Living Sustainably

There are many things you can do in your everyday life to contribute to sustainability - saving energy or water, making your home safer and healthier or just more comfortable to live in. 

Introduction

Information on living sustainably includes such things as conserving energy sources and water, but it doesn't mean having to go without. There are many simple ways we can all reduce wastage. There are lots of ideas that will save you money, make your more comfortable in your home, safeguard your health, and offer you a better quality of life.

The Eco Zone Guides provide information on the different ecological zones found within the city, and will help you find about where you live and how to deal with specific issues. For example, the Living in the Waitakere Foothills tells you which native plants are suited to that area and how to deal with stormwater issues etc.

Eco-homes

Sustainable Living Centre

The Sustainable Living Centre provides average families with access to affordable and practical skills, knowledge and information for sustainable urban living. The Sustainable Living Centre is a standard 1970s state house which has been retrofitted to showcase demonstrations and displays of sustainable water, energy and waste management systems that can be implemented in most urban homes.

NOW Home

The NOW Home has been designed and built by Beacon Pathway Ltd, a collaborative research organisation.  This ordinary looking house is designed to show how much warmer, healthier and cheaper to run a house can be, using the best concepts, products and materials affordably available right now.

Eco-Friendly House

In 1998 Waitakere City Council built an eco-friendly home to demonstrate to the public and the industry what an eco house may look like and what elements it may contain.  Waitakere Properties Limited built the home on behalf of the Council and the home was open to the public for six months after completion, before being sold. 

An important aspect was to show that such a project was commercially viable and that the market was ready for it. Our detailed brochure has information on the designers, the concept and all the various features and products used.

Sustainable Living Courses

Waitakere City Council runs a series of workshops annually on Sustainable Living based on the national Sustainable Households Programme. These courses are for those seeking answers to how they can decrease their footprint on the environment.

Waitakere City Council is hosting a Mandarin-language Sustainable Living Programme at Sustainable Living Centre, New Lynn from the 30th April for 5 weeks. The workshop is being run by the Chinese Conservation Education Trust with support from Waitakere, Auckland, North Shore and Manukau City Councils and the Chinese Settlers Trust. It will be the first time that the full programme will be run for Chinese speakers, with the course materials translated for them.

This course is fully booked, though if you would like to register your interest for the next course or you would like more information please contact:

Helpful resources on sustainable living in Mandarin:

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print this document.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

Eco Design Advisor Service