Sydney Central Branch

Renew Sydney Central Branch are excited to announce a learning and development event on household electrification and energy efficiency and its importance in helping to reduce community emissions. Our target audience are local government sustainability teams (predominantly from NSW), with representatives from other stakeholders such as state government, relevant advocacy groups and interested members of the public.

Discover the future of home energy in this engaging panel discussion hosted by Renew Sydney Central Branch. Featuring Avinesh Naidu from Kean Energy and Tim Eden from The Driven, the event explores the latest in home battery technology, including a checklist of key considerations when selecting a battery. The video also highlights emerging technologies that connect your EV to your home. Perfect for homeowners, tech enthusiasts, and sustainability advocates.

In February this year, applications opened for the NSW Government’s Solar for Apartment Residents (SoAR) Grant Program. This event aims to promote and explain the scheme, the technology required for solar installations in apartment buildings, and how to deliver a quality system that maximises returns. If you live in an apartment, are on a strata committee, are a strata manager, or are simply interested in the technologies needed to deliver Solar PV to an apartment building, this event will provide you with plenty of guidance and valuable information. It will also offer advice on ensuring that if you install a solar system, you get the best performing system possible.

In a cost of living and climate crisis, access to good, healthy and affordable food can become critical. Growing food locally in the urban environment is one way to make that happen and to make it accessible. To celebrate Urban Agriculture Month, come along and listen to our great panel of speakers discuss this and other issues such as … what is currently happening around the Sydney area? how can people get involved? what other opportunities are there? what needs to change to make them happen?

*Certain sections were trimmed from the original recording due to technical sound considerations; however, the core message of the presentation is still communicated* This event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council Renovating existing homes offer timely opportunities to co-create environments where life can thrive. Dr Angelica Rojas, co-founding Director at Includesign presents on the concept of regenerative design, an approach that aims to actively restore and enhance our environments. She explores how regenerative principles can be applied to the process of renovating homes, and the potential of transforming our living spaces into contributors to our health and their ecosystems while deepening our connection to the places they inhabit. Dr. Rojas delves into the regenerative design process, highlighting its holistic and adaptive nature. She then discusses how these concepts can be extended to medium-density housing and adaptive reuse projects Speaker: Dr Angelica Rojas, co-founding Director at Includesign, is an inspiring and passionate professional with over 20 years of local and international experience in architecture, urban design, sustainability and regeneration. Known for her collaborative spirit, Angelica thrives in co-creating meaningful design processes that bring together diverse expertise and stakeholder voices. She holds a PhD in regenerative design, has thought at the University of Melbourne and serves as a jury member for the Living Future Institute of Australia. Includesign is an architecture and urban design consultancy that co-creates innovative and viable solutions for housing, learning environments, and city/place making. Their projects integrate regenerative design principles to enrich lives, support healthier environments, and foster community connections and well-being.

This event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council Find out how your apartment block can best play catch up and how to get your Strata Committee on board for the benefit of all owners and also apartment renters Currently, over 40% of houses have solar installations, but for apartments, the adoption rate is less than 1%. This disparity means strata bodies and unit owners are missing opportunities to future proof affordable home living and increase the value of their apartments by +12.7% (Domain Sustainability in Property report). Speaker: Norman Koslowski - Norman Koslowski is principal consultant at Sky High Energy Control, Sydney’s first independent sustainable energy consultancy for apartments and houses. Norman has worked across all areas of residential sustainability over the past 12 years and is a regular speaker and panellist at energy expos and community events. He is an expert on specifying the best mix of solar and energy saving technology to reduce the cost of strata living, plus make apartments resilient to extreme climate conditions. Norman is also the driving force behind a consortium of manufacturers, installers and service providers collaborating to help two thirds of strata apartments in Sydney achieve Net Zero by 2030. This is through a mix of custom solar, storage & energy saving products, backed by long term, low interest strata finance.

This event is organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. Please note that this is a hybrid event. You can book tickets to either view the discussion online or attend in person. Doors will open at 6:00 pm and the presentation / webinar will begin at 6:30pm. Are you considering buying an EV and not sure where to start? Our EV expert, Dr Steven Du will explain all to help you make the best choice. Topics covered include: Optimum size of vehicle and battery. Charging at home. Availability of other charging. What’s "range anxiety"? What’s the differences in vehicle to load, vehicle to grid, and vehicle to home? Do I need solar to charge my EV? Speaker: Dr Steven Du, a Sydney-based dentist with nearly 30 years of clinical experience, is a tireless advocate for sustainability, electrification and all forms of electric vehicles. As Vice Chair of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) and the NSW Representative of the Tesla Owners Club of Australia (TOCA), Dr. Du plays a pivotal role in promoting the adoption of EVs and sustainable lifestyles. His commitment to these causes is further demonstrated through his involvement with Climate Action Burwood-Canada Bay and his key role in organizing the highly successful Smart Energy Expo at MLC School in Burwood. As a refugee of the Vietnam War, Dr. Du has a personal mission to prevent catastrophic climate change-induced refugee crises. Grateful for the support of the Australian community and host families that helped his family settle in Australia, Dr. Du has dedicated himself to giving back. He served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy and worked as a dentist in remote NSW towns and public hospitals. Currently in private practice, he continues to mentor recent dental graduates and volunteers his time to provide free dental treatment for marginalised communities, including asylum seekers, the unemployed, victims of domestic violence, and those unable to access timely public health services.

Energy Efficiency for Renters Presented by Renew and funded by Inner West Council Helpful Links: Working with your landlord NSW Government https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/rules/making-changes-to-a-rental-property https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/rules/minimum-standards-for-rental-properties Tenants Union https://www.tenants.org.au/resource/negotiation-tips Better Renting https://www.betterrenting.org.au/renter_researchers Draughtproofing Draught dodgers https://ecomasterstore.com.au/products/door-draught-dodgers Draft Stoppa on top of exhaust fans https://www.draftstoppa.com.au/ CSIRO guide https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2020/april/draught-proof-house Efficiency Matrix https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzLaC1JZUVwvHAxt1FzyloA Windows, Shading, Curtains & Blinds https://ecomasterstore.com.au/collections/ecoglaze-beautiful-secondary-glazing Renshade - https://www.renshade.com.au/ Renew Magazine - https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buyers-guides/high-performance-curtains/ Appliances – Energy & Water Efficiency https://www.energyrating.gov.au/ Water Efficiecny Rating WELS - https://wels.agriculture.gov.au/wels-public/action/search-product-load?search=true thefifthestate.inefficient-fridges Energy Retailers Energy Made Easy - government comparison website https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ Greenpeace comparison guide - https://www.greenelectricityguide.org.au/ Reading your bills workshop - Inner West Council https://events.humanitix.com/reading-your-bills-workshop Solar for Tenants Solar Gardens https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/live/environment-and-sustainability/at-home/go-solar/solar-for-renters/solar-gardens Renew Magazine - https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/solar-batteries/solar-for-renters-and-apartment-dwellers/ Energy Saving Scheme: NSW Govt Air conditioners https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes/household-energy-saving-upgrades/upgrade- your-air-conditioning Hot water https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes/household-energy-saving-upgrades/upgrade- your-hot-water Lighting upgrades https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes/household-energy-saving-upgrades/upgrade- your-household-lighting Battery Incentive https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes/household-energy-saving-upgrades/residential- battery-incentives General Resources Your Home https://www.yourhome.gov.au/ NSW Climate & Energy Action https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/guides-and-helpful-advice-households https://www.energy.gov.au/rebates lists all the rebates available in each state and territory Home energy assessments through the Residential Efficiency Scorecard program:  https://www.homescorecard.gov.au/ My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH): https://www.facebook.com/groups/996387660405677/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/sydneyrenters https://www.liveability.com.au/FindASpecialist https://www.tenants.org.au/factsheet-06-repairs-and-maintenance https://thefifthestate.com.au/home-and-lifestyle/breaking-mould-why-ignoring-moisture-management Resources from Renew Getting Off Gas Toolkit  - https://gettingoffgastoolkit.com/ Sustainable Renters' Week from Dec 2022 – series of videos for renters and landlords Tips for making your rental more comfortable and affordable Small Space Gardening Getting your landlord on board 2022: Rentability audio series in partnership with Renew  Renew’s Renter’s Guide to Sustainable Living   A New Lease on Sustainability – Renew Magazine https://renew.org.au/advocacy/efficiency-standards-for-rental-homes/ https://sustainablehouseday.com/ Renew You Tube Channel https://renew.org.au/donate/ Healthy Homes for Renters Campaign National Framework for Minimum Energy Efficiency Rental Requirements https://www.healthyhomes.org.au/news/community-sector-blueprint Other States Victoria https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/minimum-standards-for-rental-properties SA Energy Retailer Productivity Scheme – efficient lighting, showerheads, appliance rebates, fridge recycling https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/using-saving-energy/retailer-energy-productivity-scheme https://yess.net.au/ Online Home Energy Audit https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/using-saving-energy/do-a-home-energy-audit ACT https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/policy-programs/renters-home-energy-program https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/webtools https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/policy-programs/sustainable-home-advice-program QLD https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/home-modifications-energy-savings https://www.energex.com.au/manage-your-energy/cashback-rewards-program/peaksmart-air-conditioning/peaksmart-air- conditioning-rewards

Do you get condensation on your windows and walls? Do you have mould growing in your bathroom? Do you ever a feel a breeze inside your home even when your windows and doors are closed? Do you want to fix these problems but you’re not sure where to start? Come along to our workshop to learn about how to make your home more airtight, healthy and energy efficient with Airtightness Testing Expert and ATTMA ANZ Scheme Manager Sean Maxwell. We will be discussing: • What are some of the major opportunities for savings in existing houses? • What are some of the causes of condensation in existing houses? • How do I reduce the occurrence and severity of condensation-related problems? Speaker: Sean Maxwell - leads the Australian and New Zealand branches of ATTMA, the Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association. Sean has led dozens of trainings for builders, project teams, and consultants to get a better handle on the practice of building more airtight buildings. Leading hundreds of blower door tests over nearly two decades, his experience in diagnostics lends a valuable perspective to his consulting work which focuses on design reviews. This event is organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council.

This event is organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. Renew President and award wining building designer Dick Clarke will pose the question - Why is Building Resilience so boring! – Its only life and death. Looking at what’s involved in building to survive and live close to normal when faced with heat waves, cold snaps, bushfires, floods, power outages, mains water outages. Speaker: Dick Clark - is Board President of Renew, principal of Envirotecture and an Accredited Building Designer with 40 years of experience. He focuses exclusively on ecologically sustainable and culturally appropriate buildings and has received many Design Awards. He is Director of Sustainability and past President of the NSW Chapter of BDAA. He has been design director of many hundreds of projects over 40 years, with sustainability at the core over that whole period (with the ever-changing understanding of what sustainability is), and his work has covered a wide variety of project sizes and types.

Hear from Andrew Reddaway, a Renew Board member, who has expertise in energy topics from household to commercial and utility scale on how to get the most out of your rooftop solar system to make it a hero. Learn about all the positives that rooftop solar provides whilst you also get an understanding of the challenges of getting the most benefit out of your system for your household and the grid.

Residential strata buildings can achieve substantial energy efficiency improvements, save money and reduce their environmental impact at the same time. It’s not as hard as you might think! This talk provides a practical ‘how to’ guide to consider energy efficiency for apartments including: - Understanding where and how energy is being used in the common property - Identifying low or no-cost opportunities to reduce consumption and save money - Investigating opportunities requiring capital investment and return on investment  - Using the nationally recognised National Australian Building Environment Rating System (NABERS) to benchmark your building and monitor ongoing improvement in performance - Quantifying opportunities for both common property and tenancies to install solar photovoltaic (PV)  - Delineating local, state and federal government incentives to meet energy efficiency goals

This hybrid event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. The mains water supply to our house needs no maintenance from the occupant - they just need to pay their water bills. In contrast, a rainwater harvesting system needs cleaning and maintenance to ensure the quality of water delivered is fit for purpose. Sydney Water have some videos on their website here explaining some of those maintenance tasks. Tune in and learn what those cleaning maintenance needs are and how frequently they are required. You will also hear about what to consider if you want to install a simple greywater system in your yard. Speakers: John Caley Bachelor of Engineering. (mechanical), MES (environmental) MIE Aust CPEng John is the Director of Ecological Design, a consultancy which for fifteen years has provided sustainable design and assessment services for residential projects. John has designed and specified many rainwater harvesting and greywater system installations. Prior to his current role at ecological design, he worked as an acoustical consulting engineer, landscaper, and rainwater tank installer

This hybrid event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. In this webinar we hear from, Dr Judy Friedlander, founder of environmental organisation PlantingSeeds to learn about: - Local and threatened plants and pollinators - Where to find plants to help pollinators - A guide to creating a three-tiered garden - Some guides to making insect hotels and sourcing nesting boxes for - threatened birds and mammals - Citizen science - how to take and upload observations of species to - iNaturalist and the CSIRO's Atlas of Living Australia and why this is so vitally important to biodiversity research which can help the individual research their local biodiversity.

This event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. Join us to learn the things you need to know to select the right solar system for your home from the get go, so that you will have a system that will work well and last long term. You will also learn how to make sure your system is working properly and about how to maintain it. There will be a panel discussion of experts including: - Stuart Gordon from IQ Solar - Kosta Boukas from Power Smart Solutions  - Vasilios Giotis from Blue Green Engineering

This event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. Interested in a quiet, comfortable, near net zero home that uses 90% less energy to heat and cool it? Watch our presentation to learn about how to renovate your home to the Passivhaus standard, with Passivhaus experts Linden Thorley (Certified Passivhaus Architect) and Trent Clark (Certified Passivhaus Builder) we cover: - What is Passivhaus? - The process from design through to certification - Can we open the windows? - Why with aircraft noise controls, heritage constraints and living at close quarters to others, Passivhaus makes a lot of sense in Sydney's Inner West - How to choose the right approach for your site to achieve a Passivhaus - What options do you have if you can’t quite meet the standard but want to go close

This hybrid event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. Renew’s research team have demonstrated that making your home all electric will not only save you money in the long term but will also ensure your home is more resilient into the future. Renew Australia recently launched it’s Getting Off Gas Toolkit https://gettingoffgastoolkit.com/ and Renew Sydney Central Branch co-convenors Melanie Lupis and Graham Hunt will introduce it to Sydney at this event. The Toolkit provides practical information to help households work through the steps of ‘Getting Off Gas’ and replacing it with energy efficient electric appliances powered by renewables. Watch this recorded webinar to learn more!

This hybrid event was organised by Renew's Sydney Branch, and kindly supported by Inner West Council. Is your home freezing in winter or boiling hot in summer or both? Do your energy bills keep going up and up? Are you keen to live in a thermally comfortable and energy efficient home but don’t know where to start? Watch our recorded webinar to learn about Energy Efficiency Retrofits with Home Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Consultant Melanie Lupis and local homeowner and Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Expert Sarah Aubrey.

Are you wanting to purchase a rooftop solar PV system but not sure how to proceed? Have you got quotes and found they vary greatly? Can you trust the salesperson? What approvals do you need? How do you know that the system will be properly installed? If so, then why not join us for our next Webinar – Dos and Don’ts when purchasing a Solar PV system. We will have an extended Q&A session where you can pose all the questions you might have about installing a PV system. Speakers: Mr Gavin Gilchrist Gavin is the project manager and founder of Inner West Community Energy Inc (IWCE), a group he set up four years ago to help promote renewable energy in Sydney's Inner West, which has an environmentally aware community but a very low uptake of rooftop solar. In that time, he's managed more than 180 residential PV systems in the Inner West and a few places beyond, dealing with five different solar installers. Prior to setting up IWCE, Gavin ran his own energy efficiency company, Big Switch Projects, for 15 years until 2015, providing energy efficiency advice and NABERS ratings to the owners and managers of large commercial buildings and offices. He was one of the founding program managers for the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority, being responsible for the design and launch of the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme, the predecessor to NABERS. His book The Big Switch: Clean Energy for the 21st Century, was released in 1994.

The combined impacts of climate change, urban densification and urban expansion have resulted in our cities and suburbs getting hotter. We urgently need practical solutions for cooling our urban areas. What can be done? Dr Sebastian Pfautsch, Associate Professor in Urban Studies at Western Sydney University, outlines the issues and provides solutions for lowering urban heat. These practical solutions, based on the University’s research, can be used for cooling urban areas in Australia and around the world. Join us to hear about these ground-breaking projects and their effective cooling solutions. Speakers: Dr Sebastian Pfautsch Dr Sebastian Pfautsch is an Associate Professor in Urban Studies at Western Sydney University. He develops trans-disciplinary research around the complex issue of urban heat. While the core of his work is concerned with the cooling functions delivered by green infrastructure (GI), his applied projects deal with heat mitigation far beyond GI and include surface and building materials, engineered shade and water infrastructure, smart city technology and more. His high-quality research output is documented in the form of more than 90 peer-reviewed research papers, technical reports and journal articles. Sebastian's work features regularly in the media, which in 2021 led to more than 350 headlines in 21 countries, published in 5 languages and was viewed online by more than 1 billion people.

Michael Li, Research and Analysis Manager, Climateworks Centre, will present on the importance of better energy-performing homes in the context of accelerated climate action, resilience to extreme weather and uncertainty in future energy costs. he will outline the critical decisions politicians must make in 2022 on the National Construction Code, and set out why Australia can't afford to delay the changes being put on the table. Speakers: Michael Li, Research and Analysis Manager at Climateworks Centre Michael supports and coordinates research, modelling and analysis capabilities at Climateworks in line with the organisation’s strategic objective of achieving systems-level change. Michael holds Bachelor’s degrees in engineering and science from the University of Melbourne and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge. In 2014 Michael was recognised by collaborative sustainability community 2degrees as one of the global ‘Top 25 Under 25s’ transforming the world of sustainable business. Michael has previously worked as a sustainability consultant at global integrated services firm AECOM.

Join us for a webinar with Professor Veena Sahajwalla from UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre who will discuss an industry-first apartment, made using waste materials that have the potential to revolutionise home construction by transforming household waste into a valuable construction resource. The ‘Pavilions’ Mirvac apartment showcases the transformation of waste glass and textiles into beautiful and durable ‘Green ceramics’ for floor tiles, kitchen splashback, walls, panels, artworks, light fittings and furniture. This project is part of an ongoing collaboration with Mirvac and UNSW Smart Centre with the aim of helping to solve the problem of waste in the construction industry. In Australia, the building industry is responsible for around 60% of the waste we generate. The Pavilions project, at Sydney’s Olympic Park, helps to demonstrate a better way to build, using reformed waste, which provides a second life for the mountains of glass and clothing, much of which would otherwise find its way to landfill. The MICROfactorie™ process developed by Professor Sahajwalla and UNSW SMaRT Centre, takes problematic waste material and ‘reforms’ these into entirely new products including ‘green ceramics’. Professor Sahajwalla will discuss this process and its many other potential uses for industrial waste materials. Speakers: Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director of Sustainable materials Research & Technolory (SMaRT), UNSW. Professor Veena Sahajwalla is a leading expert in the field of recycling science, and founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW, Professor Sahajwalla is producing a new generation of green materials, products and resources made entirely, or primarily, from waste. Veena also heads the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘green manufacturing’ – a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits. Veena has been extensively recognised for the innovation and significance of her work, including via election to be a Fellow of the esteemed Australian Academy of Science. Professor Sahajwalla was recently featured on ABC TV ‘Australian Story’ series. See ‘The Tipping Point’ here.

Join the Sydney Renew branch for their Annual Branch Meeting as well as a guest presentation by Padraig Healy about condensation and associated risks within buildings including: - Condensation in buildings and how it happens; - How mould can be harmful to our health; - Condensation Management within the BCA and how the current building code tries to reduce condensation risks; - Overview of the software WUFI which is use to analyse these risks; - Examples of good design in practice including Vapour Permeable construction, sufficient ventilation and make up air, trickle vents and HRV. Speaker: Mr Padraig Healy, Director of Sustainability, Credwell Host: Graham Hunt, Renew Sydney Central Branch Links: https://www.credwell.com.au/ https://renew.org.au/

Join us for a fun and informative webinar where we take steps to live more sustainably, feed ourselves, have fun and help our planet. Milkwood Permaculture will introduce us to the incredible kingdom of fungi and how we can grow these amazing organisms at home and minimize our environmental footprint. Mushrooms have more in common with humans than plants. Nick Ritar, co-founder of Milkwood, will also discuss Milkwood’s many free online resources and courses including their upcoming Home Mushroom Cultivation and Permaculture Living. Farmwall will introduce us to their Ecosystem Indoor Farm. A beautiful table-top, zero-waste micro-farm which combines a fish tank with hydro and acquaponics to produce fresh greens and microgreens at home. An online community of like-minded people connect and learn how to grow nutritious greens together. Speakers: Nick Ritar, Milkwood Permaculture, Tasmania Nick founded Milkwood with Kirsten Bradley in 2007. He has trained with various world-leading mycologists such as Paul Stamets and has taught 1000+ students hands-on gourmet mushroom cultivation. With a team of educators and facilitators they teach everything from permaculture design to market gardening, natural building and mushroom cultivation, to help create resilient and abundant household. Milkwood Permaculture are dedicated to teaching and sharing permaculture skills, for living like it matters. Geert Hendrix, Farmwall, Victoria and Luke Barbuto, Farmwall, NSW Geert Hendrix, is one of the founders of Farmwall. Luke Barbuto is an urban farmer and educator at Farmwall. Farmwall exists to educate people about small-scale, closed-loop food systems and design our cities with food and nature in mind. Farmwall is an innovative social enterprise using agri-food and education technology for the purpose of growing food in the city for the benefit of our planet and community. - Sustainable House Day 2021 is an online event, allowing access into Australia’s most unique and inspiring sustainable homes. https://sustainablehouseday.com/

Sydney Water and City of Sydney Council have innovative trials to re-purpose our food waste resource into energy and fertiliser. Sydney Water is producing bio-electricity and gas. City of Sydney are powering homes and producing fertiliser for gardens and farms. At the same time, they are lowering their emissions and saving valuable resources. These are innovative and successful projects making a substantial positive impact. Speakers: Ms Jodie Larsen, Project Coordinator, City of Sydney food scraps recycling trial Jodie has more than 15 years’ experience working in the waste and environment sector in both the public and private sectors, including more than 7 years in waste management consulting with MRA Consulting Group. She joined the Resource Recovery team at the City of Sydney in 2018 and is currently managing the City’s residential food scraps recycling trial. Mr Phil Woods, Strategy Manager Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Phil has been with Sydney Water for 14 years and is a thought leader in the areas of circular economy, resource recovery, energy management and carbon reduction, which is creating business value and helping make our city more liveable. His main areas of interest are in energy resource recovery from organic waste, such as anaerobic digestion, and the co-digestion of food waste with sewage sludge. He recently led the establishment of a partnership project with Jemena, where in an Australian first, biomethane will be produced from biogas and injected into the gas network.

Speakers: Mr Graham Hunt, Director Delisle Hunt Wood Architects and Mr Rob McLeod, Renew Sustainability Housing Advocate, Leader Climate Resiliant Homes Campaign.

Update on electric vehicles and bulk buys with the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) and The Good Car Company. Speakers: Mr Clive Attwater – Vice-President of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association Clive has driven electric since 2014 and is part of a group of investors that have helped complete the Tasmanian state-wide EV fast charge network. Clive believes EVs are now inevitable and will happen faster than most people think, the focus should be on making the transition happen well. Mr Anthony Broese van Groenou – Co-founder and director of The Good Car co Anthony is also a PhD researcher investigating socio-technical systems and modelling uptake of Electric Vehicles, identifying opportunities and barriers for an equitable transition. Renew has always advocated for the use of renewable energy and lower emission transport and this year begins its ‘Electric Vehicle 2030 Roadmap ‘ program.

‘Substantial Energy Savings at St Vincent De Paul – a successful and replicable example in the not-for-profit sector’

Presentation: The Alternative Technology Association (trading as Renew Australia) has reached a new milestone since its inception in 1980, when Mick Harris and a small band of enthusiasts got together, mainly to show off their latest project, and start a magazine called ‘Soft Technology’ which later became ReNew magazine. It has made the transition to a community based organisation with over 11,000 members and 14 branches. It produces two magazines, provides practical advice services to assist people on the path to energy efficiency in all its forms, runs the Sustainable House Day and has representation on various government committees. As Renew enters a new phase, it will be a chance to say goodbye to some long serving staff, and look to the future. Speaker: Michael Harris has had a long association with renewable energy. He was manager of Renew/ATA until 1995, and led the construction of the Solar Workshop at the Ceres Community Environment Park, the Energy trailer and later the Energymobile, a semi-trailer purpose built display vehicle which went around Australia promoting renewable energy. He went on to form the Enviroshop and later Envirogroup which is still going today. He has kept up his association with Renew through that time, forming the International Projects group, funded by donations to provide solar power to community buildings and houses in Timor Leste. He was employed by Renew to provide technical advice until last year. https://renew.org.au/events/melbourne-branch/celebrating-40-years-of-renew/ https://envirogroup.com.au/ https://renew.org.au/about-us/history/ https://friendsofrenew.org https://renew.org.au/resources/advice/ https://sustainablehouseday.com/ Speed Date a Sustainable Expert - http://sdse.ata.org.au/ https://renew.org.au/what-we-do/international-projects/

We have two excellent speakers on how residents of apartments can benefit from solar PV and energy efficiency improvements. Presentation: Ethan Burns from ‘Sustainability Now’ Residential Strata buildings can achieve substantial energy efficiency improvements, save money and reduce their environmental impact at the same time. It’s not as hard as you might think! Ethan’s talk will provide a practical ‘how to’ guide to consider energy efficiency, including: - Understanding where and how energy is being used in the common property - Identifying low or no-cost opportunities that can reduce consumption and save money - Identifying other opportunities that may require capital investment and what the return on that investment is in terms of energy cost and carbon savings - Using the nationally recognised National Australian Building Environment Rating System (NABERS) to benchmark your building and monitor ongoing improvement in performance - The opportunities for both common property and tenancies to generate their own clean electricity with solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. - Identifying local, state and federal government incentives that can help you meet your energy efficiency Speaker: Ethan Burns is an Environmental Engineer and director of Sustainability Now, an energy consultancy specialising in residential strata buildings. Ethan has helped over 500 residential strata communities with practical energy and water efficiency solutions since 2009. Typically, strata committees engage Ethan for an independent energy audit of the common areas and receive a report with prioritised, costed recommendations to improve energy efficiency, ranked with consideration of project ease, return on investment and carbon reduction. Ethan’s approach is personal and hands-on and may include presenting at strata meetings, helping with grant applications and project management. Ethan has worked in the electricity generation, transmission & distribution industries for nearly 10 years prior to starting Sustainability Now and regularly consults to the NSW Department of Planning Industry & Environment on their NABERS for Apartment Buildings energy & water rating program and the City of Sydney Smart Green Apartments Program. Presentation: Jack Taylor from Allume Energy Installing solar on an apartment building that benefits the residents directly is notoriously challenging. The solutions, either installing an embedded network or individual, independent systems, is technically challenging, a regulatory nightmare, and too often prohibitively expensive. That’s no longer the case. Melbourne based Allume Energy has developed the world’s first ‘behind-the-meter’ solar sharing solution. The technology allows for a single rooftop system to be shared by everyone in the building, plus the common light and power, without having to install an embedded network. Jack will be presenting on: - The challenges of solar power for apartment buildings - What solutions exist - Why the SolShare is unique in being able to supply solar to apartments - What sustainability benefits come from a shared solar system - How to learn more Speaker: Jack Taylor’s passion for engineering and the environment has led him to be Head of Technical Sales at Allume Energy. He works on partnerships and business development to deploy Allume’s SolShare technology. The SolShare is the world’s first ‘behind-the-meter’ solution to shared apartment solar, enabling apartment residents to reduce their bills and carbon footprint. https://renew.org.au/events/sydneycentral-branch/solar-and-energy-efficiency-for-apartments/ Useful links from the evening: http://sustainabilitynow.com.au/ https://allumeenergy.com.au/ https://www.ess.nsw.gov.au/Home https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/victorian-energy-upgrades-program http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/RET https://energysaver.nsw.gov.au https://energysaver.nsw.gov.au/business/courses-coaching/business-energy-coaching https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/residents/sustainable-city-living/smart-green-apartments https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/grants-and-sponsorships/environmental-grants http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/Current_projects_priorities/Key_priorities/Environment_and_Sustainability_DRAFT/Community_rebates/Smart_Units https://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/environment/events_and_programs/building_futures SA retailer EES: http://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/energy_and_technical_regulation/energy_efficiency/ Owners Corporation Network - https://www.ocn.org.au/

Presentation: The Drawdown book and project has been described as “the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. The term Drawdown describes the point where greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and come down. Paul Hawken organised a team to map, model and measure the most substantive solutions which could make that happen. The project is grounded in reality as “Eighty of the solutions analyzed are in place, well understood and are scaling. What our 70-person global research team did was measure the impact the solutions would have if they continued to scale in a rigorous but reasonable way, and what the cost and profits would be.” Our presenter, Tom Hunt will focus on the top 21 solutions of this groundbreaking analysis. After meeting Hawken in 2018 he has been energised to share the Drawdown vision. His insight will motivate and allow you to better understand your actions in ensuring a climate-safe future. https://renew.org.au/events/sydneycentral-branch/drawdown-technologies-to-reverse-climate-change/ Speaker: Tom Hunt is the founder, former Convenor and current Secretary of the Illawarra Branch of Renew. He has been a key player in the Wollongong Climate Action Network and is currently the National Media Coordinator of the Citizens Climate Lobby Australia. Tom recently retired as a Strategic Projects Manager at the University of Wollongong, where he enabled major shifts towards sustainable transport. Genuinely committed to a sustainable future, Tom has used his project management skills and knowledge of sustainability to redesign his home and driving requirements to become carbon negative.

Since the start of European settlement, Sydney has had a history of limited fresh water supply. The Warragamba dam was built in the 1960’s and designed to hold 20 years of supply, a capacity that dwarfed all the existing dams built on the upper Nepean. Despite recent reductions in per capita water use, the increasing Sydney population now has the potential to drain all of our dams in just 6 years’ of drought. 2019 broke records in terms of low dam inflows and saw precipitous reductions in storage levels. In the search for alternative water supplies, desalination can function as an emergency stop-gap measure, but it is a high energy-consuming, industrial process that increases the water sector’s reliance on the electricity sector. After our ‘black summer’ a deluge has refilled the dams but simply increasing our reliance on desalination is not a sustainable answer. Talk summary: The built environment across Sydney includes underutilized roof areas that should be used for catchment and collection. Rainwater harvesting systems have the potential to greatly reduce mains water use, leaving more in our dams and ecosystems while simultaneously reducing the negative impacts of urban stormwater and creating more livable cities. A rainwater harvesting system consists of the roof, the gutters, the downpipes, first flush diversion, the tank/s, a tap or pump and in some cases a mains water back-up system. Good design involves specifying robust and integrated systems along with pre or post-filtering to maximise rainwater supply of a suitable quality for the chosen use/s, at a minimum cost and minimum energy use. This talk will detail how you can get your rain harvesting system right. Bio: John Caley is the director of Ecological Design and provides sustainable design services including household energy assessments, residential building thermal modelling, BASIX assessments and design of rainwater harvesting systems. He has developed detailed rainwater harvesting modeling for Sydney and has over fifteen years’ experience in designing rainwater harvesting systems for clients. John contributed to the Your Home guide on Rainwater and provides rainwater workshops for Inner West Council who continue to maintain a rainwater tank rebate. https://renew.org.au/events/sydneycentral-branch/water-tanks-now-how-to-get-your-rain-harvesting-system-right/

Presentation: Evergen deploys integrated energy systems, combining solar PV and battery technology in residential and commercial environments. At the core of Evergen’s technology are intelligent controls that optimise cost savings, system life and feed-in tariffs. Renewable energy systems are “disruptive” and responsible for significant economic and social changes in Australia and globally. This talk will focus on how this necessary disruption can be better coordinated to create a more resilient energy system and will cover: * A brief history of Evergen * The decentralisation of the grid: What does it mean and how can localised PV battery storage complement existing systems? * What is battery optimization and why is it important? How does it impact a system owner? * What are the challenges and opportunities in the near future for the decentralisation of the grid? And what does the future hold? Bio: Ben Hutt is the CEO and Managing Director of Evergen, Australia’s fastest growing solar and battery systems provider with the only CSIRO-developed, intelligent energy management system. An innovation leader, Ben has supported hundreds of Australian entrepreneurs over the last few years and was formerly Chief Program Director and Entrepreneur in Residence at Australia’s leading provider of corporate innovation programs, Slingshot. Prior to this, Ben’s roles include CEO of jobadvisor.com and Talent Party. For five years, Ben also co-founded and led a global startup, the Search Party Group, raising over $20 million in ventured and institutional capital. https://renew.org.au/events/sydneycentral-branch/why-a-decentralised-grid-is-key-to-the-future-for-energy-supply/

[We had a few audio problems in the first few minutes, but it then improves. We hope you find Sean's presentation helpful.] Presentation: We will focus on one of the most fundamental parts of building green and healthy: the building enclosure. We will address the basics of building airtight enclosures and then providing effective ventilation for occupants. Once you’ve controlled the air and the heat, next you need to think about moisture. Tread carefully here because there are many wrong turns that can be taken. But stick to the fundamentals and you’ll be alright. Speaker: Sean Maxwell is Technical Manager with Pro Clima Australia, a manufacturer of high-performance building membranes and seals. He is a member the AIRAH Special Technical Group in Building Physics. His driving passion is the organisation and elevation of Australia and New Zealand’s community of building diagnostic professionals. He is a national authority on the practice of building air tightness testing. https://renew.org.au/events/sydneycentral-branch/building-science-from-the-inside-out/

Hear about an ordinary Sydney family’s story of how to swim against our ‘shop and toss’ culture, and the many and sometimes unexpected benefits of reducing single use plastics. Anywhere you go on the planet today, plastic will be close by, even in Antarctica and at the North Pole. Plastics can serve many functions, but take centuries to break down, use precious energy and resources and can cause much harm. About a third of the plastic ever made has leaked into our natural environment. What can we do? Speakers: Clara Williams Roldan and Louise Williams Mother and daughter team, Louise and Clara, share their journey to lower plastic use. Long term members of Renew, the family were early adopters of solar power, water tanks and composting. However, it took a self-righteous teenager to challenge the mountains of packaging they discarded, a journey that sparked their book; Quitting Plastic. Bio: Clara is the Director of Impact at the Documentary Australia Foundation, a unique organisation that ensures important stories are told and seen, supported by powerful social impact campaigns. Clara has worked on films across a range of issues areas, including Ka-Ching! Pokie Nation, Cast from the Storm and Backtrack Boys. With a background in history and law, Clara has also worked as a policy and legislation advisor in NSW Parliament in Aboriginal Affairs, Gambling, Health, Disability, Ageing and Forestry to help stakeholders and community groups achieve policy and legislative change. Bio: Louise an award-winning author, writer, editor and consultant. A former foreign correspondent, columnist and foreign editor for Fairfax Media, Louise has won a Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Citibank Pan Asia Journalism Award (with Columbia University) and an Australia Council Fellowship for her work. Her lifelong interest in environmental protection underpins all her work. She has co-authored the book, Quitting Plastic and is a co-author/editor of the recent War on Waste Impact Report for ABC TV. She has consulted for UNSW-based CRC for Low Carbon Living and served on the Northern Beach Waste and Recovery Strategic Reference Group. https://renew.org.au/events/sydneycentral-branch/quitting-plastic-how-to-swim-against-the-global-plastic-tide/

Living with an EV While Australia trails being global leading in electric vehicle uptake, what is it like being an EV early adopter? Bio: Michael Day is National Treasurer of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association and an expert on electric vehicle technology. This evolved from Michael’s passion for the conversion, construction and ownership of electric vehicles (there are several in his garage today). AEVA is the oldest continuously active electric vehicle owner’s association in the world having formed in 1973. Its purpose is to create greater awareness of electric vehicles, encourage the rapid transition to electric transportation, and to be an official source of information on EVs in Australia.

Speaker: David Hiley is the Vice Chairman of AEVA NSW. AEVA is the oldest continuously active electric vehicle owner’s association in the world, having formed in 1973, and the founder of www.WATTever.com.au, an Australia wide electricity comparison website for home and business owners. Topic: ‘EV Markets and Charging Requirements – The Practicalities of living in an Electric home with EV, roof solar and batteries’ David is a passionate long term Electric Vehicle owner and renewable energy advocate. In this wide ranging talk, David shares his personal experience of living with EV vehicles and integrated PV and battery home. He covers the basics of charging EV’s, how to best charge EV’s using solar or grid peak or off-peak electricity. Also solar sizing for EV and Vehicle 2 home charging. Since 2008, David has owned and worked on a number of electric vehicles starting with an electric scooter and fast Zero SR motorcycle and Mitsubishi Outlander Phev. His current vehicle is a Nissan Leaf. David has installed a large 10KW roof solar system and uses this to help charge the Leaf. David’s load shifting experience allows him to enjoys a $400 yearly payment from his electricity company.

Power to the People – Delivering Energy Independence Jitendra will outline the role of sonnen Australia in developing home energy storage solutions as well as providing insight into the how virtual power plants work. The components of our new energy architecture will be discussed including: The importance of design in household battery systems including the fully integrated and smart sonnenBatterie How to achieve energy independence for households – control systems for energy production and sharing with the community Simplifying electricity trading and exchanges together with an explanation of the sonnenFlat model. Bio: Jitendra Tomar is eServices Director of sonnen Australia, the global market leader in home energy storage as well as the operator of the largest energy sharing platform in the world. Jitendra is responsible for growing sonnen’s energy sharing platform via sonnenFlat, a revolutionary program delivering clean, green energy to a growing sonnenCommunity.

Presentation: Responses to a changing climate require systemic changes to our way of thinking about the built environment. Carol Marra from Marra + Yeh Architects is going to share her insights into how architecture can adapt to climate extremes. If you are renovating or building a home, an architect, a designer or simply a layperson who wants to see better architecture, this talk will provide you with innovative approaches that draw on vernacular traditions. Put simply, good architecture needs to be a climatic architecture; it either counteracts climate by basic measures and features or adapts itself to climatic changes on an ongoing basis. Climatic response needs to be one of the driving aspects of architecture, not an add-on or an afterthought. The talk details how design principles researched during the course of Carol’s Churchill Fellowship can be applied, in new and contemporary ways, to buildings and cities in the Australian context, illustrated with practical case studies. Speaker: Carol graduated from The University of Texas and practiced in Seattle before relocating to Australia. Together with her husband they started an architectural practice in Sydney in 2005 and also established a presence in Malaysia. Carol regularly teaches sustainable design at Sydney University and serves as a design advisor to the Government Architect NSW. It is a goal of her work to create buildings and places which are both environmentally aware and environmentally appropriate. The work of her practice has been recognised through international publications and awards. In 2009 she received a Winston Churchill Fellowship that took her to Japan, China and the Philippines to examine vernacular traditions which can accommodate severe climate patterns.

Sam Groves is the Business Development Manager at Greentech Australia. He has 10 years’ of experience working in the solar industry. After specialising in residential and commercial solar installation for a number of years he has moved into wholesale and importation. He is currently growing one of the largest solar wholesalers in the country with over 100 installer partners. MMEM Greentech started in 2015 and has moved quickly to stock most major brands in the market. Greentech has over 15 warehouses nationally and employs over 150 staff. Kit Man Chan is Managing Director at Clean Energy Corporation Australia. He is responsible for clean energy project teams who take a full-service approach; from design through to installation, and provide ongoing monitoring and maintenance services to deliver commercial solar systems typically between 50-200kW. Clean Energy Corporation guarantees the electricity production of their solar energy systems to their customers and complies with best practices as recommended by SafeWork NSW and WHS legislation in addition to Australian Standards.

Nigel Morris has been involved in the solar industry for more than 25 years and is currently the Director of Business Development at Solar Analytics. He has worked in almost every aspect of the solar industry including manufacturing, installation, selling and designing solar as well as monitoring and storage systems around the world. In 2018 Nigel was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Industry Award by the Clean Energy Council.

Talk summary: The inspirational Caroline Pidcock is kicking off our year, presenting on her experience of working to effect positive change in our built environment and what this means for our future. Caroline’s insights will focus on the big picture, but also on the lessons learnt through her personal journey and how we can apply them to our own lives. Presenter: Caroline Pidcock is a multi award-winning architect who is in the process of a career transformation. As somebody acutely aware of the systemic challenges we face, she is refocusing her many talents to bring about a swift and broad regeneration of the built environment. Caroline is helping create abundant living futures by bringing about change through a variety of positions that she holds, including: Board member of Renew, pushing to gain not only a wider audience, but to strategically influence the way Australian homes are built Chair of the effective 1 Million Women Developer of the sustainability guide for First Steps Count in Taree, a community project aiming at achieving Living Building Challenge certification Renew is an independent organisation that does not endorse products and seeks to provide members with information so that they can make well-informed sustainable decisions.

Speaker: Graham Hunt, Architect Graham Hunt uses his extensive experience in sustainable design to holistically conceive stimulating, healthy and resource-efficient buildings. Graham designed and built his first passive solar home in 1983 and specialises in optimising thermal comfort. Beginning with realistic and pragmatic site evaluation, Graham uses deep consultation with clients to develop cost-effective design solutions full of delight. Graham is based in the Inner West and works as a sole practitioner with accreditation as a Thermal Performance Assessor and Green Star Professional who collaborates with and consults to other architects on energy efficiency and thermal comfort. Talk summary: This presentation will outline the many elements of undertaking a sustainable renovation or new home build. Graham will overview the process from how to get underway, to refining design considerations and the ongoing management to ensure that what gets built matches the initial intention. The talk will cover the following key considerations: • Where to start and who do you get involved? • What technologies and sustainable features should you include? • Thermal performance assessment - how to use it to optimise design not just as a compliance requirement - how it relates to real world situations and individual preferences • Detailed examination of the components that affect thermal comfort i.e. glazing, thermal mass, insulation, ventilation etc. • The importance of minimising waste and maximising re-use and recycling • How to stay engaged throughout the building process

Paul Wilson from BioPCM has worked with energy efficiency technologies since 2008. He is passionate about providing a product that makes houses more thermally efficient though harnessing the characteristics of phase change materials. After discovering BioPCM in mid 2011, he travelled to North Carolina to establish a trade agreement between the US and Australia/NZ. Over 50 tonnes of BioPCM has since made its way to Australian shores and into Australian homes. It takes a little while to get your head around the idea that a material can absorb heat without getting hot and release heat without getting cold. But that's just what phase change materials(PCMs) do. Using a fundamental principal of nature, PCMs can be used to massively reduce the temperature swings in any structure and in some cases completely eliminate the need for traditional heating and cooling systems. Wouldn't it be great to have a home which heats and cools itself without spending a single dollar on energy? In this presentation you will be able to learn; 1.What PCMs are 2.Why are there different temperature ranges and different weights of BioPCM 3.How BioPCM works 4.Where and how BioPCM can be installed, where it is best installed 5.How to estimate and calculate the benefits of BioPCM 6.How to use BioPCM to steal warmth and coolth from the day and night for later use, 7.How to design a totally passive house using BioPCM and how you can integrate BioPCM into a new design to completely eliminate the need for air conditioning and maintain a home below 25 deg C all year round. 8.How BioPCM aids in heating a home 9.What BioPCM looks like through a thermal camera 10.Why you would not just use brick or concrete or even water as a thermal storage medium, what makes PCM so special. All attendees will also receive a free sample of BioPCM to take home so that they can really understand what a game changer BioPCM really is.

Luke Williams has 39 years experience in the Solar industry and is well known to the ATA community. To his knowledge, LJW Solar is the only 3rd generation solar company in the world. Luke is a founding member of CEC, SEIA & ATTRA. He has extensive design and installation experience in all aspects of off grid power supplies, grid connect systems and solar pumping. Recently he has been innovating with hybrid systems that offer battery back-up. This is a wide ranging talk that focuses on the practicalities of the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. The following points are be discussed: Off grid systems Grid connectivity pros and cons. Penetration of the solar grid market. Grid problems that are currently being experienced. Storage and battery systems. Hybrid systems and how these systems can support the the grid and benefit the owner. Bega library 20kW PV solar power plant project and operating outcomes. International push to introduce energy storage. The talk provides an excellent opportunity to understand the dynamics of solar today and how it continues to develop as a renewable energy supply for tomorrow.

Luke Williams has 39 years experience in the Solar industry and is well known to the ATA community. To his knowledge, LJW Solar is the only 3rd generation solar company in the world. Luke is a founding member of CEC, SEIA & ATTRA. He has extensive design and installation experience in all aspects of off grid power supplies, grid connect systems and solar pumping. Recently he has been innovating with hybrid systems that offer battery back-up. This is a wide ranging talk that focuses on the practicalities of the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. The following points are be discussed: Off grid systems Grid connectivity pros and cons. Penetration of the solar grid market. Grid problems that are currently being experienced. Storage and battery systems. Hybrid systems and how these systems can support the the grid and benefit the owner. Bega library 20kW PV solar power plant project and operating outcomes. International push to introduce energy storage. The talk provides an excellent opportunity to understand the dynamics of solar today and how it continues to develop as a renewable energy supply for tomorrow.

Tony Towndrow speaks on Subsurface Flow Wetlands - Technology and Uses. The presentation covers the modus operandi of three different types of constructed wetlands. Horizontal subsurface flow, vertical flow and sludge composting beds. Example will be presented of uses for each type as solo or in combination. Typical examples include greywater, stormwater, small village sewage, winery wastewater, and natural swimming pools.