Image: Ange Wall

Sustainable House Day is going online for September 2020. With this transition, Renew will reach a larger national audience—while keeping the intimate spirit that makes Sustainable House Day such a success—by creating online tours and experiences with homeowners and experts.

This decision was not easy; bringing Australians into inspiring homes for hosted tours with owners and makers has been a very successful model in the past. But the continued uncertainty around in-person events, even as restrictions ease, has made the shift online inevitable this year.

Committing early gives us time to design and organise a different—though equally impactful—event that is true to the goals and values of Sustainable House Day.

Renew CEO Paul Bowers notes Sustainable House Day 2020 will include virtual tours of the many sustainable homes opening this year across Australia. “We will create an experience that provides the best of the event. This will include peer-to-peer learning and the ability to ask questions of homeowners, architects and other sustainability professionals, and will inspire attendees on their sustainability journey.”

“The decision to move Sustainable House Day to a virtual event presents both opportunities and challenges, but for our homeowners, staff, volunteers and most importantly attendees, it was the right decision to make. We’re confident this pivot gives us the opportunity to add value to the future of this extremely popular event and will enable attendees to tour homes across Australia.”

What this means for homeowners?

We encourage those interested to submit their homes for the event as we refine what a virtual Sustainable House Day will look like in discussion with you. We will be providing resources and guides to help homeowners produce video content and participate in live Q&As and discussions with participants for virtual tours this year.

If you would like speak with us about questions you have about opening your home virtually for Sustainable House Day this year, please get in touch.

What this means for participants of Sustainable House Day?

Participants of Sustainable House Day 2020 will be able to virtually tour sustainable homes, ask questions of homeowners, sustainable architects and other sustainability professionals and participate in online discussions and webinars  – all from the comfort of  their homes. Our virtual Sustainable House Day will still include all the peer-to-peer learning, information and resources to help you learn and take action to make your home and community more sustainable, more comfortable to live in, and cheaper to run.

If you’ve never attended Sustainable House Day in the past, you can register on the SHD website to be kept up to date on news and events about the day. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on current information about the event, or sign up for our SHD e-newsletter.

What does this mean for community groups and other SHD partners?

This year, like all years, our partnerships with community groups and other Sustainable House Day stakeholders are key to reaching the greatest number of people across Australia, helping us inspire and enable sustainable action in households and communities.

Register as a community group to start a conversation with the team about how we can work together toward shared of creating sustainable communities.

What does this mean for Sponsors and supporters of SHD?

We’re excited about the opportunities the virtual format offers to introduce the SHD audience to our sponsors and their products and services.

We are working now to develop a new sponsorship prospectus, but in the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us directly on 03 9631 5421.