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Reg and I have our summer home, in an area where only the grey filtered water, is used, for the laundry, bathroom, toilet and garden. We have Low- Flow toilets, using filtered gray water (mostly storm water runoff), for the flush. We do not have a dual flush toilet  and I will look into the conversion kits there are, to Save Water. There is ample grey water at the moment and no water restrictions and I am allowed, to water our garden whenever it needs it, so I am able to grow many of my own vegetables and fruits. 

Living in the country as I do and with an avenue of poplar trees across the road from us there is always armfuls of leaf litter available to add to the garden as mulch and further conserve water evaporation from the garden.

The Goulburn Valley region of Victoria has pioneering the adoption of “Water Sensitive Urban Design” principles, reducing the environmental impact of stormwater runoff on the local rivers and minimising flooding.

Major urban development projects, the largest of which is Kialla Lakes Estate, Kialla, having a total project cost of $40M, was constructed in $1.3M stages. Kialla Lakes, estate, is built around an anabranch of the Broken River within a floodplain.

Kialla Lakes Estate has become the showcase for the Goulburn Valley regarding the incorporation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) features into the management of stormwater.

The excellent management of using storm water to minimise subsequent flooding in the Goulburn Valley area, has allowed this area to be, developed, into orchards and oat fields, interspersed with housing communities. Once a vast flood prone plain it is now a fertile region termed, ‘the fruit bowl, of Victoria’.

At Vara-Ville Village, land was an excavated, to create Lake Dorothy. The excavated soil was used to elevate the surrounding area, to raise it above the flood level and make this former flood prone plain, suitable for housing.  Lake Dorothy provides the filtered grey water system available to the laundry, bathrooms, toilet and for garden use for the surrounding estate and fresh drinking quality water is only used in the kitchens for cooking and drinking purposes.

The example set by the Greater Shepparton and Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, in water management is an inspiration to other communities that have water wastage from storm runoff and flooding issues. The fruit growing industry supports a thriving region, all due to this excellent water management and conservation system.

 
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Ecotherapy is nature's healing power restoring the natural balance between inner and outer man through physical connections with nature.

This blog is about to take on a new leaning towards a middle ground of ecotherapy.and the environment.

My version of ecotherapy is finding peace, emotional calm and health through living my life, close to nature and treating humans with respect. Call me a humanist, rather than a greeny.

So yes I encourage people who would like to contribute to an ecotherapy blog to contact me, but I remind them that this will not be a radical, whales are more important than people type of blog, it's frankly going to be more about peaceful enjoyment of the pleasures of nature than about anything political or, radical.  Just like the way I want nature to be, this blog will be a quiet place of serenity and peace, lol, :-), a cool rainforest on a hot day. I hope you will find pleasures here to calm your mind when you visit.

Ecotherapy and Human Well-Being Studies show that elderly adults whose homes are near green space and trees tend to live longer regardless of their social and economic situations. Students perform better when they study at desks stationed before windows that open to natural settings. Children with ADHD improve in behavior and mood after outdoor activities in green environments.

People who actively participate in nature through outdoor work, running or hiking tend to have higher levels of overall satisfaction with life; they also have fewer colds and bouts of the flu, and they seem to be protected from illness by an increased ability to adapt to stress without being overwhelmed.

The image shown is from a postcard, by artist, Kathy Shell. Postcards may be purchased, 'direct from artist' or in assorted quantity bundles, enquiries welcome, see contact details.



Read more 
Ecotherapy
What is Ecotherapy?: Nature's Healing Power, Human Well-Being and Children http://alternativespirituality.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_ecotherapy#ixzz0c5TALIRM