Albert Hall will become a homage to all things sustainable this Saturday for the Tamar Sustainable Living Expo, 9am to 4pm, $5 entry.
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Over 30 stallholders will provide information and products that help people live greener lives, and, often, save money.
A key message is that you don’t have to build a solar-powered off-grid carbon-neutral house from scratch – expo organisers said there are simple ways to reduce your impact.
Get informed
Electricity and insulation audits are good first steps to reducing power bills.
The Launceston City Council provides Home Energy Audit Toolkits. Expo stallholders such as Mode Electrical also offer energy audits and reduction tips, and Snug House are a Launceston-based expo partner that run audits on buildings that reveal insulation weak spots.
“Because sometimes you get your bill, and its x number of dollars, and you don’t know why it’s that,” said co-ordinator Gill Basnett.
“So you can get an audit, and that will give you an idea of where you’re using your power most, and you might be able to reduce it. There are things that you can do with just a curtain if you know where the draughts are coming from.”
View a comprehensive guide to living sustainably at ecohomeguide.com.au.
Be creative
There are easy ways to put less waste into the planet, like using KeepCups instead of disposable cups, and carrying a metal straw rather than using plastic straws. But there are stallholders at the Sustainable Living Expo with ideas most attendees probably haven’t heard before.
For example, Bootstrap Enterprises is a Tasmanian start-up addressing the needs of businesses with organic waste, such as farmers, sewage treatment, and breweries. They break down waste without using oxygen, which converts it into energy.
Another out-there idea is converting a vehicle to run on vegetable oil, which is the subject of one of 24 informative talks throughout Saturday.
Or think small, like using a ‘ValveCosy.’ This tea cosy-style tool wraps around the valve of a hot water system preventing heat loss, and is an expo competition prize.
Ask grandma
“There’s a mix of really innovative, technological solutions, and quite old ideas,” said Ms Stannus.
“Things that 50 years ago were just normal, like reusing glass bottles, re-washing and using plastic containers, using paper bags instead of plastic.
“I remember thinking my grandma was so old-fashioned doing things like that, and now we’re going back to thinking in that way.”
The Tamar Sustainable Living Expo is on Saturday October 13 from 9am to 4pm at Albert Hall. There will be a free bus service running between Beaconsfield, Exeter, Legana and Riverside and Albert Hall, information at www.facebook.com/events/564047304025164/.
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