Workshops & events

A room by room tour through the average rental property looking at simple time and cost effective ideas that will help make your property more energy efficient, sustainable and save you money. We also look at general changes, ideas and advice for greening your lifestyle.

Apartment living can pose particular challenges to renters. This workshop looks specifically at strategies to enhance sustainable living in an apartment, including indoor and balcony gardening, dealing with bureaucracy and reviews of new products targeting apartment dwellers.

This workshop takes a look at natural products and methods that keep a house clean and fresh without the toxic side effects experienced with some commercial products. These methods will also save you money. Particular emphasis is placed on DIY products and workshop participants are given the chance to make some cleaning products, recipes and a goody bag of products to take home.

This workshop looks at the ways renters can save energy and reduce their utility bills. Participants learn how to read utility bills, find out which appliances are the biggest energy suckers, how to make their appliances work more efficiently and how to resolve issues with energy providers. Participants can expect an energy reduction of up to 30% on their utility bills as a result of making changes in their homes. This workshop can be offered as a one-off or as a ‘before’ and ‘after’ two part workshop where we provide a follow up three months later to look at how their energy saving has gone.

This workshop teaches уου how уοu can create useful and creative household items and gifts using materials, which would otherwise end up in landfill. All materials and instructions supplied.

Many of us find ourselves throwing away uneaten food.This workshop looks at portion sizes, ways of storing food and how to make the most of your fridge, freezer and pantry. If like many people you are confused by "best before, use by, display until and sell by" dates then the workshops will help explain the difference, as well as giving you the opportunity to discuss ways to use leftovers and share recipes. If a kitchen is available the workshop will incorporate cooking and the opportunity for participates to learn how to cook and sample a dish that uses leftovers.

The festive season seems like such a long way away, but as always it will sneak up from out of nowhere, surprise you and catch you unawares!For some it has spiritual meaning, for others it's an opportunity for spending time with family and friends and for some it's simply a holiday. But we hope many are wondering how to align the festive season with their personal values. Sustainability is a part of daily living for so many, how do you incorporate it into your festive celebrations? This two hour enjoyable and interactive workshop explores how you can make the festive season more environmentally friendly.

Ever wanted to make your own preserves but not sure how? Do you have a glut of zucchinis or beetroot in the garden and would like to make something with them? This hands on workshop will show you the basics of preserving, including preparation, jar sterilisation, setting points and bottling of chutneys and jams. You'll be involved in making preserves using seasonal fruit and vegetables, and all participants will receive a jar of preserves to take home. This workshop is presented by food writer, Elizabeth Hoey.

One of the biggest costs involved in gardening is buying plants from nurseries, but the major cost in retail-sourced plants is the labour in producing them. By removing that expense, you can fill your garden with plants using your loose change. This workshop covers plant & seed collecting, growing from seed, plants from cuttings, division and other simple plant propagation techniques.

For renter gardeners, there is nothing more disheartening than putting a lot of work into a rented garden, and having to leave it all behind. Container gardening allows you to grow whatever you want and bring it with you wherever you go! This workshop will cover the basics of growing plants in containers and focus on ideas to make the job easier, including tips on watering, what to grow, and how to get started.

If you have the space, a garden bed is a lot more resilient than plants in pots. We’ll show you how to assess your garden and figure out where is the best place to grow herbs and veggies so you can have fresh food every day. Even if you only have lawn, or even solid concrete, you can build a garden and grow your own. This workshop will cover the whole process of starting a garden, from building up the beds to planting and harvesting.

There's nothing more frustrating than seeing all your hard work and expense shrivel on dry when the hot weather hits. This workshop will cover a range of issues including choose summer tolerant plants, mulching, strategies for watering and more. If your plants always die come summer, this is the workshop for you!

Make your own full sized skin care products from high-quality, natural ingredients. Not only will you know exactly what’s in them, but you’ll blend ingredients to work beautifully with your own skin type.

You'll learn to make your very own:

• lip balm
• gentle cleansing mask
• cooling hydrating mist
• facial cleanser

All ingredients, containers and instructions are included in the workshop price and you will receive full sized products to take home for personal use. Class will include a cooling homemade cordial or glass of wine, homemade biscuits and a recipe list of products to take home.

Ever worried about what ingredients are in your favourite bath time products? Looking for cruelty free, vegan products? Want to make your own?All recipes are free from artificial ingredients and preservatives! You’ll blend pure essential oils and work with coconut butter, shea butter, sweet almond oil, rose buds, lavender flowers and other high-quality ingredients.

You'll learn to make your very own:

• bath bombs
• summertime body scrub
• cocoa bathtime melt
• moisturising facial mask

All ingredients, containers and instructions are included in the workshop price and you will receive full sized products to take home for personal use. Class will include a cooling homemade cordial or glass of wine, homemade biscuits and a recipe list of products to take home.