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National Sustainability in Business Conference 2016

Renewables – Markets – Innovation – Opportunities – Capital

Following feedback from Association members and partners the “National Sustainability in Business Conference” will be re-convened on the Gold Coast in October 2016.

The Conference will have the following focus;

  1. Renewable Energy Systems and Sources such as Biofuel, Biomass, Hydrogen & Fuel Cells, Hydropower, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Wave Energy, Tidal energy,  Energy Storage and Wind Power.
  1. Think Local Firstl – development of the local economy and community, urban agriculture, Buy Local.
  1. Innovative business opportunities, Incubators, Start Ups, Venture Capital / Entrepreneurs.
  1. The Energy Markets – Regulators, Wholesale and Supply Chain, Retailers, Consumer Demand,  Carbon trading

National Sustainability in Business Conference 2016

Conference streams will include but not be limited to;

  • The Markets – The Regulators
  • Business Opportunities/Venture Capital
  • New Trends and Technologies
  • Policies and Strategies that address the conference themes
  • Energy Transformation from Renewable Energy System to Grid
  • Energy Research and Application for Business
  • Public Awareness and Education
  • Future Challenges and Directions

The program will consist of keynote presentations, concurrent sessions and workshops.

All presenters will have the opportunity to have their paper published internationally with an ISBN in the “Book and Proceedings and Outcomes” which will be available post event.  The program will have over 40 presenters and all attendees will have access to the pod-cast archive included in the registration fee.

Details on how to speak or present a workshop at the conference will be released later this month.

Like minded Associations or groups who want their members to have access to special discounted rates should contact the secretariat (E) [email protected]

The conference is an initiative of the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc (a non-government not for profit organisation) and its partners.

 

Why Buy Locally Owned?

There are many well-documented benefits to our communities and to each of us to choosing local, independently owned businesses. We realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally and so merely ask you to Think Local FIRST!

This is a concise article from Sustainable Connections in the USA…  read it here https://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why

Are sustainable houses worth more?

AFR, 11 September 2015.

'We produce more power than we use. We export it to the grid': builder Jeremy Spencer inside the environmentally sustainable house he has designed for his family in Seaholme in western Melbourne. Pat Scala

‘We produce more power than we use. We export it to the grid’: builder Jeremy Spencer inside the environmentally sustainable house he has designed for his family in Seaholme in western Melbourne. Pat Scala

Jeremy Spencer built a house for his family and parents to move into last year. The three-bedroom, two-storey house in Seaholme, in Melbourne’s west, meets several needs – it’s accessible in its design, with wide passageways, ramps and counter-hung benches that permit his wheelchair-bound father to fully participate in the family life.

It’s also sustainable. The house is built with materials such as a recycled concrete-and-glass slab and recycled bricks on the inside to create a thermal mass that absorbs northern sun in winter and diffuses it at night. It also has a solar panel system on the roof.

“Our heating and cooling expenses are extremely low,” Mr Spencer said. “We produce more power than we use. We export it to the grid when we produce excess.”

Spencer’s house cost $525,000, or $2200 per square metre and it’s one of a range that his design and construction firm Positive Footprints builds. So how much more does sustainability cost?

“With all houses we’re putting about $20,000 of extra stuff in,” Mr Spencer said.

It pays off.

“The average Melbourne home has a power bill of about $2300 per year,” he said. “That’s the sort of savings that we’re getting.”

Read the full article and more on sustainable housing here.

Save $10,000 by downloading a sustainable home plan

Domain, 11 September 2015.

Architect-designed home plans are available to the public at no cost. Photo: yourhome.gov.au

Architect-designed home plans are available to the public at no cost. Photo: yourhome.gov.au

Sustainable home designs are now available for free online as the government encourages prospective home builders to go green.

The initiative, Design for Place, offers three individual floor plans for a single-storey home, which vary according to the site size and target a seven-star energy rating.

Parliamentary secretary for industry and science Karen Andrews said the material was a great resource for anyone planning a new home.

Architect-designed home plans are available to the public at no cost.

“The plans use sustainable design principles that will help people save energy and money, no matter where they live in Australia,” she said.

A Department of Industry and Science spokesman said those who used the plans as a concept and took them to their own architect to adapt would save at least $10,000: the average cost of the first concept and basic drawings.

Ms Andrews said in addition to savings in the design process, the ongoing cost of running a household would be minimised.

“By building in elements like natural lighting, cross-flow ventilation and passive heating and cooling opportunities from the outset, home owners can save on ongoing energy costs for years to come,” she said.

Read more about this initiative in the original article here.

2015 Sustainable House Day opens homes to the public this weekend

The Advertiser, 11 September 2015.

Mountain River sustainable home owner Liz O'Leary (right) with architect Detlev Geard. Picture: ROGER LOVELL

Mountain River sustainable home owner Liz O’Leary (right) with architect Detlev Geard. Picture: ROGER LOVELL

For people with sustainability on their minds who are looking to build a home, put 2015 Sustainable House Day this weekend on your to-do list.

Sustainable House Day on Sunday will see homeowners around Australia swing open their doors and welcome the public into their sustainability-focused properties.

Sustainable House Day provides a unique opportunity to look around these houses, meet and talk to the owners and designers and get some insight into the principles of sustainable design and solar architecture.

Each of the houses was designed around sustainable design principles using passive solar design, solar hot water heaters, solar panels for creating electricity and many other sustainable design features.

Sustainable House Day is the only national event of its kind, offering an opportunity for the general public to view and access practical information on sustainable living from fellow homeowners.

For more than 10 years, Sustainable House Day has provided a great opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people to visit some of Australia’s leading green homes – ones  that are not only environmentally friendly, but cheaper to run and more comfortable to live in. For more information on Sustainable House Day please visit their website.

Read the full article here.