Past Expo

The Project 

Officially Opened - on Thursday the January 30th 2020 at Desoza Park, Buninyong!

Buninyong Sustainability made an undertaking to use funds raised at the 2016 Smart Building and Living Expo to have an Electric Vehicle Charging station installed in the township.

Timeline

Project started in 2016 raising initial funds from donations made at the Smart Building and Living Expo.

Extra funds were received from a successful grant application to the Rainbow Serpent Festival community grants programme in 2017.

The final funds for the charging equipment and installation were sought from and awarded by the Buninyong and District Community Bank Community Investment Fund (Bendigo Bank) in 2019.

Final support was requested from the City of Ballarat to complete the civil works to allow installation and connection. This was granted in mid 2019 with the required works completed in late 2019.

Installation was completed on the 18th of January 2020 with the first EV using the charger the very next day.

The Charger

Model: AURIGA

Manufacturer: EVolution Australia www.evolutionaustralia.com.au
Sockets: 3
Socket types: 2 x Type 2 (EV charging)
1 x 15amp general power point (electric bike, scooter etc. charging)
Capacity: 22kW
IP rating: IP55

The Auriga is designed and made in Victoria. It is constructed from recycled materials that will be reclaimed at the end of its life by EVolution though its social enterprise partners PonyUp For Good www.Ponyupforgood.com.au

Power for charging EV’s will initially be provided free of charge however if the usage increases beyond a reasonable level a payment system can be added to the AURIGA to allow payment via credit card or smart phone app.

If you want further information about the charging station or want to become involved in Buninyong Sustainability projects please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dreaming of a Sustainable Buninyong?

Do you want to join the Expo Team and plan what happens on Sunday the 23rd of February 2020?

The Smart Building and Living Expo has lots of interest groups, including design, building, architecture, electric cars, plants, the food vans, local sustainability groups, other local not-for-profit groups, and the primary school.

Email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to help!

The Expo will be held at Royal Park, Buninyong, 1101 Warrenheip Street, Buninyong - the old football oval.

Register Here for 2020

Help on the Day!

Set up Team - 8am to 10am

• direct stallholders & cars for set up and parking
• help with tables and chairs, straw bales, marquees
• place the recycling and rubbish bins
• Marshaling,Signage

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Expo Team - 10am - 3:30pm

• direct visitors for parking
• survey visitors
• survey stallholders
• keep grounds tidy
• help visitors locate stalls, toilets, food etc
• assist stallholders
• spruik the Expo down at the Village Market
• take Expo photos

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Pack up Team 3:30pm - 4:30pm

• tidy the site
• pack up chairs, tables and marquees
• bring in the bins
• take down signs

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 Thank you!!!

Creative ideas can give a new purpose to something that would have otherwise been discarded.

That was the theme of the Can Do Communities display at the Smart Building and Living Festival in Buninyong on Sunday.

Kerrie Tomkins demonstrated ways to breathe new life into second hand furniture and homewares at the expo, transforming old furniture to a bright new feature for her home.

An old shabby orange cushioned bar stool now has a funky blue cushion top to match a freshly painted vase and table decorations.

I try to make the least amount of waste as possible. Everything is repurposed or upcycled.
- Kerrie Tomkins

Ms Tomkins said it has been years since she has purchased any new furniture. Up-cycling the old has saved her hundreds of dollars and reduced her waste.

"If I decide I don’t like the decor or the colours aren’t right I will make a change by painting it or reupholstering it," she said.

"Even down to a doona cover, I use the old ones for Boomerang Bags. I try to make the least amount of waste as possible. Everything is re-purposed or up-cycled. I could go for over a month without putting bins out."

Ms Tomkins uses chalk paint that is easy to use, dries quickly and has no odour.

Photo: Kerrie Tomkins old furniture revamped with chalk paint on show at the Smart Building and Living Festival in Buninyong.

She said her work attracted a lot of interest at the expo on Sunday, with many people stopping to chat saying they were inspired to have a go at up-cycling their own furniture because it looked so easy to do.

"My suggestion is to get something small and mess around with it," she said.

"I buy a tin of white chalk paint and tubes of acrylic paint and mix up my own colours. Just have a go. If you get something that is small and cheap from the op shop to start you get to build your confidence."

The Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group Can Do Community Program display also showed expo visitors how small appliances can be fixed, how sewing repairs can help garments last longer, how to care and repair for books and other ideas to reduce waste like community composting and community gardens.

Boomerang Bags on display as part of the Can Do Communities Program. Picture: Buninyong Sustainability

Executive officer La Vergne Lehmann said the program was about building community capacity to reduce waste.

"We are very excited about showing the community how easy it to get some of these activities happening and how they can help reduce our waste, save money and bring a community together at the same time," she said.

More than 1500 people attended the Smart Building and Living Expo at Royal Park, a substantial increase on attendance last year.

Around 70 businesses and community groups were involved in stalls and displays.

Nord Trondelag cabin on display. Picture: Buninyong Sustainability

Expo director Andrea Mason said there was a growing interest in sustainability and more people looking to create greener lifestyle habits.

"There has definitely been a shift based on a lot of good work being done in this space on the back of war against waste, the waste issue in general, energy prices and everyone is picking up on it now. Once upon a time sustainability was something that was scoffed at," she said.

"The people who come to these expos are hungry for knowledge. The feedback from the stallholders were they were getting a lot of questions and people were looking for that information so they could make changes.

"We hope people are able to take what they have learnt and put it into action and build on that in future. I see very clear need to address climate change. People need to be able to do that in a way that fits in with their lifestyles. I believe in the power of consumers to drive change."

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