Mullum Cares Purpose is to Design & Deliver programs that conserve resources
“Construction and demolition produces about 44% of Australia’s total waste – about 27 million tonnes a year (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment & Blue Environment, 2020). Construction waste includes concrete, bricks, plasterboard, metals, timber, glass, plastics, carpet, vegetation, rocks, soil, and sand.”
A flood event is like a mass demolition event
When Mullumbimby and the greater Northern Rivers region experienced a major flood season in the autumn of 2022, Mullum Cares pivoted resources from projects that stalled to launch a Flood Resilient Rebuild Project.
Information regarding worlds best practice flood resilient rebuild materials and techniques was readily available from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA). With the generous support of James Davidson, the technical lead architect of the QRA, Mullum Cares was able to share this expert information with local residents who were willing and able to investigate rebuilding as an act of preparing for the next major flood.
Mullum Cares mantra = predictable waste is often avoidable waste.
We delivered this project by (placeholder images and links not set yet):
1.
Setting up a staffed pop up flood resilient rebuild information space in a shipping container in the yard of Shedding Community Workshop in Prince St, Mullumbimby.
2.
Commissioning activist illustrator, Brenna Quinlan, to create visual translations of the key techniques and materials and published these as two free downloadable posters.
4.
We visited local residents at their homes at their invitation and explained the elements in the Qld flood resilient guidelines that they could consider. We often met with the owners and their builders or insurance representatives.
3.
Organising a Tradie Q & A event with James Davidson the guest speaker in June 2022.
Organising a Community Meeting for Mullum residents who were crying out to gather and debrief.
5.
We were featured in Sanctuary Magazine
6.
We designed and delivered Australia’s first Flood Resilient focused Sustainable House Day programme of open homes.
Flood Resilient Design & Retrofitting | The strategies and materials
Whether you flooded in 2022 or not, understanding flood resilient building design is something everyone living on floodplains will benefit from. The logic to apply is basically, lift what you can and use flood proof materials where you can’t.
The NSW Flood Resilient Design Framework is now published and available to download from the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation website here or click through below to read. This document details the strategies and materials and specifies which are recommended under the Resilient Homes Program.
On June 16, 2022, James Davidson headlined an our Tradie Q & A event at the Mullumbimby Leagues Club. Over 60 local tradespeople, home owners and insurance assessors attended. Jean Reneuf from Plan C MC’d the evening a number of senior managers from the Johns Lyng Group also took the stage.
James gives an account of his background and an overview of the work he and his team have undertaken in and around Brisbane rebuilding homes with the intention that they require little more than a hose out after inundation. The NSW Flood Resilient Design Framework is based on the tried and tested work of James and his team.
The evening was filmed and can be viewed on the Zero Emissions Byron youtube channel. Link below.
Tradie Q & A featuring James Davidson
Free Downloadable Posters
“Brenna Quinlan is an illustrator and educator specialising in climate justice, sustainability and permaculture. She lives, works and builds soil on Minang and Bibbulmun Boodjar in South-West Western Australia.” You can see more of Brenna’s amazing work on her website and socials.
Flood Resilient Sustainable House Day
Tours & Talks with Home Owners in Mullumbimby who have rebuilt flood resilient
In February and March 2022, thousands of homes across the Northern Rivers of NSW were inundated with storm and flood waters. 12 months later many of these were still to be rebuilt so Mullum Cares secured funding from the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (later restructured into the NSW Reconstruction Authority) and delivered a Sustainable House Day program. There was still a window of opportunity to increase the number of homes that got rebuilt flood resilient rather than put back like for like.
We inspired home owners and gave them the confidence to make long lasting rebuild choices by organising generous members of our rebuild flood resilient community to open their homes in Mullumbimby and share their stories.
Some of the homes had been retrofitted, others raised out of harm’s way.
One had raised and retrofitted.
