TGL News: Australia’s largest garage sale, a merger and two free resources

Our parent publisher The Fifth Estate’s big annual signature event is coming. This year’s theme is I, human, and it’s going to be amazing.

With over 20 speakers lined up, this is your chance to network and learn from the Who’s Who of sustainability in the built environment. 

These people will shape the future of humans in the built environment, from nature to buildings, community and affordable housing to radical finance (Nightingale) – all in the fast advancing digital world.

Valued Green List members enjoy the same special members’ discounts, and all attendees will earn 6 CPD points from the Green Building Council of Australia.

See the full program and details here, but be sure to get in quick as tickets are selling seriously fast.

Bargain hunters and determined declutterers rejoice – the nation’s largest garage sale event of the year returns this weekend! Co-founded by Greenlister Republic of Everyone, the Garage Sale Trail brings together Australians from all walks of life to sell their pre-loved goodies or shop for unique finds.

Last year over 3 million kilograms of pre-loved items were sold – from kids toys to clothes, furniture and antique tea sets. This year should be just as impressive, with organisers expecting 400,000 people to get involved and support from more than 140 local councils.

The Garage Sale Trail is on this weekend (Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October, 2019).

To register or find garage sales in your area, head to the website.

Greenlister Interface’s sustainability lead, Lisa Conway, will speak on a webinar panel alongside fellow sustainability experts about the ways manufacturers are designing their products to reduce embodied carbon and create a closed-loop economy.

Tune in to hear from experts in the realms of architecture, buildings, third-party certifiers and more. Fellow speakers will include Tad Radzinski of GreenCircle Certified, Stacy Smedley of Skanska, and Kirsten Ritchie of Gensler.

Conquering Carbon: Evaluating Embodied Carbon in Products for a Sustainable Future will be broadcast on Wednesday 30 October, 2019 between 1pm and 2pm EDT (eastern standard time during daylight savings).

For more information and to register for the webinar, head to the website.

Greenlister Edge Environment has merged with Adelaide-based sustainability consultancy and fellow BCorp company, Seed Consulting Services.

The combined company will operate under the Edge brand, adding further capacity and geographical reach to the sustainability consultancy firm. Seed brings an additional 30 staff to the outfit, with experience in sustainable food and agriculture, natural resource management, local government sustainability and climate adaptation.

Edge’s chief executive officer, Jonas Bengtsson, said the additional team members and expertise will better place the company to accelerate its clients’ sustainability journeys.

“That includes working in both traditionally strong markets such as property and infrastructure, as well as fast-developing areas within our business such as food and retail,” Bengtsson said in a statement.

“I’m very excited about the future, and the renewed sense of momentum in sustainability that has emerged in recent times,” he added, noting the sustainability agenda had grown rapidly in the last 12 months compared to the steady increase over the previous 11 years of Edge’s operation.

“With the emergence of things like the TCFD [Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures] and increased public concern about issues such as climate change,” Bengtsson noted he had seen “a step-change in the level of activity and ambition in the market,” leading to the expansion opportunity.

In 2016, American’s City of Phoenix council held a Sustainable Home Design Competition in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, Arizona (AIA). The aim was to find a “near net-zero energy” single family home that could be easily adopted across the climate affected region.

The winning design was Home NZ — a 202 square metre, single storey, three bedroom residence with flexibility depending on lot orientation. Costing roughly AUD$510,000 inclusive of contractor overhead, according to the plans, the design features impressive insulation and highly efficient systems inclusive of passive cooling and smart home technologies (LED lighting, smart thermostat and solar panels).

You can view and download the free plans here.