'Renovation rescue' comes to the suburbs

Perth will soon have its own suburban 'renovation rescue' competition, with teams of students using eco-friendly building concepts to renovate four houses.

Environment Minister Donna Faragher said the RetroBuild competition would see four teams of university and trades students involved in the planning, designing and renovating of four separate houses.

Each renovated home will be judged by industry experts on a number of key criterion, including water saving, energy efficiency, waste management and the use of sustainable building materials.

Mrs Faragher said the competition would be partly funded by the Liberal-National Government, through a $20,000 grant from the Waste Authority's Community Grants Scheme.

"This project will emphasise to the students - and the wider community - the importance of balancing environmental, social and economic factors into the decision-making process," she said.

"The healthy competitive environment will encourage creativity and innovation during the renovation process. Students will also need to undertake research to prove the sustainability of the products they use on the renovation."

The four houses to be used in the competition are currently being identified. The competition is scheduled to begin in October. Once completed, the houses will be opened for public viewing before being sold at auction.

RetroBuild organiser, Advantage Foundation chief executive officer Tracey Hodgkins, said the project was important because learning environments needed to be created that actually inspired eco-sustainability and not just talked about it.

Nearly $75,000 has been distributed among seven projects through the Community Grants Scheme, which is funded through the waste levy from urban landfill sites.

"This scheme has a strong track record of supporting community groups in their endeavours, which contribute to improving the way we manage and recycle waste," the Minister said.

"It is pleasing to see some grants being used for such creative and locally-inspired projects as RetroBuild."

Funding applications for the next round of the funding will open shortly. More information is available at http://www.zerowastewa.com.au/ourwork/supportschemes/cgs/ or by phoning 6364 6500.