Association for Sustainability in Business Inc
Government
The 2012 Association Conference – Taking Care of Business: Sustainable Transformation will be held on the Gold Coast in May.
The Association for Sustainability in Business Inc. is a Non Government, Not-For-Profit Organisation (IA 38885). The Association is not a lobby group, we aim to educate, and keep our members up to date with the latest trends, information, training and B2B opportunities while encouraging profitability and competitiveness.
The conference program is available on the website and will feature over fifty (50) presenters.
Ian Berry, Sparkenator will open the Conference
A sparkenation is a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what’s normal. The author of Changing What’s Normal, Ian will ignite this conference before, during, and after his presentation.
Online Registration is available on the conference website.
Special Early bird Registration ($675) is available to members of the following organisations;
* Association for Sustainability in Business Inc.
* The International Society of Sustainability Professionals
* The Sustainable Energy Association
* The Australian Association for Environmental Education
* Local Government and Shires Associations
* Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Free wireless internet will be available to all delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and presenters at the conference and free broadband internet access in accommodation rooms. This will assist with B2B information exchange and networking.
Full registration also includes all sessions, morning teas, lunches, afternoon teas, conference materials including handbook and the ‘Welcome’ networking cocktail function.
I hope to meet you in May.
Knd regards
Angrela Green
Association Secretariat
The Association for Sustainability in Business Inc
Phone: (61 7) 5502 2068 | Fax: (61 7) 5527 3298
” Sustainability is the single biggest business opportunity of the 21st century.” – Will Day, chairman of the UK’s Sustainable Development Commission
Gaining a competitive advantage through reducing your carbon footprint
Design Business Strategies that Prepare your Organisation for a Carbon Constrained Future- Understand the basics of carbon accounting and how a carbon price might impact your business.
- Learn about the risks and opportunities created under the introduction of a carbon price.
- Develop a roadmap of energy efficiency opportunities that save energy and save money.
See the presenation from Rob Cawthorne, the Managing Director of the Carbon Reduction Institute at the “Taking Care of Business: Sustainable Transformation” Conference on the Gold Coast this September.
You will Learn about governments’ sustainability plans and the relevant grants available, make the “triple bottom line” relevant to your organisation and find business opportunities and trends in the sector.
The conference will update delegates on a range of effective sustainable business practises from energy saving to carbon pricing and provide great opportunities to network and learn from other organisations.
There will be a B2B exhibition for companies and entrepreneurs to promote their ideas, products and solutions to assist businesses and government departments achieve profitable sustainability. It will provide an avenue for emerging technologies and services that enable sustainability within business to be reveiwed, discussed and promoted. It will be a Sustainable Education Forum to benefit businesses, individuals and government and provide viable sustainable business options to SME’s.
If you would like to present at the conference please submit your abstract on the conference website.
The Conference will offer free wireless internet to all delegates and exhibitors at the Conference and free broadband in accommodation rooms.
We will be conducting an online Business-to-Business Forum, which enables registered delegates, presenters and exhibitors to network before, during and after the Conference. This will create an opportunity for delegates to set meeting times at the conference with other delegates or exhibitors and to maintain contact post event. It also provides an avenue for professionals to enter into a dialogue before the event and maintain one afterwards thereby maximising the business and learning opportunities raised by the Conference.
US Fracking Rules Would Disclose Drilling Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pressing companies for more information about the chemicals in fluids, something they say is a trade secret. The agency holds the last in a series of community meetings on hydraulic fracturing, called fracking, on Wednesday in New York.
The new Wyoming rules say companies must submit to the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission [3] a full list of chemicals they plan to use in fracking operations on a well-by-well basis. Companies will also have to report the concentration of each chemical used once the job is done.
Drillers retain the right to claim that certain details of the chemical mix are proprietary and should be kept confidential. It remains unclear to what extent industry will make this claim, but the commission’s supervisor, Tom Doll, expects those cases will be the exception.
“What we’ve explained to the operators and what we expect is each of these components, whatever is in that mix, will have to be disclosed,” he said.
If so, the Wyoming rules would offer the most detailed look so far at the composition of drilling fluids.
While the EPA has sought disclosure, the agency said the list of chemicals would be kept confidential. In Pennsylvania, a couple [4] of companies [5] responded to public concerns by partially disclosing the chemicals used there. The companies list hazardous components and their concentration by well, but do not provide a full list of chemicals.
Taking Care of Business: Sustainable Transformation Conference September 2011
I would like to invite you to take part in the ‘Taking Care of Business: Sustainable Transformation’ Conference on the Gold Coast this September.
Join the Australian and International sustainability business community as they gather at this key industry event. The Conference host organisation is committed to ensuring that the highest calibre of plenary and symposium speakers attend this meeting, and have already confirmed participation of some outstanding speakers. This year the streams dedicated to commercialisation will feature case studies by start-up companies; how to take a product from discovery to market; capital raising; IP; regulatory issues; and more.
There will be two networking functions to maximise business and learning prospects. The Conference will offer free wireless internet to all delegates and exhibitors at the Conference and free broadband in accommodation rooms. We will be conducting an online Business to Business Forum, which enables registered delegates, presenters and exhibitors to network before, during and after the Conference. This will create an opportunity for delegates to set meeting times at the conference with other delegates or exhibitors and to maintain contact post event. It also provides an avenue for professionals to enter into a dialogue before the event and maintain one afterwards thereby maximising the business and learning opportunities raised by the Conference.
I invite you to join me, together with the Conference Committee, in learning from our keynote speakers and their analyses, what is being done, and what needs to be done to better meet the sustainable needs of the industry and consumers. With their input, and our interactive Conference program, we can be guided in our efforts to examine the efficacy of existing programmes in order to efficiently meet current and future needs. I look forward to seeing you at the Gold Coast for the ‘Taking Care of Business: Sustainable Transformation Conference’.
Sincerely Lani Sullivan
CEO – Association for Sustainability in Business Inc
Qld strives to cut waste disposal
Jessica Marszalek – AAP
Queensland’s landfill rubbish will be cut by half within 10 years through support for recycling businesses and a new waste levy, the state government hopes.
Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones on Wednesday launched the Queensland Waste Strategy, which, it’s hoped, will make Queenslanders think twice before throwing things away.
Under the plan, a levy will apply to commercial, industrial, construction and demolition waste and some soils from July 2011 to discourage interstate waste disposal and encourage less waste generation.
The levy will fund $159 million in incentives for businesses that invest in recycling technologies or find ways to reduce their waste over the next four years.
And a $120 million Sustainable Future Fund will help local governments improve their waste management facilities and practices.
Ms Jones said other programs were being investigated, like government funding for recycling bins at small businesses.
There will also be a focus on better preventing illegal dumping and helping households recycle green waste, rather than binning it.
Ms Jones said a business plan, to be released in February, would provide more detail for achieving the Waste Strategy’s goals.
It’s hoped the strategy will reduce waste generation by 400kg for every Queenslander by 2020, equating to a total reduction in the generation of waste of more than two million tonnes.
Ms Jones said Queensland was one of the largest generators of waste in Australia and one of the worst recyclers.
“We produce more than 32 million tonnes of it every single year, which is the highest amount of waste per capita of any state,” she said.
“… We will strive for a waste management system where recycling is the first option over landfill and more unwanted materials are given a new life by someone else.”
The strategy has been welcomed by environmentalists and industry.
Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) executive director Toby Hutcheon said it was estimated more than $350 million of wasted resources went to landfill each year.
“With a levy in place and programs to support resource recovery, this waste should be dramatically reduced, creating new economic and job opportunities in every region with a levy,” he said.
Ai Group Queensland director Matthew Martyn-Jones said businesses wanted good environmental practices and the fund would help them put in the necessary infrastructure.
“There is strong enthusiasm from industry to drive down the amount of waste sent to landfill and the new fund … will help business reduce waste and recycle more,” he said.
Australian Council of Recycling chief executive Rod Welford welcomed the plan, saying Queensland had been lagging behind other states on the issue.
Market for Sustainable Products Expanding Rapidly
The SSI Review 2010 gives a comprehensive overview of major voluntary sustainability standards and initiatives in the forestry, coffee, cocoa, tea and banana sectors, including detailed information on market performance, governance, criteria coverage and implementation practices.
Recent years have witnessed a remarkable rise in the number of environmental and social standards attached to commodities. The SSI Review 2010 includes information on Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, Forest Stewardship Council, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, GLOBALGAP, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Social Accountability International (SA8000), and 4C Association.
Key findings in the report include… more
Source: SustainableBusiness.com News
International Green Construction Code: Game-Changer in Sustainable Building
A new proposal – currently being developed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Code Council (ICC) and a group of partner organizations – called the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) could bring the required sea change to the design and construction industry when it comes to sustainable design. The code, which will provide a set of rules and policies by which buildings and their designs must abide, is the first actionable step in making “going green” a requirement and not simply an owner’s choice. The AIA is spearheading the effort as part of its mission to help architects take an active role in lowering the nation’s overall energy consumption… more
by George H. Miller, FAIA Source: Reuters
Exploring the Role of Business through Vision 2050
The Vision 2050study lays out a pathway leading to a global population of some 9 billion people living well, within the resource limits of the planet by 2050. The report ( 2.6 MB) was released at the 2010 World CEO Forum in New Delhi, India.
Twenty-nine companies, led by Alcoa, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Storebrand and Syngenta, have come together to rethink the roles that business must play over the next few decades to enable society to move toward being sustainable. This endeavor has resulted in a call to action that aims to encourage companies to reinvent themselves, their products and services to get where they and society want to be.
Participating companies contributed through workshops, virtual working groups and feedback throughout the project. Vision 2050 also runs a Regional Engagement Program to ensure the project is informed and validated by the major regions of the world.
Why Vision 2050 ?
Vision 2050 addressed thought-provoking questions like:
- What would a vision of a sustainable future look like?
- What are the pathways and solutions for achieving sustainability?
- What does this say for the changes needed?
- What are the risks to achieving this “sustainable” future?
- What are the dilemmas we must address to move forward?
- What are the robust actions, policies and investments needed to move rapidly onto a sustainable pathway?
- …and what is the role of business ?
Source WBCSC
You will find more information on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development website
