Sustainability

Net zero

  • Our rooftop solar powers our food rescue collection vehicle. In 2021 our EV, named Flynn, became our second collection food rescue vehicle. Fully electric, Flynn is plugged in and recharged each day.
  • Our Marrickville Addi Road Food Pantry and office – lights, computers, fridges and freezers – are fully powered by our rooftop solar, installed in 2017. Every year this reduces our CO2 emissions by 16 tonnes.
  • Our new kitchen in our Gumbramorra Hall is solar powered. In early 2022 we installed batteries and rooftop solar. The kitchen allows us to prepare meals for our two Addi Road Food Pantries. We also plan to have cooking workshops for community members in need.
    Vivi Koutsounadis Drive avenue of heritage Queensland Box tress

    Caring for 170 trees

    We care for and maintain the 170 trees and employ arborists each year to do this specialist work. These trees reduce urban heat and provide shade, water retention,  along with habitat for birds, insects and small animals.

    We have an significant canopy of heritage Queensland box trees along our entry road, Vivi Koutsounadis Drive. To protect the roots of these grand trees from soil compaction and erosion we constructed wooden decking platforms around each tree in 2018. These platforms also provide space for recreation, social interaction and community events.

    Stormwater management

    Addi Road sits at the top of the north Marrickville catchment for the former Gumbramorra swamp, which flows into the Cooks River basin. This kept the land open and undeveloped while all around was subdivided in the early 1900s.

    However, it also means Addi Road continues to face flooding after heavy rain. Stormwater management is a big issue for us, and was improved in 2018 and continued in 2022 with the construction of a rain garden chain-of-ponds on the northern side of our Gumbramorra Hall. Stormwater is diverted into the rain garden to filters and clean the water before it goes into the Cooks River. 

    Recycling & litter reduction

    • Our Return & Earn ‘reverse-vending machine’ increases community recycling, reduces litter and raises funds for charities with a 10c refund paid for each container.
    • Mixed waste, that goes into garbage bins throughout our community centre, is sorted and recycled by the full waste-recovery service we commission.