Tagged with Sustainability

10 Reasons You Wouldn’t Invest in Solar and Storage

Dr Andrew Monk, Chairman at Enervest Pty Ltd will join us at The National Sustainability in Business Conference in Brisbane starting tomorrow to discuss ‘10 Reasons You Wouldn’t Invest in Solar and Storage’.

Solar has now become an “economically rational” decision for businesses including for purpose organisations.  It is no longer a matter of whether to or not, but how to best design and install. The problem is with this drive there are many misaligned and maldesigned systems that are being put in place.

Dr Andrew Monk

This presentation outlines 10 of the most common mistakes businesses make in this sector, with simple ways to ensure what is a major investment to the balance sheet of the company, including potential enhancement of its triple bottom line from day one (including financially), and is done right for the short, medium and longer term.

With such flux in this sector, including with the revolution rumbling along in the storage/batter sector, it is critical that not only the facts are ascertained by the business decision makers, but that the unique circumstances of each and every site, in each state, with its own unique needs, is integrated into the overall systems design where solar is being inserted to complement the business’s energy needs and mix.

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

 

Increasing Social, Cultural and Physical Activity in Public Spaces.

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held in Brisbane this week from the 23-24 March 2017.

Dr Nigel Cartlidge

Dr Nigel Cartlidge, Principal at Transitions: People, Place and Activity will be joining us this week in Brisbane to discuss ‘Pokemon Go, Increasing Social, Cultural and Physical Activity in Public Spaces’.

The contribution of public space allocation, arrangement, design and governance to increasing levels of physical activity is largely focused on supporting the activities that are seen as healthy such as walking, cycling, jogging and organised sporting activities. These activities often have highly organised project groups that promote their needs and preferences to the decision makers for the allocation, provision and design of public space. Meeting the needs of gamers who play interactive multi-player electronic games has up to now been seen as part of the problem rather than a possible solution. This paper examines the contribution that augmented reality games can make to increase the levels of physical and social activity for gamers.

The National Sustainability Conference themed ‘Renewables – Markets – Innovation – Opportunities – Capital’ will address the need for sustainable business practices, and what this means in today’s ever-changing world.

The Conference will bring together Business leaders, SME’s, Academics and Practitioners from Australia and New Zealand while providing an opportunity to network with others who are building profitable and sustainable business models, services and products.

Click here to download the conference program.

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

 

The Conscious Business – How to Achieve Purpose with Profit

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held in Brisbane this week from the 23-24 March 2017.

Mr Alistair Coulstock, Director at Coulstock and Associates joins us this week at the conference to discuss ‘The Conscious Business – How to Achieve Purpose with Profit’.

Alistair Coulstock

Strong collaborative teams with a clear vision are necessary to set key strategies to design and implement successful environments, products and solutions. To move towards a collective consciousness, where the humans’ spirit thrives, the knowledge of that which ignites the passion of each person must be found. What is it that drives their desire to learn and overcome challenges? Transparency in the mutual relationship between organisation and employee is required to ensure the correct approach is taken and the best is gained from people. To create successful places, we need to understand what people want and need from their environment.  To gain the most in business we rely on our number one asset, our staff. Indeed, without positive people it is likely we would not have a business.  Therefore, an inclusive focus on people is at the heart of the solution to a better world.

Many organisations around the world are moving towards a purpose-driven and sustainable model.  Our built environment affects how we feel, and how we connect, both with the environment and to our communities.  Shaping our built environment has ramifications that last for generations.  It is imperative that we design our environment and our businesses so that we create places where community can come together and people can focus on purpose.  The importance of these seemingly separate aspects, are unpacked in the book ‘The Conscious business, How to achieve profit with purpose’.

This presentation highlights the parameters that make a purpose driven and sustainable organisation. It highlights emerging tools that can assist in the measurement and understanding of how our businesses are impacting the world. This talk presents a strong case for all businesses to assist in correcting our two greatest issues in the western world; a separation from nature and separation from community.

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

 

Innovations in Healthy Environments: Maximising your biggest asset (and cost)

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held in Brisbane next week from the 23-24 March 2017.

Mr David Baggs, CEO at Global GreenTag Pty Ltd joins us next week to discuss ‘Innovations in Healthy Environments: Maximising your biggest asset (and cost)’.

Mr David Baggs

Staff in any businesses are their biggest asset. They are also the major driver to business efficiency. Recent changes to the way projects are being delivered has demonstrated significant improvements in workplace efficiency and able to be delivered when the quality of the indoor environment is designed and specified to optimise worker comfort and health. According to US DOE research some years ago a 1% shift in staff productivity typically equals an organisation’s entire energy budget and so innovation that decreases absenteeism and increases efficiency can have a far bigger impact on business bottom line than energy savings drives.

Much progress has been made in design for the healthiness of spaces with tools like Green Star but focus on the health aspect of products has been buried within general materials credits. Recently new project rating tools including WELL have been raising the bar and the focus on the health of products specified in projects and the transparency of health risks associated with ingredients over and above just VOCs.

This presentation looks at the new tools now in the market place that cut through the complexity of Chemical Hazards and Risk Analyses and simplify the process of choosing products for innovative healthy environments at the same time pre-qualifying products to meet the needs of projects teams using the new rating tools like WELL.

2017 Conference Topics Include:

  • Renewable Energy Systems and Sources – Biofuel, Biomass, Hydrogen & Fuel Cells, Hydropower, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Wave Energy, Tidal energy, Energy Storage and Wind Power. This can also include energy transformation from renewable energy system to grid.
  • Think Local First – development of the local economy and community, urban agriculture, Buy Local.
  • Innovative Business Opportunities – Incubators, Start Ups, Venture Capital / Entrepreneurs.
  • The Energy Market – Regulators, Wholesale and Supply Chain, Retailers, Consumer Demand, Carbon trading, Emissions.
  • Trends, Policies and Strategies – current and emerging trends, technologies, research, government policies and industry initiatives within the environmental and sustainability sector
  • Financial Impact – social and environmental risk, industry development, operational and managerial impact, market risk and opportunity, stakeholder issues
  • Innovation – energy transition, application and feasibility, social and economic change, research & development opportunities

Click here to download the conference program.

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