Carland Constructions specialises in renovations, extensions, and increasingly…sustainability. Recently certified as a Passive House builder, owner and Director Matthew Carland is determined to implement new processes to make our homes healthier, more comfortable, and longer lasting.

Carland Constructions has the basics under control. It recycles rubbish where it can, limits waste, and proactively seeks out sustainable products. But it also goes one step further and offsets all its builds, making its projects largely carbon positive. In an energy-hungry industry this is impressive. For every project, Carland Constructions has pledged to partner with Fifteen Trees to plant fifty trees. It’s a straightforward and effective way to reduce the impacts of a build while making a positive contribution to the environment.

Matthew has a similarly straightforward view about his partnership with Fifteen Trees. ‘Why wouldn’t you support tree planting if you can?’ he says. Matthew, we couldn’t agree more. Why indeed. We hope to see lots more of this pragmatic, future-focused thinking from the building industry in the years to come.

2023 Planting / 50 trees

The trees were planted by Northern Bendigo Landcare (NBLG) who held their annual National Tree Day event at the Huntly Streamside Reserve, in Bendigo. The volunteers planted native species alongside the creek. This site had been damaged in the past due to gold mining and grazing.

Forty-eight (48) people turned out to help plant the trees.  A highlight was having students from a nearby Primary School attend with their families. These students are part of the school’s Green Magpies, a group of sustainability leaders.  They were extremely keen and enjoyed being involved in practical community action to complement school learning.

2022 Planting / 200 trees

This year, we planted Matthew’s trees across 2 sites; Numurkah (70 trees) and Longlea (130 trees) North and Central Victoria respectively.

At the Numurkah site, the trees were planted by Sandy Rodwell and her team at Numurkah Landcare. The trees were a mixture of local drought tolerant natives (including saltbush, flax plants and purple coral pea) and were planted in and around the township of Numurkah. These trees, over time will provide food and shelter to the local wildlife as well as providing shade and natural beauty to the township itself.

At Longlea, the trees & shrubs we planted were picked out for their relevance to the land. All the species that were planted were native to the immediate area. They included; Gold-dust Wattle, Wallowa, Drooping Sheoak, Hop Bush, Redbox, Yellow Gum and Prickly Needlewood. The Redbox and Yellow gums are the original dominant species of vegetation in the district.

The trees will allow the local population of sugar gliders, possums, parrots, budgies, honey-eaters and spoonbills to expand out with more viable options for food and shelter.

A big thank you to all who helped with the purchase of trees that we have been lucky enough to plant on our property. It may not seem like much to some but any help is always welcome. On behalf of myself and my young family, Thank you.

Jae Greene | Member | Longlea Landcare

2021 Planting / 150 trees

This year we planted 150 native trees at Shelbourne (near Maldon on Dja Dja Wurrung  country)  for two Carland Construction projects, one located in Ascot Vale and the other at Williamstown, both suburbs within a short distance to inner Melbourne.

For our love for land and wildlife, we are trying to help put back into the earth for the future. Thank you to the supporters of Fifteen Trees for coming to our assistance.

Joshua Talbot | Member | Shelbourne Landcare

It seems like a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you want to build a house that was good for your health and saved you thousands of dollars in energy bills? But old habits die hard, and poorly positioned under-insulated new builds and extensions are still all too common. Luckily for future generations (and the planet) there is a growing demand for sustainable building practices that don’t contribute any more emissions than they absolutely must.

If you are interested in how your business and Fifteen Trees could work together, contact Colleen at <[email protected]> and in the meantime check out our COMPANY page for more info.

Writer – Sarah Hart.

Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form. You can find Sarah here.