Buninyong 'Can Do' Expo wrap 2019

Smart Building and Living Expo 2019 - a ‘Can Do’ kind of day!

Over 1500 people strolled through the Smart Building and Living Expo in Buninyong this year on February 24, 2019. Perhaps it was the beautiful weather or the fantastic range of stalls and electric vehicles but there was definitely a positive vibe this year. Around 70 businesses and community groups were involved in stalls and displays.

expoA feature of this years’ event was the ‘Can Do Communities’ display where creative ideas showed how to give a new purpose to something that would have otherwise been discarded. can do

Second hand furniture and homewares were transformed into pieces that will become a bright new feature in homes.  Many people stopped to chat to the stallholders saying they were inspired to have a go at up-cycling their own furniture because it looked so easy to do.

Old materials, saved from landfill, were used to make Boomerang Bags. A community push to reduce the need for plastic bags while we shop and reduce the waste we put out in our bins.

The Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group Can Do 

repair cafe sign

Community Program display also showed expo visitors how small appliances can be fixed, how sewing repairs can help garments last longer, how to care and repair for books and other ideas to reduce waste like community composting and community gardens. Executive officer La Vergne Lehmann said the program was about building community capacity to reduce waste. "We are very excited about showing the community how easy it to get some of these activities happening and how they can help reduce our waste, save money and bring a community together at the same time," she said.

twizyThe electric vehicle displays once again drew lots of interest and the Australian Electric Vehicle Association was on hand to answer questions. “As more car companies switch to producing electric models, it is only a matter of time before they are the norm’ one enthusiast said, “and it is exciting to see the push for an electric plug station here in Buninyong."

 

 

There was also a great range of building and lifestyle stalls. The container house created some excitement, but others loved the straw bale house and sustainable housing designers. Energy assessors were there showing people how to improve their existing homes and the windows and insulation experts were kept busy too.

crowdExpo Director Andrea Mason said there was a growing interest in sustainability and more people looking to create greener lifestyle habits. There has definitely been a shift based on a lot of good work being done in this space on the back of the war against waste, the waste issue in general, energy prices." she said.

"The people who come to these expos are hungry for knowledge. The feedback from the stallholders is they were getting a lot of questions and people were looking for information so they could make changes.

"We hope people are able to take what they have learnt and put it into action and build on that in future. I see a very clear need to address climate change. People need to be able to do that in a way that fits in with their lifestyles. As consumers, we have the ability to drive change."

Images can be seen on our Facebook page, or the Photo Gallery page on the web site.

 

See the article in the Owner Builder magazine  click here