We’ve rounded up the best of the sustainable bunch. Wrap yarn around trees instead of chaining yourself to them and join a wave of conscientious converts that are contributing to innovative solutions instead of protesting about the problems. Jess Miller, founder of Goody Two Shoes, has carved a niche working in community engagement, place-making and digital strategy specialising in non-profit and sustainability communication.
Her visionary approach to behaviour change for positive outcomes is to deliver new ways of thinking through invigorating projects like Grow It Local, The Garage Sale Trail, and the Love Sydney Vote Clover election campaign. We’ve ushered her off the TedxSydney circuit for a one-night-only event on Monday May 2 at The Golden Age Cinema. Listen to Jess speak as a guest of The Office Space on sustainability in business.
At Work-Shop in Redfern catch up on life skills and strengthen your community values. The crew collaborate with local artists and industry experts to share knowledge and expertise whilst utilising local materials suppliers. Creative courses for curious minds are on the agenda regularly. Craft is reinvigorated with classes like Yarnbombing, a feel good kind of street art where public objects are covered in colourful, woolly knitted or crocheted yarn, and welding for beginners. Amateurs and pro’s alike are all welcome. An additional rotating schedule of art shows, information nights on local issues and a whole range of events and local initiatives are also available. Green Drinks International clinks glasses in more than 45 countries and 448 cities around the world.
The Sydney satellite, GreenUps, hosts informal monthly drinks nights held on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding January) at rotating venues. They’re usually based on a theme including food, fashion, film, art, design, business, investment, activism and biking. Great things have come out of GreenUps events – jobs, new business alliances, prizes and inspiration.
You can RSVP via Facebook or MeetUps but unless otherwise indicated, just feel free to rock-up.
Cecille Weldon, a resident at The Office Space, is the creator of the Banksia award-winning Liveability Real Estate Framework, which has revolutionised the real estate industry and is endorsed by key organisations in sustainable design, building/construction, and development. It provides specialist Liveability training, research, strategy and communication services to the residential real estate industry, offering the potential for reduced household running costs and increased comfort. Her consultancy company Weldonco is committed to the market positioning of sustainable products, services and strategies.
Check out her Renovators Guide to the 17 Things that enables the creation of a home that will deliver health, efficiency, comfort and connection to your local community – it’s that easy! Cecille will be speaking on May 2 at The Golden Age Cinema at The Office Space’s monthly Insight talk series.
The Bravery is a communications and PR agency dedicated to positive change. Spearheaded by founders Claire Maloney and Valentina Zarew, it works exclusively with clients whose efforts have a positive social and environmental impact. Their clients range from organic active wear company Patagonia to 202020 Vision whose mission is to make our urban areas 20% greener by 2020, through to Plasticity who develop innovations with plastic to reduce waste. If you have a business with sound sustainability credentials, Claire and Valentina are the social warriors who’ll make your message fly.
Liane Rossler co-founded the iconic Australian design company, Dinosaur Designs, making plastic fantastic for jewellery through to homewares. Since leaving the business, she’s continued to work in collaboration with artists and designers across a multitude of diverse projects, all with creativity and sustainability at their core. Her first initiative, Supercyclers, engaged with a group of designers who reinvent new products from existing materials. More recent enterprises include: Superlocalstudio, an inner city space that enables the creation of thoughtful practices, plus Here and Now and Happy Talk – projects focused on clever and beautiful sustainable design practice.
Sydney Sustainable Living cuts to the chase with clear advice on how to make your life greener. Its goal is to provide access to information on sustainability events and workshops to sink both your thumbs and minds into, online resources and real world sustainability centres and community gardens around Sydney. Check it out for easy to follow tips on saving energy and water, reducing food waste, and recycling tips.
Good Environmental Choice Australia runs Australia’s only independent, not-for-profit, multi-sector ecolabelling program. It enables consumers to choose from thousands of certified products and services, confidently knowing that they have a lower impact on the environment and address important social considerations. Be conscious of your conscience; GECA’s vision is for a society in which people demand sustainable products and services.
1 Million Women is Australia’s largest women’s movement acting on climate change. A community of over 240,000 members are on a mission is to inspire women to live a low-carbon life. Their extensive blog shares insider tips on reducing your carbon footprint through to reporting on inspiring sustainability initiatives across the globe. Click on, join up and be counted!
The Fifth Estate is Australia’s leading business e-newspaper for the sustainable built environment and the people and issues that surround it. It publishes news, views and information online daily. Stories range from reports on free electric vehicle charging stations destined for local shopping centres to tackling transport emissions and greening the home tips.
Check out What’s On for a fix of monthly events and happenings across the country, including Sydney.
Images by FVF.
