Sustainabl​e Business Weekly QLD Edition [Transform​ation, Coal, SSEE Silo smashing, Legacy, Cilmate Adaption]

The Necessary Transformation
Paul Hawken – "The Necessary Transformation: Business, Industry, Government & Community in a Rapidly Changing World"

1 November 2011 from 10:45am to 12:30pm at Z-Block Auditorium Z-411, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point

At this not-to-be-missed special event: Paul Hawken, author of Natural Capitalism, Ecology of Commerce and Blessed Unrest and touted as the inspiration of John Anderson and Interface carpets; Al Gore and Bill Clinton.

Paul is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author. His work includes starting ecological businesses, writing about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with heads of state and CEOs on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy.

Listen to the distinctions that Paul draws about the changes that are taking place around the world and how they are spreading internationally and here in Australia. Engage in a powerful conversation about what is possible rather than settling for what is practical.

Cost: Free, No RSVP required, Limited seating

Coal Mining a Nature Refuge
You are invited to have your say on the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Galilee Coal project, including:
• the project's potential environmental effects
• whether the EIS adequately addresses the terms of reference
• whether the strategies proposed by the project proponent will effectively manage the project's impacts.

The EIS will be evaluated by the Queensland and Australian Governments under a parallel process.

A massive coal mining project in central Queensland has set off a debate about the future of one of the nation's land conservation schemes.

If approved, the Galilee Basin proposal by Queensland billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer would be the first mine to be allowed in a nature refuge.

Half of it will become an open cut mine, while the other half will be significantly affected by long-wall mining.

Clive Palmer's Waratah Coal plans on exporting 40 million tonnes of coal a year from the Galilee Basin project, earning about $4.6 billion per annum.

It would also inject about $1 billion annually into the coffers of the Queensland and Federal Governments.

For public and administrative convenience, the Coordinator-General will receive all submissions on behalf of both Governments.

The Australian Government Minister for the Environment and the Coordinator-General will consider your submission as part of their evaluation of the EIS.

Submissions close at 5 pm on Monday 7 November 2011.

SSEE’s escaping Silos
This is your last chance to participate in Australia's first truely zero eco-footprint international conference.

Engineering has made the world an amazing place to in which live safely, enjoy good health and longevity, and build economic wellbeing.

However, society is facing some very serious challenges with climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, corporate governance failures and unchecked population growth in some of the most desperate countries on earth. These five issues together are severely testing our planet’s capacity to support life, and maintain our current economic paradigm.

In Paul Gilding's words "society is currently facing a great disruption". This disruption will turn current economic thinking upside down - we are coming to the end of economic growth based on material wealth.

Engineering lies at the heart of, or is impacted by all of these issues. As the world’s recognised problem solvers, engineers need to turn their attention to new ways of addressing, and finding solutions to these problems. Business as Usual is simply not an option.

Join us at Escaping Silos to hear Paul Gilding tell it as it is, but also show us how human ingenuity can bring us through to a new economic paradigm.

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 24 - 26 October 2011.


Legacy
I have often wondered, how will history treat our current crop of Political Representatives and how will they be remembered. What is the legacy that will be left to future generations in terms of the environment, economics & social structures?

AWA Climate Change Adaptation Planning Course
In response to a call from AWA members, this course on the 23 November 2011 will assist attendees in developing a better understanding of the adaptation risks their organisation face due to climate change. It will help them to take the first steps in developing a climate change adaptation plan and identifies tools that will support them in implementing their plan.

This is to be achieved by stepping through a complete planning process, demonstrating application through scenario's and real life case studies.

At the completion of the course, attendees will have developed a plan of action to build upon once back in the workplace. For further details please see the AWA website

Sustainable Business Weekly QLD Edition [policy reference group, carbon tax, Climate Change Planning, SSEE Silo smashing]

Happy New Tax

The Federal House of Representatives voted this week, to pass the Clean Energy Future Bills. Watch this space.

ASBG/SBA Policy Reference Group

The Australian Sustainable Business Group (ASBG) held our first Policy Working Group (PWG) in Qld on the 6 October 2011 at SKM’s South Brisbane office. This meeting was a joint meeting with Sustainable Business Australia (SBA) and ASBG.

The aim of the group is to discuss a broad range of topics affecting Environmental managers

The main focus of the meeting last week was the Waste Reduction and Recycling Bill 2011 and the waste reform package.

Ariane Milinovich - project manager in the Policy and Legislation team within the Waste Reform Division addressed the meeting and answered questions about the imminent introduction of the Waste Levy in QLD. The levy was scheduled to commence on 1 July 2011. Due to widespread flooding throughout Queensland and the impact of Cyclone Yasi in north Queensland, the commencement of the levy has been postponed until 1 December 2011.

Queensland’s waste levy commencing at $35/t for Commercial and Industrial (C&I) and Construction and Demolition (C&D) wastes.

The Draft Bill came before the QLD State Parliament on the 3 September 2011.

Objectives of the Bill are to:

· Promote waste avoidance and reduction, and resource recovery and efficiency actions;

· Reduce the consumption of natural resources and minimise the disposal of waste by encouraging

· waste avoidance and the recovery, re-use and recycling of waste;

· Minimise the overall impact of waste generation and disposal;

· Ensure a shared responsibility between government, business and industry and the community in

· waste management and resource recovery; and

· Support and implement national frameworks, objectives and priorities for waste management and

· resource recovery.

There is a brief levy FAQ on the DERM website.

ASBG will provide more details as they come to light.

Green Tape Reduction

Elisa Nichols, Director, Environmental Regulation also addressed the Policy Reference Group, to provide an update on the QLD State Government’s Green Tape reduction program which includes a full reform of the QLD system of Environmental Licences, with a return to the use of “Environmental Authorities”

The reforms includes 4 key Initiatives:

Licensing proportionate to risk;

1. Operating Licences that are separated from the Intergraded development Assessment System;

2. A more flexible system of Environmental Authorities that will not trigger requirements under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 for every change to an operation or process;

3. Flexible amalgamation provisions to allow one Environmental Authority across multiple sites.

In order to reduce the Green tape involved in obtaining Environmental approvals, there will be some standardised applications for common and simple operational conditions.

AWA Climate Change Adaption Planning

The Australian Water Association are running a Climate Change Adaption Planning course in Brisbane on the 23 November 2011.

SSEE’s Conference

The SSEE 2011 Conference will provide a forum to discuss the consumerism of today's society by breaking SILO's, with some leaders in the field such as:

Annie Leonard - Author of The Story of Stuff. From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.

The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Paul Gilding - Author of The Great Disruption. It’s time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. We need instead to brace for impact because global crisis is no longer avoidable.

This Great Disruption started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological changes, such as the melting ice caps. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our planet’s ecosystems and resources.

Register for the SSEE 2011 Conference for the opportunity to listen to these great speakers and to participate with them and many other great speakers in a Q&A Panel Discussion.

There is also a great program with four streams of papers and workshops about sustainability and how it can work for you and your business.