If you live in Australia, did you know that you can now access green retrofits for your house for free?
Check out all the [sustainable retrofit rebates](http://green-change.com/australian-rebates/) available here in Australia. Make sure you scroll to the bottom and find your state ones, too.
You could get a rainwater tank, a solar hot water system, solar electricity, roof insulation or a number of other items.
OK, maybe I’m a bit cheeky calling this stuff ‘free’. Some certainly is (like the free roof insulation), but some you will still have to pay something for after collecting the rebates. But with Rudd’s latest stimulus package just being passed, most Australians will be receiving enough cash to cover those remaining costs!
Or you could spend the money on some [fruit trees](http://green-change.com/2009/01/22/planting-out-fruit-trees/), or on setting up a vegetable garden, or even just use it to fund a [switch to green energy](http://green-change.com/2009/01/03/choosing-a-green-electricit-supplier/) for a decade or so.
None of us were budgeting for these handouts a fortnight ago, so why not spend it on something to reduce the running costs of your home, enhance its resale value, increase your quality of life, and reduce your environmental footprint? Surely that’s a great way to spend a bunch of money that just fell into our collective laps?!
How are you going to spend your Rudd bonus? Share your ideas in the comments!
Photo by [Ed Bacchus](http://flickr.com/photos/ebacchus/).
What a fantastic post darren. We are going to get a water tank. Only wish it was installed now with all the rain we have been having.
I went down yesterday to the community gardens and planted some potatoes and some water melon seeds. Apparently the next 3 days are the moon planting days for top bearing food, seeds. If that makes sence.
Have a fab weekend and hope to see u next weekend for the seed saving meeting. Im going to bring the kids this time.
Cheers
Donna
Thanks Donna! We’ll get a water tank soon too. We don’t have any space around the house, though, so I’m looking at those under-the-house bladder-type tanks. Should be able to get about 5000 litres under there with luck!
I’ve got potatoes growing across the front of the yard. We loved the last lot we grew, so we’ve sown about 5 times as much this time!
I’m hoping to get to the SeedSavers meeting, but I’m not sure if I will yet. I’ll probably bring 1 or 2 of the kids if I do come. I want to check out your vegie patch too!
Really great post Darren! Thank you for all the info in those links on this post.
No worries Sarhn! I figure if the government wants to help us be more sustainable, it’s our civic duty to help them spend their money. It’s going to help our economy much more than if we all just rush out and buy Chinese-made LCD TVs and BluRay players.
Look into those bladders – I’m suspicious of the plastics used. PVC?
@Greg: The bladder says it’s made from a PVC material “which enables potable rainwater storage to Australian Standards”. I won’t be drinking it – just flushing the toilet, washing laundry, and watering the garden with it. Do you know of specific concerns with that?