Sustainable House Construction #1

Ok, so, starting a new line of Blog that will be a journal to building a new, Energy Efficient Home.
We have a block of land at Aldinga Beach that we want to build on. It is approx 1200m2, 51m deep and 24m across, it's flat and north facing.
We want to build it as energy efficient as we possibly can and the least amount of impaction on our environment. That means on gases into the air, co2 etc, amount of electricity, lpg etc used for living and most importantly that we are doing our best to save water.
So, hopefully this can be a reference point for us as we research and maybe for others as they also consider building or renovating their homes.
I'll be gathering information off the web and hopefully linking to other like minded blogs and resources that are doing the same. If anyone can help or wants to join in, it would be most appreciated.