The tenth annual Sustainable House Day in Geelong was truly a sustainable ‘house learning’ festival bonanza for the community – and the community was ready to dig into it: 800 people had preregistered to attend, and numbers broke all previous records this year.

How do we transition to a more sustainable lifestyle? It is knowledge, not money that is the key to a comfortable, cost-effective and low-carbon home. Sustainable House Day is a formidable event to help everyone acquire new knowledge. The event allows the community to discover and explore firsthand both the economic, well-being and environmental benefits of sustainable living and smarter homes.

This year’s Sustainable House Day was a wonderful success. There was a learning buzz at all properties as knowledge and experiences were shared. Initial data shows there were over 2,400 visits across the 13 open houses with Property #10 in Drysdale being the busiest home with 300 visits.

The videos below will give you an idea about what the event had on offer this year.

Maria Bohan: Sustainable House Day at MACS

On Sustainable House Day 2018, MACS – Multicultural Aged Care Services Geelong – showcased its new 156kW community-owned solar system as well as its Cycling Without Age project.

» This video was also posted on YouTube

Live broadcast from Property #5

This house was a DIY renovation demo to highlight how a leaky 2 star family home from the 1940s can be made into a 10 star home.

» Dave Campbell’s house in Manifold Heights

Live broadcast from Property #6

A ResourceSmart school showcasing its sustainable initiatives and innovation.

» St Joseph’s College in Newtown

Podcasts and videos

We produced two Sustainable Hour podcasts about the Sustainable House Day in Geelong on 14 October 2018, and we also produced a number of videos.

The Sustainable Hour on 10 October 2018:

Community opens its doors to sustainable housing

Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 10 October 2018 are two house owners who open their homes on Sunday 14 October: Kerri Erler from Teesdale and Stephen Williams from Manifold Heights, along with energy assessment expert Dan Cowdell from Geelong Sustainability

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Video interview with Dan Cowdell, energy assessment expert
» Same on YouTube

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The Sustainable Hour on 3 October 2018:

Joy of living the change in a tiny house

Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 3 October 2018 are Vicki Perrett, president of Geelong Sustainability and coordinator of Sustainable House Day Geelong, together with Peter Clapinski from Tiny Homes Geelong & Bellarine, for a talk about why he is so passionate about this idea to build tiny houses.

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Video interview with Peter Clapinski

» Same on YouTube

Peter Clapinski is president of Geelong & Bellarine Tiny Homes, a new organisation advocating for more affordable housing in our region, building ‘micro-communities’ of tiny steel framed houses on a trailer which has been fitted out – and built to a tiny budget.

Video interview with Vicki Perrett

» Same on YouTube

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With over 110 volunteers participating of whom 55 were subject matter experts, this was the biggest ever Sustainable House Day in Geelong. 2018 was also the tenth year of the event – with Geelong Sustainability coordinating the event on behalf of the City of Greater Geelong.

Blue sky and 26°C – the weather was perfect for exploring the 13 properties which had opened their doors to the public across the region.

People wandered through well orientated homes and felt firsthand the benefits of passive solar design. Whether they were about to build a new home themselves, or planning an extension or renovation, wanting some DIY ideas or just happy to admire lovely homes and productive gardens – there were places to visit for everyone that both informed and inspired.

The Sustainable House Day event was ‘curated’ and coordinated by Geelong Sustainability president Vicki Perrett.