LATEST NEWS

A selection of recent news items which will be of interest to users of this website is given below:-

August 2010 - Millennium Project - State of the Future Report 2010

"Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, should read this incredible document, period!" Technological Forecasting & Social Change

"The State of the Future Report has inspired and continues to instigate our foundation’s work on the interdependent paths of global development and future progress. It is one of the rare examples of integrated thinking on global challenges that needs to be addressed if we are to enhance the quality of life for present and for future generations." Liz Mohn, Vice-Chair of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany

EcoSTEPS Director contributed an overview article on the state of sustainability in Australia. Read it now.

21 August 2010 - Earth Overshoot Day

August 21st marks an unfortunate milestone: the day in which we exhaust our ecological budget for the year. Once we pass this day, humanity will have demanded all the ecological services – from filtering CO2 to producing the raw materials for food – that nature can provide this year. From that point until the end of the year, we meet our ecological demand by liquidating resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Every year, Global Footprint Network calculates nature's supply in the form of biocapacity, the amount of resources the planet generates, and compares that to human demand: the amount it takes to produce all the living resources we consume and absorb our carbon dioxide emissions.

Scroll down to the entry from September 2009 and see that the comparable day was 25 September. We are overshooting at accelerating speed unfortunately...

Aug 2010 - We’re hot as hell and we’re not going to take it any more
by Bill McKibben

Try to fit these facts together: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the planet has just come through the warmest decade, the warmest 12 months, the warmest six months, and the warmest April, May, and June on record.

A “staggering” new study from Canadian researchers has shown that warmer seawater has reduced phytoplankton, the base of the marine food chain, by 40% since 1950. Nine nations have so far set their all-time temperature records in 2010, including Russia (111 degrees), Niger (118), Sudan (121), Saudi Arabia and Iraq (126 apiece), and Pakistan, which also set the new all-time Asia record in May: a hair under 130 degrees. I can turn my oven to 130 degrees.

And then, in late July, the U.S. Senate decided to do exactly nothing about climate change. They didn’t do less than they could have -- they did nothing, preserving a perfect two-decade bipartisan record of no action. Senate majority leader Harry Reid decided not even to schedule a vote on legislation that would have capped carbon emissions.

I wrote the first book for a general audience on global warming back in 1989, and I’ve spent the subsequent 21 years working on the issue. I’m a mild-mannered guy, a Methodist Sunday School teacher. Not quick to anger. So what I want to say is: this is fucked up. The time has come to get mad, and then to get busy.

For many years, the lobbying fight for climate legislation on Capitol Hill has been led by a collection of the most corporate and moderate environmental groups, outfits like the Environmental Defense Fund. We owe them a great debt, and not just for their hard work. We owe them a debt because they did everything the way you’re supposed to: they wore nice clothes, lobbied tirelessly, and compromised at every turn.

By the time they were done, they had a bill that only capped carbon emissions from electric utilities (not factories or cars) and was so laden with gifts for industry that if you listened closely you could actually hear the oinking. They bent over backwards like Soviet gymnasts. Senator John Kerry, the legislator they worked most closely with, issued this rallying cry as the final negotiations began: "We believe we have compromised significantly, and we're prepared to compromise further.” And even that was not enough. They were left out to dry by everyone -- not just Reid, not just the Republicans. Even President Obama wouldn’t lend a hand, investing not a penny of his political capital in the fight.

The result: total defeat, no moral victories. Now What? So now we know what we didn’t before: making nice doesn’t work. It was worth a try, and I’m completely serious when I say I’m grateful they made the effort, but it didn’t even come close to working. So we better try something else.

Step one involves actually talking about global warming. For years now, the accepted wisdom in the best green circles was: talk about anything else -- energy independence, oil security, beating the Chinese to renewable technology. I was at a session convened by the White House early in the Obama administration where some polling guru solemnly explained that “green jobs” polled better than “cutting carbon.” No, really? In the end, though, all these focus-group favorites are secondary. The task at hand is keeping the planet from melting. We need everyone -- beginning with the president -- to start explaining that basic fact at every turn. Read more

July 2010 - Bringing the Major Sustainability Frameworks and Indicators Together (TBL, ESG, TNS, GRI etc)

There are a number of sustainability frameworks in popular use today that provide structure for a sustainability eﬀort and sustainability reports. The problem is choosing the one that works best for your organisation and situation. There are enough similarities among them that you can see the overlap, but there are enough diﬀerences to create confusion. If you pick one, you lose some of the benefits of the others. You can try to adapt one or more to your needs, but you then run the risk of overlooking some important aspect or principle of sustainability. This excellent article from ISSP attempts to integrate them all...

June 2010 - EcoSTEPS in Samoa

Article in the Angle by Rich Bowden

Paul Bateson, of the Blue Mountains-based sustainability consultants EcoSTEPS, recently took time out from a tourism-focused sustainability meeting in Samoa to present the country’s prime minister with a Socceroos shirt.

One of Australia’s most ardent football supporters, Paul (also known as Pablo) presented the shirt, signed by leading Socceroo and Everton midfielder Tim Cahill, to Prime Minister, the Hon. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, in his office in Apia on May 28. According to Pablo the shirt was presented to the prime minister “…on behalf of Tim Cahill and all fans of the Socceroos.” Read more...

May 2010 - Cities of the Future

In a context of a growing and ageing population and increasing pressures from climate change in Australia, we face the challenge of planning our ‘Cities of the Future’.

EcoSTEPS recently facilitated a major workshop at the Australian Water Association’s
National Conference in Brisbane on behalf of WSAA and the IWA (International Water Association).

Julian Crawford and Howard Nielson led the two-day workshop process with over 150 invited water sector and non-water sector participants that developed a vision and outlined the principles and challenges in planning for ‘Cities of the Future’. This work will feed into a ‘Cities of the Future’ Position Paper to be presented to the IWA World Water Congress in Montreal in September 2010. See also full report.

AWAWSAAArticle (PDF, 609KB)

April 2010 - The Responsibility Revolution

Jeffrey Hollender (co-founder of Seventh Generation) and Bill Breen (founding editor of Fast Company) have just published a short book - The Responsibility Revolution. They argue that in a new world of global transparency and consumer skepticism, companies must move beyond simple profit-maximization combined with occasional “corporate social responsibility” initiatives, towards more fully embracing a social mission, transparency, community engagement, and innovation to advance a deeper purpose.

As they assert: “To confront the economy’s and society’s daunting challenges, companies must do more than monitor factories, donate to charities, and trumpet efforts to be a little less bad. The responsibility revolution is about reimaging companies from within: innovating new ways of working; instilling a new logic of competing; redefining the very purpose and possibility of business.”

They suggest a set of six principles that successful “purpose-driven” companies follow:-

1. Have a central, strong mission
2. Be transparent (and even open about your problems)
3. Structure your company like a community
4. Bring consumers inside
5. Focus on being authentic, rather than on marketing
6. Build a corporate consciousness

March 2010 - EcoSTEPS goes South Pacific...

Paul Bateson, Associate and Senior Consultant at EcoSTEPS, spoke over coffee this week to theangle.org’s Rich Bowden about the recent Tourism Investment for the Development of Enterprise and Sustainability (TIDES) conference in Apia, Samoa.

Listen to the interview: http://theangle.org/2010/03/14/focus-on-sustainability-for-pacific-islands-tourism/

This builds on the work done over the past two years for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji.

March 2010 - ISSP Sustainability Professional Competencies

In response to a growing need to move the world towards sustainable development and sustainable practices within government and industry, a whole new profession is emerging. A new research study conducted by ISSP brings clarity, cohesion and credibility to this new area. The report summarizes the competencies identiﬁed as being most critical to the successful performance of professionals working in the ﬁeld of sustainability.

ISSPSustainabilityProfessionalCompetencyReport3.10 (PDF, 660KB)

February 2010 - Comparing carbon policies made easy

Major debate now envelops Federal Parliament on climate change and how Australia will respond to the threat. This is a complex debate with numerous implications for the Australian environment, businesses and individuals. It could also be the ‘trigger’ for new federal elections in 2010.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) expert on climate change policy, Professor Kevin Parton, has developed a simple comparison between the two policies, both of which aim to reduce greenhouse gases by encouraging new non-polluting technology or sequestrating, or ‘storing’, carbon dioxide.

January 2010 - 18th Int Input-Output Conference Sydney, 20-25 June 2010

EcoSTEPS has a close relationship with the Integrated Sustainability Analysis (ISA) Research Group at the University of Sydney and is pleased to be assisting with the above conference.The goal of the conference is to promote and stimulate the worldwide exchange of ideas among economists between them and government officials, policy makers, engineers, national accountants and managers with interests in input-output analysis and related methods.

December 2009 - New EcoSTEPS Netletter

Read the latest EcoSTEPS Netletter.

Nov 2009 - EcoSTEPS 10th Anniversary AGM

EcoSTEPS celebrates its 10th AGM since founding in July 1999. It's been quite a journey - and it's not finished yet!

The AGM is being held at Wentworth Falls in the beautiful World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains behind Sydney. This year it is also 200 years since Charles Darwin's birth and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species.

On 17th January 1836, after tethering his horse at The Weatherboard Inn, Charles Darwin walked to the Wentworth Falls along the wooded valley (now known as Darwin's Walk). This is how he described the view…

In the middle of the day we baited our horses at a little inn, called the Weatherboard. The country here is elevated 2800 feet above the sea. About a mile and a half from this place there is a view exceedingly well worth visiting. Following down a little valley and its tiny rill of water, an immense gulf unexpectedly opens through the trees which border the pathway, at the depth of perhaps 1500 feet.

Walking on a few yards, one stands on the brink of a vast precipice, and below one sees a grand bay or gulf, for I know not what other name to give it, thickly covered with forest. The point of view is situated as if at the head of a bay, the line of cliff diverging on each side, and showing headland behind headland, as on a bold sea-coast. These cliffs are composed of horizontal strata of whitish sandstone; and are so absolutely vertical, that in many places a person standing on the edge and throwing down a stone, can see it strike the trees in the abyss below.

About five miles distant in front, another line of cliff extends, which thus appears completely to encircle the valley; and hence the name of bay is justified, as applied to this grand amphitheatrical depression.

If we imagine a winding harbour, with its deep water surrounded by bold cliff-like shores, to be laid dry, and a forest to spring up on its sandy bottom, we should then have the appearance and structure here exhibited.

This kind of view was to me quite novel, and extremely magnificent.

Nov 2009 - Climate Change Resilience

‘Communication is the sharing of created meaning; Conversation is the creation of shared meaning’

EcoSTEPS Director Carole Young has been undertaking a fascinating social research project based on over 30 case study interviews with Blue Mountains residents. Carole believes that in a virtual world where leaps in communication technologies happen at lightning speed, the value of honest conversation in poorly appreciated and under-utilized by time-poor people. With this in mind, Carole set out to explore the shared meaning of reconciling climate change with our personal values in today’s world.

Read the first interview with Richard Neville

Oct 2009 - Footbeat Festival

EcoSTEPS is proud to support the Footbeat Festival being held in the Blue Mountains, Sydney. The Festival is being organised by EcoSTEPS' Paul Payten and EcoSTEPS consultants, Carole Young, Paul Bateson and Julian Crawford are all presenting sustainability related workshops on ecological footrpinting, The Natural Step and even Sustainable Football!

Oct 2009 - GoGreen Conference

EcoSTEPS Director Julian Crawford travelled to Portland, Oregon, USA for a series of meetings and conferences. Highlights included attending the 2009 GoGreen Conference which had an impressive and diverse range of speakers, and the NAAEE's (North American Association for Environmental Education) annual conference. The trip also included meeting with Marsha Willard, founding director of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) of which Julian is a current Board member.

Sept 2009 - ISSP Survey

ISSP (International Society of Sustainability Professionals) is running a survey designed to assess the skills and competencies needed to excel in the field of sustainability, both now and in the future.

If you qualify for and complete the survey, you'll be entered into a drawing for a one-year membership to ISSP (International Society of Sustainability Professionals) valued at $150, or a $150 credit to use towards an ISSP online class. Take the survey

September 25 was Earth Overshoot Day

On September 25, humanity reached an unfortunate milestone. We demanded all the ecological services – from filtering CO2 to producing the raw materials for food – that nature can provide this year, according to data from Global Footprint Network. From now until the end of the year, we will meet our ecological demand by depleting resource stocks and accumulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Read more...

Sept 2009 - Power of the Mob?

Carrotmob is a method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott.

It’s easier to understand if you look at an example. In the first ever Carrotmob event, a liquor store agreed to invest in upgrades that made their store more energy-efficient. In exchange, hundreds of Carrotmobbers showed up at once to support the winning liquor store. Take a look at the video of that campaign, and the mayhem that ensued…

August 2009 - Age of Stupid

The Age of Stupid is the new four-year epic from McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

Well worth seeing if you are at all interested in sustainability and climate change…

July 2009 - Sustainability Training with AWA

EcoSTEPS is pleased to announce that it is running a series of two-day sustainability practitioner workshops with the Australian Water Association (AWA).

SUSTAINABILITY IMPLEMENTATION: ACTIONS AND TOOLS FOR SUCCESS, 11-12 August 2009, Sydney; 13-14 October 2009, Adelaide; 17-18 November 2009, Melbourne. AWA is presenting a series of 2-day workshops to further develop particular skills and provide a deeper, more meaningful understanding about sustainability theory, concepts and implementation. Sustainability practitioners and those involved in implementing sustainability within Commonwealth, State and Local Government, Consultants, Contractors, Manufacturers and Suppliers are encouraged to attend. The course will also be held in Brisbane and Perth in 2010. (Conference Website).

June 2009 - International Society of Sustainability Professionals

EcoSTEPS proud to support ISSP and delighted that one of our directors, Julian Crawford, has been appointed to the global ISSP Board. As Bob Willard, best selling author of 'The Next Sustainability Wave' and 'The Sustainability Advantage' says:

'The launch of ISSP is a significant milestone on the global journey to sustainability. It is the perfect time for sustainability professionals to partner and help each other be more effective and successful sustainability champions. Together we have the knowledge, skills, connections, and will to accomplish the necessary acceleration of sustainability strategies in all sectors. It is exciting to be a part of this impressive organization!”

May 2009 - EcoSTEPS Chapter in new book

In Consulting for Business Sustainability sustainability consultants from around the world including EcoSTEPS offer some of their perspectives and lessons on how to truly create sustainable value for their clients. Packed with new tools, advice and approaches, the book comprises a unique collection of wisdom from some of the leading lights in sustainability consulting practice. The areas covered include: developing best-in-class environmental management systems; sustainable design; supporting organisational change agents; working with key stakeholders; social impact assessments; human rights; and regulatory risk.

Chapter 4 "Strategic sustainability consulting" is by EcoSTEPS directors Brent Couper, Julian Crawford and Carole Young. More details

April 2009 - EcoSTEPS clients recognised

The five winners of the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards have been announced. Among the winners were two recent EcoSTEPS clients. Congraultations to:

Yarra Valley Water, which took out the Large Business Award category for a research project to compare alternative service options such as recycled water, rainwater tanks and greywater recycling, with traditional centralised servicing in new developments.
and
Lend Lease’s green building, ‘The Gauge’, which is among Australia’s first buildings to receive a 6-star environmental rating by the Green Building Council of Australia, won the Built Environment Award.

March 2009 - FSI Barometer Survey released

EcoSTEPS is a founding partner of the FMCG Sustainability Institute (FSI). An early project has been the preparation of the inaugural 'Retail World FMCG Sustainability Barometer Survey'.

The study is aimed at providing a ‘barometer’ to determine the state of the collective Australian FMCG & Retail industry in relation to environmental, social & economic sustainability. Comprehensive results of the Barometer Survey 2008 are now available at www.fmcg-sustain.com.au.

February 2009 - Sustainability Frameworks

EcoSTEPS was pleased to see its intellectual and practical contributions to the field of sustainability thinking well represented in a recent global survey of models. Take a look at this website: EcoSTEPS examples are: #61, #78, #134 and #135.

Interestingly, recently EcoSTEPS was awarded a significant payment from the Australian Copyright Agency in regard to the educational use of our 'Sustainability Tree'

2009 begun with a flurry of new sustainability-related projects including interesting work with Bovis Lend Lease, St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney and Melbourne Water. Look out for case studies to be posted in the weeks ahead.

January 2009 - New Horizons...

The New Year is always a good time to 'pause & reflect'. As EcoSTEPS continues to respond and adapt to the rapidly growing demand for its strategic sustainability services, we have been giving some fresh thinking to our market positioning in both Australia and New Zealand. We are planning some exciting initiatives over the next few months...

December 2008 - Year End Message: The Big Ask

Sending Christmas cards has merits, but this year instead, we at EcoSTEPS thought we would send you a url to an excellent 3 minute video. We encourage you to watch it and think about what you will be doing in 2009... http://www.thebigask.eu/

EcoSTEPS and 140 Australian and global companies signed the Poznan Communique urging government leaders around the world to commit to a meaningful long-term global emissions reduction pathway. A two page colour advertisment was taken in the Australian Financial Review to raise awareness of the issue.

November 2008 - EcoSTEPS partners the FMCG Sustainability Barometer Survey

The Retail World FMCG Sustainability Barometer is the most comprehensive research study to date on the status and progress of Sustainability in Australian FMCG and Retail organisations. Retail World Magazine and the FMCG Sustainability Institute (FSI) have joined forces to benchmark sustainability in the Australian industry via a major research project.

October 2008 - New shareholder

EcoSTEPS is pleased to announce that it has welcomed another new shareholder recently: Monica Vandenberg (Vic). This brings the total number of shareholders to 21 - a vibrant and diverse group of people with a huge range of sustainability consulting skills and experience.

Sept 2008 - Launch of FMCG Sustainability Institute

EcoSTEPS is pleased to have joined forces with Shopportunity to establish the FMCG-Sustainability Institute in Australia.

We encourage to download the FMCG Sustainability Institute overview brochure and visit the website to keep up to date with this important intiative.

August 2008 - EcoSTEPS turn the Compost

The Winter EcoSTEPS Compost held in Sydney recently was a terrific day. What's a 'Compost' I hear you ask? A quarterly seasonal gathering of the EcoSTEPS clan where we pause and reflect together on recent projects and successes. And plan activities over the next few months. We're in for a busy time!

July 2008 - Wide range of new clients

The financial year ended with a flurry of new work for EcoSTEPS with several recent successes in competitive tenders.

NSW Local Government and Shires Association Assistance in the development of a series of training modules for local government re sustainable procurement.

Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) Development of a Regional Sustainability Plan.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Several projects in connection with development of the new Corporate Plan and associated internal strategic planning processes.

June 2008 - New shareholders

EcoSTEPS is pleased to announce that it has welcomed two new shareholders recently: Helen Weston (NSW) and Samantha Smith (Queensland). This brings the total number of shareholders to 20 - a vibrant and diverse group of people with a huge range of sustainability consulting skills and experience.

May 2008 - Interview with Founding Director

Robyne Blood is a consultant currently living in Adelaide. She has her own client base as well as contracting to McKinsey and Company as a coach, executive team facilitator and leadership program designer. She is currently participating in a Masters of Positive Organisational Development (MPOD) at Case Western University, USA. As part of that program she interviewed one of EcoSTEPS Founding Directors, Julian Crawford. The article gives some fascinating insights into the philosophies and values of EcoSTEPS.

April 2008 - Strategic Sustainability Consulting Workshop

EcoSTEPS hosted a very successful Strategic Sustainability Consulting Workshop in Sydney for those interested in working with us. Program details on request: juliancrawford@ecosteps.com.au

March 2008 - Your Eco Handbook launched

Your ECO Handbook - authored by EcoSTEPS' Paul Payten is published. Highly recommended - of course...

Feb 2008

The first EcoSTEPS Netletter for 2008 covered some interesting new reports: Leader Business Strategies provides new research on sustainable development and the business case. It found that companies are profiting from treating sustainability as a strategic issue.

State of Green Business addressed the question: 'How are US businesses doing in their quest to be greener and more environmentally responsible?' It introduces the GreenBiz Index, a set of 20 indicators of progress, tracking the resource use, emissions, and business practices of companies: carbon, materials, energy, clean-tech investments, e-waste recovery, paper use, employee commuting, and more.

Jan 2008 - A New Year for Sustainability?

EcoSTEPS is excited about 2008. The Sustainability Agenda has been gathering pace for the past 2-3 years - about as fast as the WWF Living Planet Index has been declining! At EcoSTEPS we are 'ready, willing and able' and plan to leverage our collective contribution toward sustainability thinking and action as much as possible. For example, EcoSTEPS Director Julian Crawford had paper published in the prestigious Leadership Excellence Magazine called 'Strategic Sustainability' which showcases EcoSTEPS work with two Australian sustainability pioneering organisations: Yarra Valley Water (YVW) and Water Corporation (WA). Watch this space!

Dec 2007 - We made some progress...

It's the end of an extremely busy year for EcoSTEPS. We're pleased that our offerings as a Sustainability Partner have been so well received over the past few months. A wide range of new projects have been undertaken across all sectors including:

- major corporates such as Goodman International, Fuji-Xerox, Hassell & Ergon;
- state government agencies such as DECC-NSW & EPA-Victoria;
- local government such as Auburn, Blacktown, Leichhardt & Mosman;
- academia with TAFE Sydney Institute and ICVET
- various community, NFP and NGO groups, such as YHA, YWCA, Blue Mountains Coop.

Refer to our full client listing and case studies.

Nov 2007 - Govt of South Australia Environmental Panel

EcoSTEPS is delighted to be accepted for membership of the Professional Service Contractor Environmental Panel of the South Australian Dept of Transport, Energy & Infrastructure. This follows a competitive selection process in which EcoSTEPS showcased its particular expertise in Energy, Water & Waste projects.

Oct 2007 - EcoSTEPS Netletter service resumes

EcoSTEPS highly regarded monthly netletter services resumes after a sustainability sabbatical. Distributed to several thousand sustainability thought-leaders and practitioners in Australia and around the world. Click to read the latest EcoSTEPS Netletter

Sept 2007 - EcoSTEPS BMBA project wins!

EcoSTEPS is proud to have been involved over the past few years in the development and promotion of the Blue Mountains Business Advantage (BMBA) sustainability program for local businesses. We were delighted when the program was announced as the winner of the Gold Award for Sustainability at the 2007 Local Government Management Excellence Awards. www.bmba.com.au/news.asp?ID=39

Aug 2007 - EcoSTEPS a Business Services Winner

EcoSTEPS won the inaugural Blue Mountains Business Advantage Award for 'Business Services' for its services to local businesses in the Blue Mountains over the past two years. The Awards presentation was held at a gala eveing at the Peppers Fairmont Resort Leura, attended by over 200 finalists, staff and guests.

July 2007 - Goodman International success

EcoSTEPS is delighted to be selected as Goodman International's sustainability partner and consultant after a competitive EOI process. Goodman is a major international industrial and commercial property manager and an ASX Top 30 company. www.goodmanintl.com