Our guest speaker for May is Geoff Gourley.

Geoff is a leading Global Social Entrepreneur and now Executive Director of Sustainability Drinks Australia. As founder and company director of numerous other organisations and a board member of the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) Vic. Geoff has extensive experience and perspectives within the sustainability field.

Raised in country Victoria in the heart of the coal mining, electricity generation and pine plantation region, he has a strong and founded passion for community service, protecting the environment and creating a sustainable planet. His personal mission is to lead, develop and influence business and community toward a sustainable future.
Join Geoff at Adelaide Sustainability Drinks and learn about the exciting new vision for Sustainability Drinks Australia along with experiences and insights into sustainable development within built environments and sustainability leadership.

At last nights monthly “Melbourne Sustainability Drinks” event hosted at Slate Bar, in Melbourne, Lauren Kehoe of Shaper Group announced the formal acquisition of the Sustainability Drinks Australia organisation by Melbourne based, Social Entrepreneur, Geoff Gourley.

Ms Kehoe said, “Melbourne Sustainability Drinks has become one of Melbourne’s most highly regarded and successful monthly networking events. Geoff is a Sustainability “heavy-weight” in Australia, and the right person to expand Sustainability Drinks nationally”.

Melbourne Sustainability Drinks commenced in August 2007, as a group of passionate individuals felt there was a need for people working in, or wanting to learn more about, sustainability to meet, exchange ideas, hear different perspectives and feel supported in facing the social, environmental and economic challenges and opportunities we face.

She further said “Mr Dan Atkins, original founder of the organisation and event, fully endorses Mr Gourley’s acquisition and feels his passion, commitment and leadership in Sustainability, combined, with his extensive networks and relationships, can expand the Sustainability Drinks events on a national scale”.

Events currently run monthly in Melbourne and Adelaide, with Darwin, Sydney and Brisbane to commence in the latter part of 2013; and Perth, Hobart and Canberra commencing in early 2014.

Past speakers include;
Arron Wood -2007 recipient, Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award & Melbourne City Councilor & regular on 3AW; Larissa Brown – Founder, Centre for Sustainability Leadership & 2008 Australian Young Environmentalist of the Year and the 2010 Victorian Young Australian of the Year;
Charles Kovess – President, Global Energy Network Institute and known as Australasia’s Passion Provocateur; and Luke Taylor – Director of The Sustainable Living Foundation; to mention just a few.

About Sustainability Drinks Australia

Sustainability Drinks emerged with a casual get together of ten and now, 5 years on, offers an environment which nurtures and fosters the sharing of sustainability success stories and hosts up to 200 people each month.

The events run from 6-8pm on a select day of every month and a speaker presents for 10 minutes at 7pm.

The Sustainability Drinks belief is that through the sharing of ideas, and stories of success, we can help create the change that we want to see in this world.

These events provide an opportunity to meet other people interested in creating a more sustainable world, exchange ideas and hear different perspectives about the social and environmental challenges we face. Attendees meet a wide range of passionate people who are interested in making a positive difference.

At Sustainability Drinks you buy your own drinks and the atmosphere enables people to introduce themselves and feel comfortable with meeting new people and exchanging ideas. We encourage people to join us and invite friends and colleagues who share the same values.

An open invitation is extended to all who are “passionate about sustainability” to come and mingle with like minded people and listen to a speaker share their sustainability story.

http://sustainabilitydrinks.com/
@s_drinks_aus

About Geoff Gourley

As a leading Global Social Entrepreneur Geoff possess more than 21 years experience in the environmental, sustainability, property and business communities.

Geoff is founder and company director of Shape Our Future, NuGreen Solutions; and is a board member of the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) Vic.

Mr Gourley was raised in country Victoria, in the heart of the coal mining, electricity generation and pine plantation region, he has a strong and founded passion for community service, protecting the environment and creating a sustainable planet.

His personal mission is “to lead, develop and influence business and community to a sustainable future.”

My Gourley said, “I hope to see my visions come to life, by working with, influencing and encouraging communities and businesses to take a more sustainable approach, ensuring a sustainable future for the global community”.

http://au.linkedin.com/in/geoffgourley
http://studio-green.org/
@geoffgourley

Our guest speaker for March is Hayley Everuss, State Manager of OzHarvest Adelaide.

OzHarvest is a dynamic not for profit organisation that rescues surplus food from food businesses to redistribute to charities who feed people in need. OzHarvest not only helps provide nutritious meals to communities at risk, but also diverts tonnes of food every week across Australia from going to landfill. Since Adelaide operations began in January 2011 OzHarvest has rescued more than 750,000 meals and is expanding at a rapid rate. Hayley has been managing OzHarvest Adelaide and driving growth since its inception. With a Masters of International and Community Development she is extremely passionate about reducing food waste and engaging communities in sustainable food behaviours.

 RSVP here

Attendees are invited to participate in a guided tour of the wetland trail and aquifer injection facilities from 5:30pm. The event will be held at different location nearby the wetland trail and will kick off in it’s usual form from 6pm. The guest speaker will present at 7pm.

To be held at the Watershed Function Centre.

Click here for all the details.

Do you want your organisation to give something back to the community but don’t know where to start?

Fiona will share with you her successes when working with organisations from around the globe in designing and implementing community investment programs. She will offer innovative techniques that align community engagement activities with organisations and discuss key aspects of engaging staff and measuring program outcomes. Join us and be inspired by the efforts of organisations around the globe while exploring the possibilities of what can be achieved within your own organisation.

Fiona has recently returned to Adelaide after 10 years overseas working in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. She has worked with the International Business Leaders Forum and leading charities engaging with multi nationals such as Rio Tinto, Barclays, Marriott International and American Express offering a range of practical products and programmes designed to tackle emerging sustainability issues. Fiona is currently working with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation in Adelaide, leading their corporate partnerships and hopes to bring a fresh and measured approach in the way South Australian business engages and invests in its community.

Our guest speaker for November is Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen is the founder and Executive Director of Canopy, an Adelaide based business that provides personalised carbon footprint and climate change policy services to business and all levels of Government across Australia.

Leonard is a recognised expert and leader in carbon management and the originator of the term biosequestration, to describe carbon offset in trees. Leonard’s passion in explaining and facilitating action in this complex area have made him a highly sought after educator.

Join Leonard Cohen at Adelaide Sustainability Drinks and learn about the Federal Governments 1.7 Billion dollar Carbon Farming Initiative and some of the inspiring projects undertaken by farmers, landholders and businesses to build carbon stores and reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Gain a clearer picture on the voluntary and mandatory carbon credit markets and learn the various ways that organisations throughout Australia are offsetting their carbon emissions.

Door prize: Plant and landscape guide booklets generously donated by Urban Sustainable Landscapes.

Urban Sustainable Landscapes is an Adelaide based business providing environmentally sensitive landscape design and construction services. Urban Sustainable Landscapes reconnects people with nature through inspiring residential, school and commercial projects. Visit sustainablelandscapes.com.au

Adrian Lawrie is the founding Director of Lawrie Co. Originally a farmer, he has over the past 15 years developed and refined the innovative LawrieCo Biological Farming Systems (BFS).

Door prize: Adrian has donated the door prize of 2L Organic Garden Fertilizer from LaurieCo

Adrian has led the research and development of BFS products and technology by working with scientists and farmers both on the farm and in the lab. The LawrieCo Biological Farming System is now widespread across Australia, generating vast improvements in farm productivity and sustainability.

Adrian has also provided key technical advice to political and other entities as to how agriculture can contribute to climate change solutions, through significant increases in sequestration of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Learn more about Bio Farming and Sustainability during this discussion with Adrian

Gemma Cunningham is the Community Engagement Manager with the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Program, a unit within South Australia’s Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). Within this role, Gemma has brought together diverse communities and industry bodies to tackle an environmental crisis in a region of international environmental importance. Her involvement has led to outstanding environmental achievements that have been recognized at both a state and national level.

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Gemma will highlight the tremendous natural assets of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region and the significant environmental outcomes achieved through community action.
She will then follow with her experiences on adaptive approaches used in successfully engaging communities and give examples of tactics used to empower and enable the community to be involved in decision making process.

Door prize: $50 voucher for Coromandel Native Nursery.  www.natives.net.au

Paul Hendy is both an Architect and Industrial Designer whose passion for creating buildings using the principles of ecologically sustainable design has led to involvement in a variety of projects across the globe. In 2009 Paul co-founded TS4 Architecture with Architect Brett Aylen, and in conjunction with team Collaborative Future, has been announced winner of the Zero Carbon Challenge, Australia’s first zero carbon house design and build competition.

Paul now has his sights set firmly on the construction phase of the Zero Carbon House. He will share with us the features of the winning Zero Carbon House submission and will then follow with examples of how this project engages with architectural, development and construction industries to push the boundaries of convention in creating repeatable, scalable, and carbon efficient residential homes.