We have an exciting year ahead, collaboration and resource sharing our most important ally. The TGBN Steering Committee meets tomorrow at the TNQIT TAFE and so does the James Cook University and TGBN working group that are producing over 40 case studies on our tropical sustainable buildings for students, industry and public to use as bench marks . Over 620 members are sharing our resources along with over 10,000 people looking at our work online.
Cairns Penny Bank has a specially designed Green Loan for those thinking about the environmental sustainability of their home or business. Read more
"Green" Housing Market to Increase Five-fold by 2016.
It is important to understand how to value homes that incorporate Green or Sustainable building methods, says Genworth Mortgage Insurance Chief Appraiser.
OzPoly is proudly based in Innisfail since 1983 and has grown to be a leading Australia wide manufacturer and supplier of rainwater tanks. The tanks are built to suit rugged conditions and exceed Australian standards. Tank sizes range from 200 to 47,300 litres and are available in a variety of colours and styles. Read more
Hoppens Carpets is the longest established floor covering business in Cairns. They are our leading suppliers of green floors from world leading manufacturer's. Some of the range includes:
Dept of Energy and Water has Wind and Solar Maps online
Mapping data is available for download from the Interactive resource and tenure maps (ITRM) website for use in developers' own mapping systems. CLICK HERE
Our region's creative minds and innovators are working together, delivering support for your inventions. Our next meeting is on soon, so if you are interested in joining or want to learn more about this networking platform, send a quick email to email/amanda)(placidpools.com.au and join us on LinkedIn.
eLearning Online Anytime Anywhere. for members and non-members
The GBCA’s eLearning courses provide an opportunity for Green Star education anytime, anywhere.
Online courses make green building education accessible to those that live in regional areas, and makes course material available 24 hours a day, allowing busy professionals to progress their learning at their own pace. They are not expensive, provide CPD pints for professionals with about 20 courses to choose from. Visit the website by CLICKING HERE
Households and businesses
Use our calculator to help you choose an efficient product and reduce your energy bills
Find out how to make your home or business more energy efficient by visiting the Living Greener Website
Cairns Sustainable Living Expo 2014 Sponsorship Opportunities: Over 5000 people attended in 2013!
The Cairns Regional Council would like to invite your business to be part of the 2014 Sustainable Living Expo! This year the event will be held on the 22nd June from 11-4pm at Fogarty Park, on the Cairns Esplanade. Read More It is a free event which showcases local sustainability focused business and environmental organisations to the wider community. The 2013 Expo was a great success attended by over 5000 people and showcasing over 50 exhibitors and well as live music, practical demonstrations, kids activities and product displays.
Sponsorship Council welcomes expressions of interest to sponsor the Sustainable Living Expo from buisness and organisations that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and the community. Sponsorship benefits include;
Brand association with the regions premier Sustainable Living Event
Showcase sustainability credentials and products to target market
Opportunities to collaborate with event organisers (e.g. market research and customer survey)
Network with like-minded businesses and organisations
Sponsorship Opportunities Sponsor benefits can include
Logo on marketing collateral
Leveraging opportunity
Free Exhibition space at the Expo
Promotion of your buisness through the website,social media, radio, TV and newspapers
Inclusion of questions in the exit survey.
Financial Contribution of $2000-$5000
Exhibition Opportunities Attend the Expo as a exhibitor. Council is offering the following;
Half of a 3x3m Marquee
Full 3x3m Marquee
Or multiple 3x3m Marquees
Powered sites are also available on request
Participation Opportunities Come along and enjoy and experience the Expo it is a free event and is very family friendly with heaps of kids activities and music throughout the day.
Study: white roofs reign supreme By Cameron Jewell and extracted from http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/ "Government should have an active role in limiting the use of black roofs, and supported building code policies that phase out dark-coloured roofs". Read more A report out of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found white roofs to be the most cost-effective option over a 50-year time span – ahead of green and black roofs – lending support to the notion that black roofs should be phased out.
“White roofs win based on the purely economic factors we included, and black roofs should be phased out,” said study co-author Dr Arthur Rosenfeld, a Berkeley Lab distinguished scientist emeritus and former commissioner of the California Energy Commission.
The report, Economic Comparison of White, Green, and Black Flat Roofs in the United States, will be published in the March 2014 edition of Energy and Buildings, but is now available online.
The research looked strictly at the economic costs and benefits of the three types of roof, though acknowledged that while there was a high installation cost to green roofs, they had additional environmental and amenity values that weren’t captured in the analysis. For example, rooftop gardens or green roofs can provide stormwater management, cool the roof’s surface and surrounding air, and increase aesthetic appeal.
“We leave open the possibility that other factors may make green roofs more attractive or more beneficial options in certain scenarios,” said Benjamin Mandel, a graduate student researcher at Berkeley Lab. “The relative costs and benefits do vary by circumstance.”
However, the report found that green roofs, unlike white roofs, did not directly offset climate change. White roofs were more reflective than green roofs, reflecting about three times as much sunlight back into the atmosphere. By absorbing less heat, white roofs were found to offset more of the warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Both white and green roofs do a good job at cooling the building and cooling the air in the city, but white roofs are three times more effective at countering climate change than green roofs,” Dr Rosenfeld said.
Canadian developer Westmark ltd contracted to build 36,000 houses for Papua New Guinea National Housing Corporation (NHC). Westmark's related company International Housing Concept (PNG) ltd contract is with the National Housing Estate ltd, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NHC. The MOU was started in 2007 and currently the companies first 10 houses are at the wharf in Port Moresby. Read more IHC chairman Sig Nordal said under the project, houses would be affordable to everyone - from local farmers in remote areas to public servants in the urban areas. "We believe the people can afford to buy houses we are offering. Our houses will be equipped with telecommunication equipment thus making them more than a place to sleep". "We want to make it a place where the family can interact and people have a place to work at home instead of travelling to their office or internet cafe which can be dangerous."
