Loving the Yarra Valley energy

Moora Moora home-owner Sarah Morton with builder Adam Bowman and Leo De Jong from CoRE renewable energy group. 172552_01 Picture: ROB CAREW

By Kath Gannaway

Healesville CoRE renewable energy group is encouraging people to get out and about on Sunday, 17 September, to discover the exciting ways in which Yarra Valley home-owners are creating sustainable houses.
CoRE will be part of Sustainable House Day run by the Alternative Technology Association.
The day gives people a chance to inspect first-hand houses that have been designed, built or renovated with sustainability in mind, and to talk with the owners to receive unbiased advice.
CoRE members will open two houses at Moora Moora Community Cooperative on Mount Toolebewong – Bindi’s Strawbale House and the Strawbale Mountain House include features such as strawbale and poured earth construction, off-grid, passive solar, double glazing, eaves, hydroponics, a wetback wood fire and more … even worms! Find out about how grey and black water is treated by worms!
Also in the Yarra Valley are iCUE Homes in Healesville who have designed a fully off-grid tiny home that can be flat-packed and sent anywhere in the world, and the Steels Creek Underground House. Designed to replace a home lost in the 2009 bushfires, it was built to be energy efficient and easy to maintain using the principles developed for earth ships.
To register as a visitor, and obtain details and locations of houses that are opening their sustainable doors visit www.sustainablehouseday.com.