Jeremy Mansfield OAM

Policy Insights from LETA: The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Guide for Large Emitters. Under its Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, the NSW EPA has a role in supporting the NSW Government to meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. This includes public consultation on the draft Guide for Large Emitters. Why Guide for Large Emitters Matters: - It outlines the requirements project developers will need to meet in their Environmental Impact Assessments. - It requires detailed emissions information from large-emission projects. - It provides the community with information about emissions from new projects. As an organisation committed to advancing low emission technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and globally, and as a member of the EPA, LETA recently submitted feedback on the draft Guide. LETA’s Submission in a Nutshell: - We called for framework simplification: Stating that the Draft Guide complicates the existing regulatory framework and duplicates a national approach. We recommend simplifying it to ensure project developers clearly understand the requirements. - We called for clarification of requirements: Stating that clear guidelines are needed for conducting a Greenhouse Gas Assessment and creating a Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Plan. We will continue to advocate for improvements and keep you updated! Read more from our submission here: https://lnkd.in/g7DgZUm6

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There are some important policy insights about energy efficiency and the size of new dwellings in this research from Katherine Wingrove, Emma Heffernan and Daniel Daly. "30% of primary energy [globally] is consumed by buildings, and residential buildings are the largest contributing sub-sector". Looking at the NatHERS star rating system, they find that "in the absence of policy focus on the scale of dwellings, either in floor area or number, energy efficiency policy fails to achieve reduced average energy use on a dwelling, jurisdictional or national scale. To the contrary, significant predicted increases are evidenced." They conclude with the salient policy observation and recommendation that the "reduction of carbon emissions by a nation’s residential building sector is dependent on the collective performance of individual homes.... it is imperative for national policy frameworks to target the energy use of both individual dwellings as well as the collective energy use of the new dwelling sector." Research found at: Wingrove, K., Heffernan, E., & Daly, D. (2024). Increased home energy use: unintended outcomes of energy efficiency focused policy. Building Research & Information, 1–19. https://lnkd.in/gGZv6NG3 Conversation article at: https://lnkd.in/gAxPEnG4

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💡A thought provoking piece of work has recently released been released called ‘Are industry good organisations good for industry? A reimagined future: finding the #CommonGround ' 💡 the joint piece of work by AGMARDT (The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust) & KPMG New Zealand is intended to stimulate debate and discussion. NZ is so lucky with the resources housed within our industry bodies, CRIs, cooperatives and others that support the sector. Which other industry provides a complete how-to for anyone entering their sector. Information is certainly not the issue! I think the report certainly highlights a lot of the frustrations currently held and the opportunity to discuss pathways forward. 💡Definitely worth a read and the podcasts hosted by Sarah Perriam-Lampp give a great snapshot of the intent and content of the report.

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Big news for those working in the sustainable building industry in #Melbourne! Great leadership has been taken by the City of Melbourne. 🏗 Amendment C376 (Sustainable Building Design Amendment) 🏗   Update to Melbourne’s Planning Scheme (supported by Future Melbourne Committee on Tuesday night) for new developments to implement sustainability and green infrastructure policy, and introduce new mandatory/discretionary ESD standards and requirements. Applications will need to consider new planning and improving outcomes for:  - Biodiversity and waterways (Cl02.03) – greening of buildings  - Sustainable development (Cl02.03 and Cl15.01) – focus on energy efficiency  - Sustainable transport (Cl02.03 and Cl15.01)  - Stormwater management - water sensitive urban design (Cl19.03) Big ticket item: Introduces requirements around BESS, Green Factor Tool and #GreenStar (from Green Building Council of Australia) (for buildings >5000sqm) for new developments. 👍

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🌡️Did you know that integrating green infrastructure into urban planning can significantly reduce the urban heat island effect? Our new blog post dives into the benefits of urban greening for climate adaptation and offers practical strategies for Australian councils. 🔍Explore more here: Cooling down under: Urban greening for climate resilience https://lnkd.in/gT3_26z7 #ClimateChange #UrbanGreening #HeatWave #CityPlanning #GreenInfrastructure

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MBS 007 has been released (& sorry, not that 007, a different kind.) I've just released Revision B of The Ultimate Guide to Navigating the South Australian NCC for Architects with the latest insights on the Ministerial Building Standard MBS 007. This revision brings clarity on the energy efficiency concessions and, for those who've been asking, some initial guidance on alterations and additions covered by Ministerial Building Standard MBS 013. Feel free to read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gN4578Pq I’d love to hear people's thoughts on how these alteration and addition modifications might impact projects here in South Australia. What are your initial takeaways? Thoughts on almost an entirely new code specific to alterations/additions? Thoughts on the NatHERS Star Rating concession calculation similar to Victoria's? I have lots of questions and would love to hear your thoughts!! ARKATA #architecture #energyefficiency #healthyhomes #sustainability #sustainablehomes #resilienthomes #comfortablehomes #sustainablearchitecture #betterbuilding #energyefficienthomes

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AMAZON , Don’t destroy AMAZON Our forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Over the past few decades, we've witnessed the devastating impact of deforestation, with millions of acres of lush, vibrant ecosystems being cleared for various purposes. This alarming trend not only destroys the natural habitats of countless species but also contributes to climate change, soil erosion, and the disruption of vital water cycles. It's time we take action to protect and restore our precious forests and oceans and finally Earth before it's too late. NATO or other Organizations are also responsible for protecting our forests and oceans and all humanity with peace . They should respect to all thoughts without considering racism and finally developing to keep our planet Earth . We have no other place to live as alternative except Earth . Let’s young leaders control future of our planet. NATO and Organization are responsible to bring peace not to manufacturing war guns and tools . We are all in one ship . Please don’t make hole our ship .

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No excuses now. Who is this course for? - managers and business leaders seeking to integrate circular principles into their organisations. - local council and state government officials looking to develop circular strategies, programs and policies. - individuals that are passionate about sustainability and eager to deepen their circular economy knowledge.

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While we're on governance innovation ... here's another great example of what it can look like to enable vision, collaboration and innovation for transformative change. Perth's Water Sensitive Transition Network (WSTN) is an informal, self-organising network of cross-organisational and cross-sectoral champions with a shared vision for community resilience, liveability and sustainability enabled by water. And while informal, it is formally endorsed by key government agencies and organisations, and has real influence in steering a collective transition agenda and driving on-ground change. The WSTN evolved from action research I led in 2015 with the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities to develop a vision and transition plan for Greater Perth’s water sensitive future. Bringing diverse people together to imagine the future, think systemically and strategically develop pathways of change is powerful. The WSTN continues to achieve much, eg: 💧 It is a key stakeholder supporting whole-of-government action to tackle the challenge of a growing city in a changing climate through the iterative development of the Waterwise Perth Action Plan, a Cabinet-endorsed commitment to Perth becoming a water sensitive city. 🌱 It has been instrumental in developing the cross-boundary relationships and building the trust necessary to deliver a range of projects, such as valuing nature based solutions in the Perth and Peel region and creating climate resilient place-based developments. 🐝 Members have secured financial support from their respective organisations to undertake a Nyoongar water values project. Its contributions and achievements have been recognised nationally and internationally. It received the Organisational Excellence Award at the 2024 Australian Water Awards for the Waterwise Perth Action Plan 2019, a successful example of whole-of-government action to tackle the challenge of a growing city in a changing climate. And it received the Bronze Project Innovation Award at the 2022 IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition in Copenhagen, which recognises innovations in governance and institutional transitions. More detail on how the WSTN is driving transformative change can be found here: https://lnkd.in/g_XSNmpG Congratulations to the outgoing WSTN leaders john Savell and Giles Pickard, incoming leaders Emily Briggs and Shelley Shepherd, and the many other change leaders who have helped the WSTN to thrive, including Antonietta Torre Winsome MacLaurin and Nadine Riethmuller. #changeit Monash Sustainable Development Institute Water Sensitive Cities Chris Chesterfield Katie Hammer Liz Mackinlay Adriana Keating Fire to Flourish Saanika Rana Margaret Moreton John Richardson Victoria McKenzie-McHarg https://lnkd.in/gyKXFVAD

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If you have been tasked with counting carbon emissions for your council, drafting a climate action plan, or updating a previous one, you might be asking ‘where do I begin?’ A good place to start is Sustainability Victoria’s handy guide: Organisational Carbon Accounting for Local Governments Learner Guide. #CarbonEmissions #CarbonAccounting #Sustainability https://lnkd.in/giEBnxhp

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The newly released Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint is a 10-year roadmap developed by representatives and experts from the Not-for-Profit (NFP) Sector including our Director, Professor Jo Barraket AM, who was the Blueprint’s lead drafter and an Expert Advisor to the Blueprint Expert Reference Group.   It contains a framework, core initiatives and an implementation approach designed to ensure Australia has a strong and thriving sector that can continue to support its people, communities and environment.   The Blueprint contains 18 key initiatives organised across 3 strategic pillars:   * an enabling operational and regulatory environment for the NFP sector to thrive; * a people-led and purpose driven NFP Sector; and * an adaptive and dynamic forward-focused NFP Sector.   Professor Barraket says “Australia’s not-for-profit sector is a critical element of our social, civic and economic fabric. The Blueprint provides a framework for the Sector itself, and priorities for how governments and the wider parliament can better enable the Sector’s future. Its development benefitted from the contributions of many across the sector, the wider ecosystem and the public. I look forward to its implementation."   Access the Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint → https://lnkd.in/gfwrawZt   Read the media release from The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury → https://lnkd.in/gN_piVeX

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🏘🏗 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 - 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 & 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗕𝗥𝗥 (𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻) 🏛 ✨ The recent announcement from the Victorian Government about replacing the 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 with a new Building (and Plumbing?) Commission (https://lnkd.in/grEJ24dH) represents a potential time of change, hopefully. 🤞 Winds of hope came from the recent statement by the CEO of the VBA, acknowledging that things are not good: '“𝙄 𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝘽𝘼 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 – 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨.” - Anna Cronin, 24 October 2024 👉 https://lnkd.in/gihnmjZE However, to build confidence in the current broken building regulatory system, simply changing one institution for another with a new name is not enough to restore the trust that has been lost. 💡 We need a 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, which would involve rethinking the current system and seriously proposing improvements to the safety and quality of our buildings. 🌟 The entire system must be centred on 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 and the qualifications and competencies of designers and builders in architecture and engineering, with clear responsibilities for clients and owners. A building is the product of a design by #architects and #engineers, and the new regulatory system needs to acknowledge and reflect this. Paulo Vaz Serra #construction #constructionindustry #buildingquality #buildinginspections #quality #buildingact https://lnkd.in/gihnmjZE

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Circularity is central to decarbonising our built environment and there's strong demand for low-carbon materials in the infrastructure pipeline. Looking forward to unpacking this tomorrow on the Circular Australia Industry Taskforce meeting. #infrastructure #lowcarbonconstruction #embodiedemissions #circularmaterials

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Large cities today are becoming much more ecological and sustainably aware, with urban planners seeking new ways to increase greenery and mitigate the urban heat island effect. One way to do this is in Australia is by maximising the amount of green track installed around existing or proposed light rail systems.

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THE EXTROADINARY POWER OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY The reuse sector is a dynamic system that rehomes millions of second-hand items each year. In a groundbreaking move for Australia, a National Reuse Measurement Guidelines has been implemented. This work has been five years in the making involving Charitable Reuse Australia, the NSW Environment Protection Authority, Monash University and funded via an Australian Research Council grant. Here are some amazing findings from the research. Although the research was based on NSW statistics it has national relevance across the reuse sector. • Reuse versus recycling per tonne creates an amazing employment dynamic producing *25 times more jobs in NSW. Placement statistics- *1535 full-time equivalent including *348 opportunities for those facing employment barriers and *3306 volunteer opportunities. • The outcomes for economic value, cost of living relief and social and environmental impact are truly astonishing. *$432 million is saved by the total reuse and resale of items every year. A massive *107.7 million second-hand items were reused. Contributions raised approximately *$51 million for reinvestment in social and community programs and initiatives. Last year, second-hand goods sold or donated for reuse were valued at *$243 million. • The positive environmental impact of reuse in NSW saves a staggering *321,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually representing the equivalent removal of *134,000 passenger vehicles from the road. *49,900 tonnes of products were diverted from landfill to reuse and avoided the direct consumption of *29,900 tonnes of virgin materials. For the sporting minded, water savings were equivalent to the volume of *21,000 Olympic sized swimming pools and land use saved the equivalent of *75,000 soccer pitches. As Ambassador for Link Vision, a Not-for-profit that funds its initiatives through their chain of op-shops, I spoke with Terry O’Neill, our CEO who is also Chair of Charitable Reuse Australia (CRA). Terry attended the release of the research in Sydney held at the Reverse Garbage premises and had the following to say. “These statistics are absolutely phenomenal. Everyone who attended the conference was blown away. The reuse sector plays a crucial role in sustainable development by adding economic value, creating jobs, and helping the environment. It’s easy to see what the national application of research such as this would add to Australia’s fiscal and social growth. The CRA are currently speaking to the Victorian, QLD, and WA governments with a view to blueprinting the NSW’s research model. The intent is to produce a true national number over the next period of time. We really need to get behind and grow reuse programs to boost their benefits for both people and the planet. This support can also help shape future reuse policies, making it easier to shift towards a circular economy.” https://lnkd.in/gbzBNy33

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The API Standards team have updated our Guidance Paper: Methods of Measurement to align with IPMS: All Buildings. Anyone interested in the phyiscal measurement and reporting of such measured areas in relation to the built environment might want to have read. Happy to receive any feedback or comments on the paper via the online feedback form. Update: the link in the article is pointing to the wrong paper. please accept my apologies for any confusion. I have requested the link to be updated tomorrow. Update 2 (24/9/2024): the link in the article is now pointing at the right spot.

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An interesting snapshot of how each state is exploring Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

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