Geelong Sustainability is delighted to be once again coordinating Sustainable House Day (SHD) for Geelong and surrounding region in conjunction with the City of Greater Geelong. This year is very special as it’s our tenth year organising this popular annual event. We intend making it our best yet! program featured 10 inspiring properties located around Geelong and on the Bellarine.

This unique event gives the public an opportunity to tour exemplar sustainable homes, chat directly with homeowners and get free advice from local experts. In 2017, properties showcased many sustainable features including: straw bale construction, rammed earth walls, polished concrete floors, double glazed windows, salvaged and recycled materials, on and off grid solar systems, permaculture gardens, a regenerative farm and even Geelong’s most sustainable new office building – Barwon HQ. In 2018 we are determined to develop a diverse portfolio of homes.

• Do you have a sustainable home that been designed, built or retrofitted to make it more comfortable to live in and cost effective to run and maintain?

• Are you a domestic enviro guru at composting, recycling and waste reduction?

• If yes, please consider sharing your insights and experiences with others who are keen to understand and learn.

To discuss your home or how to become an event sponsor, please contact our SHD Coordinator, Vicki Perrett on shdgeelong@gmail.com or 0425 802 116 ASAP. Applications close end of July.

The 2017 houses in & around Geelong were:
1. Sage Choice 6.5 star house & regenerative farm at Bannockburn
2. Barwon Water’s new 5-star Green Star headquarters in Ryrie St, Geelong
3. New award winning, 8.2 star retirement home in Highton
4. New 8.2 star, off grid, straw bale home at Mt Duneed

The 2017 houses on the Bellarine were:
5. New 7.8 star, off grid home with Lithium battery in Wallington
6. Heritage garden & Landshare case study in Drysdale (garden only)
7. Weatherboard renovation & productive garden in Drysdale
8. New award winning, 6.8 star, 5 kW PV, home & BnB in Drysdale
9. Straw bale, off grid farmhouse & productive garden at Mannerim
10. New 7.5 star home adjoining Edwards Pt at St Leonards

In 2017 though the number of houses open were slightly down on last year, the number of experts, volunteers and average visits per house were our best yet.

• First and foremost we must thank the wonderful home owners who presented their homes so well on SHD, without whom there is no event.
• We also want to thank the many technical experts who provided in-kind support and were kept busy all day giving tours, sharing info and answering questions.
• GS wishes to acknowledge the marketing support from City of Greater Geelong’s Environment and Communications Dept and the event coordination grant from Future Proofing Geelong.
• GS appreciates the financial support provided by its event sponsors.

Major Event Sponsors:

Geelong Sustainability greatly appreciates the support provided by its major sponsors and also the many local businesses providing onsite expertise at the open houses.