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Australian Road Authority Tenders: constructing sustainability comparison tools

By Prof Russell Kenley, Professor of Mangement, Swinburne University of Technology, Dr Toby Harfield, Research Fellow – Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Dr Palaneeswaran Ekambaram, Senior Lecturer – Faculty of Engineering & Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology Australian state road authorities plan, manage and oversee the delivery of safe, efficient and integrated transport systems for sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes in Australia. However, each state has unique administrative structures, guidelines and requirements for implementing the principles of environmental and ecological sustainability. This diversity means that standard methodologies to enable comparison of construction tenders in relation to …

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The crucial role of negotiation skills in addressing sustainability issues

By Dr Judith Morrison, Trainer and Honorary Research Associate, Murdoch University, Mr Matthew Coxhill (Aquaculture, Publishing and Education.) Failed negotiations around complex sustainability issues often involve high and counter-productive costs in time, money, reputation and trust.  Negotiations that don’t deliver mutually satisfactory outcomes leave communities, organisations and businesses cynical and unconvinced about the possibility of working together when sustainable solutions are needed. Many organisations, public and private, are now required to negotiate around sustainability issues as part of their decision-making processes.  One advantage of open negotiation is its flexibility when stakeholders have to jointly look for solutions to problems in …

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Our built environment: sustainable and affordable housing

By Mr Adrian Just, Director, Archicology Architects PL This paper firstly makes an historical comparison between living patterns of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and secondly considers where people will live in the future and what they will live in. For over 50 years, people have been migrating to South East Queensland, and this has affected the rate of development and the spread of housing that people choose to live in. There are divergent stories between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, with differing planning and housing vernaculars. We are on the cusp of a new range of housing typologies which …

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Creating a cultural change in sustainable business practices

By Ms Suzette Jackson, Senior Associate, HASSELL Creating a cultural change in sustainable business practices requires a broader, more holistic approach then simply adopting a sustainability policy or reporting.  It requires affecting sustainable behaviour as a basis for operating not only within the workplace, but within our communities. Organisational sustainability is a journey not an end point. On this journey there are numerous international principles and references to guide our process. In recent years we have also witnessed the emergence of organisational sustainability as a mainstream requirement for not only publicly listed companies, but for all companies who operate globally. In …

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Market based approaches to nutrient pollution and potential for application in the Peel-Harvey Catchment

By Ms Ophelia Cowell, Masters  student, Murdoch University The Peel-Harvey Estuary, located in the South West of Western Australia, has long term and acute water quality problems. With its significant phosphorus load and sandy soils, periodic incidents include algal blooms and fish kills. Previous research findings confirm that the main source of P is nutrient discharges from the catchments that feed into the estuary.  Nutrient management is essential for maintaining drinking water quality and primary industries but also aquatic ecosystem health; aquaculture; human recreation and cultural values. A range of approaches (regulatory, community education, engineering) have been applied but reducing …

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Beautiful and abundant: balancing profitability and purpose to build a green business

By Mr Bryan Welch, Founder and Publisher, Ogden Publications Being green, generates green.  Yet, a lot of human energy is being squandered in conflict over short-term environmental obstacles.  People debate symptoms and solutions, but persistently fail to offer positive incentives for change. We don’t need disaster to motivate change. A great, contagious idea or two can create all the motivation we need.  It’s time to engage human imagination and our entrepreneurial spirit to move forward not just against the phenomena damaging our environment, but also toward a sustainable and prosperous future. Bryan Welch, author and founder of the highly successful …

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Good streets & sustainable places – the lost art of street design

By Mr Steven Burgess, Principal, MRCagney Streets are one of our most valuable community assets; they have been around for thousands of years and have been the centre of our social networking, our economy, our play space and of course they also play a role in mobility.  In the last 60 or 70 years however the street has been more and more dedicated to the car, and no longer quite so suitable for its original purpose, or purposes.  How does this “design for cars not people” philosophy is impact on the shape of our cities, towns and villages and what …

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Sustainability leadership- what does it really mean to staff and organisations?

By Ms Tania Crosbie, Director, Sustainability at Work Almost 70% of Australian workers believe that it is important for their organisations to behave in a sustainable way*. And they are looking to their senior managers to lead real change. So what does sustainability leadership really mean to staff and organisations? Sustainability at Work believes that understanding current attitudes and behaviours towards sustainability in both the workplace and at home can provide insights and a platform for organisations to promote positive sustainable behavior within organisations. A national study of more than 1,000 Australian workers found that overwhelmingly, Australians believe that change …

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Building the largest solar enterprise in Australia

By Mr Suren Chandrajit, CEO, True Value Solar Illustrating the challenges of developing a retail business within this category, this presentation will discuss in detail the growing pains of the business as the company grew to be Australia’s largest solar specialist by Green Energy Markets Solar Report (based on deemed solar certificates created calendar year to July 2011). It will provide an overview of how the business emerged as a national brand and transitioned to an institutionalized organization before selling majority stake to German engineering firm M+W Group in the largest transaction of the Australian solar industry. The presenter will …

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The Sustainable Australian CEO: transformation of Australia’s business leadership in the Asian century

By Mr Andrew Petersen, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Business Australia In 2012, the sustainable development landscape is turbulent due to a number of factors including transformation, innovation  and investment needed to address growing population, demographic shifts, climate change and increasing pressure on natural resources; a “who’s in charge ?” world, uncertain global  governance; new regulations putting a price on commodities and services; transparency being the new business “licence to operate”. Asia is in ascendancy & going green. A ‘green’ race has begun & threats of protectionist measures are real.  Global business sees SD as strategic issue on how to position …

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