Sustainable housing company competes with mining giants for environmental award

SALA Homes, a Brisbane-based sustainable housing company, is competing with big mining companies for Queensland 's ClimateSmart Leadership award.

SALA Homes Pty Ltd designs and sells kit homes which are self-sufficient in power, water and waste. They provide an affordable green housing option for everyday Australians. Director Scott Elsom said it's great to be a finalist, up against Rio Tinto and Anglo Coal, in the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency's Sustainable Industries Awards.

The ClimateSmart Leadership award will go to an organisation for leadership and innovation in climate protection. “It shows we are playing with the big boys in creating large scale change to benefit the environment.

“ SALA Homes is in with a chance because of our potential to provide all homeowners with an affordable, sustainable option. Residential housing has a huge cumulative impact on the environment. People often don't equate housing to contributing to greenhouse gas emissions but the construction, energy use and resources currently used are phenomenal.”

“Each SALA Home though can generate its own electricity, capture its own water and treat its own waste, all while providing a comfortable standard of living at an affordable price. This needs to be the type of house that becomes the norm for Australian suburbs", Scott Elsom said.

“At SALA we believe that a lone beautiful, sustainable house is not the answer. We want to drive through suburbs full of them, street after street of them.

“If you drive down a typical modern suburban street in Queensland you see hundred of brick veneer houses with poor orientation, no eaves, thirsty lawns, no water tanks, baking-hot roofs and no solar collectors. On our estimate this developer-driven, unsustainable pattern of development accounts for 95% of new housing in Australia .

“21 houses have been built so far, with another 28 in progress. We are on track to build 50 more in 2007, then 100 in 2008.”

“We're the first company to offer consumers an affordable, green alternative to either the standard project home or the boutique, architect-designed home.

“We also try to educate the general public in affordable, sustainable housing options that can make a difference.

“We'll just have to cross our fingers and wait until the award winner is announced on May 21 at the 8 th National Busi ness Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development. Wish us luck!” Scott Elsom said.