Bright ideas and brilliant lanterns at expanded expo
11 September 2017
Home Expo and river celebration join forces this Saturday
Get the advice and products you need for a more comfortable and cost-effective home, then celebrate the Tweed River and natural environment, when two of Council’s most popular public events join forces this Saturday.
The fifth annual Living for the Future Home Expo, being held at seagulls club in Tweed Heads West from 10am to 4pm, will again offer a one-stop shop for solutions to make your home more function and cheaper to run.
“A day of workshops and a long list of display stalls will share practical information about everything from innovative building materials, renewable energy and easy vegetable gardens, to ethical financial assistance, environmentally friendly cleaning products and even keeping native bees,” Council’s Sustainability Program Leader, Deb Firestone, said.
“Attention will then turn to the nearby riverbank and the inaugural Lights on the Tweed festivities, which feature the most popular activities from the former Tweed River Festival. Family activities will continue into the evening, with the seagulls grounds to be lit up by the spectacular lantern parade.”
This year’s Home Expo attractions also feature a Tesla display of its Model S vehicle and Powerwall, as well as cooking demonstrations to prepare simple and nutritious meals that can save families hundreds of dollars each year.
“As part of the 2017 Sustainable Home Design competition and exhibition, visitors to the expo will have opportunity to ‘speed date’ a designer,” Ms Firestone said. “Anyone looking to build or renovate their home can pick the brains of some of the district’s leading designers, to get valuable tips for their building or DIY projects.”
See what happens when some of the region’s cleverest designers turn to their minds to using local materials for sustainable home construction.
This year’s Living for the Future Home Expo is hosting the 2017 Sustainable House Design competition, which has challenged professional, amateur and junior designs to ‘Build It Local’. All of the entries will be on display at the Home Expo, showcasing how environmentally, socially and economically sustainable homes can be built entirely from materials and labour sourced within a 100-kilometre radius.
Kids will have plenty to do and learn at this year’s Home Expo, with a series of children’s workshops including free lantern building for the parade, chalk art and murals.
“They can design and build their own sustainable home, learn to grown their own food or use microscopes to see the hidden life in soil,” expo coordinator Deb Firestone said.
“A Connect to Country activity will teach kids about traditional Aboriginal science such as fire sticks and fish traps, as well as hand-on learning about boomerang making, tools and Aboriginal knowledge about plants and seasons.”
Fancy a house built of straw, bamboo or even hemp? Award-winning designers Jaye Irving and Michael Leung will huff and puff and blow down reservations about green building materials when they are among a series of workshop presenters.
Imagine having the best of both worlds for bicycle commuting, the health benefits of pedalling where you need to go, without the strain of riding up hills. E-Bikes are becoming an increasingly popular transport option because they make cycling accessible and appealing to more people for commuting and recreation.
Bicycle Queensland Development Officer Andrew Demack will show how their electric motors, providing power-assisted pedalling when required, have greatly increased the potential of cycling for sustainable, low-cost commuting.
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Caption: The Living for the Future Home Expo returns to seagulls club this Saturday after attracting a record crowd in 2016.
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Caption: Cooking demonstrations and free tastings will provide easy tips and recipes for households to avoid wasting food and save up to $1,000 each year.