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Al Gore, a former US vice-president and presenter of the award
winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", headed a star line-up
at a one-day forum on critical sustainability issues organised by
the international professional services firm GHD in Melbourne on 21
September.
The forum, called "Our Planet – Leaving a Legacy", examined
sustainability through the prism of biodiversity, transportation,
renewable energy resources, water and urban development.
Other key speakers were 2007 Australian of the Year, author and
scientist, Professor Tim Flannery, Labour’s Shadow Minister for the
Environment, Peter Garrett, and Adam Kirkman, Program Manager for
Energy and Climate Change, World Business Council for Sustainable
Development in Switzerland.
The forum brought together leaders from business, industry and
government to examine these issues over five sessions, as well as a
dinner that night where Gore was the guest speaker.
GHD Chairman Clive Weeks said: "We don’t claim to have all of
the answers to sustainability issues, but we can make a
contribution. As well as rolling out a sustainability program
throughout our own business, we can respond to our clients’ demand
for more information about what the real sustainability issues are,
and how we can work together to solve them."
GHD has experienced strong demand for its sustainability
services including helping clients to manage the impact of climate
change, and developing cleaner and greener solutions across many
market sectors.
Weeks says: "GHD has experienced strong growth in areas such as
providing services for lower-emission energy projects such as
cogeneration for many years, and more recently clients are
increasingly requesting that we create solutions that help them
embed sustainability initiatives such as developing greenhouse
policies and corporate sustainability reporting.
We’ve sensed a real shift in clients' attitudes and commitment,
and see further potential for growth in integrated transport
solutions and environmentally friendly built environments. All of
these activities have sustainability at their core, and indicate
how we can use our skills to help create a sustainable future."
In addition to the Our Planet – Leaving a Legacy sustainability
forum, GHD announced the launch of its own sustainability program,
including becoming a member of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development, and a staged approach to achieving
carbon-neutral status by 2010.
Weeks says: "GHD is excited about making a contribution to a
sustainable society and focused on reducing our environmental
footprint. These are not aspirational targets – they are firm
targets with fixed deadlines. We firmly believe that our new
sustainability program will enhance our corporate culture, improve
community spirit as well as help our clients achieve their
commercial objectives."
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GHD employs 6000 people in a network of offices throughout
Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, Americas and
Europe.