Sustainability Declaration Explained

Section one of the new Sustainability Declaration is all about the Energy Efficiency of your home:
Questions like how many out of the total number of lights in your home are energy efficient.
Do you have solar power, Gas, air conditioning, pool or spa, what type of hot water system, insulation where and what type, window glazing , roof colour, roof ventilation and ceiling fans.
Section two is aboout Water and has 7 questions:
Is there a rainwater tank and what size?, greywater, water recirculation,shower heads, type of taps,dual flush toilets,garden irrigation.
Section three is about Access:
and has six questions - entry level, steps etc, level access to bathrooms and toilets and living areas, grab rails in bathroom and level entry to shower, toilet grab rails, wide doorways and wide hallways. Very pertinent for an aging population
Section four:
Safety five questions :
Smoke alarm installed (on standard REIQ contract anyway), Electrical safety switch also on standard REIQ contract, Pool fence maintained, Hot water system tempering device installed, Property number clearly visible from street (for emergency services)
The questions are set out simply and are easy to answer and very logical and the type of things we should know about our new homes.
There is also a column on the right that tells you what the savings for various things are.
As I mentioned before there has been some opposition to this form and there are petitions circulating right now to stop or curb it - I think we all need to get on board and support this initiative it takes not too long to complete (yes my husband and I did it for our house - it took about 20 minutes plus a few minutes searching receipts and paper work to confirm a few things and fill in the kilowatt usage from which you calculate your green house gas emissions).
Go to the website and check out the form and then give it a go fill it in and see how your house rates. Then get back here or go to my facebook page and let me know how you did.
If you have joined The Green Streets forums you will have no problem answering these questions.
Until next time
Angela

Christmas Recipes

Okay Recipes it is, seeing as I don't have time to cook it would seem appropriate!!

For the next 25 days you will get a recipe from somewhere around the world relevant to this time of year some traditional Christmas Fare, some not so traditional for us, but for someone and in line with my God/universe/whatever you believe in philosophy - some from left of the Western Christmas field.

But we will start with traditional Christmas Cake

But whose? Australian, Middle Eastern, Asian ? This may take more than one recipe folks!!

So heres mine - think it is an old Australian Womens Weekly Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

3 cups (500g) sultanas
½ cup (100g) glacé cherries
1½ cups (250g) raisins chopped coarsely
1½ cups (115g) seeded dates, chopped coarsely
½ cup (125g) glacé apricots, chopped coarsely
½ cup (125g) glacé pineapple, chopped coarsely
¼ cup (85g) orange marmalade
¾ cup (180ml) Grand Marnier (or brandy or rum or all three!!!! and some for the cook)
250g butter, softened
¾ cup (165g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 eggs (duck eggs if you can get them)
2 cups (300g) plain flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 cup (160g) roasted almonds, chopped coarsely
¼ cup (60ml) Grand Marnier ( or rum or brandy and more for the cook!!!!)

METHOD
Combine fruit, marmalade and liqueur in large bowl; mix well, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store mixture in cool, dark place overnight or up to a week, stirring every day.Preheat oven to 150°C/130°C fan-forced. Line base and sides of deep 19cm-square cake pan with two layers of brown and two layers of baking paper, bringing paper 5cm above sides. Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until just combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Add the butter mixture to fruit mixture; mix well. Stir in sifted flour and spice, then nuts. Spread mixture into pan. Bake about 3 hours. Brush top of cake with extra liqueur. Cover hot cake tightly with foil, turn cake upside down; cool in pan.

Off to research a recipe for tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy your day

daisymum

Apologies for being AWOL - again

Hi gang so sorry I have been absent for a month already!!!!!!!!Life is fantastic adn the new job is wonderful but I am so busy just trying to do the basics!!!

What else is new?

Hope this finds you all well.

I hve a blog for the business now you can tune in there from time to time if you like.

go to: http://angelasrealchat.blogspot.com

Wow tomorrow is DEcember 1st - have to think about what my Christmas Series will be about tis year ---mmmmm Maybe Christmas recipes from around the world? or would you like me to find more weird and wonderful traditions??? your call let me know

daisymum

A quick thank you

Thank you to those who posted recipes I can tell you it is Wednesday here and I read this post quite early got in and baked the fruit crumble for breakfast that Tracey suggested as i had all the ingredients on hand!! YUM

I made slab cake on Sunday and iced it differently and used different flavoured cake and that was fantastic - what a simple idea. Fruit slice this afternoon thank Lyn.

Ths is actulaly fun I have made more time to cook these things - so maybe time wasn't the issue perhaps motivation. Whatever it is -thanks girls (and the children thank you)!!

daisymum

PS: The reason I had cake mix in the cupboard is because I make a really simple dessert with it. SO as you shared your heres mine................

Upside down fruit cake:

You need

One packet of butter cake mix
One can of fruit
However many eggs the packet mix says.
spice

How you do it:

put packet mix in a bowl add egg(s) add juice from can of fruit (eg pineapple)
mix
place powdered ginger and cinnnamon in the bottom of a greased cake tin place sliced pineapple on top - put cake mixture on top of this and whack in the oven for the designated time (usually 25 minutes at 180 degrees C.

Turn out and voila Pineapple upside down cake!!!!!!! For about $2.50 Aus.

Use different spices for different fruits eg: pears cinnamon and allspice
peaches star anise.

OR the other favourite quick standby is:

Cherry flat Cake ( not very inspringin but you will see what I mean when you make it)

You need:
one packet of butter cake mix
1 can of sour cherries DRAINED (or a cup and half of frozen berries)
1 250 ml carton of sour cream

whack the sour cream and cake mix in a bowl - mix well

fold in cherries or berries

whack in a greased cake tin and cook for about 25 minutes on 180 degrees C.

It won' t rise (hence the flat cake description) serve cold with cream for a luscious - aren't-I-a-fantastic-cook dessert.

have a great day

daisymum

FRIDAY - Recycling and Recipes!!!

There is nothing like waking up and realising it is Friday - except these days I also work on Saturdays - but Saturday is a different kind of day it is kind of like a free dress day at school!! ( In Australia all schools except some privatley run primary schools have compulsory uniform rules).

I am not commenting anymore on the garbage situation - I think my "friends" jumped too quickly onto the "madwoman" bandwagon - so from now on Joolzmac and I will suffer in silence as we sort other peoples laziness.

But seriously it has made me realise that now I am working full time again how much packaging there is in things. I always used to take my storage jars to the organic shop and get them filled there - they just weigh the jar then weigh it again after it is full of flour or whatever. But I don't have time to do that these days so ther are flour packets, sugar packets the list goes on. As I work more hours I seem to be more disorganised with shopping and food preparation - oh I still cook every night - no takeaway - So no packaging there......it is the biscuits!!

In an attempt to be a good mother I have been buying - buying mind - you biscuits (cookies) for the kids for lunches (hang head in shame ....) and afternoon teas.

So today the challenge for you my friends is to give me your easiest - yummiest - quickest biscuit and slice recipes.

Sunday I am cooking all day to fill the freezer with things so no more bought biscuits and no more packaging.

Can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Daisymum

Madwoman's Garbage

Thinking of changing the name of the blog to Madwoman's Garbage - today is rubbish day - guess what I was doing today????????????

Yes the mad garbage sorter was at it again???????? I know I don't throw out more than half a bin and as I am the only one who Pcks things up where does all this stuff come from!!!!!!!!!!!!


Off to get another glass of wine mutter mutter mutter...

daisymum

Green Streets

I have just joined "Green Streets" and to my delight have found two others in our street who are also taking part.

You go on to the website answer a few questions about how you live eg: how many times per week your family uses public transport, how much non recyclable waste you put out each week, whether you grow your own food, etc etc all the things we are doing anyway. From there you get a score and the aim is to lower the score.

Check it out and let me know what you think. I love the idea of being publicly accountable....for example I answered the question about the rubbish and put down we have about half a bin full each week - that was rubbish day and guess what?? The boys had cleaned their room so there was a mass of stuff in the bin - rahter than put it out and have the neighbours see I had lied I went through the bin added what I could to the recycling, grabbed some clothes for rags, used some of the plastic bottles as planters for the seedlings and it eventually came down to half a bin - then I went back in the house had another quick shower got changed into a fresh set of work clothes and drove like a maniac to get the boys to school on time!!!!! So I saved half a bin of rubbish from landfill, used another 50 litres of water for the shower washed another set of clothes and used a bucket load of petrol speeding.........

Next week I check the bin out on Tuesday afternoon, not on the way to the car for work!!!!!!

Seriously though I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't just filled in the survey and knew that my neighbours would be driving past..accountability it is a great thing.

Have a look at it here................http://www.greenstreet.net.au/

daisymum