Sustainability in Sydney, Australia - Day 2

I was looking forward to this day….after reading his book and learning about his innovative solutions for refitting his home to be completely of the grid…I knew it would be an exciting visit.  As we walked up to Michael Mobb’s Sustainable House, I wouldn't have believed we were in the right place if he wasn't standing in the doorway.  Mobb was previously employed as a lawyer and according to him, he has “rejoined the human race” with this new calling.  The house looked just like all the other houses on the street.   

He welcomed us in his home and provided an informal tour and overview to the key features of his retrofit.  The most prevalent feature was the rainwater collection and greywater recycling systems. The system starts off with covered rain gutters where the rain runs down a pipe with a leaf catcher.  The first inch of rain runs out of the system and takes with it all sediment and residue from the roof.  It then runs to his buried 10,000 liter concrete tank.  He uses the rainwater for all the faucets in the house or anywhere the water can be ingested. All water waste or “used” water is then recycled and utilized for toilet flushing, irrigation, and washing clothes.  Through trial and error he has created a wetland to handle the runoff and mosquitoes.  This trial and error has led to Mobb unselfishly opening his house up as an educational tool where many can learn from his mistakes.  Additionally, in keeping with outreach, Mobb and his neighbors have created a community garden along with compost bins which line the streets and are open to anyone who wishes to use them. 

Mobb has used his 14 year journey as the groundwork for his new job as a consultant.  He has assisted several developers and has provided information on how to go off the main water system. 

On our walk back from the tour and discussion with Micheal Mobb we walked past a new development called One Central Park (www.centralparksydney.com.au).  The showroom was impressive...all white doting a green wall of plants.  Each plant was tucked into a felt pocket.  Each of the showrooms were uniquely designed by very distinctly different architects.  This developer plans to implement several sustainability projects like the green facade, rainwater collection, energy efficient appliances, trigeneration plant, and solar panels with reflective mirrors to heat the pool.  They are striving to obtain the highest green star rating.  

This find is just proof that cities like Sydney are green examples for the rest of us.