You won't catch Trudy-Anne Doyle on her mobile phone - she doesn't own one.

Self-confessed greenie mum Trudy-Anne Doyle is opening up her sustainable home to the public this weekend. (ABC Local : Kate Hill )

The Mount Gambier mother-of-four rides a bike to work, stores up tap water in jugs and hasn't bought a new item of clothing for the last four years.

Well, except some things.

"I have just bought bamboo underwear," she said, laughing.

Whether you dub her a diehard greenie or just plain eccentric in her polkadot print op shop dress, a laid-back Trudy-Anne doesn't quite mind.

"I take a bit of an anti-consumerist approach," she said.

The 48-year-old said she's simply trying to lessen her family's impact on the environment and if that saves them money in the long run, well that's just an added benefit.

Going green has become big business in Australia as more and more businesses embrace sustainable alternatives and individuals seek out a simpler way of life.

But how do you reduce your carbon footprint without reducing your lifestyle?

The answer is a little hit or miss, according to Trudy-Anne and sometimes it's simply a matter of cherry-picking what works for you.

'I try not to waste anything'

The family has put into effect some big changes in their modest 1950s-era limestone home, including installing solar hot water, electricity and heating systems, water-saving toilets and energy-saving lighting.

There are smaller and more cost-effective touches too, such as the clear contact film on the windows to simulate double-glazing and the hose that pipes grey water from the family's washing machine out to the back garden.

"I try not to waste anything," Trudy-Anne said, and this point is proved by the many jugs of water sitting in the kitchen.

The five to eight litres of water that normally spins down the drain while waiting for the hot water to heat up is saved by Trudy-Anne, heated in the kettle and used for washing dishes or clothes.

Once washed, those clothes are strung across four huge lines on the family's back porch to air dry, even in winter.

Trudy-Anne considers a tumble dryer 'wasted energy'.

The family gets along on one car and the home phone is how you get in contact with Trudy-Anne.

"People say 'oh, we can never get you Trudy-Anne'. Well sometimes, I don't want to be got."

'I did book in and get my legs waxed recently'

Trudy-Anne op shops for her own wardrobe and also for her four daughters, although confesses it's hard to convince her 16-year-old into second-hand clothes.

But her younger two daughters, knowing they can score 10 items instead of one on the same budget, are more than happy to embrace their mum's thrifty mentality.

Although Trudy-Anne tries to serve up a diet of organic and local produce on the family dinner table, it's often difficult to keep everybody happy.

"Sometimes I buy products and the kids go 'yuck' and say 'I just want Milo mum'," she said.

The family grow their own vegetables and have their pick of the 50 varieties of fruit and nut trees in their backyard.

Subscribing to the ethical shopping guide, Trudy-Anne tries to source things such as soaps, shampoos and washing detergents from farmers markets or stores specialising in eco-products.

But when she does head to a supermarket, she often idles in aisles intently reading labels, trying to determine a product's organic status or 'food miles'.

Trying to live that way is a constant challenge, she said.

"It's kind of fun, once you get started. You're constantly slipping up," she said.

"You want to see the results so you become really frugal and say 'wow - look what we got back'."

Although she's stripped some personal luxuries down to the bare minimum such as makeup and hair dye, there are some things Trudy-Anne has found she just can't live without.

"I did book in and get my legs waxed recently," she confesses.

Bottles of wine are another thing the couple says lack a good organic substitute.

'I think if only I had this vision when I was younger'

Living sustainably may focus on minimising the impact on the environment, but there's an added benefit - saving cold hard cash.

Trudy-Anne said they noticed a huge difference in their bills following a few years living a more frugal lifestyle and that money is being put to good use.

"Because we put in those things and saved that money, we've now bought a block of land near Dunkeld and we're putting trees on that," she said.

"It gives us opportunities to do other things because we're saving so much."

Because their lifestyle costs them less, the couple are also able to work less and plan on retiring by the age of 55, a full 10 years below the Australian average.

Watching her young daughters play in the garden, Trudy-Anne is hopeful their current lifestyle will inspire them to grow into environmentally aware young women who think about the bigger picture.

She often wishes she'd cottoned on to the simple life a little earlier.

"I think if only I had this vision when I was younger. How much more fun life would have been."

Get a look inside Trudy-Anne's home for Sustainable House day on September 13.

To register for the open day, visit the Sustainable House Day website.