All villagers should be aware of this $0 solar PV plan.

Whereas with my buyers group last year we each paid around $1700 for 1kW of solar PV panels, the market has evolved now to the point where it costs $0! That means that in real terms the system is valued at $8,000 (because of the rebate) plus $2000 (because of the renewable energy credits) equals $10,000.
 
So NU Energy get the $10,000, and the buyer pays nothing (unless a meter is required - $440) and gets 1kW on their roof. My father-in-law found out about it through a retirement village in Elizabeth which had these systems installed on many of their houses this year. And I will be assisting my sister to do this on the house she has just bought. Ripper!
 
You can't get a better deal than that! A quote from them follows and extra details are attached.
 
"The NU Energy offer of a premium solar energy package for free is available for eligible homes in all states (except WA and NT). NU Energy will provide a solar system to any householder who is approved by the Federal Government to receive the Government’s $8000 solar system rebate. Essentially, the householder simply agrees that the rebate will be paid to NU Energy. Contact us NOW on: 1300 768 225"
 
I cannot see any trickery in this - oh - and if you read it and think that it is just giving a free install, not a free system, then that is their bad wording rather than trickery - like I said there are examples out there already and the whole thing, system and install, are FREE!!
 
Cheers - Michael Vawser
NU Energy Media Release
NU Energy FAQs
Nu Energy terms and conditions

The playground design meeting last Saturday produced some great ideas towards developing a whole of village playspace design to be presented to villagers soon.

During the meeting Justin led a workshop with the kids and parents, and together they built a temporary humpy (see photos ATTACHED) as an example of a natural playspace. The humpy will be reviewed in 3 months to decide if it is to be maintained or removed.

If you would like to know more about the playground progress, please contact me.

Kat W - 8556 5855
Stick Humpy

Dear Intentional Community,

We are very pleased to announce that Intentional Communities Australia - www.communities.org.au - the new go-to site for ecovillages, cohousing projects, co-ops and communes in Australia, is now live and accepting registrations for profiles.

What do we want you to do? - Register on the site! www.communities.org.au/user/register - If you are involved in an intentional community project, or wish to propose one, create a project profile. - Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about events.

What is the purpose of the site? - To gather together profiles of all the intentional communities in Australia. - To encourage the formation of new projects. - To develop a knowledge base of practical articles for making intentional communities happen in Australia. - To become a focal point for a national organisation, regular newsletter and perhaps a regular conference.

Who are we? - SLIC (Sustainable Living Intentional Communities) is a subgroup of the SLF (Sustainable Living Foundation) in Victoria, one of the premier environmental groups in Victoria. - SLIC aims to encourage a society that has ecologically sustainable intentional community as an available housing and lifestyle option.

Willunga Basin Protection Bill - Opposition supports Bill

Good afternoon - I am pleased to report that the State Opposition has indicated that they would support Family First's Willunga Basin Protection Bill. Whilst we could get the Bill through the Legislative Council with support of some of the independents (Hons John Darley, Ann Bressington, Mark Parnell & David Winderlich MLC), we are now seeking that the State ALP Government also support the Bill as a bipartisan indication of support for protecting the Basin. Over 1,000 petitions have been tabled so far and more are coming in.

If you would be interested in circulating petitions, please feel free to get a copy at this link:
http://www.sa.familyfirst.org.au/pdfs/Willunga%20Basin%20Petition.pdf
Circulate and return to our office as per the details at the bottom of the petition.

In the meantime, I invite your comments on a letter from the Minister for Urban Development and Planning concerning Bowering Hill (ATTACED TO NEXT MESSAGE IN THIS NEWS FEED). The letter was provided in response to my supplementary question regarding Government's plans for Bowering Hill. in Parliament on Wednesday, (see: http://tr.im/bowrg)

Hon Rob Brokenshire MLC, Parliament House, Adelaide.
Phone: 8237 9122; email: robert.brokenshire@parliament.sa.gov.au

Because it is the season for salting and preserving olives, it is a good time for a reminder about not putting spent brine into our wastewater system or onto our land. Here are the relevant portions of text from our Welcome Pack instructions about wastewater:

“You are probably aware of problems that can be caused by high levels of salt and phosphates in treated wastewater that is returned back into the environment.  These substances come primarily from detergents and other cleaning aids, and some food preserving and pickling processes also produce large amounts of waste salt.  Salt can build up over time in soil that is irrigated with wastewater, and blue-green algal blooms can be caused by high levels of phosphates in waste water discharged into rivers and waterways.  In our Village system, where the discharge is onto land, phosphate is less of a problem as it can be taken up as a ‘fertiliser’ by plants.  Salt, however, will potentially lower the fertility of the land over time, especially in our low rainfall zone where there is barely enough rain to wash salt through the soil, so it is best to minimize the salt level in our AAEV wastewater.” 
 
“And please, if you are dehydrating or pickling with salt (e.g., olives, cucumbers, egg plant, etc) never dispose of the waste salty water down the drain or on to land. If you absolutely have to pickle with salt, consider taking the spent pickling solution down to the sea where a bit more salt is not a problem!  We ask that you try to find low-salt and salt-free ways to dehydrate, pickle, and preserve food. Our land will thank you for it in the future.” 

Check out the west wall of the Sharing Shed near the main entrance - it now has a fabulous new mosaic sign.

What a classy contribution to Village life and facilities - thanks mainly to Vi Carpenter, who led the mosaic team and did the lion’s share of the work.

Well done - it looks great!