immoafrica blog

There is a growing awareness among home designers of the importance of reducing energy costs and creating a home that is eco-friendly, says Nancy Todd, Western Cape Regional Sales Manager for the Rawson Property Group. “However,” said Todd, “what so often happens is that the man-in-the-street picks up a book or a brochure on this [...](more...)

Going green with grey water. Watering, along with composting, feeding and mulching, is a vital component in successful gardening. During prolonged dry periods gardeners may want to make use of grey water to keep their gardens alive. Grey water or used household water is water from the bath, shower, washing machine and so forth. Of [...](more...)

Demand for green homes on the rise, but they are few and far between, according to green architect. A fair proportion of Rawson Properties’ clients now accept that it would be ‘a good idea’ to live in a ‘green home’, one which reduces the consumption of energy and water, recycles its waste and needs relatively [...](more...)

In 1980 scientists at the John C. Stennis Space Center in the USA found that plants can purify air. B. C. Wolverton and his team measured the effects of various houseplants on the presence of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) including formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene and xylene. It turned out that a number of plants are pretty [...](more...)

Follow these simple and easy to implement tips to help you live a more eco-friendly life.(more...)

Instead of reaching for toxic chemical products to control garden pests, go for the sensible option and spray your plants with natural remedies for bugs.(more...)

Want an eco-home, why not use more natural cleaning products? Clean your home and yourself with products that are good to the environment and to you. This list is posted by WWF South Africa and offers a selection of fairly comprehensive, all-natural cleaning solutions for every home.(more...)

When it comes to lighting there is still a lot of confusion as to whether to buy LED or fluorescents. Fluorescents, while affordable and great at saving us money on energy bills, can be toxic to our health, due to ultraviolet rays, the mercury content and their penchant for shattering into a million little pieces [...](more...)

Does your home feel like a freezer in winter? Not everyone can afford to rush out and buy a heater or install a fireplace, and there are those that want to reduce their carbon footprint. Whatever your reasons, there are ways to keep a home warm without a heater. Here are a few tips on [...](more...)

There’s no denying that growing your own food is trendy. The world over people are connecting with food in a very primal way – by growing it. This isn’t new, our forefathers did it for generations but, in a world that is so disconnected from our natural surroundings, we are rediscovering practical and edible ways to reconnect [...](more...)

There are so many ways to reuse, recycle and re-purpose and have fun at the same time. I have selected a couple of great recycling projects that use a variety of household items that normally get thrown out. Over on Copy & Paste they show how easy it is to use stainless steel spoons as unique basket [...](more...)

Article courtesy of Spatula Magazine By Yuppiechef It is all too easy to buy herbs and vegetables from a squeaky clean supermarket and never count the cost of how they came to be. Last week, some of our Minichefs visited Soil For Life to flex their green fingers and get to grips with growing. Soil [...](more...)