Step beyond the baseline at Green Cities 2014

In February 2007, the rising stars of Australia’s sustainability industry gathered in Sydney for the nation’s first conference devoted to green building, Green Cities.

At the time, just 26 building projects around the nation had achieved Green Star ratings. Each and every one of these projects was a commercial office.

There were no Green Star-rated schools, hospitals, apartments, factories, libraries or community centres.

Not one Green Star-rated building had been designed or constructed away from the Eastern Seaboard.

Only two projects had achieved 6 Star Green Star ‘World Leadership’ status.

Many of today’s iconic green building projects - from the glittering tower of 1 Bligh Street in Sydney to the world’s greenest convention centre in Melbourne - were years away from completion.

Today, 20% of our city office space is Green Star-rated. Hundreds of buildings, from restaurants to retirement living villages, and from hotels to hospitals, are gaining Green Star certification each year.

In seven years, we’ve moved beyond buildings and are looking at how to address the sustainability of entire communities and cities.

We’ve moved beyond the design and construction of new buildings to look at the sustainable performance of our existing stock.

We’ve stepped beyond the baseline - but where do we go now?

Certainly, how we talk about sustainability is changing. Green Cities 2014, from 18-19 March in Melbourne, will explore why business leaders are beginning to think about sustainability not as a technical challenge, but a strategic approach that can improve productivity, health and wellbeing. Leading green thinkers from organisations as diverse as Mirvac, Lend Lease, the Hickory Group and ISPT will be diving deep into the strategies that have taken their organisations beyond the baseline.

The conference will also examine how we create cities that are sustainable AND liveable. Kent Larson, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab’s Changing Places group, will explore how his team is breaking the mould to find better ways for people to live, work and play in our ever-expanding cities. From stackable, electric cars to tiny, TARDIS-like apartments, Larson’s innovations seem futuristic, but may be just around the corner. As Larson says: “Cities are places for people. There is no reason why we can’t dramatically improve the livability and creativity of our cities while also dramatically reducing our emissions and energy usage.” Larson’s innovative thinking is proving that a sustainable approach can deliver more, not less.

Green Cities will also explore the biggest market opportunity yet - retrofitting and regenerating our existing buildings. Pioneering regeneration projects around the world - from Stockholm to Singapore, and from Portland to Pittsburg - are reviving tired inner-city spaces and reimagining the economic and social potential of entire communities. For many sustainability specialists, stepping beyond the baseline will mean embracing smart strategies that breathe new life into old buildings and reinvigorate tired communities - and thinking.

Green Cities 2014

18-19 March 2014

Grand Hyatt, Melbourne

www.greencities.org.au