Despite decades of warnings about the consequences of unchecked carbon emissions and ecological destruction, global governments and industries have broadly continued with business as usual. Following last year’s IPCC report declaring that only 12 years remain before a catastrophic climate tipping point, the world has been shaken by thousands of mass civilian uprisings. Their demands are simple: tell the truth and act now. The house is on fire. Business as usual is no longer an option.
40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint arises from construction & property. As AGMs and project sites are disrupted by ever-increasing numbers of vocal activists, what is the future for our industry? How can we act decisively to not just survive, but thrive?
This workshop will explore how we arrived at this point in history, what opportunities and risks face us, and how we can adapt current business models to embrace the new future of climate and ecological concern.
This session is for anyone who wishes to be an agent of change within their organisation, from board members and business owners, to graduates and trainees. This is a highly practical session that will ask you to consider your current organisation and activities in detail. In order to gain the most benefit from the session, we will send out a questionnaire and list of information to be gathered in advance for your use in the workshop.
Programme:
- 6:15 – Registration
- 6:30 – Seminar Start – please note, the seminar will start promptly.
- 9:00 – Networking, feedback & refreshments
- 9:30 – Departure
The session will be facilitated by Georgia Elliott-Smith, Director of Element 4 Ltd.
Georgia Elliott-Smith started her career at Bovis in 1995 as one of the first Environmental Managers in the UK construction industry. Career highs include winning Young Achiever of the Year at the Building Awards, being made a UN Special Junior Envoy for Youth & the Environment following an expedition to Antarctica, and becoming one of the world’s first Chartered Environmentalists. In 2003, she established sustainability consultancy Element 4 and has worked with clients including LandSec, Deloitte, Accenture, ARM and DEFRA to deliver more sustainable projects and business practices. A critic of traditional approaches to environmental management and CSR, Georgia has developed an approach she calls “disruptive sustainability” – dumping the KPI’s, burning the endless reports (recovering the energy, of course) and making sustainability everyone’s job.
Host of the Enviro Mental podcast and frequent media contributor, Georgia will lead a lively practical workshop that shakes up what you think you know about sustainable business.”
Element 4 are sustainability strategists, working to make places healthier, happier and more environmentally-sustainable. Working with private and public sector clients.