40 years of Renew

For 40 years, Renew has played a critical role in promoting and educating the public about sustainability – guiding Australians on every step of their sustainability journey – and our members and supporters have been instrumental to our success!

Renew has had many Australian firsts including owning a community wind farm at Breamlea in Victoria, national sustainability education tours with our Energy Mobile in the 1980’s and Australia’s first trial of greywater systems and development of the tankulator in response to growing interest in water saving during the millennium drought. We also led the way in making it easier for home solar systems to connect to the grid by actively lobbying for consistent agreements and financial incentives.

The achievements of Renew continue to grow with ever-increasing numbers of people wanting to live more sustainably. Each year Renew engages with more than 250,000 people through our two award-winning magazines Renew and Sanctuary; events Sustainable House Day, which has grown to over 45,000 visits in 2019, or the numerous talks we conduct through our 14 branches; and through one-on-one advice at our Speed Date a Sustainability Expert events and our advice service.

As we celebrate 40 years of success, the reality is that in 2020 time is running out to arrest the climate crisis and to have a chance of keeping global temperature rise within 1.5 degrees.

This is why we are launching our “Future 40” fundraising campaign – to secure $1,000 donations from 40 of our wonderful supporters – to put us on sound footing as we embark on our next 40 years.

At Renew, we need to scale up our reach and impact in this decade before it is too late. The next few years are critical to meeting this challenge and in response Renew will be:

• Keeping up the pressure through our Climate Resilient Homes campaign to raise the energy and water standards in the National Construction Code and to lift the standards for existing homes
• Developing programs to help communities already impacted by climate change rebuild with more sustainable, climate resilient homes
• Expand our programs and develop new ways to help consumers access information and solutions to make their homes more sustainable

To support these efforts we need your help.

Has Renew made a difference in your life?  Are you saving energy and money my implementing ideas you read about in Renew and Sanctuary magazines? Have you attended Sustainable House Day or received on-on-one advice at a Renew event? Do you want to see an Australia where everyone lives in a home that is comfortable, energy efficiency and able to meet the challenges of a changing climate?

In honour of Renew’s 40th birthday please commit to to our future by joining the “Future 40” club by donating $1000 before June 30.

This campaign is the first step in our effort to raise $180,000 before the end of this financial year to progress our work in these key areas so we can make an even greater impact in helping to make all Australian homes more energy efficient, cheaper to run, and more comfortable to live in, even as we face a changing climate. Your donation will enable us to build a more sustainable future together.

All donations over $2 to Renew are fully tax-deductible and a receipt will be provided. Thank you for your generous support.