Luminate – 2019 – Environmentally Sensitive Co-creating

Ian attended Luminate at Cannan Downs for 8 days at the end of January to show off the fantastic HomeBiogas units and speak about creating affordable communities.

Ian is really happy that both aims were achieved with many contacts being made that could lead deepening our involvement in communities in/near Takaka, Ashburton, Wanaka and Waihi Island. Ian also noted how great it was to talk with people about HomeBiogas and to see how much interest there is in the product.  "People are really keen to be more in control of their bills and at Luminate, I certainly found people really interested in ways of being more environmentally aware and committed to taking actions to easily recycle food waste."

Ian's HomeBiogas tent at Luminate

Ian's talk was an Introduction to Community Development and Affordable Housing. He give participants an introduction to the topic, sharing his over 25 years industry experience to demonstrate that they could form a healthy, affordable housing communities. He also shared the key information about affordable housing - it is about affordable, quality, sustainably built homes that go beyond the DIY market.

The other topic Ian covered is Engineering Services and Working with Council for Community Development. In this section of his workshop he aimed at educating and inspiring people about:
1) the implications of the on/off grid decision.
2) creative alternatives within the holistic vision of the community.
3) the constraints that Council works under;

and also:
4) suggesting strategies to side-step conflict and effectively move forward in a timely fashion without spending a fortune.

He covered key options for provision of water, wastewater, stormwater and power for the community and the trade-offs that are part of the on/off grid decision and shared knowledge of planning and building consents, District Plan and the Building Act and ways to work with the Council to find a suitable site.

Image: Jeffrey Packard

Phew! And when he wasn't talking affordable community based living, Ian found the event to be a a fantastic melting pot of interests and styles in a relaxed, friendly environment. The Flow (Fire/Light) performances in particular were amazing.