We have lived in western Sydney (Australia), for over 30 years and for 25 years or more of it have been attempting to live a self reliant/sustainable lifestyle with varying degrees of success. It is a continuing journey rather than a destination to be reached. Along the way we have been able to glean a bit of information about how one can live more sustainably in a suburban setting with a small backyard and some income. The purpose of this site is to share that hard won experience with any poor soul who is prepared to listen (or in this case, read). So come on in and have a wander around, you may just find something of use!

Oh, yes, the title of the site - “Under the Choko Tree” with a subtitle of “Sustainable Living in the Suburbs”. The choko (sechium edule) is a real survival food, prolific and easy to grow, with multiple uses (although they can be a bit bland unless spiced up, unlike this site!). They do, of course, grow on vines not trees but we have an old orange tree which the choko vines grow up every year and this has been christened the choko tree. Thus the choko provides sort of a symbol for the intent of this site.

Our site now has 192 articles for your viewing pleasure,

Enjoy!

Nev & Linda

Remember Folks - This site is a work in progress, so come often and see what we've been up to!

PS - If you want to download a PDF version of an article, that feature of the site has caused problems from day one, but here is a work-around that will help -
With Internet Explorer, pressing the PDF button produces a blank screen. You can work around this if you right-click on the button and select "Open Link", "Open Link in New Tab", or "Open Link in New Window". The button works correctly in Firefox.

NOTE: We open for National Permaculture Day (Early May) and Sustainable House Day (Mid September) each year.