Household Utilities: Recycling: Permaculture.

The energy cost of food production in Australia has been estimated to be 10 times more than the energy content of food consumed, and greater than that of running a house or a family car.

Permaculture is a design approach to gardening where you are encouraged to work with, rather then against, nature. It achieves a high yielding, low energy, self-perpetuating system where animals, plants, humans and the earth integrate for the benefit of all. In its most basic sense, it establishes the conditions that enable people to be more self-reliant. The garden, house, energy and waste management work together to produce a sustainable lifestyle and provisions for food self-sufficiency on site.

The Newton House will endeavour to produce its own fruit, vegetable, herb and spice needs. Most of the nutritional and mulching requirements for this will come from kitchen scraps, garden clippings and the dry composting toilet. Composting with worms will aid in the break down of this waste material. Water requirements will be reduced by effective use of swales (trenches dug along the contour of the land) and mulch. Greywater will be used for watering.

Links

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_std2.asp?PID=38
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~askpv/Pm-intro.htm