geoffs inspiring presentation on sustainability leadership and community engagement

1. > Sustainable Councils
Conference 2009
Geoffrey Gourley
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009

2. turnmegreen.com.au
Sustainable Councils 2009
1. Sustainability Innovation
2. Inspired Leadership
3. Community Engagement
Sustaina-what? – definition of sustainability
Sustainability Innovation – it started 1000 years ago
Inspired Leadership – not born leaders but leaders made
Community Engagement – already doing it

3. SUSTAINA-WHAT?
Conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity
Constant natural capital and sustainable income
Ensuring intragenerational (within generations) and
intergenerational (across generations) equity
Activities, social equity, community engagement and
participation which deliver results.

4. SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION
1000 years of Innovation
Australia leads in Innovation
What is Innovation anyway?
Lets get Real about Sustainable Innovation

5. INSPIRED LEADERSHIP
First hand experience
The making of great leaders
Leadership qualities
12 points to inspired leadership

6. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community engagement is not new!
Engagement achieving real results
Engaging with youth – 100 % of our future
Communicating sustainability

7. SUMMARY & HOMEWORK
Sustainability Innovation
1. Identify where and how to apply sustainability innovation
Inspired Leadership
2. Identify and develop your inspired vision leaders
Community Engagement
3. Engage the community at all levels and achieve real results

8. Lead, develop and influence business and
community to a sustainable future
FURTHER INFORMATION
T: 0434 185 933
E: geoffgourley@bigpond.com
W: www.turnmegreen.com.au
www.geoffgourley.com.au
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009

9. Article: Sustainable Councils Conference 2009 - presentation notes
Date: 7 May 2009
Author: Geoffrey Gourley
Additional: Presentation
1. Introduction
Thank you.
I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the Traditional Owners of this land. I would
also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present of the KULIN Nation and extend that respect
to other Aboriginals present.
Following on from Alan Pears, and as your last presenter it is my hope you leave here today with new found
strategies, improved understanding, positive and motivated attitudes that lead contribute to the development of
Sustainable Councils. And I have some home work for you.
As one of Australia’s Sustainability Leaders I have been invited to speak to you to this afternoon about a number
of topics directly related to local councils.
Rather than take off my watch and, in less than 20 Mins, try to cover exhaustive topics around local councils and
sustainability, I have decided to give you all a reprieve… from my environmentalist, futurist and sometime out
there rants on the sustainable prosperity of mothership earth and how globally, we are out of control.
However, I will be presenting a brief outline of 3 key elements which are essential if local councils are to not only
st
meet but exceed the sustainability expectations, targets and principles of the 21 century.
The key elements are…
• Sustainability Innovation
• Inspired Leadership
• Community Engagement
These elements are focussed around achieving real action.
2. Lets take a minute to dive into Sustaina-what ?
A number of common principles are embedded in most definitions of sustainability:
These are
• The conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity
• constant natural capital and sustainable income
• ensuring intRAgenerational (within generations) and intERgenerational (across generations) equity
• It is recognising and responding to global circumstances at a local level
• It is dealing cautiously with risk, uncertainty and irreversibility
• It is ensuring appropriate valuation of environmental assets
• It is integration of environmental, social and economic goals in policies
and
• it is the activities, social equity, community engagement and participation which deliver results.
-End Section-
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009 turnmegreen.com.au

10. 3. Sustainability Innovation
Innovation has, for a long time, been a part of the Australian culture, Well before Federation in 1901, Australians
demonstrated how innovative they were.
Thousands of years ago, Indigenous Australians developed tools like fish traps, boomerangs and woomeras to
assist with hunting. They lived in harmony with nature using the native flora and fauna as a source of food and
medicine.
IN
1901: Federation Wheat
William Farrer released the Federation wheat strain, resistant to fungal rust disease and drought.
1928: Speedo Swimwear (great if you are an Olympic swimmer)
This swimwear originated in Sydney when the MacRae Knitting Mills manufactured the company’s first
swimsuit, the razorback, made from silk and joined in the middle of the back. Speedo introduced the
world’s first nylon swimsuit in 1957.
1953: Solar Water Heater
The first prototype of a solar water heater was developed at CSIRO in Victoria.
1979: Race Cam
A lightweight, fixed camera used in car racing and other sports broadcasts was developed by Australian
engineer, Geoff Healey.
1985: World’s Most Efficient Solar Cells
Dr Stuart Wenham and Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales produced the
world’s first 20% efficient solar cell.
2000: Biodegradable Packaging
The Cooperative Research Centre for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science developed
new biodegradable packaging materials based on starch.
What is Innovation?
An innovation can be big or small. Brand-new or just a bit different, it doesn’t matter. An innovation can be clearly
complex or seemingly simple. Innovations are often thought of in terms of technical achievement, but can also be
a design.
The presence of a genius can help with innovation – it may speed up the end result by having a person who can
see and make the future happen. However, innovation is more than the work of any one “Einstein.” Innovation
involves the taking of the work of an individual (or team) and taking it to a broader audience.
The future of many organisations depends upon their ability to innovate. Competition is fierce. Knowledge
spreads quickly. The ability of an organisation to not only keep up with its current practices, but to exceed its own
– and its peers – expectations are critical to success.
What Is “Real” Innovation?
“Real” Innovation does not happen haphazardly or sporadically within organizations. “Real” Innovation is
accomplished consistently and systematically, given the true need and a process for delivering solutions.
Organisations that innovate successfully do so using an efficient and repeatable methodology. Success is not
dependent upon genius – it emerges from the disciplined application of a proven innovation methodology.
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009 turnmegreen.com.au

11. Homework
1. Identify areas where you can apply sustainability innovation in your local council
Have a Sustainability Management Plan for now and the future
Offer an Eco Centre for community and business development
Understand current environmental performance and future goals
Share innovations with other councils
-End Section-
4. Inspired Leadership
Last year I successfully completed a Fellowship in Sustainability Leadership, a program which was delivered by
the 2008 Environment Minister's Young Environmentalist of the Year Award recipient Larissa Brown.
Inspired leadership is evident, yet, it is not evident everywhere, a positive approach is to develop inspired
sustainability leadership within local councils.
It is my belief leaders are not born but they are identified, developed and made.
A good leader knows when it is time to change shape because they are highly attentive to those around them.
Coming from a position of strength, a great leader takes risks by freeing up the creative genius in their followers to
build their capability and multiply the talents of the organisation. This leads to community and greatness.
It is true that inspired leaders share a number of qualities…
Some of which are…
Integrity Collaboration
Courageous Consistent
Conscious Creative
Understanding Caring
Cooperation Capable
Innovation Sense of humour
• Model integrity, what does integrity look like to you?
• Cooperate with the best in your people
• Foster a collaborative working environment
• Unleash team capability by empowerment through equality in responsibility and authority
• Be conscious and present with your team
• Encourage creativity with brainstorming
• Work with your team to bring innovation and best practices to your organisation
• Balance caring in the choices you make that effect your organisation
• Embracing paradigm shifts through courage and continually advance your corporate vision
• Remain consistent in demonstrating principles of leadership you wish others to emulate.
• Balance understanding with expectations on deadlines when the circumstances dictate
• Laugh at yourself and laugh freely and openly with your leadership team?
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009 turnmegreen.com.au

12. We need Inspiring, venturous leadership to connect caring communities, caring
people to begin influencing cultural, behavioral and attitudinal changes at local council level.
Leadership is needed across all sectors of business and in all types of communities, urban, regional, outback,
beachside, farming, high country every corner of Australia needs leaders who are visionaries, leaders who care,
leaders who can act, leaders that understand, leaders who make changes and leaders who want to shape our
future.
I call them ‘Inspired Vision Leaders’
Your homework
1. Identify and develop your inspired vision leaders.
-End Section-
5. Community Engagement
Community engagement is certainly not new; in my research leading up to today it is clear many local councils
have fantastic, all encompassing community engagement strategies, principles, goals, commitments and
programs, it must be true it’s on their web sites.
I then considered how local councils were engaging with their local community with regard to sustainability,
environment, planning and emissions reductions.
Nope, no alarm bells ringing here either pretty much the same lots of positive information being generated and
communicated with the words sustainability, environment emissions reduction.
The findings have lead me to believe local councils already know how to effectively engage with the community,
in fact in some councils that what they do best, but I then considered diving a bit deeper and asked myself the
following questions.
• At what level does local council engage with the community and what real results have been achieved?
• Has the community’s youth been fully engaged or has the focus been around ratepayers and business?
Lets consider the first question with a positive approach ‘how better can local council engage with community’
around sustainability.
Communities need Eco Centres, that is a specific facility people can visit to gain information, talk with local
experts, attend workshops, get an insight into the Whys and Hows of sustainable practices. This is more than just
handing out low flow shower heads; it is about educating people about sustainable living practices and changing
their behaviours and setting new paradigms around sustainable communities.
You have heard it before but the built environment contributes greatly to global carbon emissions, through
effective community engagement local councils have the opportunity to change this. A community eco centre can
be a hub for sustainability, a demonstration of green building and ESD principals, a community garden, the people
behind it can be inspired leaders of the community effecting a major shift toward a sustainable culture.
Now the second point I wish to focus on is the engagement of the communities’ youth, Remember - you were
young once.
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009 turnmegreen.com.au

13. Put yourself in Gen Ys' shoes; this is uncomfortable I know, and there are plenty of unknowns. Lots of things are
changing around them, and they are neither fully aware of the rationale - nor in control of - those things changing.
Even in times of more positive change, the first to buy in are those who either:
1. Control / direct the change, or
2. Are experiencing change that is positive to them personally
Cut them a break - you're not always easy to live with either.
Remember? Our youth are trying to perform, succeed, and persevere – they deserve our respect.
Those who aren't? Well, now's a good time for a change - it has never been more important than during
challenging social, environmental and economic times. We all need to pull our weight – the quicker we can get
youth who care into positions of influence the faster we will become sustainable communities?
Your homework
1. Engage with all members of the community and at all levels and achieve real results.
6. Closing
In closing I would like to recap your homework requirements, remember your local community will be checking
your performance.
1. Identify areas where you can apply sustainability innovation in your local council
Develop an efficient and repeatable methodology and create a culture of innovation. Remember an organisations
ability to exceed its own – and its peers – expectations are critical to success.
2. Identify and develop your inspired vision leaders.
We need Inspiring, venturous leadership to connect caring communities, caring
people to begin influencing cultural, behavioral and attitudinal changes at local council level.
3. Engage with all members of the community, at all levels and achieve real results.
Review your community engagement plan and ensure sustainability initiatives, principals and goals have been
included and ensure your strategies are designed to deliver real results. Build a community Eco Centre become a
leading local council.
That concludes my presentation, I would like to thank you for your time and please enjoy the remainder of the
conference.
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-End Presentation-
-Q&A-
*References were used in researching this presentation.
© Geoffrey Gourley 2009 turnmegreen.com.au