Abstract Submission Closing Soon!

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held over 23 – 24 March 2017 in Brisbane.

The Conference Program will involve keynote presentations addition to oral presentations, panels and interactive forums and will address the need for sustainable business practices, and what this means in today’s ever-changing world.

Conference Topics Include:

  • Renewable Energy Systems and Sources
  • Think Local First
  • Innovative Business Opportunities
  • The Energy Market
  • Trends, Policies and Strategies

The Conference will bring together leading academics, thought leaders, opinion makers and industry experts to deliberate and discuss sustainability issues confronting Australia. The program will be designed to challenge, inspire, demonstrate and encourage participants while facilitating discussion.

To submit an abstract CLICK HERE.

For further information on the 2017 National Sustainability in Business Conference please visit the conference website.

sustainability-conference-2017

Dr Paul Bannister, Director of Innovation & Sustainability at Energy Action

Dr Paul Bannister is Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Energy Action, Australia’s leading energy consultancy.  He sets strategic direction for Energy Action’s energy efficiency team, undertaking energy efficiency and engineering consultancy work across activities ranging from NABERS ratings to energy audits, building lighting and air-conditioning upgrades design and implementation, PV installations, computer simulation of building performance and energy policy.

Paul has also been the primary technical developer of the NABERS Energy and Water rating systems since inception in 1999, developing NABERS methodologies for Offices, Shopping Centres, Hotels, Data Centres, Homes and NSW Hospitals (in development).

Paul is recognized internationally in the field of energy efficiency and has presented on energy efficiency issues – and frequently on NABERS – in Germany, Austria, France, UK, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan.  An enthusiastic and skilled author and presenter, Paul has over 100 publications in journals and conferences on a wide range of energy related topics.

Dr Paul Bannister joins us at The 2017 National Sustainability in Business Conference in Brisbane, March 2017. For more information on the 2017 National Sustainability in Business Conference, opportunities to speak or to register for the conference, please visit the conference website.

Dr Paul Bannister

Dr Paul Bannister

Urban Beehive co-founder calls for less chemicals, turf

The man who led the popular movement to place beehives around Sydney has called on Canberrans to put flowering plants in their backyard and end the dominance of turf and chemicals.

Doug Purdie, co-founder of The Urban Beehive, said native bee populations were the ones that needed protection, and simple actions in suburban backyards could create the corridors for them to thrive and pollinate.

“If everyone just planted a couple of things that flowered, it would make a big difference,” he said.  Ideally this would mean a garden where there was at least two plants flowering at all times of the year.

Mr Purdie visited Canberra on Saturday to speak at the National Library of Australia about his second book on bees, released last month, titled The Bee Friendly Garden. It was a different perspective from his first book which focused on how to become a beekeeper.

The Urban Beehive co-founder Doug Purdie wants less chemicals and lawn-only backyards in Canberra. Photo: Supplied

The Urban Beehive co-founder Doug Purdie wants less chemicals and lawn-only backyards in Canberra. Photo: Supplied

He said a common problem with gardens across Australia was the unnecessary chemicals which made it difficult for bees to do what they did best.

The former IT worker, now in his 50s, said some insecticides had incredibly long lives – some lasting a year – and gardeners should look for alternatives and be aware that nursery-bought plants were often already covered in them.

He said a backyard with only turf did nothing for bees and good bugs.

Those who did use their turf could combine it with a flowering plant such as clover, and only needed to have a part of the garden with flowering plants, he said.

The Urban Beehive, of which Mr Purdie was one of two co-founders, now managed more than 100 beehives at sites from Sydney CBD rooftops to suburban backyards.

The ACT government launched a system in May making it mandatory for Canberra beekeepers to register their hives, a change aimed at allowing a better public response to a possible outbreak of bee-related disease.

There are close to 700 beekeepers in Canberra, with nearly 300 association members.

Read more.

Wood pellets proposed to replace coal used by thermal power stations

A renewable replacement for black coal burned in thermal power stations could be made by converting Tasmanian plantation wood into a pelletised biomass fuel.

Private equity firm New Forests has started a $5 million feasibility study into a $130 million wood pellet plant for Tasmania’s Tamar Valley.

If approved, New Forests’ hardwood plantation subsidiary, Forico, would supply 100 per cent FSC-certified plantation hardwood and softwood to the bioenergy pellet plant, according to Forico chief executive Bryan Hayes.

Black energy-dense biomass pellets could be used to replace black coal.

Black energy-dense biomass pellets could be used to replace black coal.

“These pellets are able to go into an existing power plant without any modifications whatsoever,” Mr Hayes said.

“These black pellets will directly substitute for thermal coal in existing black coal-fired power plants in Japan.

The proposal involves making an energy-dense black wood pellet from sawmill residues and woodchips milled to less than 5mm in size.

Mr Hayes said if wood particles were exposed to heat and pressure, the cell structure could be broken down.

He said steam could be used to ‘cook’ the wood particles at 200 degrees Celsius under 20 atmospheres of pressure. The material could then be forced through an extrusion plate to form a high density, water-repellent pellet replacement for fossil fuel.

Mr Hayes said the feasibility study would look at the technology needed to manufacture at least 225,000 tonnes of the black biomass pellets a year in Tasmania. The study also would assess the commercial viability of establishing the black pellet plant on a disused woodchip export mill site at Long Reach.

“If it’s not commercially viable it won’t happen,” Mr Hayes said.

Mr Hayes said when the feasibility study was completed in March, New Forests would progress quickly if the project stacked up. He said after applying for environmental approval from the Government, construction could start as early as the middle of 2017.

“We would hope the plant could be constructed and ready for first operation in December 2018,” Mr Hayes said.

Read more.

Introducing Dr Jennifer Alden

Dr Jennifer Alden is a Health Broker, her business Growing Change brings people together to activate ideas to improve community health and wellbeing.  Seeing the link between what we eat and how it affects our health and that of the planet, Growing Change was established to support local community food initiatives and to consult to organisations, government and community to create opportunities to strengthen local health, environmental and social outcomes in addition to supporting local food economies.

Dr Jennifer Alden

Dr Jennifer Alden

With three decades experience working to improve health and wellbeing in the community Jennifer has a Doctorate of Public Health with a special interest in food policy, is chair of the Bendigo Regional Food Alliance and current board member of Bendigo Foodshare. A member of the Public Health Association of Australia and a Fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, she is also a published author of the book Liberated Eating. Her most recent role was as CEO of urban agriculture not for profit, Cultivating Community.

More recently she has led a consortium that completed a study for the City of Greater Bendigo assessing the feasibility of a Regional Food Hub, undertook a feasibility study for a Community Food Hub in Wangaratta and is now in the process of doing similarly for the Wyndham City Council.

Growing Change was one of the organisers of the successful recent inaugural Australian Community Food Hubs conference.

She has a keen interest in growing and preparing food as well as an interest in food security in developing countries. Her website www.healthbrokers.com.au features the blogs, Growing Change and The Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue.

Dr Jennifer Alden joins us at The National Sustainability in Business Conference in Brisbane from the 23-24 March 2017. For more information on the 2017 National Sustainability in Business Conference, opportunities to speak or to register for the conference, please visit the conference website.