The Brave New Eco philosophy has always been to share our knowledge generously across as many different platforms we can.
And part of that approach has been writing and sharing my own knowledge on sustainable design topics. As well as appearing at various events and institutions as a guest speaker, I am a regular contributor on two publications at the forefront of the sustainability issue in Australia - namely Green Mag and Sanctuary Magazine.
The investigations I have done for my most recent articles have given me a very strong sense of what an interesting, progressive and authentic community we belong to in the work we do.
Late last year I was lucky enough to spend a few days staying at a fledgling permaculture farm under the stewardship of Milkwood alumni Fiona Craig. Three years ago Fiona (who was an urbanite to the core) bought 50 acres of degraded hilly land and moved there on her own to create a viable productive landscape and lifestyle for herself.
What she has done in that time is remarkable and spending time on her property was truly inspiring. I saw a smart, wordly, creative woman happily engaged and fulfilled by her stewardship of the land and, despite the sometimes inhospitable nature of the landscape and weather, her life is steeped in a sense of abundance on both a community and personal level.
Whilst staying with Fiona I slept soundly in her loft bed on homemade organic hemp sheets in a romantic and beautifully converted stone cottage; I ate a feast of local pork with her partner/chef Michael and Stewart from the farmers larder (the local farmer who raised the pig); I walked all over the property seeing the piles of sandstone Fiona has dragged around by hand to edge garden beds; and over endless cups of tea I heard her visions for the future.
More about this little story features in the January issue of Green Mag.
I also connected last year with Margaret Burchett from the University of Technology Sydney about the broad-ranging and timely study the UTS Science department has conducted on the function and potential of plantlife in indoor environments. The results are quite remarkable and really highlight the potential of plant life as a deeply integrated part of our indoor environments and on a large scale. I have written about this and how to take care of your indoor plants in the latest issue of Sanctuary magazine.
Finally, in early January, my mentors and friends at Milkwood ran a story on the work of Brave New Eco as part of their permaculture futures series. In this article you will find me talking about how I use the permaculture philosophy in my work in the built environment as well as the nuts and bolts of running a small business with an ethical framework.
A big thanks to Milkwood for the opportunity to reveal and be able to go in depth on a very important and slightly esoteric aspect of the Brave New Eco business model.
If you are interested in reading through some of my past interviews and press articles have a look here.
Oh and for anyone who has a building project in the pipeline or looking for general advice on sustainable design options, this weekend you will find me and a plethora of other green home designers, architects and sustainability experts as we provide free advice to the public during 13 minute "dates" at this weekend's Speed Date a Sustainable Expert. Bookings essential.