Apologies for the double post! The previous email contains a download of the program which is incorrect. Please visit the conference page for the up to date version of the program.

The 2010 ACTS Conference program is now available from the conference page, or alternatively you can download a copy here.

From Net Impact to Net Positive

The Leadership Challenge

As companies and universities are increasingly required to understand and report upon the environmental and social performance of their organisation there has been a growth in the development of sustainability and climate change strategies. Many of these strategies take a reductionist approach, identifying impacts and systematically trying to reduce, minimise and manage the negatives they have found. However, the development of a Net Positive strategy allows institutions to celebrate, reward and develop strategies which enhance the intrinsic value of the organisation and support a much clearer value added and value driven approach.

Beyond a simple mission to decrease environmental and social impacts, Net-Positive can be described a a position where all the negative environmental, social and economic impacts of the company are assessed alongside the positive ones, and where the university and stakeholders collectively agree that the universities overall contribution to the world is a positive one.

A Net Positive institution makes an explicit and verifiable contribution to the diversity, resilience and health of ecosystems and human societies. It therefore works to reduce the impacts that undermine this goal and to strengthen those that support it.

This workshop, delivered by Jimmy Brannigan will explore the challenges and opportunities associated with such a journey, highlighting good practice where it exists and challenging the leaders of institutions to reflect on their role in making such a journey possible for their institution.

The pre-conference workshop is open for all to attend. Registration fees are as follows (please note that this event is not included in the Full ACTS Conference package):

• ACTS members $33.00 (incl. GST)
• Non members $55.00 (incl. GST)

To register to this event, and to the ACTS Conference, visit our registration page.

The theme for the 10th International Conference of ACTS is “Connecting Curriculum and Campus”. We expect over a hundred of the most sustainability-focused decision makers, environmental managers, academics and students to attend from tertiary education institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as government advisers and others involved in the tertiary and vocational education sector.

Registrations for the conference are now open, and you can find all information for the conference on our website

Cafe Italia

56-66 University Street, Carlton

The Conference Dinner is considered the signature networking event of every ACTS Conference. Each year, the Conference Dinner venue is carefully selected with the mind to showcase the very spirit of the hosting city.

Lygon Street is arguably the most well known food precinct in Melbourne. It has its origins in the early immigration of Italian migrants to Melbourne and, in particular, to Carlton. It also owes much of its growth and popularity as an eating out destination to the students from Melbourne University, who frequented the street long before it became fashionable with the masses.

Lygon Street has the biggest selection of Italian restaurants and cafes of anywhere in Australia, and was the first suburb in Melbourne to promote eating outdoors with tables and chairs on footpaths.

Could an ACTS Conference Dinner being hosted in Melbourne be anywhere other than Lygon Street?!

We didn’t think so! The Conference Dinner will be held at Cafe Italia - a busy, friendly placed tucked away in the middle of Melbourne’s great food precinct. Cafe Italia serves classic Italian dishes that are treated with integrity, and stand up to Lygon Street’s mighty reputation.

If you would like to complete your registration payment using credit card, please click here (you will be direct to ‘Register Now’).

To register and pay using EFT or cheque, please download the relevant form:

ACTS Members registration form

Non Members registration form

Student registration form

To register to the ACTS Confernece, visit our registration page.

The registration fees can be paid via:

• Credit card
• Cheque
• EFT

~~Please Note~~

Wednesday’s program and welcome cocktail function is included in all fees, excluding the pre-conference workshop. For example, if you register just to attend the Single Day on Friday 1 October, your registration still includes Wednesday’s events. For catering purposes, please make sure to indicate during the registration process whether you will be attending the cocktail function and networking event.

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Not sure if your institution is a member? View the current ACTS Institutional Members

A couple of notices before you register…

1. ACTS Member registration fees are valid only for current 2010 members of ACTS Inc, including Institutional, Corporate, Affiliate and Individual membership catergories. If you are unsure of the current membership status of your institution/organisation please check our memberships page.

2. The Pre-Conference Workshop is a stand alone event that is not included in the cost of the Full ACTS Conference registration package. Registration to the Pre-Conference Workshop alone does not include access to the Conference Welcome Cocktail function event.

3. ‘Student’ registration fees are valid only to students currently enrolled full time in a higher education or vocational course or program.

4. Refund Policy: Any completed registrations that are cancelled prior to 22 September 2010 will be refunded, minus an administration fee equal to 15% of the total registration price. Any completed registrations that are cancelled after 22 September 2010 will not be refunded.

Registration fees

There are two methods of completing your registration:

Register and pay online using a credit card (you will be direct to “Register Now”)

Download and complete one of the following forms to pay via EFT or cheque

Click here to download a copy of the 2010 ACTS Conference program

Click here to view a location map of the three hosting institutions

Day 1: Wednesday 29 September 2010

Pre-conference workshop: Jimmy Brannigan - Sustainability Leadership

ACTS AGM

Welcome Cocktail Function: Victoria University

Welcome to Country and opening of the 2010 ACTS Conference

Plenary Speakers:

• Sponsor Address - Ken Guthrie, General Manager Sustainable Environs, Sustainability Victoria
• Professor Stephen Sterling, Associate Director of the Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth
• Kevin Harris, TAFE Directors Australia Associate
• Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations: ‘Climate Change and Green Skills Taskforce”

Day 2: Thursday 30 September

The University of Melbourne

• Welcome - Leanne Denby, ACTS President
• VC Address - Professor Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor Melbourne University
• Chris White - Executive Director, Property & Campus Services, Melbourne University
• Keynote Speaker - Professor Stephen Sterling, Associate Director of the Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth
• Sponsors Address - Gordon Starkey, ELMO Learning
• Keynote Speaker - Andrew Chamberlain, Head of UK Programmes & Scotland Manager, EAUC
• Keynote Speaker - Professor Petra Wend, Principal & Vice Chancellor, Queen Margaret University Scotland
• Presentation - Professor Geoff Scott, Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Western Sydney

Concurrent Session Topics (4 topics per session):

• Sign of the times: a 3-tiered approach to communicating sustainability through facilities management
• Places that link curriculum to campus practice
• Maximising Energy Reduction: the relationship between cultural change and improvements to infrastructure
• The Sustainable Futures Project
• The environmental benefits and staff engagement of an office waste bin replacement program
• Footprints: student run mentoring group to improve student sustainability choices
• Fresh Green Clean - practices for campuses
• Carbon Footprint: in practice and in curriculum
• Realisation of a sustainable vision for the National centre for Health and Well Being
• National Performance Assessment of Sustainability in the Tertiary Education Sector
• Strategic Approaches towards Green Enterprise Architecture of campuses and academic institutions
• Away from home recycling in the education sector: multi-sector partnerships for waste reduction and innovation
• Permaculture Garden - overviews of benefits for teaching environmental sustainability
• Transitioning to Sustainable Sanitation through cross disciplinary, practice based research
• Integrating ESD with campus operations: an international perspective in engineering

Sponsors Address: Freddy Sharpe - Climate Friendly

Plenary Session: Leanne Denby, Andrew Chamberlain and Fraser Lovie:

• “Progressing the Climate Commitment”

Conference Dinner:

• Cafe Italia, Carlton

Day 3: Friday 1 October

RMIT University

• Welcome address
• Sponsors Address - Matt Robinson, InferfaceFLOR
• Keynote Speaker - Dr Debra Rowe, President of the U.S Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
• Keynote Speaker - Dr Kate Auty, Commissioner for Environment

Concurrent Workshop Session topics:

• Embedding EfS In Your University
• Curriculum Enrichment for Sustainability Education
• Staff engagement for Sustainability
• Green IT & eWaste and the SUSTE-IT Tool

Concurrent Session Topics (4 topics per session):

• Lessons on the Lawn: designing for informal learning at Jefferson’s campus
• Sustainable Catering and Event Guides: development, implementation and lessons learned
• Making Sustainability a belief not a behaviour
• Developing the sustainability literacy of engineers
• Embedding Sustainability Values in Higher Education Business Programs in Australia
• Capabilities for applied sustainability in professional practice: what are they and how can they be developed?
• The Australian Response to EfS: where from and where to?
• A group approach to embedding sustainability within a Degree Curriculum: collaborative, creative, iterative
• Bridging the Sustainability Divide: collaborative projects for TBL sustainability
• Environmentally sustainable procurement
• Education for Sustainability: accrediting, pedagoging and facilitating
• Student engagement through EfS and professional learning

Discussion Panel and Closing Remarks:

• Professor Petra Wend
• Andrew Chamberlain
• Leanne Denby
• Professor John Fien
• Dr Debra Rowe

“If it’s opulence you’re seeking, Melbourne has an abundance of luxury and boutique hotels. Or, if you crave a home away from home, serviced apartments allow you to spread out in style and comfort. If you’re travelling on a budget, the city’s network of clean guesthouses and backpacker hostels have wide appeal. Whatever your preference, Melbourne has an accommodation option to suit your budget and travelling style”

- Experience Melbourne

To help you find a place to stay in the city, visit the official Melbourne website to check out featured accomodation.

Alternatively, click here to see a map of several accommodation options in the heart of the city, all located in close proximity to the three hosting institutions. Simply click the blue points to view specific accommodation and contact details.