Category Archives for "Australia"

Mark Rochford

I grew up on an organic farm and was raised with respect for nature and a deep understanding of environmental issues. An understanding and respect that I have advocated for throughout my career.

My first ever paid job was with the local paper recycler. At age 14.

Twenty four years later I started Frank Wild, an events agency with a dedication to sustainable design and production. Through previous years of music, corporate and commercial events I was able to identify major issues and cultivate a viable approach to addressing changes in policies and procedures that were necessary to develop a model for my own sustainable events agency.

I’m proud of the work we do in inspiring clients to commit to sustainability practices despite the challenges they may face along the way. Every client has a unique set of circumstances that requires particular attention, but we always approach each project from the same starting point – How do we help them make this more sustainable?

I always encourage and support my team at Frank Wild to speak up, contribute and collaborate with the intention of continuing to push the boundaries of sustainable design and production, and I see our company’s responsibility in the industry as one to encourage others to do the same.

www.frankwild.com.au

Jacqui Bonnitcha

Jacqui Bonnitcha

Sydney, Australia 

Consultant

www.edgeenvironment.com.au

Details of experience:

Jacqui is passionate about connecting sustainability to the overall event strategy in a focused and pragmatic way.

She uses sustainability methods such as life cycle assessment and sustainable procurement standards to ensure that resources expended have the greatest sustainability outcomes.

She has expertise across energy efficiency, waste and procurement across all sizes of events, from local festivals to the Commonwealth Games.

List of events and projects worked on:

  • Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018
  • Manly Food, Wine and Sustainability Festival

Qualifications/Degrees/Training:

  • Diploma in Procurement and Supply (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) to be completed in 2017
  • Trained in Social Return on Investment
  • Master of Built Environment (Sustainable Development)
  • Master of Development Studies
  • Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies)

Henry Victor Smale

Henry Victor Smale 

Brisbane, Australia

Sustainability Manager and Consultant

lixo.com.au

​Details of experience: 

Henry works in event sustainability because he has seen the negative impacts events can have, and he has seen just how good conscious event practice can be.

He began volunteering at festivals almost 10 years ago in waste management, and 9 years later he has started his own dedicated event sustainability business.

Henry has years of experience working site builds, small to very large scale events, council events to massive multi-day festivals, and has had the opportunity to try new & radical forms of event sustainability.

Himself and his team have gone to huge lengths to save resources from landfill, introduce complex reusable systems for food traders, introduce alternative power sources and challenge patrons to be more sustainable event-goers.

Qualifications/Degrees/Training:

  • Bachelor of Science (Ecology), University of Queensland
  • First Aid Cert., EWP, Forklift, Working at Heights Ticket

List of events and projects worked on:

  • Secret Garden Festival: Head of Sustainability/ Waste Management, Australia
  • Island Vibe: Head of Sustainability/ Waste Management, Australia
  • Rainbow Serpent Festival: Sustainability Coordinator, Australia
  • Sustainability Coordinator & Manager Jungle Love Festival, Australia
  • Head of Recycling & Organic Waste at Woodford Folk Festival, Australia
  • Waste and Sustainability 2IC Earth Frequency Festival, Australia
  • Waste and Sustainability 2IC Boogie Festival, Australia
  • Waste Management work for Buddha's Birthday, Night Noodle Market & World Science Fair, Australia

Amanda Pummer

Amanda Pummer 

Sunshine Coast, Australia 

Sustainability Manager and Consultant

www.sustainablehappiness.com.au

Details of experience:
As Hotel General Manager for 20 years managing events in hotels throughout Australasia, the biggest as Executive Assistant Manager at Rydges Wentworth Hotel during the Olympics in Sydney 2000, to over 200 private weddings in design hotels in Bali, managing events differently became my unique skill. After appointment as the Bali Hotels Association Environment Executive, I was also able to lead hotels through Earth Check's certification programmes providing training and guidance with groups of hotels. It was this volunteer role that led me to join the GreenAsia Group as Sustainability Consultant for the Hospitality Industry, based in Bali. Since returning to Australia, I have created my own Consultancy for the Hospitality industry and now work in that role for Tourism Noosa.

Qualifications/Degrees/Training:

  • Bachelor of Arts Degree, Double Major Philosophy and English Literature - UWA
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Sustainability - USC
  • Green Globe 21 Auditor training 2006 Singapore
  • RSA and RSG permit
  • Cert IV training and assessment TAFE Maroochydore

List of events and projects worked on:

  • Clean up the World Day - Bali - Organiser 2008,2009
  • Green Globe 21 Auditor Training 2006 Singapore
  • Green Globe 21 Certification for Alila Manggis and Alila Ubud Hotels Bali
  • Green Asia Group - EarthCheck trainer for Club Med Cherating Beach
  • Sustainability Consultant - Noosa Lakes Resort
  • Sustainability Officer - Noosa Festival of Surfing
  • Sustainability Officer - Tourism Noosa

Cameron Little

Cameron Little 

Sydney, Australia

SEA Board Member, Consultant, Trainer and Auditor

Sustainability Systems & Services

Cameron Little, Principal of Sustainability Systems & Services, has two decades of experience within the environment, sustainability and corporate social responsibility sector and has been providing sustainability support for the events industry for over ten years.

In addition to an environmental science degree he has trained in Environmental Auditing, Occupational Health and Safety, Workplace Training and Assessment, and Permaculture and he is currently conducting research into Low Carbon Tourism.

Cameron works with a wide range of business, community sector, education, and governmental organisations, helping their sustainability champions to develop and embed effective policies, procedures and practices so that they can progress towards achieving personal and organisational sustainability objectives.

He has worked with events such as Peats Ridge Festival, V Festival, and World Skills Australia. He is Lead Sustainability Judge for the Australian Event Awards, for the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia, Tertiary Access Group Awards (Australasia) and for the Australian Regional Development Awards, and is also the National Judge for the Australian Sustainable Cities Awards.

Cameron is a practitioner in the field and provides numerous sustainability-related resources and services to events throughout the year from small Council run events to iconic events such as the Sydney Festival and New Year’s Eve in the Sydney Botanic Gardens.

He lectures and provides training through numerous educational bodies in areas such as Sustainable Events, Environmental Auditing, Environmental Management Systems, sustainable buildings, permaculture, and sustainable living.

Meegan Jones

Meegan Jones 

International 

SEA Co-founder and Board Member, Event sustainability specialist

GreenShoot Pacific

Meegan is an event sustainability professional focussing her efforts on using the power of events for positive action while also ensuring that events themselves are produced sustainably.

Her boutique consultancies Green Shoot Pacific provides advice, tools, systems support, training and practical solutions to the events and sport sectors. 

Credits include Sustainability Manager for Festival Republic (Glastonbury, Reading, Latitude Festivals, UK), Live Earth Greening Guidelines, project consultant for the UNEP Music & Environment Initiative, sustainability strategy for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, and external assessment of ISO 20121 for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. She was recently Sustainability Programme Manager for Volvo Ocean Race 17/18 and with their award winning Clean Seas programme.


The third edition of her book Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide was published in Dec 2017 by Taylor & Francis and is an adopted text for many university degrees in event management. 

In 2018 Meegan authored the guide to avoiding single-use plastics at sporting events. She has also contributed the sustainability chapters to books Routledge Handbook of Festivals and Festival and Special Event Management.


She was a sector expert in the global working groups developing the GRI Event Organizer's Sector Supplement and ISO 20121. She is founder and chair of the Sustainable Event Alliance  and has trained more than 1000 events organisers in sustainable event management through 40 local governments.