Tiny Homes (for the big picture) - Jesuit Social Services

Identifying ecologically just solutions to social issues is a labour of love for the Brunswick Ecological Justice Hub, writes Jesuit Social Services’ Strategy and Projects Leader MAY LAM.

It’s 6.30am on a dark Sunday morning on the last day of March. Stuart Wilson and Michael McGarvie from Jesuit Social Services’ Ecological Justice Hub in Brunswick are towing the tiny home built at the Hub to the Sustainable Living Expo at the Kensington

Michael McGarvie (L) and Stuart Muir Wilson with the Ecological Justice Hub’s Tiny Home

Community Festival. It’s a strange adventure, the culmination of a year-long process of design and building. But it’s well worth it. Over the course of the day, the house is a festival drawcard, attracting 200 visitors and many delighted feedback comments.

The ability to be relocated is one of the home’s many appealing features, along with its ability to support off-grid living through battery-stored solar power, rainwater tank, compostable toilet, and a biogas option for cooking. Refrigerator-standard insulation keeps temperatures under control, and the use of reclaimed windows and recycled timber for interiors demonstrates how design and construction can be realised in environmentally sensitive and sustainable ways.

Visitors’ feedback expressed astonishment about how cosy, spacious and homely the house was on the inside, describing it as ‘airy, appealing’, ‘simply gorgeous’, ‘cosy’, ‘looks bigger than you think’ and ‘fantastic unit with full size features that really could be a home away from home’. The enthusiasm was backed up by multiple enquiries about orders, including from one person who wanted four, for his extended family’s holiday beach block.

Planning is now under way to realise our goal to promote eco-design and construction skills among young people, while demonstrating how we can create and live in a more ecologically just habitat.

Making something out of nothing: from bottle tops to tools and wisdom

Most people see discarded bottle caps from milk and soft drink bottles as rubbish. Stuart Muir Wilson, Program Coordinator at our Ecological Justice Hub, sees them as a way to reimagine climate education and climate action in schools.

Aboriginal Diversity Recruitment program graduates have ‘everything needed’ to start careers with Victoria Police

Six graduates who ‘may never have considered’ applying for Victoria Police are a step closer to sitting and passing the Academy’s entrance exam after successfully completing the second-ever Victoria Police Aboriginal Diversity Recruitment Program.

Alliance key to climate justice in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is on the frontline of intensifying heat, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. Remote communities and homelands across the Territory are particularly at risk of these impacts with many Aboriginal communities already facing food insecurity, a lack of safe drinking water and access to reliable, affordable electricity. The Climate Justice Alliance, established in the Territory in 2021, strives towards a just transition - one that focuses on adapting to the impacts of climate change, and on the alternative economic futures needed to ensure justice for people and planet.

Neighbourhood houses building climate resilience and community connections

In the city of Darebin, nestled in the inner north of Melbourne, there are many community members who experience multiple forms of disadvantage and are vulnerable to the impacts of heat. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the Centre for Just Places is working closely with communities like Darebin, to build climate resilience. The Centre empowers them to cope with the impacts of climate change and to continue thriving as connected, vibrant communities.

School canteens feed curiosity

The Currawong Kitchen school canteen was established in 2020 to provide healthy school snacks, catering, and food hampers to families in the historically disadvantaged and under-serviced area of Mount Druitt. Two school canteens now sit alongside Jesuit Social Services’ affordable grocery stores, Ignite Food Store and Open Pantry, where the parents of school children can shop in a supportive, educational, low-cost setting. As Chandelle, who oversees Jesuit Social Services' food security programs in Western Sydney, explains "We’re different from a typical school canteen. We’re passionate about inspiring children to be curious about what they eat and encourage them to try a variety of healthy foods. We want them to develop their palates and trust their taste."

School work that’s out of the box

Ignatius Learning Centre students wrap their hands before boxing class. Teacher Nick Porter describes this as a “beautiful moment”. “It is a calming place – a time to clear their heads and set goals for the session.“

Nine Yarra neighbourhood houses join forces to strengthen local climate resilience

Nine Yarra neighbourhood houses gathered this week to launch a plan to reduce their environmental footprint and support the local community to adapt to climate change.