About this event

The demand for healthy, sustainable building materials and home improvements is on the rise. However, many people feel overwhelmed by the information and don’t know where to start. Renovators often spend months researching material benefits, healthy choices, and solutions with a small footprint - an experience that is often exhausting on top of the million other decisions needed during the renovation process. Often their original needs and aspirations are out-crowded by questionable factors and choices that are, most of the time, not in their favour or add quality improvements to their homes. It’s a system that incentives bad decisions and contributes to the overall problem we have with Australian homes rather than solving it.

Only one in ten new homes built meets 7-star plus energy ratings. Nine million existing homes are underperforming, causing health issues, creating uncomfortable homes that are not climate resilient and contributing directly to energy poverty in our communities.

We ask how innovation can empower renovators to make better decisions, helping them easily navigate the journey and rewarding them in the future with sustainable and quality home value.

How can we design solutions that support trust and transparency and enable a transformation towards a renewable, regenerative and low-carbon future for everyone to enjoy?

Join us in this exciting conversation between Prof Usha Iyer-Raniga (RMIT University), Simone Schenkel (GruenEcoDesign), Dr Fiona Gray (Renew) and Sonja Markovic (Evitat), exploring the quality of our homes in the context of climate emergency and how innovation can help us change a system for the better.

The Panelists

Prof Usha Iyer-RanigaRMIT University, Co-Lead of the United Nations One Planet Network’s

Professor Usha Iyer-Raniga is at the School of Property and Construction Management, RMIT University. Usha is co-leading the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme (SBC), United Nations 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (UN 10FYP SCP) aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 12. The work directly impacts SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Dr Fiona GrayBuilding Biology Consultant, Founder Bioliving By Design

Fiona has more than 25 years’ experience as a registered practising architect, urban ecologies researcher, local government leader, and board member. Her previous roles include CEO of Renew, Executive Manager City Design at the City of Ballarat and the Founder and Director of Civic Collective, an urban research and design consulting agency.

Simone SchenkelGruenEcoDesign, Certified Passive House Designer

Simone is a certified PassivHaus building designer and 2020 AusMumpreneur VIC-TAS People’s Choice Making a Difference (Environmental) Silver Award winner. She is owner of GruenEcoDesgn practice designed over 300 homes for Australian clients. Simone’s mission is to make energy-efficient homes a staple in the Australian landscape. "Everyone should have the right to live in a comfortable house that doesn't cost the earth!"

Sonja MarkovicCEO and Co-founder at Evitat

Sonja is the CEO and co-founder of Evitat. An impact startup empowering renovator making better decisions and create healthy, comfortable and climate resilient homes. With more than 20 years experience in digital technology, human centric design solutions and system thinking, she is on a mission to use technology and innovation to incentivise good, low-carbon renovation choices and turn it into quality sustainable property value.

Panelists

Prof Usha Iyer-RanigaRMIT University, Co-Lead of the United Nations One Planet Network’s

Dr Fiona GrayBuilding Biology Consultant, Founder Bioliving By Design

Simone SchenkelGruenEcoDesign, Certified Passive House Designer

Sonja MarkovicCEO and Co-founder at Evitat