Inside ASI-AP

I was a guest of AIM Vic at their "Managing the Future" lunch series on Tuesday where the keynote speaker was Bob Welsh, CEO of VicSuper. Bob has been leading VicSuper with sustainability as a core operating principle since 2000, and has recently been recognised by the UN for his achievements in this area.

There was certainly of lot of interest in sustainability with over 200 people in attendance at the lunch, in many ways driven by the new government's plan to introduce a carbon emissions trading scheme from 2010. This will mean that the cost of carbon will directly impact an organisation's bottom line and as a result costs for many services - including electricity - will go up.

During his presentation Bob gave practical tips on how he made sustainability a part of the culture and DNA of VicSuper, and not just "something you have to deal with". I made a few notes:

1. Paul Hawken, author of "The Ecology of Commerce", said way back in 1993 - The ideas and much of the technology required for the redesign of our businesses ... are already at hand.

2. The earth's ecosystem is part of our business cycle - the two are completely linked and depend on each other.

3. Economic growth is tied to energy.

4. 8,000 litres of water are used in the manufacture of 1 business shirt.

5. VicSuper are very transparent on their carbon emissions and publish an annual sustainability report - www.sustainabilityreport.vicsuper.com.au.

6. Bob presented a checklist of 10 steps you can start today to get your business on the pathway to sustainability - here on the VicSuper website or see the PDF link at the bottom of this page.

7. In response to a question from the floor on what you can do today, Bob said to - rally staff and educate them, calculate your emissions profile, and look at carbon offset opportunities.

At ASI we have already started down the track of sustainability through the "Grow Me the Money" program offered by VECCI and the state government (see previous posts here and here). But it is clear there is still much work to do.