Former Victorian premier Steve Bracks has officially opened The Paddock, Castlemaine’s cutting-edge environmental housing development.
Mt Alexander CEO Darren Fuzzard, mayor Cr Christine Henderson, and executive director of the Living Future Institute Stephen Choi were among guests attending yesterday’s launch on site.
Mr Bracks, who is also a former member of Friends of The Earth, has earlier connections to The Paddock developers Neil and Heather Barrett and hailed The Paddock as “a truly inspirational community response to the climate crisis” while also bemoaning what he regards as a failure by the current federal government to take adequate steps to address the global issue.
The former state premier congratulated the Mount Alexander Shire Council for backing the innovating housing project where stage one is now complete and the first seven residences have sold.
“It will be an example to the world that while our federal government has its head in the sand our community is helping to mitigate climate change bit by bit,” Mr Bracks said before planting a commemorative tree on site.
Designed to set the bar high on environmental values and act as an example for other building projects, The Paddock is built according to the rigorous Living Building Challenge standard which Mr Choi, founder of Architecture For Change, outlined as he addressed the launch.
“This is how we actually make change,” Mr Choi said on site describing the project as an example of “not actually damaging the world and giving back more than we take”. More in today’s Castlemaine Mail, Friday, December 6, 2019