New Updates

VEIL creates interactive map of urban food production

As part of its focus on food, the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) has created a map of urban food production in Melbourne. The map aims to record the food production occurring in Melbourne's community gardens, market gardens, shared private gardens, public spaces and other spaces. Along the way, it aims to provide evidence that food production does indeed occur within Melbourne, evidence which could lead to greater policy support for urban food production. The map is online at http://veilmap.sustainablemelbourne.com/, and anyone is able to add or edit the information it contains. VEIL is one of acsis's major projects.

Climate in a (Business) Day - acsis hosts an intensive seminar for senior executives

The Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI), an acsis major project, is holding an intensive one-day seminar for senior executives in business and government, on October 8. The event will help participants understand climate science, carbon markets, emissions trading schemes and the implications of moving towards a low carbon economy. It is being jointly hosted by the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry, the global leader in designing, developing and delivering leadership learning around sustainability. For more information, including early bird registration fees, click here.

Climate mitigation and adaptation project gets positive response in Asia

acsis Director Prof Jim Falk recently visited Asia to further develop the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies research program (CMAS) which he is jointly directing with Lisa Schaffer of the University of California San Diego. He reported to the board meeting of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities World Institute, in Tokyo, where progress in the program was received very positively. The program was also used as an example of the strong potential of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities in discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda at the dinner in celebration of the 150 years anniversary of Keio University. Prof Falk also travelled to China. He visited Tianjin - one of the case study cities for the CMAS project - and met with senior government officials. In Beijing he met with Prof Ye Qi, Director of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University and leader of the Chinese research team for the CMAS project. They further developed the collaboration, especially in relation to governance issues associated with meeting climate change challenges around water and energy in the case study cities.

Prof Ryan on the future of manufacturing

acsis Co-Director Chris Ryan will be in the UK in early July, discussing and presenting on the future of manufacturing in a world with a changing climate and a shrinking oil supply. On July 4-6 he will be attending 'an invited conference on industrial innovation' at Churchill College Cambridge, along with 14 other professors from universities in 12 countries. The Cambridge meeting is to develop a framework for the Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing's program "Developing Sustainable Approaches to DESIGN- MAKE -SERVE". It also aims to develop a position paper for the UK Manufacturing Professors Conference, which follows in London on July 7-9. Prof Ryan will be giving a keynote presentation in the opening session on a paradigm change in global manufacturing, and will argue for a distributed systems re-organisation based on the model which underpins the "Re-Design" vision of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab project.

Sustainable Melbourne blog rated "great"

The reviewers at Blogged.com recently reviewed the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab's SustainableMelbourne.com blog, and evaluated it for frequency of updates, relevance of content, site design and writing style. The conclusion was 8.3 out of 10, which Blogged.com themselves say is "quite an achievement". Congratulations go to coordinator Ferne and her two tech-savvy assistants, Simon and Wynne.

VEIL food report making headlines

The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) has recently released a major report: Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria: What do we know? What do we need to know? The report looks at both the sometimes alarming challenges to security and sustainability of the food system, and some of the opportunities for technological and social innovation. It has gained the attention of the media, with coverage including articles in The Age, the Herald Sun and the Shepparton News and an interview on 3AW radio. For more information on the report and downloads of the full version and executive summary, click here. VEIL is an acsis major project.

VEIL holds eco-innovation seminar

The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) conducted an Eco-Innovation Seminar on the 17th of April. Lectures were given by a diverse group of experts aimed at informing academic design staff within Victoria’s universities of the challenges and opportunities of eco-innovation. The seminar sessions were open to all design academics within the universities. Seminar presenters included international and local experts from a diverse range of disciplines, including Peter Harper, Director of Research and Innovation at the Center for Alternative Technologies (CAT) in the UK.

acsis leading Pacific rim project on water, climate and cities

Following Prof Jim Falk's involvement in the the Association of Pacific Rim Universities World Institute (APRU-WI) in 2007, acsis is now leading the APRU-WI Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies research program, jointly with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, USA. Works is currently underway in preparation for the program's first project, which will look at the supply and use of water in the context of climate change and urban sustainability, in a number of Pacific rim cities, including Melbourne.

acsis office move - new address and phone numbers

As part of its move into the Faculty of Land and Food Resources, acsis has moved offices. It's new mailing address is:

Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society (

)
Level 1, 221 Bouverie St
University of Melbourne VIC 3010

Email addresses have remiained the same, but all landline phone numbers have changed. For more information contact the centre's enquiries number on +61 3 8344 9266.

How do we harness creativity for a sustainable future? Free public lecture with sustainability expert Han Brezet

acsis would like to invite you to the following ECO-LEAD event:

How do we harness creativity for a sustainable future?
Design, Innovation, Opportunities and Dilemmas – A view from The Netherlands
A free public lecture by Professor Han Brezet Head, Design for Sustainability (D4S), Technical University of Delft; City Innovator, Rotterdam; TV Judge, 'Best Ideas of the Netherlands'

Prof Brezet’s work has supported many famous new products and entrepreneurial activities: the Rotterdam Sustainable Dance Club; Formula Zero (hydrogen fuel cell racing); the Friesland Solar-boat Challenge; the Mitka for Nike; portable electric vehicles; SustainableRotterdam.com; home biogas generators; bamboo products... In the Netherlands, as in Australia, the reality of climate change is shifting the focus of design and innovation from eco-products to new services, new institutions new life-styles and to greater engagement of the community in re-inventing the future.

Wednesday 6 February 2008
6pm to 7.30pm (followed by drinks)
Carillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne
(Swanston Street, opposite end of Faraday Street, Carlton - campus maps are available here).

Please RSVP by Friday 1 February 2008 to Sustainable Melbourne Coordinator, Ferne Edwards at fedwards@ unimelb.edu.au.

Professor Chris Ryan keynote speaker at InnoAsia 07

acsis co-director Professor Ryan was the keynote speaker at the InnoAsia 07 conference in Hong Kong on December 10. The focus of the conference, which formed the opening day of the week long Design in Business Forum, was "innovation for sustainability". Professor Ryan's paper, "From eco-design to eco-innovation: the coming decade of transformation", focused on the radical transformations in products, services and systems of production and consumption which will be required to address the issue of climate change and achieve a sustainable future. Professor Ryan gave many examples of such transformations from the projections of the the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab, an acsis major project which is working with Monash and RMIT to develop visions of a sustainable Victoria/Melbourne in 25 years' time. Presentations at the conference were given by Toyota, Sanyo Solar, Frog Design, IDEO, Vectrix and Dr Sarah Liao, former Secretary of the Environment for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The InnoAsia conference was simulcast to several venues at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. The Business of Design Forum (in partnership with Italy) attracts over 10,000 delegates.

Dutch "City Innovator" to visit Melbourne

Han Brezet holds the unique position of City Innovator for Rotterdam in the Netherlands, a role which involves facilitating the development of new and interesting ideas and "innovations", particularly around sustainability. He will be visiting Melbourne in early February as part of the ECO-LEAD series, which is jointly hosted by acsis's Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab, the City of Melbourne and Sustainability Victoria, and features leading thinkers on eco-innovation from around the world. Besides being City Innovator, Professor Brezet is also head of the Design for Sustainability program at the Technical University of Delft, which is one of the world's leading universities in the field of industrial design. And finally, he is one of the judges on the Best Ideas of the Netherlands TV show - a reality TV program which is like a cross between The Inventors and Australian Idol. Professor Brezet will be giving a public lecture at the University of Melbourne on February 6. Further details will be posted on this website in the near future.

It's been a big year...

2007 has been a big year for acsis, with both the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) and the Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI) growing from their infancy to full running projects. VEIL has successfully run a series of Hubs and studios, bringing students, academics and designers together to work on innovative design ideas for sustainability. It has also played an impressive networking and information-sharing role, through the Sustainable Cities Round Tables and website. The project will be presenting some of the student work to the public next year, as well as hosting famous Dutch designer Han Brezet as part of the ECO-LEAD program. CASPI has brought together climate researchers from across the university for a series of research reports for government, as well as for a Climate Institute report which received considerable media attention. At the same time, acsis has been busy working with the Association of Pacific Rim Universities on climate change, carrying out a project on energy security, writing research publications, and more. Stay tuned for more news in 2008.

François Jégou "radical innovation" presentations now online

François Jégou of Brussels-based design research company Solutioning recently visited acsis as part of the ECO-LEAD series, which brings leading international thinkers on eco-innovation to Australia. Video footage of his short presentation at the Sustainable Cities Round Table/Future Melbourne Forum is available on the Sustainable Melbourne website, while audio of his 1.5 hour lecture on "radical innovation" is available here.

Chris Ryan in Sweden for MISTRA "Innovative Ideas for the Envionment"

Prof Chris Ryan is in Sweden in October 2007 for the third annual assessment of the MISTRA "Innovative Ideas for the Environment". MISTRA is Sweden's environmental research funding agency, with most of its large annual expenditure going to multi-university programs in fundamental research. The Innovative Ideas program sets out to support novel and risky research and innovation projects that could have very significant impact on resolving environmental problems. Over $1m is allocated each year to around four selected applicants to concentrate on their innovative ideas for 3-4 years. MISTRA expects a high failure rate but believes the investment to be worth it. An international panel on which Prof Ryan sits meets twice a year to select applicants in a two stage process. Announcements for the current round will be made in March 2008.

ECO-LEAD lecture: Radical innovation for sustainable lifestyles

A business-as-usual future is unsustainable. As we come to appreciate the challenges of climate change it is clear that the task of creating a sustainable economy requires more than incremental improvements in environmental efficiency, it demands radical innovation. François Jégou gave a free public lecture on 'Radical innovation for sustainable lifestyles: European approaches to design and scenario building' on November 1, in the Prince Philip Theatre. François was the first visitor in the ECO-LEAD series, which brings leading international thinkers on eco-innovation to Australia. ECO-LEAD is organised by Sustainability Victoria and acsis's Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab. For more informaion on François and his presentation, click here.

Chris Ryan at the European Eco-Design Awards

Prof Chris Ryan will be a judge and a keynote speaker at the European Eco-Design Awards of the European Design Academy, sponsored by Dyson industries. The program of judging and a one day conference will take place in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, on the 25th and 26th of October 2007.

CASPI busy bringing together climate researchers

The Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI, an acsis major project) has been busy in recent weeks using its wide range of climate experts in a series of research projects for government. It has recently won two tenders for work for the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, in support of a major climate project known as the Garnaut Review. CASPI has nearly 100 research associates from across the University of Melbourne, allowing it to bring together extensive expertise from different backgrounds and faculties.

Eco-Innovation Lab works on neighbourhood renewal in Hastings

RMIT 4th year architecture students participating in design subjects for the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) are having their designs put to work in a neighbourhood renewal project in Hastings, on the Mornington Peninsula. The students have been meeting with local residents, members of the neighbourhood renewal program and staff and students of Hastings Westpark Primary, to develop a sustainable urban design strategy for the town. As part of the project, two students are designing a community garden for the primary school, and are currently applying for the garden to be a part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Gardens program. Other students are looking at local transport solutions, localised food production and use of public space, and reuse and recycling of materials within the local community. The group is one of nine student gorups participating in VEIL this semester. Some of the most exciting designs from this batch of student work will be selected at the end of the year for further development by professional designers, as part of VEIL's goal to capture industry and the public's imagination on sustainable futures. VEIL is an acsis major project, and more information on its activities can be found at www.ecoinnovationlab.com.

Sustainable Cities Round Table footage now online

Sustainable Melbourne has been filming the speakers who present at the Sustainable Cities Round Tables to share their exciting ideas on sustainability in Melbourne. To see VicUrban speaking on 'creating a carbon neutral community with the lights on', Environment Victoria speaking on local sustainable transport action, or FlexiCar speaking on car sharing, and more, go to www.sustainablemelbourne.com and select the 'Sustainable Cities Round Table' button at the top of the screen. Sustainable Melbourne is part of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL), which is an acsis major project.

Sustainable Melbourne hosts its third Sustainabe Cities Round Table

Sustainable Melbourne has been hosting regular Sustainable Cities Round Tables to enhance collaboration between key stakeholders in urban sustainability while brainstorming new ideas and connections to further sustainability within Melbourne. The project's third Round Table will be held on September 12 2007, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne's Future Melbourne forums. The event will focus on urban water issues.
Speakers will include:
Dr Rebekah Brown, Program Leader - National Urban Water Governance Program, School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University;
Dr Grace Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Water Resources, Monash University;
Ms Mary Crooks, Executive Director of the Victorian Women's Trust & Project Director, Watermark Australia project;
Ms Sheridan Blunt, Sustainable Water Program Coordinator, City of Melbourne;
Mr Chris Chesterfield, Melbourne Water;
Mr Mike Hill, Director and part proprietor, WestWyck Pty Ltd.

To attend this event, please email Ferne Edwards at fedwards@ unimelb.edu.au for an invitation. Seats are limited. Sustainable Melbourne is part of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL), which is an acsis major project.

Presentations online: dispelling the myths about climate change science

PowerPoint presentations and video footage of the 'Dispelling the myths about climate change science' public lecture are now available on the website of the Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI, an acsis major project). See below for details of the lecture, or click here to be taken to directly to the CASPI website.

Free lecture: dispelling the myths about climate change science

A free public lecture presented by the Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI, an acsis major project), featuring the university’s leading climate scientists examining the reality of climate change.
Friday 17 August
12:30 – 2:00pm
Harold White Theatre, Arts Centre Building
The University of Melbourne

Lies, damn lies and statistics - Prof David Karoly on what is really causing climate change

Emissions reduction targets - Prof Ian Enting on where they come from

Tropical cyclones and other extreme weather events - Assoc Prof Kevin Walsh on whether they are becoming more intense

For more information see www.caspi.unimelb.edu.au or call 8344 4708. Bookings not required.

Climate Change and Rural Health one day seminar procedings available

CASPI (an acsis major project) and the Menzies Foundation held the following event on August 22:

Climate Change and Rural Health
A seminar on the challenge of climate change for rural and regional Victoria

What will the impact of climate change be on the well-being of people in rural and regional Victoria? How should this be affecting future policy and research agendas? These questions were addressed by experts from universities, government and community organisations in this one day seminar.

The Menzies Foundation is compiling a CD of the proceedings. For more information, go to www.menziesfoundation.org.au.

For more information on the seminar, go to www.caspi.unimelb.edu.au.

Take part in Sustainable Melbourne

The Sustainable Melbourne website, which showcases sustainable initiatives in Melbourne, is looking for people to participate in the site by posting news items and making comments. To find out how, or to simply read about some of the exciting sustainability news in Melbourne, visit www.sustainablemelbourne.com. acsis staff member Ferne Edwards, who works hard at coordinating the site, can also supply more information. Contact her at fedwards@ unimelb.edu.au.

First eco-design ideas hot off the press

The first group of students participating in acsis's Victorian
Eco-Innovation Lab have just finished spending a semester coming up with
possible sustainable futures for Victorians. One such studios is a first
and second year design studio from RMIT which has been exploring how the
suburb of East Brunswick, in northern Melbourne might transform.
Speculative visions include designs range from transforming bike paths
along Merri Creek to water collection devices, to using nanotechnology
"weaving" techniques to return to Brunswick's history of textile
production. The VEIL team will participate in end of semester presentations
at the University of Melbourne, Monash University and RMIT. Key designs
visions will be selected from these presentations and further developed by
a "Post-Production Panel" of professional designers working with the
students, before being exhibited to the public. The Victorian
Eco-Innovation Lab is an acsis project which aims to open up the
eco-innovation space, by developing seductive andrealisable new concepts
for sustainable products, services, built environments and lifestyles.

Symposium on greenhouse and sustainable energy now online

The Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy symposium and book launch, hosted by acsis on 30/5/07 and featuring Dr Mark Diesendorf and Alan Pears, can now be download as an audio file by clicking here. Dr Diesendorf teaches and researches ecologically sustainable development and greenhouse solutions at the Institute of Environmental Studies (IES) at UNSW. The event launched his book, Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy. Alan Pears is an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University and a director of the environmental consultancy, Sustainable Solutions. He has worked in the sustainable energy field for three decades.

acsis to host European academics and students

The Masters in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, a course operated by four European universities and supported by the European Commission, has just received a grant from the European Commission to send academics and students to partner universities around the world. As a partner in the program, acsis is happy to announce that it will soon be hosting a three month visit by an expert from Lund University, Sweden, as well as possible visits from students in the future.

Professor Falk gives plenary presentation at UoM symposium

acsis Director Jim Falk was a plenary speaker at the School of Social and Environmental Enquiry's symposium on the impact of global warming, held at the University of Melbourne on April 20. He spoke on "the evolving challenge of atmospheric governance".

Professor Falk attends climate conference in San Diego

On April 4-6 2007, acsis Director Jim Falk attended the Association of Pacific Rim Universities World Institute Workshop on "Climate Change: Challenges and Strategies for Sustainable Citites", in San Diego, USA. Professor Falk facilitated a multi-disciplinary discussion on how academia can work more effectively with industry and local government to address climate change.

New EnergyScience fact sheet on renewables

www.energyscience.org.au has a new fact sheet on "The Base Load Fallacy". It argues that rather than being an "intermittant" source of energy, renewables are capable of supplying the steady base load energy currently provided by coal in much of Australia. The EnergyScience Coalition is a group of independent scientists which acsis helped to set up.

Climate initiative now has 52 research fellows, and growing

The Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI), a new research initiative at the University of Melbourne initiated by acsis, is growing steadily. It recently went live with its new website (www.caspi.unimelb.edu.au), and now has a total of 52 research fellows, with others being approached. CASPI is currently determing the University of Melbourne's capacity in climate research, and investigating future possibilities.

acsis seminar: "Making sustainable, useful science at the complex intersections of genomics, environment, and health"

Dr Peter Taylor, University of Massachusetts, Boston
1pm, Tuesday 20 March, 2007
Jim Potter Room, Old Physics Building, University of Melbourne

On what grounds do we have confidence that investment in genomics will lead to improvements in human health? What would we have to do to make useful science about genomics, environment, and health that is socially sustainable? This talk begins by examining critically two pieces of science that have underwritten genomic confidence: the use of neo-natal PKU diagnosis to initiate a dietary regime that prevents the otherwise debilitating condition of PKU; and the high heritability estimates for many human traits. This sets the scene for opening challenging questions about public policy and social agency in two emerging areas: environmental modulation of genes affecting human behavior; and longitudinal data collection for genetic and environmental exposures. At the end I reflect on the critical and constructive roles that social studies of science can play in influencing biomedical innovation and application in this era of genomics and of troubled state support for public health.

Peter Taylor directs the Science, Technology & Values and Critical & Creative Thinking Programs at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His work links conceptual and practical responses to, broadly speaking, complexity and change. Until recently he has drawn his case studies primarily from ecology and socio-environmental research (seeUnruly Complexity: Ecology, Interpretation, Engagement, U. Chicago Press, 2005). He is now examining biosocial epidemiological approaches that address the intersections of genes, environment, health, and development. For more info see www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt

Energy supply association gets it wrong on nuclear power

The EnergyScience Coalition, a group of independent scientists which acsis has helped set up, has criticised a report by the Energy Supply Association of Australia. The report proposed the introduction of nuclear power in Australia, and Dr Mark Diesendorf of the Energy Science Coalition accuses the report of having "unrealistic assumptions and results". The response to the report can be found on the energyscience.org.au website.

acsis initiates climate research proposal

Over the last few months, acsis has been involved in a proposal to start a new climate research centre at the University of Melbourne - the Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative (CASPI). The project recently won a $40,000 steering committee grant, to further develop the proposal. CASPI will bring together excellent research in the physical and social sciences to meet the local and global challenges of climate change. People internal to the University of Melbourne can find more information on the CASPI website, others can contact acsis director Jim Falk or Research Project Officer Roger Bodman.

First Hub of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab a success

The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) - an acsis project funded as part of the Victorian Government Sustainability Statement and the Sustainability Fund - started its first "Hub" on January 23, with a workshop bringing together government, design and architecture staff from participating universities, and researchers from the University of Melbourne. Using a mock cafe set up and some creative thinking, the Hub came up with some truly innovative visions for a sustainable future, which will form a starting point for students in design schools across Melbourne, who will participating in VEIL throughout semester one. The second VEIL Hub is scheduled to start in March and to run for several months.

Nuclear debate: energyscience.org.au gets extensive media coverage and 30,000 hits

energyscience.org.au, a website providing fact sheets by independent scientists, has found itself in the thick of the current debate on nuclear issues in Australia. The site went live on November 20 2006, one day before Howard's nuclear taskforce released its draft report, and received 30,000 hits in its first five days online, including 700MB of downloads. The EnergyScience Coalition also received extensive media coverage, including national television and radio and major newspapers. acsis has hosted the development of the EnergyScience website and Coalition, as a GEAN project (see below) to foster informed debate.

GEAN - the Group of Expert Advisors to NGOs - off to a flying start

acsis has taken a lead role in establishing the Group of Expert Advisors to NGOs, to improve the capacity of both non-government organisations and the public to engage with scientific and technological innovation issues. In November GEAN took on its first major project - linking up experts on energy science to resource the current debate on energy, nuclear power and climate change in Australia with factual information. This was done via the energyscience.org.au website, which received 30,000 hits and 700MB downloads, in its first five days online. The scientists involved have also received extensive media coverage (see above), achieving their goal of increasing the public's capacity to engage in informed debate. If you are interested in getting involved in GEAN, please contact acsis Director Jim Falk - jfalk@ unimelb.edu.au

energyscience.org.au and nuclear fact sheets now online

acsis is proud to annouce that energyscience.org.au is now online, and features a series of nuclear fact sheets by prominent scientists including acsis Director Professor Jim Falk. acsis has hosted the development of the EnergyScience website and organisation, as part of its commitment to informed debate on nuclear power and related issues.

How not to Travel Blindly into an Unknown Future: Dr Richard Slaughter on Methodologies for a National Foresight Strategy

Individuals regularly use their ideas about the future to shape their decisions. Societies, however, tend to do this badly. Director of Foresight International Dr Richard Slaughter has played a leading role in the founding and development of future studies in Australia as a rigorous methodology. On October 25 he presented an acsis seminar on methodologies needed to create a national foresight strategy. Such a strategy could play a central role in the development of policy and action needed to mitigate disasters, meet environmental and social challenges, and create constructive social innovation.

acsis publishes the first paper in the acsis Occasional Paper Series

acsis has decided to publish an occasional paper series, to bring expertise from some of the many acsis participants to a broader audience. The first of these papers, Forming new ICT clusters in Victoria, by acsis National Research Fellow Dr Bill Hall, is now available online.

acsis receives $1.5 million for Eco-Innovation Lab

acsis has recently received $1.5 million in funding as part of the Victorian Government Sustainability Statement and the Sustainability Fund, for an Eco-Innovation Lab for Victoria. In the face of accelerating environmental change, there is a real need to find new mechanisms to quickly 'open up the eco-innovation space'. The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab will bring design and architecture staff from participating universities, together with researchers from Melbourne University, into a 'research and scenario Hubs' to identify new eco-innovation opportunities. The Hubs' research and scenarios will be presented to design, engineering and architecture schools, to be explored by students and developed into seductive and realisable new concepts for sustainable products, services, built environments and lifestyles. Professional designers in Post-Production Workshops will then take the best of these ideas, and prepare them for presentation to industry and for exhibition. The Eco-Innovation lab will:
*Shape producers' and consumers' expectations about sustainable futures
*Harness the creative skills of hundreds of design students
*Maximise public media and industry exposure to new sustainable products, services, systems and lifestyles
*Stimulate new sustainable product innovation in Victoria
*Build capacity for appreciation of environmental issues and eco-innovation in the professionals who will shape our future.

For more information, contact project director Chris Ryan - cryan@ unimelb.edu.au.

Global Director of Corporate Environmental Affairs at IBM visits the University of Melbourne

From dispersed workforces to improved energy efficiency, innovation in IT has the potential to meet some of the sustainability challenges of the future. Edan Dionne, Global Corporate Environmental Affairs Director for computer giant IBM, visited the University of Melbourne on October 4, to speak on both the potential for IT to improve eco-efficiency, and the challenges of bringing sustainability to computer manufacture. This event was presented by acsis in conjunction with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Information Systems at Melbourne University.

Presentation by Prof Jim Falk on uranium enrichment

acsis director Jim Falk presented a session on uranium enrichment at the Beyond Nuclear Symposium held in Melbourne on September 15 and 16.

Presentation by Dr Andreas Truckenbrodt on the future of hybird car technology

acsis and the Banksia Environmental Foundation hosted Dr Truckenbrodt, Director of Hybird Powertrain Programs at DaimlerChrysler, in a presentation at Melbourne University on September 8 2006. Dr Truckenbrodt spoke on the potential of biofuel, hybrids, diesel and fuels to reduce the environmental impact of cars. The event was booked out.

The Energy Debate: Climate Change and Energy Options for Australia

This important and timely one day forum was organised by acsis on 23 August 2006 with the support of the Menzies Foundation. It addressed energy options for Australia's future in the context of climate change - is nuclear energy the answer, can fossil fuels be rendered clean, or do we need to seriously invest in renewable technologies using sun, wind and water? The Energy Debate brought together prominent thinkers from across the spectrum. To download the program please click here . A CD with audio and slides from the debate is available from the Menzies Foundation. Speakers' Powerpoint presentations may be downloaded by clicking here.

acsis Seminar on Distributed Energy Systems

A seminar titled: 'A new global case study in development, based on local, distributed energy systems' was organised on the 10th of April in the University of Melbourne. The speaker was Mr. Ray Morgan, Chief Executive, Woking Borough Council, UK. Click here for the presentation slides.

Final report to CEO of ARPANSA now available

Professor Jim Falk has submitted his report as a member of the Panel to advise the CEO of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) on the proposal to operate the new OPAL nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights. The report is available at the ARPANSA website.

Professor Falk appointed to Editorial Board of new journal.

Professor Jim Falk has been appointed to the Editorial Board of a new journal on the ethics of nanotechnology to be published by Springer. The first issue of this journal, Nanoethics: The Ethics of Technologies that Converge at the Nanoscale, will be published in 2007.

acsis in joint project with ICLEI on eco-innovative cities

acsis has been commissioned to take part in a joint project with ICLEI (the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) to be funded by Sustainability Victoria to work with 8 local Victorian councils to examine innovation in council services to bring about reductions in resource consumption within their constituencies. The project started in October 2005.

acsis joins panel to review submissions in replacement nuclear reactor licencing process

Professor Jim Falk has been commissioned by the Australian Radiation Protection And Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) to join a panel of three to review submissions to the agency at its Public Forum, as part of the ARPANSA licencing process for the new OPAL replacement nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia. See also ARPANSA Announcement.

acsis completes project for Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Australia

acsis has completed a project for Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria on “The top ten environmental issues for Victoria in the next fifteen years – views of the scientific community”. The project required acsis to do a horizon scan on the emerging environmental issues as seen by the scientific community.

acsis presentations in Europe and America

acsis Co-Director Professor Chris Ryan has recently made the following presentations:

Chris Ryan, “Beyond the product - from eco-design to eco-innovation", Green Engineering Conference, Washington.
Chris Ryan, “Environment and Health: New drivers for innovation and design”, Staff Research Seminar, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Technical University of DELFT.
Chris Ryan, “Paradigms Reframed: new perspectives on the design of sustainable systems”, Opening and launch of Distributed Economies Lab, University of Lund,, Landskrona, Sweden.

acsis European Appointments

Professor Chris Ryan has been appointed to the International Assessment Panel of the European MISTRA Innovative Research Ideas Grants which will support a number of researchers with funding up to 600,000 euro per person for up to four years to develop ‘significant, bold and original ideas’ with ‘considerable potential to bring about a better environment’.
Professor Chris Ryan has been invited as an International Visitor to the Netherlands by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Science and Culture. He will spend a week in the Netherlands in mid November on a program to visit researchers in universities and in other Eco-innovation and Eco-design Centres across the Netherlands. Whilst there Professor Ryan will open a new permanent exhibition on ecodesign end eco-innovation to be housed at the Technical University of Delf

acsis jointly hosts UNEP Round Table In Sustainable Production and Consumption

acsis will jointly host (with Sustainability Victoria and UNEP) the third day seminar of the Sixth UNEP Asia Pacific Round Table In Sustainable Production and Consumption (APRTSPC), on the 12 Oct 2005. The Theme of the APRTSPC is “Doing Sustainable Business in the Asia Pacific Region”. The one day seminar is around the theme of Ecodesign and Eco-Innovation and it will involve presentations of a new UN Global Manual for Ecodesign (D4S) for which Professor Ryan is a contributing editor. Other presentations include current projects from NIKE, Irish government programs and work on transport in Rotterdam.
acsis directors and fellows will be actively contributing to the Seminar. Professor Jim Falk will present "Innovation for triple-bottom line outcomes - a new Australian Initiative", and Professor Chris Ryan will present "Beyond Redesign - Eco-Sense: A Global Eco-innovation Laboratory".
acsis lnternational Fellow, Professor Han Brezet from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Netherlands will report on the European Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production which will take place from 5-7 October.
Professors Brezet and Ryan will also present "D4S: A new global ecodesign Guide" which is funded by the Swedish EPA and Inwent Germany, TUDelft and UNEP. Professors Brezet and Ryan are both authors and coordinating editors of D4S which is due to be completed at the end of 2005.

acsis initiative establishes the Group of Expert Advisors to NGOs (GEAN)

acsis has taken a lead role in establishing the Group of Expert Advisors to NGOS. The initiative represents a contribution to the acsis mission to find ways to improve the capacity for effective social engagement with issues of scientific and technological innovation. The establishment of GEAN has has seed funding assistance from Greenpeace Australia Pacific, and is supported also by the Centre for Environmental Law at the University of Sydney and the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology. Professor Jim Falk is the initial Chair of GEAN.

acsis book launched

Digital Eco-Sense: Sustainability and ICT - An New Terrain for Innovation by Professor Chris Ryan, was recently launched by Victorian Minister for Education and Training Lynne Kosky. The book is published as a lab.3000 report and was launched alongside an exhibition of student work from the Eco-Sense Design Studios in the Cabinet Rooms at Treasury Place.
Minister Kosky acknowledged the importance of design in sustaining Victoria’s future, and Australia’s, and re-iterated the commitment by the State Government to the development of design, innovation, ICT and eco sustainability in Victoria.

For more on this and lab.3000 click here.

Hon David White to Chair acsis Management Advisory Board

Former Victorian Government Minister, the Hon. David White, has agreed to become Chair of the acsis Management Advisory Board. Mr White is also a member of the University of Melbourne Council.
During his time in Parliament, Mr White served in portfolios including Minister for Health, Minister for Manufacturing and Industrial Development, and Minister for Minerals and Energy and Water Supply. He was also for a time Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council.

David White is a graduate of the University of Melbourne with Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts degrees and a Master of Business Administration. He held the Legislative Council seat of Doutta Galla for the Australian Labor Party for 20 years until he resigned in 1996.

Susan Oliver, MAICD joins acsis Management Advisory Board

Ms Susan Oliver MAICD has joined the acsis Management Advisory board. She is a non-executive Director of Transurban Group, MBF (Medical Benefits Fund), Programmed Maintenance Services Ltd, The Smith Family, Methodist Ladies College and the Australian Business Foundation.
Susan Oliver is a futurist, strategic planner and Executive Director of wwITe P/L an entrepreneurial company in the area of global scale e business strategies and engineering. She is also Managing Director of Futures Alliance, a consulting company that specialises in futures studies, scenario planning, strategic planning and technology strategy. She has made a number of major contributions to the national public policy including principal author of the Australian Business Foundation 'Scenarios for the Future for Business in Australia ', contributor to the deliberations of two working groups for the National Innovation Summit in 2000, author of Arts 21 in Victoria, project leader for the project that developed the feasibility and use for Federation Square, and member of the Premier's multimedia taskforce with a key role in initiating the government's multimedia strategy.

australian centre for science, innovation and society