Escaping Silos…

Through our research, the Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering (SSEE) conference committee has discovered that engineering’s excitement and passion about sustainability extends to a commitment to understanding what is going on in the broader industry.

What is unique is the level of excitement around sustainability when we are action-oriented as well as looking outside the engineering industry to Escape the Silo!

SSEE 2011 Conference contends that only by ‘escaping silos’ of traditional frameworks is it possible to implement the sustainable outcomes that full-scale industry collaboration can deliver. ‘Escaping Silos’ offers a unique opportunity to effect change and through engagement, demonstrate leadership in the implementation of sustainability.

More than a Conference

‘Escaping Silos’ will showcase pragmatic examples of actions that have overcome change resistance and the elements that contributed to the breakthroughs. 

The Queensland (Qld) SSEE conference committee recently hosted a series of workshops in in the lead up to their 2011 international conference to engage with the market. The workshops attracted over 100 key industry experts including CEO’s; Government Officials; Engineers; Planners; Architects; and Academics. The workshops identified five key themes impacting the engineering sustainability leadership potential and, further developed, could lead to a very real sustainable ‘leap forward’.

• Education as a foundation - acquiring formal and long term sustainability skills;
• Socioeconomic imperatives impacting sustainability – measuring wellness;
• Integrated solutions – practical learning in cross disciplinary teams;
• Leadership Engineering – influencing stakeholders and broader society; and
• Overcoming resistance - structuring conversation and pragmatic action around change.

The conference will adopt this general framework to take a closer look at what is influencing the way we undertake and execute projects – and through this how we shape our industrial and social communities.

From the Chair

What are our societies missing in our sustainability vision towards the future? What would the next generations have liked you to have done this decade? And how are you contributing to making it happen?

    Following on from the 2009 SSEE International Conference 'Solutions for a Sustainable Planet’, planning has begun for the next biennial conference to be held in Queensland in October 2011.

As the peak Australian forum for sustainability, the 2011 SSEE International Conference will be a platform event for sustainability executives and practitioners, engaging engineering, science, management and related disciplines. Inspired by the WorldCafe© networking style, the 2011 SSEE International Conference aims to harness the power of conversation for enhanced business, environmental, ethical and social value.

    Through the lens of human to earth systems linkages, a variety of sustainability strategies, models, partnerships and actions will be showcased. In particular, local and global issues of interconnectedness acrossprofessions, industry sectors and communities will be explored.

    A diverse and enthusiastic organising committee for the 2011 SSEE International Conference is busy working on setting up the framework for the conference and gathering excellent key note speakers. We are also organising a series of conversations leading up to the Conference. These conversations will discuss the sustainability trends that are shaping our industries and communities, as well as the opportunities that can be harnessed to build robust green economies. 

    The first one of such conversations was the Sustainability Vision Workshop - A way forward for 2011, held in Brisbane, Wednesday 10^th March 2010. The purpose of the workshop was to canvas and absorb the views of key thinkers whose approaches and actions are part of our global direction on sustainability, the Sustainability Vision Workshop used innovative techniques to aggregate, filter and connect participant ideas and conceptual frameworks.

    The second converstion was workshop directed towards young professionals titled Future Directions in Sustainability which was held on 19 May 2010.  The theme of this workshop was How can future generations work together to share a sustainabilty vision. A shared vision of an attractive future within the constraints of sustainability principles promotes innovation and creative tension in our efforts to initiate a journey from our current unsustainable reality to a desired sustainable state.

    The workshops were seeking proactive contribution to establish key sustainability themes coming up to 2011 and to assist us in defining key directions for the SSEE International Conference. Some of the themes identified are to be discussed in this blog.

    Lastly, in alignment with the collaborative and participatory approach of the conference, the SSEE 2011 Conference Organising Committee is very much interested in your feedback and opinion. Also, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time with provocative ideas and valuable insights to help make this event a success.

 

Gloria Vega

Chair of SSEE 2011 Conference Organising Committee