Michael Mobbs
Cucumber farming in the street

Story by two US interns, Michael Miniotas and Will Brandt, who are growing cucumbers in a Sydney street.

Cucumber farming in the street
Michael Mobbs
Make a more natural nature strip

Here’s a simple, low cost , low tech design which keeps rain water where it falls to make a self-watering nature strip.

Let’s put nature into the ‘nature’ strips of our cities. It’s easy.

Make a more natural nature strip
Michael Mobbs
23 years off grid for water in the centre of ...

What does the data tell us about living off-grid for water in the heart of Sydney?

Analysis of water quantity by an American intern in Sydney, Jillian Meehan.

23 years off grid for water in the centre of Sydney - what the data says
Michael Mobbs
Aircon for on and off-grid houses

Here’s how to have aircon and be on or offgrid for electricity. Cool!

Aircon for on and off-grid houses

Solutions for Council to Stop Polluting Sydney Harbour

Solutions for Council to Stop Polluting Sydney Harbour

Intern with Sustainable House, Alex Smith, describes solutions to stormwater pollution.

1.        Automatic irrigation spray onto surface of Council Garden bed, 9 September 2026

2.        Water runs down the sloping garden bed which has bare soil, no mulch

3.        Surface of garden bed soil is higher than garden bed and water overflows to footpath below

4.        Water and mobilized soil flow down footpath that slopes to road and gutter, eventually to pollute Sydney Harbour with brake linings, sediment, poison sprayed by Council on ‘weed’, nitrogen and phosphorus from Council fertilizers

How to cool streets, cities in 2026 with raingardens

How to cool streets, cities in 2026 with raingardens

Raingardens keep rain where it falls to grow plants and trees. So raingardens cool cities.

Well done they are cheap, quick, low tech, no steel or concrete or timber and built in one day by one or two people. Here’s the how, how not to, why and some suggestions about getting them done quickly with a simple robust, simple audit - test them with a water truck - it’s easy.

30 years off grid in the city

30 years off grid in the city

In 1996, three decades ago this year, I disconnected my city house from town water, town sewer, town stormwater and installed solar panels.

Perhaps the first in a city. But being ‘first’ had nothing to do with it, except that made it harder to get approvals, get my sketches turned into drawings (designers, architects, engineers wanted nothing to do with it). I did it for two reasons; one, in a child-like way because everyone said, “You can’t do that”, so I appreciate the spur to action they gave me. And, because I was tired of my inner voice saying you’re polluting the ocean, harbour and air and knew that only by taking action could I free myself from that lack of integrity in myself.