Lucas Patchett of charity laundry service Orange Sky hangs out some washing in front of a Yeppoon home damaged by Cyclone Marcia. Photo: Orange Sky

As Tropical Cyclone Marcia crossed the Queensland coast, Lucas Patchett and Nic Marchesi packed up their mobile laundry van and embarked on a 1090km journey to the disaster zone.

The 20-year-old co-founders of Brisbane charity Orange Sky, which provides a mobile laundry service for homeless people, had just set up an operation in far north Queensland when TC Marcia called.

Yeppoon resident Tony makes use of the free laundry service offered by Orange Sky. Photo: Orange Sky

A day on the road later, Orange Sky was in Yeppoon offering its services to people left without power and, sometimes, without roofs in TC Marcia's wake.

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"We pulled up this morning and people who had the walls and the roof of their house ripped off, with all their belongings soaked and no power in the whole of Yeppoon, they were pretty happy to get their clothes cleaned," Mr Patchett said on Saturday.

"I suppose it's one of the things you don't want to worry about when you're doing a big clean-up like that."

Orange Sky Laundry was set up about five months ago in Brisbane and earlier this month expanded into Cairns.

"The original plan was to have it operating up there on a priority basis in case there were any natural disasters," Mr Patchett said.

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Cyclone Marcia: Orange Sky cleans up after the storm

Industrial tones such as Corten and white metal mix with reclaimed wood of various hues for a distinguished look in Mar Vista. Wide-plank oak flooring, gilded light fixtures and a crisp white kitchen with quartz countertops highlight the loft-like floor plan.

Location: 4021 Marcasel Ave., Los Angeles, 90066

Price: $2.275 million

Year built: 2014

House size: 4,060 square feet, four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms

Lot size: 7,873 square feet

Features: Wide-plank oak flooring, custom wall treatments, built-ins, skylights, open-space floor plan, living room, dining room, chefs kitchen with quartz counters, master suite with walk-in closet and rain shower, deck, detached two-car garage.

About the area: The median sales price for homes in the 90066 ZIP Code in the month of December was $1.175 million based on 27 sales, according to DataQuick. That represents a 25.7% increase in median price year-over-year.

Agents: Sherri Noel, (310) 994-8721, The Noel Team -- Keller Williams Realty

To submit a candidate for Home of the Day, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to neal.leitereg@latimes.com.

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Home of the Day: A sharp look in Mar Vista

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Some of Collaroy's finest houses date from when the suburb's post office was established in 1923. In those days, Collaroy was often used as a holiday destination away from the city. As a result, the earlier houses, often second homes, were built in weatherboard, a more affordable option than brick. They featured stone fireplaces, timber floors and wraparound sandstone verandahs used as sleep-outs.

A drive around the suburb now uncovers some of these golden oldies and also hails the return of the timber beach house. New homes are being built in weatherboard and feature indoor-outdoor living and lush subtropical gardens. It's a welcome trend.

Collaroy has examples of architecture from across the past century including a few art deco-style homes which are mirrored in Collaroy's landmark cinema. Another architectural marker is the 1967 beachfront Flight Deck apartment block.

Source: Domain Group.

Apartments make up almost a third of the suburb's housing with blocks concentrated along Pittwater Road and its offshoots. Last year, 141 units sold in Collaroy. They are not only entry points to the market (the lowest price for a unit last year was $340,000) but also an option for downsizers leaving behind big family homes.

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Most Collaroy buyers are locals but of late, agents are fielding interest from expats who have been waiting for the dollar to hit favourable conditions. So far this year, buyers have been acting swiftly to secure property in Collaroy.

What locals love

The choice of swimming spots between tranquil Fishermans beach, the aquatic reserve, the surf at Collaroy beach and the rock pool offers something for everyone. Locals love the walk up Long Reef Point by the golf course and the off-leash dog park. The tennis courts are popular as is the upgraded Collaroy Beach Park playground. There is also the cinema, just enough cafes and The Collaroy Hotel on Pittwater Road.

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Neighbourhoods: Collaroy undergoing a beach-house revival

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A toilet at the University of the West of England is proving urine can generate electricity. Photograph: UWE Bristol

A prototype toilet has been launched on a UK university campus to prove that urine can generate electricity, and show its potential for helping to light cubicles in international refugee camps.

Students and staff at the Bristol-based University of the West of England are being asked to use the working urinal to feed microbial fuel cell (MFC) stacks that generate electricity to power indoor lighting.

The project is the result of a partnership between researchers at the university and Oxfam, who hope the technology can be developed by aid agencies on a larger scale to bring light to refugee camp toilets in disaster zones.

We have already proved that this way of generating electricity works, said research lead Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, director of the Bristol BioEnergy Centre, which in 2013 demonstrated MCF stacks generating enough electricity to power a phone. The project with Oxfam could have a huge impact in refugee camps.

The technology uses microbes which feed on urine for their own growth and maintenance. The MFC is in effect a system which taps a portion of that biochemical energy used for microbial growth, and converts that directly into electricity - what we are calling urine-tricity or pee power. This technology is about as green as it gets, as we do not need to utilise fossil fuels and we are effectively using a waste product that will be in plentiful supply, said Ieropoulos.

Related: Pee power could fuel hydrogen cars

The urinal - conveniently located near the Student Union bar - resembles toilets used in refugee camps to make the trial as realistic as possible. The equipment that converts the urine into power sits underneath the urinal and can be viewed through a clear screen.

Andy Bastable, Head of Water and Sanitation at Oxfam, commented: Oxfam is an expert at providing sanitation in disaster zones, and it is always a challenge to light inaccessible areas far from a power supply. This technology is a huge step forward. Living in a refugee camp is hard enough without the added threat of being assaulted in dark places at night. The potential of this invention is huge.

An estimated 6.4tn litres of urine is produced by humans across the globe every year, so researchers believe it has great potential as a cheap and readily available source of energy. Ieropoulos said the unit installed at the university would cost around 600 to set up.

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University installs prototype 'pee power' toilet