biodiversity by using FSC-certified plantation timbers. Home Timber and Hardware Eltham 03 9439 5533 Diamond Valley Mitre 10 Diamond Creek 03 9438 2077 A and A Timber Eltham 03 9439 3633 Tilling Kilsyth 03 9723 0222 Timber frames Hybeam LVL beam Reduced use of resources as this beam is I-shaped and engineered using recycled or reconstituted wood. Carter Holt Harvey 132 321 Timber frames Roof trusses Recycled Add the Beauty of Timber
Wesburn 03 5966 5966 Walls – weatherboard alternatives Shadowclad ply cladding Lower impact on biodiversity by using FSC-certified plantation timbers. Carter Holt Harvey 132 321 Walls – alternatives Kooltherm K5 insulated board Insulation attached with up to 4.0. Requires rendering. Archiclad (accredited installers) Thomastown 1300 272 442 Walls – alternatives Mudbrick A natural resource with very low embodied energy. Can be made on site. Nillumbik Mudbrick Association Walls - alternatives Earth Brick A natural resource with low embodied energy. Can be made from on-site materials. AMCER Earth Building Nutfield 03 9714 8688 Walls - alternatives Rammed Earth A natural resource with low embodied energy. Can be made from on-site materials. Earth Builders Association of Australia
Internal walls Durra Panel Durra Panel has excellent acoustic and thermal insulating properties, proven durability, high impact and fire resistance. Made from wheat and/ or rice straw fibres, contains no formaldehyde or additional chemical binders. Ortech Industries Braeside 03 9558 7766 Internal walls LaFarge The lining uses 100% postconsumer recycled paper and the production process has low water use. 100% recyclable. Low VOCs. Plaster Mart Thomastown 1300 666 055 Internal walls Kooltherm K17 The plasterboard is insulated to reduce heat movement through walls and ceilings. R-values range from 2.1 to 4.0. Masterwall (accredited installers) Moorabbin 03 9553 3211 Roofing Recycled tiles 100% recycled product Melbourne Roof Tile Trading Preston 03 9484 1277
Thomastown 03 9460 1477 Bowerbird Timber Wesburn 03 5966 5966 Australian Recycled Timber Co Campbellfield 03 9359 0300 Flooring New timber Plantation timbers, FSC certified reducing the impact on biodiversity. Home Timber and Hardware Eltham 03 9439 5533 Diamond Valley Mitre 10 Diamond Creek 03 9438 2077 A and A Timber Wholesalers
Flooring Villa Natralis Carpet Undyed wool carpet, woven fibres International Floor Coverings Australia Cheltenham 1800 339 379 Flooring Sunburnt Country Carpet Woven fibres are long lasting with lower embodied energy and low VOC. Allfloors Carpets Carnegie 03 9752 2111 Flooring Carpet underlay Airstep - 85% recycled fibre and plastic. Dunlop Springtred – low chemical use, 100% recyclable. Tontine Fibres Wunderfelt – Goats hair and jute are renewable resources. No chemicals used in manufacture. Return to manufacturer at end of useful life. Tontine Fibres Superfelt – 100% recycled textiles. Specify your choice of underlay with your chosen carpet retailer. Cabinetry X-Board Ply Made from 100% recycled Hazelwood and Hill
wood fibre waste. Burwood 03 9808 5522 Cabinetry PYNEboard Renewable resource from plantation pine. Carter Holt Harvey 132 321 Cabinetry Manufactured cabinets Low VOC moisture resistant MDF. Masters South Morang Cabinetry Manufactured cabinets Renewable resource from plantation pine. Low VOC. Cantilever Interiors Brunswick 03 9387 5421 . Benchtops Recycled or reclaimed timber Recycled or renewable resource. Add the Beauty of Timber Kinglake 0438 792 164 Bowerbird Timber Wesburn 03 5966 5966 Salvage Bazaar
acrylic, milk, mineral and silicate paints Paints stains and renders Ecolour Paints – interior and exterior No-VOC paints, certified carbon neutral. Ecolour Trade Store Braybrook 1300 937 686 Paints stains and renders Livos Paints – interior and exterior, oils, waxes, paint stripper and tile adhesive No-VOC products, natural tints, plant based ingredients grown without pesticides. Livos Australia Pty Ltd Bayswater 03 9762 9181 Enviroshop Northcote 1300 305 833 Paints stains and renders BIO Paint – interior and exterior paints, oils, varnish and waxes Low-VOC products, natural tints, plant and mineral based ingredients. Going Green Solutions Hurstbridge 03 9718 0126 Enviroshop Northcote 1300 305 833
Paints stains and renders Rockcote Ecostyle No-VOC clay paint Paint Worx Campbellfield 03 9357 5452 Paints stains and renders Oikos Paints – interior and exterior Not applicable Designer Paint Company Surrey Hills 1300 303 802 Paints stains and renders Berger BreatheEasy Haymes Interior Expressions Bristol Easy Living Commonly available low-VOC interior paints Diamond Valley Mitre 10 Diamond Creek 03 9438 2077 Paintright Eltham Eltham 03 9439 9696 Bristol Paints Eltham 03 9439 4900 Bunnings
Kinglake West Mitre 10 Pheasant Creek 03 5786 5451 Paintspot Bundoora 9467 5114 Floor and timber polishes Grimes floor and timber products Low toxicity varnishes and oils, low emissions with sustainably sourced additives. Low embodied energy. Grimes and Sons Research 03 9437 0733 Floor and timber polishes Livos Paints –oils and waxes No-VOC products, natural tints, plant-based ingredients grown without pesticides. Livos Australia Pty Ltd Bayswater 03 9762 9181 Enviroshop Northcote 1300 305 833 Floor and timber polishes BIO Paint – oils, varnish and waxes Low-VOC products, natural tints, plant- and mineral-based ingredients. Going Green Solutions
flexible heating patterns. different areas at different times). Gas Hydronic (in combination with solar and boosted with gas or gas only) Gas/solar heats water that runs through panels or under floor. Whole of house (zoned for heating different areas at different times). Med - Low Electricity Radiator Radiates heat at a person, does not heat air space. None. High Electricity Column/panel ‘Efficient’ units have thermostats but still use a lot of energy. None. High Electricity Fan Pushes heated air around room. Not suitable for bathrooms or large rooms. Small rooms for short periods of time. High Electricity Underfloor Coils located in slab. Can be zoned and used at low temperatures None. Very High Electricity Inverter (air to Highly efficient units Whole of Med – Low
air heat pump) are now available. They come as air heaters or water heaters for hydronic heating and can be used for hot water as well. house, regions with no access to gas. Electricity Geothermal (ground to air heat pump) Highly efficient units are now available. They use heat from in the ground to heat air or water. High up front cost. Whole of house, regions with no access to gas. Med – Low Whichever method of heating you choose, the ideal temperature range is 18-21 degrees Celsius in winter. For every degree higher you set the thermostat, it will cost around 10 per cent more to heat. It is often air movement that makes you feel cooler, so draught proofing is a great way to control this. Always turn heating off if you leave the house, even for a short time. It is a common myth that it takes more energy to heat a home from scratch than to leave the heating on low all day then boost the temperature when you get home. Patio heaters have become increasingly popular in recent years. They are one of the most expensive ways to provide heating and are not efficient because they are used in the open air. If we’re all busy trying to reduce our energy use inside our homes, does it make sense to use large amounts of energy to warm us outside our homes? If it’s cold enough for a heater, it’s probably too cold to sit outside. Cooling Melbourne has a good diurnal temperature range where, generally, our nights are much cooler than our days. If you invest $12-15 in an inside/outside thermometer to
Landscaping Materials Source Guide Application Product Sustainable Features Source Fencing Ironbark and silvertop ash, fire-rated timbers Recycled timbers Bowerbird – Saved Timbers Wesburn 03 5966 5966 Fencing Ecowood Tanalised wood suitable for vegies and children’s garden Ecowood Plus Bayswater 03 9720 5055 Fencing Modwood and Flameshield fire-rated. WonderWood Recycled plastic and waste timber, no treatment required. Diamond Valley Mitre 10 Diamond Creek 03 9438 2077 Kinglake West Mitre 10 Pheasant Creek 03 5786 5451 Eltham Home Timber and Hardware Eltham 03 9439 5533 Whittlesea Sawmill
Whittlesea 03 9716 2226 Decking, screens, posts and retaining walls Slabs, posts and timber suitable for milling. Range of species. Recycled. Add the Beauty of Timber Kinglake 0438 792 164 Decking, screens, posts and retaining walls Decking and posts. Range of species. Recycled. Bowerbird – Saved Timbers Wesburn 03 5966 5966 Australian Recycled Timber Co Campbellfield 03 9359 0300 Decking, screens, posts and retaining walls Modwood WonderWood Recycled plastic and waste timber, no treatment required. Diamond Valley Mitre 10 Diamond Creek 03 9438 2077 Kinglake West Mitre 10 Pheasant Creek 03 5786 5451
Eltham Home Timber and Hardware Eltham 03 9439 5533 Whittlesea Sawmill Whittlesea 03 9716 2226 Paving Pebblite Porous paving allows water to drip through to the soil, retaining more moisture in the garden. Safe T Surfaces Thomastown 1800 870 109 Paving Turf Cell Gravel Cell Flo Grid 100% recycled porous paving. Atlantis Water Management Victoria Sunshine West 1300 382 838 Paving HydroSTON Permeable paving. Hydrocon NSW
02 8303 2423 supplies Spalls (quarried rock) Quarried, not removed from river beds. Coldstream Quarry Coldstream 1300 650 564 Donnybrook Quarry Donnybrook 03 9745 2522 Timbers to avoid (rare or threatened species): Merbau (PNG and Indonesia) Teak (Burma) Ramin (SE Asia) Meranti (Indonesia) Mahogany (Africa) Better alternatives (managed plantations): Eucalyptus (Australia) Bamboo Teak (PNG) Rubberwood (SE Asia) Resources Nillumbik Shire Council has several publications that can help with plant selection. Live Local Plant Local is a guide to Nillumbik’s indigenous plants Common Weeds of Nillumbik contains information on noxious and environmental weeds, how to identify and eradicate them
Ecobums Milend, SA Cloth – Ecobums Made from fast-growing renewable bamboo Ecobums Milend, SA Disposable Eenee compostables Made from renewable plant-based materials, compostable Eenee Compostables Northcote 03 9481 6044 All types Retailers Advice and delivery of a range of nappies. Going Green Solutions Hurstbridge 03 9718 0126 The Nappy Shop Kew 1300 627 797 Enviroshop Northcote 1300 305 833