Is This The Most Sustainable Community In Canberra?

Posted on 14 November, 2019

Want to find Canberra’s most sustainable community? Head west.

The emerging community of Ginninderry in west Belconnen—which will one day be home to 30,000 residents—has been designed with innovation, diversity and ecological criteria at its core. And there’s no question they’re leading the way on sustainability—they’ve been named Canberra’s first Green Star Communities 6-Star rated development.

GX, Ginninderry’s new display village is now open, with 16 cutting-edge display homes to explore and more than 50 sustainable products and initiatives scattered throughout the village and in each home.

You can even jump on an electric bike to explore them, which are free for the public to hire for two hours.

“Ginninderry has been designed with a focus on sustainability. Sustainability means lots of different things to lots of different people—whether it’s reducing the cost of running a house, using more sustainable materials, or even creating more jobs for people,” says Ginninderry Sustainability Manager Jessica Stewart.

“At the display village, we’re showcasing the latest sustainability features including solar energy packages, double glazing, electric vehicle charging points, low energy lighting, a grass driveway and much more.”

Jessica says that at most of the display houses you may not even be able to notice the sustainable features—and that’s where the GX App comes in.

“A lot of the homes in GX look like any other house but our specially designed GX App lets us showcase the things that can’t be seen like the double glazing, the insulation, the solar panels—the things people wouldn’t know about just to look at,” says Jessica.

“The features are all highlighted in the GX App, which is free to download, and you can follow the sustainability trail through the display village to explore each of the features. And since it’s all on the app, you can then take it home and use it as inspiration to apply at your own house.”

The village includes a zero-energy house, which has been specially designed and built as part of a research project, or if you’re keen on the idea of downsizing, there’s inspiration for that too.

“One thing we should be tackling in the future is the size of housing,” says Jessica.

“At the display village we have ‘Mini-G’—a fully furnished 27sqm tiny house, and it really challenges visitors to think about a broader range of housing options, particularly when it comes to flexible spaces for extended family or older kids. Tiny homes show how you can upsize or downsize as needed.”

The Mini G.

There’s also a turf display where visitors can view seven different types of irrigated and non-irrigated turf, including native turfs.

“Our turf trials are really important. Turf isn’t the most sustainable thing you can have at your property but if you are going to choose it, knowing how it will perform over a year is really important,” says Jessica.

Inside Mini G.

So, whether you’re in the market for a new home or just looking to reduce your footprint on the planet, there’s plenty to be inspired by.

“Our aim with the sustainability trail is to highlight that it’s not just about doing one or two exemplary things. It’s about how we can get influence the majority of people to do things 80-90 percent better. It’s about showcasing that any house can make the most of these things,” says Jessica.

the essentials

What: The GX Display Village is open every Friday-Monday, 10 am-4 pm
Where: 90 Stockdill Drive (adjacent to Strathnairn Arts Association), Holt
Details: See ginninderry.com

This editorial was created in partnership with Ginninderry. For more information on sponsored partnerships, click here.