Capitalism: Time to Clean the Soot off the Mantle

Does Trump's rise mean the planet's demise?

We have all been obsessed with the fall-out from the shock election of Donald Trump as President-Elect of the USA. One of the areas that he has had in his cross-hairs is the environment and any climate change policies. I have been thinking long and hard about this and while no-one can deny its a step back, that doesn't mean that counter-bearing pressure cannot propel us forward. Read my latest blog for my views on the path forward, for the planet and for humanity.

Does Trump's rise mean the planet's demise?

We have all been obsessed with the fall-out from the shock election of Donald Trump as President-Elect of the USA. One of the areas that he has had in his cross-hairs is the environment and any climate change policies. I have been thinking long and hard about this and while no-one can deny its a step back, that doesn't mean that counter-bearing pressure cannot propel us forward. Read my latest blog for my views on the path forward, for the planet and for humanity.

The Fifth Estate | News from the front desk: Issue No 317 – On Trump and why fightback begins now

Is Trump's election to the highest office in America the one big kick up the butt that we need to wake up collectively and come together to fight back against climate change. I believe that while there are a minority of old economy industry leaders who just cannot accept that they need to change their perspective and look for new opportunities in renewable clean energy, the majority of business people are forward thinking and strategic enough to join forces, regardless of what the government dictates. At last Australia has ratified the Paris Agreement. Lets wait and see what happens in the US. Its not looking good at this point in time, but we have all been surprised before. This guy is a real wild card.

The Climate Council

Go Broken Hill! Powered by renewable energy, even the mining. That is pretty impressive.

A Vision for a Sustainable City of the North Shore

Next Tuesday 15 November, I will have the pleasure of hosting the final BBP Con-X event for 2016, “The North Shore Symposium”. Its a local business conference which will offer a broad perspective on what we need to think about and plan for to ensure a sustainable and prosperous North Shore. A panel consisting of Gladys Berejiklian, MP for Willoughby and Treasurer of NSW, Dr Deborah Dearing, Greater Sydney Commissioner for the North, Rodd Staples, Project Director of the Metro, Transport NSW, author and journalist Narelle Hooper and local business leaders will come together to discuss what we need to consider in preparing for this period of major transformation.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific

Yes let's make it happen... A circular econmy

Donate

I am sleeping out tomorrow night to raise awareness and funds for the very deserving causes of homelessness and victims of domestic violence - the donations go directly to Salvation Army and Streetwork who support those In need on the streets. Please follow this link and donate to our team. Thank you!

Community Sector Banking

Have you heard of BCorps? It's a certification that organisations can get that demonstrates and measures how much added value and benefit - social impact and environmental, ethical and transparent governance they build into their operating model. Great to see some excellent companies stepping up in Australia!

Boost renewable energy target to 50% and get 28,000 extra jobs, says report

This is one of my big issues this coming election. Stimulating a thriving renewable energy Ticks many boxes- the economy, business, new jobs AND environmental sustainability. Why do the big parties not get it???

My reflections on disruptive design, sustainability and Mexico...

I digested a lot of new concepts and ways of approaching problems last week in a totally foreign country. My last day was spent in a lovely penthouse apartment courtesy of airBnB near the Angel of Independence in Mexico City, so I spent quite a bit of time up on the roof overseeing the largest and most densely populated city in the southern hemisphere, almost 22 Million people. It is an incredibly dynamic city - although the traffic is atrocious as you would expect. Uber is the cheapest and safest way to get around, even for the locals. I learnt that in Mexico its all about Mescal, not Tequila, which is apparently oh so 1970's, not trendy anymore. And there are a lot of police, with riot gear and guns ready on every street corner. OH and not as many locals speak English which really surprised me. What an amazing place to visit. Here are a few of my reflections on the course that I undertook and its relevance to sustainability and tackling some big issues.

Interview with Leyla Acaroglu in Valle de Bravo

Phew, made it back to Sydney after a whirlwind week in Mexico City and Valle de Bravo in the mexican countryside. I managed to get a few minutes with Leyla Acaroglu to ask her about the Un-school of Disruptive Design and the tools and methodologies for sustainable design that she teaches. My apologies to Leyla for pronouncing her surname incorrectly in this video - it is pronounced "A-jar-a-lu" not "A-kar-a-lu"! It was an incredibly insightful week for me, opened my eyes to totally new concepts and new perspectives which offer lots of possibilities for embedding sustainable change strategies back in Australia through Sustainabiz. Here is a video with Leyla while we were in Valle de Bravo and I will follow up with some reflections of my own from a roof top in Mexico city!