Ecohouse Challenge

SBS TV are advertising an "Ecohouse Challenge", to begin in April. The idea is to see how two average families got along with limited water, energy, rubbish removal and no private cars. According to The Age, as well as Eco house Challenge there will be a series from ABC TV called "Carbon Cops".

On Friday Senator Bob Brown opened a green office building in Canberra. Perhaps there will be a spin-off of the TV shows, with business executives having to shrink their ecological footprint in the office.

Canberra also had a "Eco-living Exhibition" of environmentally sensitive display homes. These make living green a lot easier, with solar panels and water recycling built in. Even CSIRO have got in on the act with a bubble shower to save water.

In 2004, there was a UK based "International student ecohouse challenge. Architectural Press and Elsevier Publishers, with Teachers in Architecture and Circle 33 Housing Group:

Architecture students with green design ideas should get ready for the 2004 Design Competition For An Ecohouse, sponsored by Architectural Press and Elsevier Publishers, with Teachers in Architecture and Circle 33 Housing Group.

The challenge is to design an environmentally friendly house, that's comfortable in both summer and winter, and able to function without relying heavily on fossil fuels. ...

From: "International student ecohouse challenge" in Upfront with Building!, 2004.

The results of the 2003 Ecohouse Design Competition are also available, as is the companion book "Ecohouse 2" by Sue Roaf (her "Ecohouse 3" is due out 30 July).

The SBS series is directed by Russell Vines and the ABC series is produced Tarni James. But as useful as the TV shows will be in educating people in an entertaining way, try living in a house in rural India, to see how the lack of clean water and reliable power can effect your life.


See also my:

• Smart Apartment for Environmental Efficiency
• Energy and Water Saving Products