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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The future of business reporting – how Australian businesses are heading toward more integrated financial and non-financial reporting

By Dr Matthew Bell, Sydney leader of Climate Change and Sustainability, Ernst & Young Recent events have crystallised the notion for businesses that without due consideration for their environmental, social, and governance responsibilities, significant economic consequences can prevail. How then, can stakeholders, including investors, understand the ‘true’ performance of an organisation unless this information is clearly articulated? For over a decade an increasing number of companies have been seeking ways to report on their sustainable development. Often referred to as the Corporate Responsibility (CR), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), or Sustainability Report, they have provided a platform to engage with stakeholders …

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Seafood, food security and sustainability

By Prof Alexandra McManus, Director, Centre of Excellence for Science, Seafood & Health, Dr Wendy Hunt, Post Doctoral Scientist and Deputy Director – Centre of Excellence for Science Seafood and Health, Curtin University The role of human activity on marine resources is a long standing subject of debate amongst scientific communities. Preferences for high value fish have resulted in fishing down the food web and have subsequently influenced biodiversity. It is estimated that 30% of fish stocks yield less than 10% of their previous potential. In fact, only 25% of commercial stocks are considered to be in a healthy or …

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Sustainability starts with a stable population

By Dr Jane O’Sullivan, Branch President for SEQ, Sustainable Population Australia All areas of sustainable management from biodiversity, water resources and waste to food security, transport and the built environment, depend on attaining a sustainable population. A novel analytical approach to evaluating the economic impact of population growth reveals it to be strongly negative, and largely responsible for growing fiscal deficits in a boom economy.  The myth of population growth as an economic stimulus will be deconstructed, and the costs of growth explained. Population stabilization would change the demographic profile and consequently the economic and resource demand profile of the …

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The evolving landscape: a discussion paper on sustainability challenges and Australian trends in business liability

By Mr Shane Gladigau, Associate; Research, Strategy and Communications, Equilibrium Business operates in the broader framework of society, which grants it the licence to operate and determines the relevant rules of the game by way of laws and regulation. These rules are the outcome of the trade-off between the positive impacts of business (supplying consumer demands, employment, wealth and income generation) and the possible negative consequences of business operations (environmental damage). There is increasing public scrutiny and developing expectations that businesses should behave responsibly and accountably in terms of improving their sustainability performances and minimise their environmental footprints.  This development …

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Partnering for the future. Showcasing a 30 year partnership for corporate sustainability

By Mr Craig Anderson, WA CEO, Greening Australia Increasingly large corporations are recognising their leadership role in fostering a more sustainable society. Further, there are clear benefits for companies who take on environmental and social responsibilities.  Enhancement of brand and reputation, leading to improved market penetration, achieving a ‘mandate to operate’ through the contribution of the company to local communities where they operate, Improved access and influence with key decision makers, improved regulatory compliance and Enhance staff productivity through improved workplace culture and values. Greening Australia provides access and engagement of the community with biodiverse restoration and aligns it with …

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