[FESTIVAL] Our journey to Sustainability

[Laurelle3]

The earth that we live on is the only one that we have, and our forefathers discovered this land. Progress and industrialisation have changed the environment over the centuries and unfortunately, we have seen changes during our lifetime. Our children and grandchildren will take up the reins to care for it into the future and they are voicing that they want a change. They want to preserve and protect the earth that they live on and will try and make it more sustainable and restore nature.

I have tried to be environmentally proactive with our Airbnb by reducing waste, reusing products and recycling.

• It began with furniture we recycled, repaired and painted. Some were our own, some purchased new, and others were second-hand furniture.
• We have tried to conserve water by installing water tanks for uses in the garden and installed reduced water shower heads.
• We have tried to reduce our electricity consumption by installing solar panels and batteries. Along with using LED light bulbs.
•  Composting food waste with a worm farm. We provide a compost bin in the Airbnb and encourage guests to use it and they do. The liquid and solid residue is used to fertilise the garden.
• Rubbish is sorted and recycled, our guests are shown the 2 different bins (general waste and recycle). They oblige and we then separate the recyclables for the local council regulations.
• We promote a shared garden and the guests have their own private garden in our Airbnb. We have created the garden by planting trees and flowering plants to encourage the birds and bees. A place for guests to rest and recuperate along with a space for the children to play.
• Most of the toys, books and games for the Airbnb are recycled and have been obtained from friends and charity shops. 
• Kitchens play a large part in today's environment and our Airbnb has a fully equipped kitchen to encourage cooking, storage containers to discourage plastic wraps, refillable water bottles, and a herb garden outside the kitchen window.
• We try to buy cleaning products in bulk as it’s more environmentally friendly. Cleaning clothes are washed in between and recycled.
• The welcome folder has information and maps showing that the beach, shops and restaurants and hotels are approximately 5 – 20 minutes walking distance from our Airbnb. Along with cycle tracks by the beach and the bush.

Living sustainably has been part of my way of life and I try to encourage others and our guests to do their little bit to protect our environment for future generations. We are not perfect, and I am sure there is more we can do by trying to live and leave a minimal impact for generations to come.

The worm farm

Worms in the farm

"Brown Gold" - liquid released from the broken down food

[Katja202]

You worm farm composting! Oh I love that! The juice is super super great fertilizer for the veggie garden. 💚💚💚💚 

[Sheng72]

You are great.I am not good at gardening.I don't know how to do it.I'm very admire you.And I'm afraid of insect since I was young.I don't know whether I can enjoy gardening.

[Laurelle3]

Hi @Sheng72 gardening takes time to understand and if you had a role model in your younger days we learn from experience.

Yes the worms are a squirmy insect and have no smell. I put my gloves on and sort the worms out and put back into the tray above so that they can go to work. The castings and decomposed compost gets watered down and put on the garden. There is still time to learn sometimes there are community gardens that you can visit and talk to people who go there for ideas and gain knowledge. The people that are involved in these community gardens love to talk to people who are interested and a friendship may occur. 

[Deirdre122]

I have always wanted a worm farm for composting but I'm a bit concerned about how easy it is to maintain - I'd hate to be responsible for the worms not surviving. I'm terrible with plants and can't get any to grow. I would love to be able to grow my own vegetables but nothings seems to last beyond the initial week of sprouting, so I don't really know where I'm going wrong. I would love to get to a point where I'm growing most of my own (I'm vegetarian, so that would be a large portion of my food I could provide). I now live on a farm so I do have a bit more space, so I hope to give it a proper try soon.