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Michael Mobbs' Sustainable House

Home
My House
My journey
Electricity
Water
Wastewater
The Kitchen
Products & Services
Low bills living
Services
Book a talk
Off-grid projects
Off-grid fact sheets
Tours
General Public Tours
Model of my house at the Powerhouse Museum
Blog
About
Contact me
Media
Leaky drains and kerbside gardens
Food
21 June 2019
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
2 April 2019
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
6 February 2019
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
Michael Mobbs
31 August 2020

We compost over 300 kg a week in our road gardens

Michael Mobbs
31 August 2020
We compost over 300 kg a week in our road gardens

Each week our roadside solutions compost over 300kg of food waste to grow soil to grow food in our Chippendale road gardens.

Tagged: Garden design, Streetgarden, Food, Compost

Comment
Michael Mobbs
31 August 2020

Plastic unfantastic x 3

Michael Mobbs
31 August 2020
Plastic unfantastic x 3

Two interns working with Sustainable House, Ailis O’Sullivan and Brianne Kendall, join me as we tell our three Plastic Free July stories. I found their stories and the similar and different policies, practices and mores fascinating – thank you, Ailis and Brianne.

Tagged: Plastic, Solutions, Recycling

Comment
Michael Mobbs
22 August 2020

Solutions to burning food

Michael Mobbs
22 August 2020
Solutions to burning food

To burn food waste for energy is to burn soil in the making. No soil = no food. And, no us.

Tagged: Soil, Streetgarden, Compost, Food, Solutions

Comment
Michael Mobbs
30 July 2020

It's easy being kind to Earth, join me

Michael Mobbs
30 July 2020
It's easy being kind to Earth, join me

A US intern working from her home in the US counts why, how and what can be done in the little Sydney suburb of Chippendale to end food waste - thank you, Ailis O’Sullivan from West Massachusetts

Tagged: Compost, Food, Off-grid, Fast track off-grid

1 Comment
Michael Mobbs
11 July 2020

Uni lecturers invest in gas, oil, coal

Michael Mobbs
11 July 2020
Uni lecturers invest in gas, oil, coal

Uni lecturers who teach ‘sustainability’, and unis with “sustainable” policies put their super money into gas, oil, coal

Tagged: Energy, Biodiversity, Hot air

Comment
Michael Mobbs
11 July 2020

Sustainability fact sheet for students

Michael Mobbs
11 July 2020
Sustainability fact sheet for students

Here is a fact sheet for students studying sustainability - it’s about water, energy, and how plants and animals manage their water and energy needs

Tagged: Rainwater, Sewage, Off-grid

Comment
Michael Mobbs
2 July 2020

Cafe goes solar

Michael Mobbs
2 July 2020
Cafe goes solar

The Bogey Hole Cafe at Sydney’s Bronte Beach goes solar. One of the owners, Debra Gray, tells her story.

Tagged: Solar, Solutions, Energy, Efficiency

Comment
Michael Mobbs
25 June 2020

Free, healthy food from our Chippendale road gardens

Michael Mobbs
25 June 2020
Free, healthy food from our Chippendale road gardens

Anyone may harvest fruit, herbs, medicinal plants from our Chippendale road gardens. Green paw paw anyone?

Tagged: Compost, Draingarden, Food, Fast track off-grid, Efficiency, Recycling, Rainwater

Comment
Michael Mobbs
23 June 2020

How to get safer cheaper footpaths - prevent trip hazards

Michael Mobbs
23 June 2020
How to get safer cheaper footpaths - prevent trip hazards

Use water to prevent footpath pavement heave. Otherwise known as, ‘trip hazards’.

Tagged: Rainwater, Efficiency, Solutions, Draingarden, Stormwater

1 Comment
Michael Mobbs
11 June 2020

A garden in your window?

Michael Mobbs
11 June 2020
A garden in your  window?

Simon Molesworth, lawyer, farmer, radio journalist - and lifelong ‘doer’ for Earth and her environment - describes how he built a ‘garden in the window’.

Tagged: Solutions, Garden design

Comment
Michael Mobbs
10 June 2020

The Earthwalker's house, Patagonia

Michael Mobbs
10 June 2020
The Earthwalker's house, Patagonia

How Paul Coleman - Earthwalker who walked from Canada to Brazil for a UN climate conference - designed and built his home in Patagonia, to be cool in summer and warm in winter using . . . the earth on his small farm.

Tagged: Soil, Solutions, Rainwater, Energy, Efficiency

Comment
Michael Mobbs
7 June 2020

How to show love in the kitchen sink for fish in the ocean

Michael Mobbs
7 June 2020
How to show love in the kitchen sink for fish in the ocean

If we let our dish water into the drain we’re killing fish. Our kitchen sinks are connected to rivers and the ocean. Rivers and the ocean are for fish, not for our dish water.

Here’s how to put dish water to good use.

Tagged: Sewage, Recycling, Soil, Streetgarden, Low bills, Compost

1 Comment
Michael Mobbs
14 May 2020

To burn food is to burn soil

Michael Mobbs
14 May 2020
To burn food is to burn soil

Burning food waste to make energy burns future food

Tagged: Soil, Solutions, Energy, Food, Compost, Recycling

Comment
Michael Mobbs
23 April 2020

The solar and battery system at Phil Lloyd’s house, Sydney

Michael Mobbs
23 April 2020
The solar and battery system at Phil Lloyd’s house, Sydney

I think it is important to be aware of what was my driving motivation to install a system in the first place.

Tagged: Solar, Batteries, Efficiency, Off-grid

2 Comments
Michael Mobbs
31 March 2020

Speed up your compost

Michael Mobbs
31 March 2020
Speed up your compost

How to speed up your compost, and get rid of waste paper at the same time

Tagged: Compost, Recycling, Efficiency

4 Comments
Michael Mobbs
29 March 2020

We can grow our food - details for how to

Michael Mobbs
29 March 2020
We can grow our food - details for how to

Each of us may grow some or even all of our food. Here’s how.

Tagged: Garden design, Draingarden, Streetgarden

Comment
Michael Mobbs
25 March 2020

How to go off grid videos

Michael Mobbs
25 March 2020
How to go off grid videos

Brief ‘how to’ videos for going off or partly off grid - how to cool a fridge, recycle plaster, respect and use stormwater . . .

Tagged: Plastic, Stormwater, Efficiency, Recycling

Comment
Michael Mobbs
24 March 2020

Zoom your project with Michael

Michael Mobbs
24 March 2020
Zoom your project with Michael

Let’s work on your project ‘virtually’ - you in your house or site or building or garden - me in my house, garden

Tagged: Garden design, Biodiversity, Batteries, Urban Heat Island, Energy, Efficiency, Prefab, Off-grid products

Comment
Michael Mobbs
19 March 2020

Intern(s) invited to analyse data

Michael Mobbs
19 March 2020
Intern(s) invited to analyse data

Intern(s) invited to research sustainable projects

Tagged: Red tape, Green energy, Rate rebate, Rainwater, Recycling

Comment
Michael Mobbs
11 March 2020

Three interns compare their Australian and USA experiences

Michael Mobbs
11 March 2020
Three interns compare their Australian and USA experiences

Three interns working with Sustainable House give their early impressions of Australia compared to the USA

Tagged: Rainwater, Recycling, Energy, Green energy, Efficiency, Electricity

1 Comment
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Use this site to find and follow off-grid projects

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Periscope or get my free newsletter with how-to-do it info

  • Michael Mobbs
    RT @jo_noCSG: One point >>> never take a gas co CEO’s word for anything - everything mentioned here needs a good ol’ fact check… https://t.co/43efbaqdoK
    18 May 2023, 6:26 pm
  • Michael Mobbs
    RT @openpoliticsAU: The new Member for Aston @MaryDoyleMP has disclosed her interests. The main ones are a house, mortgage and Camry.… https://t.co/QlS7nzCQlz
    18 May 2023, 6:25 pm
  • Michael Mobbs
    RT @FreeDanDuggan: This photo was taken on the morning that NSW #PoliticalPrisoner #FreeDanDuggan was suddenly #kidnapped at #Orange o… https://t.co/JqEbc4Yv8O
    18 May 2023, 6:25 pm

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Sustainable House, 58 Myrtle St, Chippendale, NSW, 2008, Australia

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