Ian Christesen puts some questions to Professor Tim Smith PhD who is the Director of the Sustainability Research Centre at University of the Sunshine Coast (USC). Prior to his appointment with USC, Dr Smith was a senior research scientist with the Resource Futures Program of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.  He works on a number of projects around climate change adaptation and the issues around coastal community vulnerability. The Sustainability Research Centre also has prepared a set of sustainability indicators for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council.

Professor Tim Smith

What role to you see the University playing to assist the Sunshine Coast diversify its economy away from retail, construction and tourism? Firstly as an employer and more generally as an education provider?

The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is Australia’s fastest growing university, now with over 7,000 students and almost 600 staff (including over 200 academics).USC continues to develop new teaching and research programs to help diversify the Sunshine Coast economy. It is also the only university in the world that I know of that has a mission statement revolving around both sustainability and regional engagement. This places USC at the forefront of both developing and enhancing a sustainable knowledge economy for the Sunshine Coast, which is focused on sustainable outcomes through attracting and retaining highly qualified staff, contributing to sustainability industries through research and development, and training the next generation of sustainably-minded individuals (e.g. there were 150 students who enrolled in our 1st year “Foundations of Sustainability” course this year, and our enrolments in our major in sustainability and our post-graduate programs continue to grow). USC is also committed to a business incubator on campus (the Innovation Centre), which houses a large number of sustainability-related business such as Auzion who deals with solar and sustainable energy solutions.

What do you consider to be the greatest challenges we face in creating a more sustainable economy on the Sunshine Coast?

This question requires many PhD theses in order to properly respond … however, in a nut-shell the diverse communities of the Sunshine Coast need to collectively believe that we can create a more sustainable economy and take affirmative steps towards making it a reality. The problems of addiction to growth and short-term economic rationalism too often supersede any meaningful focus on quality of life—we have numerous measures of economic performance but no commitment to measuring our quality of life, hence our policy decisions and investments by government are dominated by improving the performance of the things we measure (and this unfortunately does not include quality of life).

What would be your top 3- 5 actions government and or business need to take into building a truly sustainable region and economy?

My personal view on the top 3 actions needed to build a truly sustainable region and economy consist of:

1. Measuring quality of life and focusing on improving these indicators instead of a focus on improving short-term measures of economic activity;
2. Establishing a line management structure whereby Treasury (at all tiers of government) reports to departments that deal with sustainability (in an integrated way) and not vice versa; and
3. Formation of consortiums between businesses, universities and communities to collectively lobby for greater support from communities and governments to build a sustainable region and economy—with the dominance of SMEs on the Sunshine Coast, we run a risk of not being seen as having a major influence on decision makers.

Do you think that the Coast can use its natural environment and lifestyle as attractants?

Of course— I moved here! The Sustainability Research Centre recently received funding to be part of a national project on coastal management with 7 partner universities. When we advertised for PhD students, USC received more than twice the number of applicants than any other university. It is not only the natural environment and lifestyle but the quality of our businesses, university and communities that attract people to our region. If we build on our combined strengths we can’t go wrong.

What strategies should be put in place to attract the new industries with the new jobs?  For example should we just agree that development and the construction industries will just continue as always with high levels of population growth and therefore we need to be working to make sure this industry cleans up its act and approaches it differently more sustainably?

People have both rights and responsibilities—we often forget about the latter. We all need to take a proactive approach to building the future we want on the Sunshine Coast. Make your voice heard and do something about it! There are so many examples of good work going on that inspire me on the Sunshine Coast and we need to support those who are doing it. Even in the construction industry there are examples of a genuine commitment to sustainability such as Adam Dew EcoBuild.

Any other comments you would like to make?

The Sunshine Coast is reaching a critical tipping point, there are multiple pressures from issues like population growth and climate change. We need both strong leadership combined with collective action to achieve a sustainable future for the Sunshine Coast.

The movement towards a return to living in communities is one that is growing in momentum in Australia and world-wide. Smaller micro-communities and larger ventures are springing up alongside others that have been long-established.

Yet many people also consider a move to community living with a mixture of curiosity, dread, some fear and uncertainty over losing independence and whether or not it is a truly viable option. Done the right way and with the right approach, living in a community can provide an immensely rewarding lifestyle and quality of life.

However, without a good organisational structure and a clear sense of direction, communities can run the risk of ending up as simply a microcosm of what is happening in the outside world – the type of situation many have been set up to try and grow beyond.

Working bee and Communities Convergence Conference at Bellbunya Community

The return to living in communities is being fuelled by awareness and a growing bulk of eco-scientific evidence that intensive living in sprawling cities, booming population growth, spiralling property prices, pressure on water supply and infrastructure and a world facing finite and dwindling resources is a recipe for unsustainability.

Governments have been pursuing a cheery and seemingly reassuring drive towards a healthy-appearing economy. But the underlying disquiet over sustainability is becoming too loud to ignore.

Several years ago I interviewed Richard Heinberg, from California, one of the world’s leading authorities on the anticipated/looming peak oil crisis.

Richard’s medium-term vision for Australia was one of people in cities being forced to divide into smaller, more sustainable urban communities focussed around co-operative growing of community-garden food sources and shared resources.

Once fuel becomes too expensive or sparse to support the agricultural industry and the transport of food supplies to hungry cities relying on the food chain of local supermarkets, people will have little option but to adapt to a massive change in lifestyle and approach to self sustainability.

As Richard pointed out, much of the world has been complacent over the need to learn the skills to support a new way of existence. It is part of human nature to leave things until it is forced upon us and then rely on crisis management.

Some conditioned to materialism and convenience will do it painfully, others will adapt with resilience. But it does not need to be an issue around fear. Richard predicted that those who do adapt to the change proactively will help to create a new paradigm of human co-operation and a much more enlightened and healthy society based on people values.

Many spearheading the movement towards communities are pioneering new methods of resourcefulness and skills sharing, it is an evolving industry of learning and adaptation.

Yet many people also consider a move to community living with a mixture of curiosity, dread, some fear and uncertainty over losing independence and whether or not it is a truly viable option.

SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES
Creating a successful community requires some fundamental elements, which can be viewed as a balance of Yin and Yang, or head and heart – Spiritual values and communication to support people and resolve human issues, and effective organisational systems to keep practical day-to-day needs running efficiently and maintain progress.

Where many communities struggle is in not having an effective organisational or project management system to share the inevitable workload and development that needs to take place.

It often falls on the shoulders of a few inspired people who eventually lose motivation and become discouraged.

One well-proven system involves dividing the community up into key areas of responsibility that are each overseen by a small working group, meaning all bases can be covered.

Effective use of time/energy and “people-power” teams means the whole community can move as a workforce resource around these different areas and knock out what needs to be done, under the direction of the relevant working group and using checklists they have devised.

A team of 12 working in a concerted way for just a few hours, or one hour a day, can achieve what a few people would take a week to do. With a bit of practice and commitment, it can become very streamlined.

The Spiritual health benefits to the community come from a great boost in morale from the teamwork, a sense of achievement and progress, and a learning of tolerance and camaraderie from working alongside others.

It is building this sort of co-operative effort and team contribution mindset that will be a strong and vital asset in years to come. Traditional communities like the Amish of North America, through to the tribal communities of the Pacific Islands and New Zealand have always had this down-pat.

Likewise they always take time to celebrate and acknowledge their achievements, which can be one of the great joys of living in community. Singing, jokes, conversation, building valuable, genuine friendships and a shared meal afterwards are great motivators.

PERSONAL IDENTITY
Often one of the biggest arguments to living in community and one of the biggest reasons why people leave, or resist the desire to live in community, is the feeling of losing the “sense of self”, or being absorbed in the needs of the community and the issues of others.

The system above is one key in helping to overcome this. When people know there are consistently scheduled times when they can fulfil their contribution to community and responsibilities are clarified, the rest of their time and independence becomes clear.

A Spiritual mentor I had always had a favourite saying: “When things are organised, people are relaxed. When things are disorganised, people get under pressure.”  It is an important energy to understand.

Another vital key, particularly in a close community is having a clear understanding of the distinct and different energies of personal time, business time and social time.  And likewise personal space, business space and social space.  It is a necessary advance on understanding healthy boundaries, and very effective.

Living in community can sometimes be like living in a giant share house. There is always someone who wants to chat when others are trying to stay focused on important business or earning a living from their space within the community. Fragmentation and distraction can be energy-sapping and the financial vitality of the community as a whole can suffer if this area is not understood clearly and practised proactively and with a positive, co-operative attitude.

SPIRITUAL WELLBEING
The Spiritual health or wellbeing of a community can also determine its overall vitality and success.

Community living by its very nature can attract people who are inherently creative and possibly a little rebellious against the idea of status quo. It is often why they have left the mainstream.

Recognising and appreciating this and giving it space and direction to flourish can utilise some of people’s strongest assets. Anywhere there are people living together there will unavoidably be conflicts and differences of opinion. It is vital to have regular communication or clearing circles where the community gets together as a whole and creates a genuine, safe “heart space” to hear each other fairly and focus on creating solutions to give that energy direction.

Nothing can cause frustration and resentment in people more than feeling they are not being heard or listened to. Over time, small grievances can build into larger resentment if regular clearing circles are not being held. What is not being expressed will still be felt uncomfortably on an intuitive level.

Heart circles can require some good facilitation skills, and if the role is shared around it can become a major area of personal growth for anyone. Done well, the heart circles can also be a great area of personal growth, communication and character development, moral support and personal wellbeing for many.

Communities which have a common Spiritual belief and values focus, such as Buddhism, already have a great advantage.

Where this is not the case, a mixture of different beliefs and values systems can benefit from having a concerted focus effort to reach agreement on the core values and mission statement of the community.

Some form of optional Spiritual development group, as well as healthy lifestyle practices such as yoga and meditation, can become the life blood and cultural richness of a community and nourish its people.

Communicating or relating workshops such as the increasingly popular Non-Violent Communication can be a vital asset for maintaining harmony.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Living in a closer community can sometimes be like an ongoing workshop, and it can also be a great deal of fun and growth and source of enduring friendships. It helps greatly if people have the character resilience of a sense of humour and some personal development training, or if this is an ongoing activity within the community.

Areas of self-awareness like tolerance, patience, listening skills, good verbal communication, respect for people’s space and views, honesty and integrity can become valuable assets to getting on with others.

It is a good basis also if people become aware of their own motivations and what is involved in living in community, so it is a clear and conscious choice. Finding a community that resonates in values is a wise move also.

LEARNING CENTRES
It can be a great benefit if a community sets up its own ‘learning centre’, where people with different skills can run workshops or exchange knowledge or services and healing modalities.

This can create an avenue for bringing income and valuable cashflow opportunities into the community also.

Often communities have a particular strength or success they have developed, such as renewable energy source, developing biodynamic or permaculture food supply, cottage industries, low-cost building practices, or obtaining grants and funding.

A project I am working on with a few other community-builders is developing an exchange network between communities where facilitators can travel to share their individual skills and knowledge with other organisations.

As these various aspects of a community and its structure develop and strengthen, they begin to attract more of the type of people with the skills and motivation to want to help make a difference.

With the right approach, communities can become a vibrant, efficient, growing and viable option for sustainable living and shared resources, rich in people and culture.

***

WORKSHOPS

Paul will run a series of workshops at the Bellbunya Community eco-conference centre, at Belli Park,  10km from Eumundi, on the Eumundi – Kenilworth Rd.

Saturday, July 31, from 6.30pm – 9pm:  COMMUNICATE AND LISTEN, on safe relating and heart circle skills. Cost $30.

Sunday, August 1,  from 8.30am to 5pm:  MANAGING EFFICIENT COMMUNITY,  this will include setting up a community project management system that can be adapted for share-housing or a business.  Cost $100. Bring a plate for shared lunch.

Monday, August 2, For those wanting to stay overnight, practical coaching on team-building projects will run from 9am to noon.  
Bookings:  (07) 5447-0181 or  0429-478-129, or paulmis@powerup.com.au

See:  www.bellbunya.org.au for details.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Mischefski is a journalist, photographer, environment and social issues writer and lifeskills trainer. He has studied communities from the Pacific Island and New Zealand cultures to the Amish of North America and societies in Northern India. Paul has lectured extensively throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and spent several years in the US helping to manage a world-wide chain of Spiritual retreat centres. He runs Spirit In Organisation Processes For Communities.

image: greghardwick.com.au

Anyone who has attended meetings will know — the greater the number of people, the less chance there is of obtaining an outcome.

Therefore the outcome of Copenhagen should come as no surprise. Governments from wealthy countries know that voters are easily swayed by economic arguments. Poorer countries want more for their people. While we all argue about money, man-made climate change will worsen.

As our planet’s human population increases we face a growing problem. The wealthier we all become, the more we want and the more we consume. More people consuming more of the earth’s finite ‘resources’ leads to only one outcome – less for everyone.

The science of climate change has taught us two things. Firstly, we need to be smarter, be prepared for change and focus upon cleaner, renewable energy sources. Our very short love affair with fossil fuels is over and is not worth one tear.

Secondly — many people do not like change, they use denial to avoid serious problems and know that many of us are swayed by fear. Radical politicians will seize on this and increasingly make promises they cannot deliver on.

The way forward is not something we are going to be given by our politicians. We are going to have to show our politicians what we are capable of. Great social changes have always been peaceful and well supported by the population. However, we will need to constantly remind our governments, and those seeking to be in government, that they serve us, and deceitful behaviour for the sake of claiming or clinging to power, will not be tolerated.

Now is not the time for blaming others for our woes or arguing whose way is best. It’s all too easy to point out the wrongs of someone from a distant nation or from a group who you do not associate with. Throwing stones over the fence is easy when you don’t see your victim, but stand face to face and it becomes so much harder.

In 2010 we need to stand face to face and unite everyone who wants a fairer, cleaner future. It is possible, if only we dare to try.

***

Do yourself a favour this Christmas. Turn the air conditioner off, put the mobile phone away and get outside and talk to someone new. See you at the Woodford Folk Festival!

Wishing you all the best over the Christmas break and we look forward to bringing you more eco news in 2010. Eco online will take a short break, before returning in mid-January.

Keep safe and look after one another.

Unsustainable growth may see the "coastline covered in concrete all the way from Victoria to the Queensland border". Image greghardwick.com.au

Dear Madam Premier,

Recently I had a short and enjoyable holiday in Noosa but was dismayed to read in the local papers of the plans by the Minister for Infrastructure to “reform” planning approvals and the possibility of development in the ‘Wild Horse’ mountain region.

This is a process distinctly similar to that carried out in New South Wales with devastating consequences.  You may recall that a previous Premier of NSW, Bob Carr, warned of the danger of growth that would see the coastline covered in concrete all the way from Victoria to the Queensland border.  Unfortunately his warnings have been ignored and many pristine coastal locations, as well as inland regions, have been overwhelmed by housing developments. Along with development booms came the apparently inevitable political corruption which tainted members of both local and state governments — none more bizarre than the scandal that rocked the Wollongong council.

New South Wales has “enjoyed” a housing boom which we are repeatedly told will rescue the economy and yet this State government is on the verge of economic collapse. It cannot fund necessary infrastructure and is selling off government assets, even the State lottery, as well as schools, parks and police stations. This state is probably the worst off because Sydney has suffered the fastest population growth and as a consequence the government has been unable to maintain even essential services.  Some of the state’s best agricultural land is being swallowed by urban sprawl, forcing growers to move into more marginal land with higher transport costs.

” The Australian Bureau of Statistics puts the value of our soils as diminishing by $300 million every year”

They also suffer the double blow of having governments put cities ahead of rural areas for water allocations.

It has also been estimated by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics that traffic congestion now costs the nation $21 billion per year and there is no likelihood that this will improve while population growth outstrips expenditure on services. At the same time, because growth in road transport outstripped our oil supply capacity, we now must import an ever increasing amount, often from unreliable sources.

The cost of imported fuel has been estimated to rise to $30 billion by 2012 and this estimate was made before the current price rises and the governments expanded immigration program.

Because of the structure of the housing industry more than one million people are considered to be in housing stress, that is, they are paying 30 per cent or more of their income in house repayments.  The number of homeless people continues to rise as do the number of personal bankruptcies, and largely due to housing repayments, Australia’s personal debt is over one trillion dollars — higher on a per capita basis than the US and the very mechanism that provoked the current economic collapse.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the view of Prof. Fiona Stanley, the child-welfare scientist and 2003 Australian of the year. Her findings provide a direct connection between child and adolescent health problems and the economy. According to her data, one in five parents are unfit for the task of raising children because they are overworked or otherwise stressed.

A quick appraisal of other country’s economic positions shows that those with high levels of housing growth, like Iceland and Spain, suffered the worst in this collapse, something that should not be surprising since all previous economic collapses were related to housing bubbles that burst.

However, events since 2007 should make it obvious that there is something terribly wrong with a system that fails so dramatically and does so about every 20 years.  What is also apparent is that costs for services and infrastructure, are increasing and doing so faster than any revenue gain from growth.

“The national  infrastructure deficit is almost $90 billion“

We have therefore an economic system that is operating as a type of pyramid scheme, with input as GDP artificially structured to obscure its inherent real costs.  It has been suggested by many that what is wrong is the twentieth century “neoclassical” economics which has misinterpreted or ignored the more philosophical approach of earlier economic thought.

Today in a typical introductory textbook (Ekelund and Tollison 1988:147), students read that:

“The overall goal of macro-economic policy is the achievement of economic stabilisation … to attain maximum economic growth in the present and future.”

Economics thus became a science geared toward justifying and facilitating the pursuit of wealth by individuals and nations. In perhaps its most radical departure from the classicists it adopted the assumption that there is no limit to economic growth, an absurdity echoed by the previous Prime Minister shortly before his ignominious defeat.

More importantly it should be now obvious that the foundation of conservative economics, growth and implicit belief in market forces, is illogical and the common factor in economic and environmental failures that have beset our country for many years.  So great has been the faith in these economic principles that successive governments have been unwilling to contemplate that many industries like gambling, liquor and tobacco actually cost the community far more than they return in the way of increased revenue.

“Gambling and the liquor industry are the worst, the later costs the public $7.6 billion per year, causes untold loss of human potential by brain impairment and is responsible for 40 per cent of police work”

These however pale into insignificance when compared to the “junk” food industry that is largely responsible for the epidemic of youth obesity that will swamp our already over-stressed health care system.

“According to Access Economics there will be 7 million obese by 2025, and it already costs the nation over $20 billion annually”

Apparently the minor increase in GDP created by the food industry was considered more important than the health of the people.

One also has to ask what type of economic fanatic would promote population growth at a time when Queensland is subjected to increasing storm intensity.  Victoria and South Australia are drying out, NSW is regularly 70 per cent drought effected, the Murray Darling system that used to produce a third of our food, has collapsed, and climate change will further decimate our agricultural industry.

All this and we still have governments allowing mining and housing developments in those areas that appear to be safe from drought.

“To rank some abstract number like GDP as more important than food production must be the highest of all absurdities especially when it should be obvious that despite, or because of continued population growth, our per capita GDP is declining”

The fallacy of an economic system relying on growth is the subject of a report in the New Scientist magazine (Issue 2678 October 15, 2008) where a cross section of experts from fields including economics, law, and philosophy all conclude that conservative economics has failed society.

These opinions are by no means isolated there has been a growing chorus of criticism from economists. Alan Ramsay, Clive Hamilton Steve Keen and Ross Gittens have all spoken out on several occasions, (while internationally George Soros  author of The Bubble of American Supremacy,  Nassim Taleb author of the Black Swan and most recently John Talbot author of the 86 Lies), to politicians, including the Premier of NSW, as they observe the deterioration  of our cities, smothered under the weight of population growth.

So serious are the findings that I request you examine this report as a matter of urgency, and if its findings cannot be refuted you must abandon the reliance on growth that is not only damaging our nation, but threatens the world’s ability to combat climate change .

I look forward to your response in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

Don Owers
Dudley, NSW

Szencorp Green Building Award

Kate Jones, MP with Bob and Christine Cameron of Rockcote

Rockcote recently took home the Szencorp Green Building Award at the recent United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards.

The ‘green building’ accolade was awarded to Rockcote’s multi-award winning design centre on Queensland’s Gold Coast. The
1000-square-metre, single-storey building, acts as a warehouse and showroom for Rockcote’s products, which include environmentally-friendly paint, energy-efficient walling systems, coloured renders and high-performance membrane coatings.

After winning the award Rockcote’s Bob Cameron said: “Rockcote and Szencorp’s approach to business is similar in that we both believe sustainability should be an integral part of the business model, from work practices through to buildings.

“It is only when you take a holistic and innovative approach to building design that real environmental and business benefits, along with cost savings, can be achieved”.

Melbourne based Szencorp was the first company in Australia to retrofit an inefficient, typical suburban office block into Australia’s highest rated sustainable building. Its multi-award winning Szencorp Building in South Melbourne has achieved a 6 Star Green Star rating for design and 5 Star NABERS ratings for energy and water performance.

Queensland Sustainable Industries Awards

The Rockcote Design Centre at Nerang

Rockcote has also been recognised at the recent Queensland Sustainable Industries Awards after receiving the Premier’s Award for Leadership in Business Sustainability.

Queensland Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said: “This a perfect example of a smart Queensland business with eyes on the future and a climate smart attitude”.

The full list of winners at the Sustainable Industries Awards:

• Bob and Chris Cameron, Rockcote Enterprises – Premier’s Award for Leadership in Business Sustainability
• Food Connect – Minister’s Award for ClimateSmart Leadership – West End
• Queensland Complete Printing Services (QPrint) – Corporate Sustainability Award – Nambour
• Mitchell Enviro Industrial Estate – Industrial Eco-efficiency Award – Staypleton
• Cooee Products – Innovation in Sustainable Technologies Award – Maroochydore
• Arup – Sustainability in the Built Environment – Robina
• Noosa Community Training Centre – Sustainability Partnerships Award – Noosa
• Camreay Holdings – Rural Sustainability Award – Bundaberg

Rockcote has won numerous awards for its sustainability achievements including:

• 2002 UDIA Champion Project for Sustainable Development
• 2004 Year of the Built Environment Premier’s Award (QLD)
• 2004 Year of the Built Environment Queensland Government Award
• 2005 UDIA Award (QLD for Excellence in Sustainable Development
• 2005 Energex Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development
• 2005 Citation from the Environmental Protection Agency – leadership in sustainable practices
• 2006 President’s Award, UDIA
• 2008 Runner-up in the prestigious international 2008 Prix D’Excellence Awards Environmental Category at the FIABCI World Congress in Amsterdam
• 2009 United Nations World Environment Day Green Building Award
• 2009 Premier’s Award (QLD) for Leadership in Business Sustainability, Queensland Sustainable Industries Awards

Our shared vision: To be Australia's most sustainable region - vibrant, green, diverse. Image:greghardwick.com.au

Major amendments to the Integrated Planning Act 1997, carrying implications for local planning powers and the critical assessment of applications, have become yet another hallmark of the Bligh Government’s mantra of growth at all costs.

Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, Stirling Hinchliffe said the Sustainable Planning Bill 2009, approved by Cabinet on June 9, will result in the biggest reform to planning approvals in over a decade.

“It will mean massive reductions in red tape and unnecessary delays which anyone in the building industry will tell you can result in significant extra costs,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“At the end of the day, this is about creating more efficient processes for construction sites and as a result keeping Queenslanders in jobs.”

Mr Hinchliffe, who was previously research and policy manager with the state branch of the Property Council said developers accessing the more efficient and accountable system would also be able take advantage of the new legislation which will allow certain applications to be deemed to be approved if they are not decided within specified timeframes.

“Deemed approvals are a significant reform,” he said.

While detail of a proposed Bill is ordinarily confidential prior to going to cabinet, the Property Council of Australia was in a position to issue a media release giving unequivocal and glowing support within hours of Cabinet approval.

Brian Raison, the president of the Coolum district community group, Development Watch, expressed concern regarding the tenor of the media release.

“It appears to advantage the developer while making it more difficult for the community to have input into planning decisions”

Property Council Queensland Executive Director, Steve Greenwood was quick to identify the benefits for the vested interests of the industry and the economically unsustainable narrow focus.

“I can’t stress enough just how important the reform of Queensland’s planning and development assessment system is to jobs, the property industry and to the Queensland economy,” said Mr Greenwood.

“The big win for Queensland jobs and industry is the introduction of deemed approvals for development applications that fall victim to unnecessary red tape and delays.

“Deemed approvals will go a long way to ensure that valuable jobs and dollars are not lost whilst applications are ‘lost in transition’ behind agencies’ back counters,” he said.

This dangerous reversal from what was previously a ‘deemed refusal’ heralds the opportunity for sound determination of applications to be overridden by fast tracked timeframes offering inadequate information and planning detail.

While the development industry has long manifested its skewed criticism of local council planning assessment, it has failed to acknowledge that it is often the guilty party.  Major development applications have knowingly been lodged with skeletal information triggering the need for Council Development Assessment officers to issue an Information Request within just 10 days of the application being lodged. Under IPA, the applicant then had 12 months grace to supply the requested information and would often apply to have this period extended. Multiply this scenario by the innumerable applications being lodged in a given region, particularly the Sunshine Coast, and it becomes evident that IPA has biased  the developer in many instances.

These new amendments indicate that the necessary evaluation of applications that give rise to detailed ecological assessments, sustainability principles and subsequent recommendations, for example, may be circumvented altogether.

Developer advantage is therefore further bolstered with their desired outcome potentially overriding that of the community and what is reflected in the local planning scheme. In an effort to close this avenue, amendments in the new bill call for an overhaul of planning schemes to become a template scheme that facilitates these developer-favoured features.

Can the Minister guarantee that community rights and local government planning powers will not be further eroded under the dubiously named Sustainable Planning Bill 2009? Probably not. And the community will be rightly outraged.

There is a strong mandate by the community now reflected in the recently adopted Sunshine Coast Regional Council Corporate Plan.  The corporate plan is the core strategic document of the Council and identifies the priorities for the next five years and beyond. It guides Council’s decision-making, budget operations and resource allocations to achieve the vision: to be Australia’s most sustainable region – vibrant, green, diverse.

However, as the Sunshine Coast Regional Council endeavours to formulate its first planning scheme, these sweeping legislative reforms are set to seriously challenge and undermine the collective efforts of the local community and council.

Narelle McCarthy is the Manager of the Sunshine Coast Environment Council

Bob Cameron at the Rockote Design Centre

Australia’s first sustainable commercial building wins international recognition

Yandina-based Rockcote, manufacturers of eco-friendly paints and renders, have gained international recognition for their Gold Coast showroom. The Rockcote Design Centre, Australia’s first truly sustainable commercial building, is built on a former wasteland at Nerang.

The building was announced as the runner-up in the prestigious international 2008 Prix D’Excellence Awards Environmental Category at the FIABCI World Congress in Amsterdam on May 29.

With architecture cleverly integrated into the landscaping of the surrounding site, the building achieves total self-sufficiency in water, waste treatment and energy.

Furthermore it sells its excess power into the electricity grid. These features are a first for a commercial building of its kind in Australia and set. It is now setting an example in its use of natural systems for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation for others to follow.

Integral to the building’s design is the surrounding organic garden and its water capture and treatment system. They all work together to provide clean water, food, clean air, and a healthy environment. The fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in the garden are enjoyed by the building’s occupants and visitors in their cafe.

Rockcote’s owner Bob Cameron said: “Our project demonstrates that environmental objectives can be achieved at no greater cost than a conventional building of the same size.

“More importantly, its running costs are far lower, it provides a healthier and more productive environment for all who use it and gives considerable benefits for the surrounding community.”

In 2006 the Rockcote Design Centre was recognised as Australia’s best building, winning the President’s Award in the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Excellence.

“I was taught that a company is made up of plant, equipment and capital. Staff is outside the company and just employed to run things,” he said.

He disagreed back then and still does.

“A company is a community of people. Plant, equipment and capital are employed by the people to achieve their vision,” said Mr Cameron. There is no doubt that he is correct.

In 21 years, Rockcote has grown out of a Sunshine Coast backyard shed to a yearly turnover of more than $20 million and 79 employees. Rockcote produces renders and paints that are free of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and any other toxic
chemicals.

Their operations are based on the concept of Biomimicry, that is, basing business organisation and industrial processes on lessons we see in nature. In nature there is no waste. Everything gets re-used and recycled. Using these concepts Rockcote is achieving some astounding solutions.

What makes this business truly outstanding is that no compromises are accepted. Rather than being green while forsaking profits, the credo is: “The bottom line of green is black.” With its constant growth, Rockcote has always felt the pressure of cash-flow. The solution: focusing on profit from investments with the least capital employed.

This flows on to the production facilities, which are highly adaptable. Not through the use of sophisticated computer system, but through simplicity. Bob explains: “We do not produce to planned targets. Instead our production beats in tune with sales.”

The biggest impact on the company’s success comes from one thing: the community that Bob has gathered around him to turn his vision into reality. Chris Cameron is the heart of that community. She joined the company in 1989 as office manager. While growing into the role of marketing and sales manager (and part-owner of Rockcote), she has developed a great balance of professionalism and personal caring. The highly effective management team is sometimes referred to as a council of elders.

As many businesses are starting to catch onto environmental issues, Rockcote is one step ahead by aiming for a net benefit to the environment in a similar fashion to a tree or forest and therefore producing a surplus of water, energy and resources. Without saying it, it is clear that the vision includes a surplus in profits.

This article gives three very basic starting points for good passive design.

1. Orientation
2. Floor plan
3. Eaves and windows

A good builder or designer will be able to alter a standard design or juggle the orientation and layout to suit awkward blocks so these basic principles are met.

1. Orientation

The golden rule of passive design is “face the sun, not the street”. This means lining up your floor plan so that the long axis runs East-West with your living areas facing true north, wherever possible (true north varies for every location in Australia, and on the Sunshine Coast is about 10.50 west of magnetic north. Note: compasses indicate magnetic north). This is an important distinction, as it is the ‘true’ axis of the sun’s yearly movement through our sky.

What a long east-west axis does, is make the ‘short’ walls of the house face east and west, where the sun hangs low in the sky, in the early morning and late afternoon in summer. By heavily insulating and shading these short walls with external screens or plants, and by having few windows, the inside of the building is protected from heat gain during the warmer months. (If you have children’s bedrooms facing west with large windows and minimal shading, you are already experiencing the effect of bad design during summer – kids, early bedtimes and hot rooms don’t mix well).

Secondly, you cluster living areas to true north, so that the sun can be used to warm the most used spaces during winter and shaded out in summer. If your block does not allow a long east-west axis, it’s important to reorganise the floor plan so that your main living areas have glazed windows or doors facing true north, with correctly sized eaves, to achieve the same effect. (See following sections).

More info: Case Study 7.1 Modifying a Project Home is a great example of how a few minor changes to a basic plan can make huge improvements to how the home works.

2. Floor plan

Designing a plan that is ideally one-room wide throughout, or with operable or louvred internal walls, allows breezes to cross from one side of the building to the other and cool and ventilate rooms naturally. Like water, air likes to take the most direct path, so for good cross ventilation, you should place openings directly opposite each other. A window in one wall, without a corresponding opening opposite, won’t do a lot to draw air through the room.

Cluster living areas that need heating in winter, to the north, and use ‘utility’ rooms such as the laundry, garage and bathrooms in the southeast and southwest corners to buffer the hot morning and afternoon sun in
summer. Obviously this is a very prescriptive approach – there are a million ways to design spaces that perform these same basic functions.

3. Eaves and Windows

On the Sunshine Coast, eaves that sit out roughly half the distance of the height of the glazed area below them on the northern side of the building, will allow warming sun into the living areas during winter months when its travelling low in the sky, and keep it out during summer when its passing higher overhead. Coupled with good roof insulation and deciduous trees or vines on a pergola across the north face of the house, the right sized eaves will maximise the natural heating and cooling of internal spaces without the need for mechanical systems.

Glazed areas (windows and doors) should ideally be equal in area to about a fifth of the floor area of the room they are located in, on the northern face. This way during winter, enough sun will be allowed into a room to effectively heat it.

Ample eaves over windows will also allow windows to be open during storms in hot months, when ventilation is important.

Short east and western walls should have as few windows as possible (other than small ones to facilitate cross ventilation) and be shaded all year round, either with vertical shutters, screens, or vegetation.

Southern windows should be kept to a minimum, to avoid too much heat loss during Winter (from the shaded, cold side of building) – again, just enough to provide good cross ventilation.

When choosing windows for the side/s of the house that receive the cooling summer breezes, (usually northeast to southeast) think about side-hung or pivoting window frames that will act as a funnel or sail, to catch breezes and direct them into the house, rather than sliders (that cut off half the area to breeze) or louvres (effective, but only open straight-on from the wall – and they don’t have the ‘funnelling’ effect).

There are literally hundreds of small things you can do to manipulate sun and air movement around a home and make a massive improvement on its energy requirements.

For more detailed information, visit the yourhome website or get weekly eco-design tips by email from Jo’s website by clicking here.