Frankly…
Retrofitting apartment buildings: the technical challenges of strata ownership
Look around any Australian city and you will see the city of the future. It is already built. Around 80% of today's buildings will still exist in 2050. These buildings are our homes, and they need to be resilient to our changing climate and increasing energy prices. We all have lived experience of climate change, be it extreme heat, floods or the thick bushfire smoke that blanketed our southern cities in 2020. It will likely get worse before we make it better. Existing apartment buildings, however, are not ready to withstand climate-related pressures.
Author: Amy Brand
Retrofitting apartment buildings: The importance of community connection
Nearly 30% of Australian homes are apartments and townhouses. In Greater Sydney the figure is now up over 43% [1]. The continued growth in high-density living is stark, more than doubling over the 30 years between 1991 and 2021.
Although the proportion of Australians living in apartments is growing rapidly, we’re not yet making the concerted cultural shift needed for this more collective style of living. This is a significant issue given strata legislation mandates collective decision-making. Without apartment owners being able to make effective decisions together, it is near impossible to manage the basics in an apartment building, let alone proactively deliver retrofitting projects.
Author: Amy Brand
Embedding First Nations Culture in Everyday Projects: The Power of Integration
When we stand with First Nations people and communities - how do we make sure we aren't giving in to tokenism? How do we integrate First Nations Culture, knowledge and wisdom into the work we do everyday? We try to build this kind of integration into all of our work at (with varying degrees of success). Recently we worked with Gunditjmara woman Marcia Galea to respond to a Council RFQ where we saw an opportunity to do that. To take the program beyond business as usual and integrate First Nations Culture for better outcomes for everyone. While we weren't awarded the project - we felt there was a lot to learn from the process.
Author: Kate Nicolazzo
We think we can’t repair items - but we can!
I attended the third Annual Repair Summit in Canberra, hosted by Leanne Wiseman of The Australian Repair Network. At the summit I spoke to many people about managing risk and keeping people safe at repair events. There is a misconception that if something needs to be taken it apart to fix it, then we should leave it to the professionals - but that simply isn’t true.
Author: Lucy Best
I wish I didn’t have to vote on The Voice
The upcoming referendum is making me think deeply about this country, my place in it, and the overwhelming weight carried so gracefully, and generously by First First Nations people. You can read more about my thinking, but I'd also encourage you to read Voice to Parliament: Why mob are staying silent by Chelsea Watego.
Author: Amy Brand
A circular economy versus a recycling economy
At Let Me Be Frank. I'm working on Bayside City Council's Roving Repair Program. We're getting support from the incredible Karen and Danny Ellis, of Mend It Australia. The program is part of a movement towards a Circular Economy - if you'd like to know what I mean by that, read on!
Author: Lucy Best
Are council climate plans working?
I’ve co-authored a lot of council climate change and emergency plans. Over the years, I’ve seen them grow increasingly ambitious. That’s progress! But as the ambition grows – along with the need for deeper, broader, and more urgent action – I’m finding them increasingly problematic.
Author: Amy Brand
Council & community programs getting us to Net Zero
In Australia, councils are still the driving force behind the climate emergency response. As the level of government closest to community, councils are well placed to work in partnership with community. However, they are not equipped with strong legislative powers to mandate changes to our homes.
Because of this, councils continue to seek creative ways to engage, inspire and collaborate with community to drive home retrofits – thank goodness someone is doing this work!
More than ever, councils are sharing information with each other to strengthen campaign outcomes. In the spirit of collaboration, and getting more goals kicked faster, we offer our campaign insights…
Author: Kate Nicolazzo, Lucy Best, and Amy Brand
