Reuse and recycle key to moving on

Ecological design is holistic. It considers the relationships between elements of a system as important as the elements themselves.

It's all about making connections in our minds based on the interrelationships we observe in the world around us.

In writing, one form of connection is the segue, a literary link. I'll use the one concept included in the past three columns - multiple functions - to segue onto the last of the design principles we followed during this project: the "Three Rs" - reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Where reduce is more of an umbrella concept including the reduction of material and energy waste, reuse and recycle are strategies we can put in place to achieve the reduction of waste and the conservation of resources. In other words, by reusing and recycling, we reduce what goes to landfill, and we reduce the amount of new materials that need to be extracted and manufactured. These are good for the planet (eco) and the wallet (thrifty).

During the renovation we diverted over 95 per cent of all materials from landfill, and spent less than $50 on rubbish fees. On the other hand, we made more than $300 recycling scrap metal, and have a big pile of untreated, unpainted scrap wood ready for the wood burner.

Some framing timber and lots of sarking was too filled with borer to reuse in any other form than feeding the Shacklock.

Other native hardwoods that came out of the renovation were ideal for reuse where the building code did not require that certain timber be used. One example is the former deck (aka trampoline) that became an attractive fence that serves multiple functions.

Those functions include: privacy screen; dog-excluder; wind barrier, trellis, and teaching tool. Back to the former-deck-turned-fence. Although the timber had been exposed to coastal elements for 30 years, most of the individual boards were still sound. Although we could possibly have reused them to build another deck, we preferred to build a brick patio that would serve as a heat sink for subtropical plantings such as banana, Tahitian lime and tamarillo. With the brick patio in place, the deck-turned-fence became a windbreak for the banana and Tahitian lime, both of which came through June frosts fairly well.

In the end, John and Amy learned some things about creative reuse, about construction and about permaculture design.

Nelson Lebo is co-founder of the ECO School with his wife, Dani. theecoschool@gmail.com They have extensively renovated an old villa at Castlecliff with green principles and sustainability in mind.