$20 green

By Bridget Cook
The Pakenham resident showed initiative about eight months ago, coming up with a low-cost, easy method to make use of water that would usually go to waste.
Mr Purvis said he saw how much water his evaporative air-conditioner used, and how much of it went down the drain.
“Instead of the water going into the gutter or a tank, I decided to run rubber tubing through the gutter, from the air-conditioner dump valve, to the gutter above my garden beds,” he said.
“I drilled holes in the hose at the bottom so it works like a sprinkler.”
“The project cost me no more than $20.”
This simple irrigation system automatically dumps about 15 litres of water onto the garden bed, which would otherwise go down the drain.
Since then, Mr Purvis has adopted other practices around his home to do his bit for the environment including the installation of energy saving light globes, setting up a compost bin outside and turning his plasma television off at the power point.