Think Future

Dr. Carolina Montana-Owen, Technical Lead for Sustainable Buildings at the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), joins the Think.Future podcast to discuss key highlights from COP 29, provide an update on the Buildings Breakthrough Initiative and progress in the circular economy of buildings.  Listen in as Carolina shares the new bold on buildings strategy for 2025, challenging the sector to transform the future of buildings.

Dr Matthias Irger, Head of Sustainability, COX Architecture, is an experienced architect, urban designer and academic specialising in regenerative design, holistic city planning and climate adaptation. Matthias graduated in Architecture at the Bremen University of Applied Sciences in Germany and holds a PhD in Sustainable Urbanism from the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He is also a Senior Research Fellow and Industry Adviser at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). As the Head of Sustainability at COX Architecture, Matthias oversees the practice's sustainable design and planning agenda. He returns to the Think.Future podcast to share some award-winning examples and describes what it means to rethink building design for a sustainable future.

Philiip Lund-Nielsen Co-Founder and Head of Americas for COBOD is a global leader in construction 3D Printers. He joins the Think.Future podcast to tell us about how this technology is evolving by using innovation combined with open-source materials with the potential to address environmental, economic, and social sustainability challenges.

 Malin Lindblad is the Principal Sustainability Consultant at Anthesis in Sweden. With a passion for sustainability, Malin's strength lies in supporting clients and stakeholders to ensure  sustainability solutions align with and challenge their ultimate goals. Prior to working at Anthesis she held positions as a Technical Director at Mott MacDonald and a Senior Mechanical and ESD Engineer and Associate at ARUP in Australia. She has extensive experience in building and precinct design and delivery across a range of market sectors. Through her work, Malin continuously uses her technical background in combination with her project delivery experience to get the best project outcome. She joins the Think.Future podcast to share her reflections on differences in the applications of systems at scale and where the roles of stakeholders involved in scaling systems can vary. 

 Dr. Anneloes Smitsman is the Founder and CEO of EARTHwise Centre and EARTHwise Ventures, where she leads initiatives for systemic transformation, sustainable development, and governance innovation. She is the lead author of the EARTHwise Constitution for a Planetary Civilization and the Participatory Framework for a Global AGI Constitution and is an award-winning futurist, systems scientist, and bestselling author.   Anneloes holds a master's degree in law and Judicial Political Sciences from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and received a doctorate degree from the Maastricht Sustainability Institute at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Her Ph.D. dissertation Into the Heart of Systems Change, is being implemented worldwide for systemic transformation in economics, education, politics, and governance through her proposed Transition Plan for a Thrivable Civilization. Her leadership is sought after around the world for making the great transformation feasible. Anneloes is the creator of the Elowyn: Quest of Time game and joins the Think.Future podcast to talk about the potential for positive impact, transformation, and future possibilities through the exploration of artificial sentience and creativity.

 Associate Professor Henrik Ny from Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) is an accomplished researcher and is committed to accelerating a transition to sustainable transport and energy systems. Henrik runs the SustainTrans research team at the Department of Strategic Sustainable Development at BTH and is the Chair of the MagLev2024 Conference held in the South of Sweden from 18 to 21 September.  He joins the Think.Future podcast to tell us about the potential of magnetic levitation as a viable sustainable option for local city and regional rail transport.  

Tica Masuku is the Director of Workplace Strategy at Spaceful and is a highly experienced Human Geographer. Tica joins the Think.Future podcast to offer a fresh perspective on the world of work and the interrelationship between people and place. Join us to explore Tica's expert insight into how a blend of workplace strategy, topophilia, and the right use of technology will set you up for a sustainable future. 

Ryan Colker, Executive Director of the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR) and Vice President for Innovation for the International Code Council (ICC) was our very first guest on the Think.Future podcast!  Ryan has spent his career looking for opportunities to influence and improve society and has a passion and mission to improve the built environment for communities and people. Through policy and education, Ryan continues to drive progress across the building, construction, and manufacturing industries to create great places and spaces with sustainability and resilience in mind. Today, Ryan updates us on Community Resilience Benchmarks that provide a holistic perspective to communities when looking at the intersection of different policy issues related to buildings, housing, and water. Listen in as Ryan shares a leading example of a building designed for flood resilience in the US and offers insights into how the broader conversation on resilience is unfolding from an international perspective.

Mary Casey is the Principal at Introba's on the Australian Sustainability team, bringing over 25 years of international and Australian experience working with the environment. She practiced Architecture in the US for 8 years before becoming a sustainability consultant, then made a career transition to project management and management consulting. A lineage member of the Carol Sanford Institute, and a founding director and past Chair of the Board of the Living Future Institute of Australia, Mary was named a Living Building Hero by the International Living Future Institute in 2014. She is excited to be working in a role with an explicit focus on moving humanity's relationships with the ecosystems we inhabit back into reciprocity. Join the Think.Future conversation to hear Mary talk about the nuances of regenerative practice and share intriguing insights into understanding patterns of places and their potential to tell a story when we take the time to listen.

Working with Water to Increase Resilience

Anna Tuominen is a Project Engineer at Welado joins the conversation together with Alain Anthony Mardo, a Project Director at ORIS to tell us about Finland's most progressive infrastructure project. The West Railway is approximately 100 km long and partly double track railway link between the Helsinki metropolitan area and Turku, another big city in Western Finland. Both Alain and Anna worked closely as project partners to find innovative ways to manage waste and optimize resources making West Railway the first infrastructure project of its kind in Finland to design sustainability outcomes using a circular economy model. The design phase has now been approved and is about to commence construction. Join the conversation to find out how they collaborated on the design principles using digitalization as an enabler to meet this important milestone.

Professor Leonie Barner, serving as the Principal Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology, and Dr. Kavita Gonsalves, the Sustainability Design Lead at Populous, have come together on the Think.Future podcast to narrate their collaborative journey concerning Building 4.0 CRC and the CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, NSW, Australia. The discussion revolves around the Populous-designed stadium, a LEED Gold-certified structure boasting a seating capacity of 30,000, which stands as a striking example of circular architecture. Circular design, stemming from the principles of the Circular Economy, is highlighted as an ethos striving to maintain building materials in constant circulation to minimize waste, pollution, and uphold biodiversity (per the Ellen Macarthur Foundation). Tune in to unravel the innovative essence of the CommBank Stadium and the valuable circular design insights shaping the future of architecture and design landscapes.

Nicolas Ramirez, Executive Director the Green Building Council in Costa Rica joins the Think.Future Podcast to talk about policy trends in the region, a new guide for developers and advocates for a paradigm shift in the Built Environment leading to better social, ecological, and financial outcomes and return on investment.

Jose Alfredo Ramirez, co-director of Architectural Association's (AA) Ground Lab is passionate about the concept of slowing down water in an urban environment how that can be achieved through decentralisation, a mindset shift and design. Jose has led projects at the junction of architecture, landscape, and urbanism in several countries in South America and the UK. He joins the Think.Future podcast to introduce the  Socio Hydrological Index for Mexico City and Oaxaca as a decision making tool for managing slow water in localized contexts.

Pejman Sharafi,  an Associate Professor in advanced building technologies at Western Sydney University,  heads Modular Prefab Design Lab, where his team develop innovative solutions mainly in partnership with the industry, focusing on off-site manufacturing technologies, platform-based design, industrialised construction solutions, design for manufacture, assembly and dis-assembly, adaptable building design, circular design strategies, and prefabrication technologies. He joins the Think.Future podcast to share what is happening with innovation in prefabrication and explains why the circularity impacts of Net Zero Building platforms go beyond environmental benefits,  offering significant economic potentials and advantages in the market.

Jim Goddin of thinkstep ANZ is an expert in Materials, Minerals and Mining and as a member of the Critical Minerals Expert Committee, he has been actively involved in shaping the UK's Critical Minerals Strategy. Jim joins the Think.Future podcast to talk about the new International Standard for measuring success in a Circular Economy and introduces the Materials Circularity Indicator which he played a pivotal role in developing.

Dr Florian Graichen is a General Manager at Scion, New Zealand's leading research institute for forestry, industrial biotech, and advanced manufacturing and an Honorary Professor at the University of Waikato in the School of Engineering. Florian's bioproducts and biomanufacturing impact area includes portfolios covering high value biorefineries, distributed and circular manufacturing, bioproducts and packaging and integrated bioenergy. Join in the conversation on Wednesday 5 June as we discuss solutions, opportunities, and potentials at the intersection of policy, traditional knowledge, western global science, and innovative design.

Max Strandwitz, CEO of MIPS Protection shares the vision for sustainability and core values of his team, a leader in the field of brain protection systems within helmet-based safety manufacturing for over 25 years. The mission at MIPS is to reduce head injuries, save more lives, protecting people and the environment.  Max became CEO in 2019 bringing a long career in finance from the fast-moving consumer goods sector and now leads the sustainable design and manufacture of a range of products that are sustainable, enduring and fit for purpose. MIPS have stepped up on their sustainability commitments to protect people and the environment. Join here to hear why MIPS care, dare, and want to share their efforts centred around their employees, products, and their supply chain.

Sonali Rastogi, Founding Partner of Morphogenesis together with Founding Partner Manit have created one of the most successful architectural design companies in the world. She joins the Think.Future podcast to share her wisdom and vision for a sustainable India. Sonali has a unique perspective on sustainable architecture, and soulfully blends tradition, heritage, culture, and history, offering a bespoke and heartwarming quality to the design world.

Dr. Dennis D. Truax joins the Think.Future podcast to share his experiences with over four decades working in water management and a long tenure teaching Water Treatment Systems Design at Mississippi State University. He contributes to the global conversation on water circularity from an engineering perspective with personal hands-on experience in solving water supply and waste water challenges in some of the dryest places on earth.

Thesla Collier, Design Technology Manager at HNTB joins the Think.Future podcast and shares her expertise in using technology to design for sustainable outcomes in buildings. Thesla is known as a ‘Cheerleader for Sustainability' and works in the intersection between Sustainability and Design Technology across Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Infrastructure Design projects. Listen in to hear Thesla's approach at the project design phase.

Professor Aldo Ometto and Mr. Sergio Monforte join the Think.Future conversation to talk about a new International Standard for a circular economy driving innovative business opportunities as waste from one form of material is potentially a resource for another. In addition to the usual costs associated with production, they present the idea of generating economic, environmental, and social value from a new 21st-century strategic business model based on the principles of circularity and whole systems thinking.

Valentina Petrone is WSPs Circular Economy Lead in Australia. Valentina has unique skills combining 16 years' experience as a trained Architect focused on implementing sustainable and climate resilience practices in the built environment with in-depth knowledge of Circular Economy design principles. She has co-authored the Circular Design Guidelines for the NSW Government to facilitate the transition to a Circular Built Environment and is currently working on pioneering Circular Economy projects in the design and advisory space ranging from master planning & urban design, building design & materials selection through to Government strategies and roadmaps.  She joins the conversation to share the principles of circular design for the construction industry, infrastructure, mining to make sure circular design is embedded across all sectors in the Built Environment.

James Slattery is a Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Specialist at the San Francisco Department of the Environment. James joins the Think.Future podcast on 6 March to share his strategies on leading resource conservation, debris reduction,  material recovery and taking environmental action in solid waste management. He has worked for the Department of the Environment for the past 12 years and is proud to share his story about his contribution to San Franciscos's journey to Zero Waste.

Two entrepreneurs, Markus Ostermeier of ostermeier H2ydrogen Solutions and his project partner, Joel Vogl of INFENER are thinking future and sharing the inspiring idea of being self-sufficient with decentralized Hydrogen solutions for the Built Environment. They both share an aspiration to become a market leader as a hydrogen producer and supplier on a local level and are expanding into new market opportunities in Europe.

David Clark of Positive Zero is a chartered structural and building services engineer with over 30 years of design experience in Australia and the UK. Since 2001 he has specialised in providing sustainable design solutions and strategy in all building sectors and transport infrastructure. David developed the first Green Star rating tool with the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003 and has chaired their Technical Advisory Group for the past nine years. He is the author of What Colour Is Your Building (www.whatcolourisyourbuilding.com) and has recently written industry guidance on the electrification of buildings and precincts in Australia. David joins the Think.Future podcast to share his thoughts on how to electrify buildings and make them more flexible and responsive as the grid shifts rapidly to renewables.

Jodie Bricout is the Circular Economy Leader at international design, engineering and advisory company, Aurecon. She is a globally recognised sustainability leader with two decades of experience working with industry, research and policymakers in several countries including Australia, New Zealand, France, and Dubai. She is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer with the University of Adelaide, a Circular Australia Board Member and a member of the CRC Advisory Committee of Industry Innovation and Science Australia and the Victorian government's Circular Economy Innovation Advisory Committee. Join the conversation with Jodie on Think.Future to understand the principles behind a circular economy, how they relate to the planetary boundaries and why designing for circularity is a powerful lever for sustainable development in the Built Environment.

Alexis Davison of Major Road Projects Victoria, joins the Think.Future conversation to tell us about the Victorian Government's innovative ecologiQ program and Recycled First policy which are focussed on optimising the use of recycled and reused materials on Victorian infrastructure projects. Alexis is an industry leader with extensive experience in all stages of infrastructure delivery and has held key roles on major projects in the public and private sectors in Australia and the UK. Alexis played a key role in establishing the ecologiQ program in recent years which takes a systematic approach to the use of recycled content. Alexis is very passionate about progressing and increasing the use of recycled content used in infrastructure and she is proud of the fact that this program is the first of its kind in Australia.

Jerusha Beresford, Sustainability Lead at the Australian Steel Institute (ASI) manages the development and implementation of the Steel Sustainability Australia (SSA) certification program, a best practice sustainability assessment scheme for steel companies. Over the past 17 years, Jerusha has gained experience across finance, property and research industries, and endeavors to use her skills in project and operations management, strategic delivery, and communication to promote and progress sustainable development within Australia. Jerusha joins the Think.Future podcast to bring us up to date with leading practices and all things related to steel, such as design for disassembly, circularity, and resource management through all stages including at the end of its life.  

Paolo Bevilacqua of Frasers Property is an Executive that has delivered industry leading programs and solutions at both a project and organisational level across real estate and energy sectors in multiple geographies over a 20-year career. Paolo joins the ARKANCE Think.Future podcast to share his insights and experience in leading in a complex Built Environment by focusing primarily on building meaningful relationships so that people work together collaboratively, in a more impactful way with stronger purpose.

Sam Archer, the Director of Market Transformation at the of New Zealand Green Building Council joins the conversation with Think.Future to talk about the opportunities in bringing mainstream designers and builders up to speed and challenges them to lift their game. Sam is passionately dedicated to improving the sustainable development of the built environment. In his role at NZ GBC, he creates a common language to help increase consumer appetite for more sustainable housing and offers insights to the market drivers, demonstrating the value of a green star rating.   Bhumika Mistry is a Senior Technical Coordinator with New Zealand Building Council and an expert in the GBC's rating tools. In the second half of the podcast, Bhumika explains the evolution of the rating tools and the minimum requirements that mainstream need for sustainable outcomes achievable through certification with GBC's more advanced tools that address Environmental, Social and Governance reporting (ESG) requirements by focusing on both community, people and place.  

Adrian McGregor is the Chief Design Officer at McGregor Coxall and an award-winning expert in Biourbanism, a scalable resilience planning model helping cities become resilient to the impacts of a changing climate. Adrian created the world's first biourbansim lab in 2006 and his book, Biourbanism: Cities as Nature, integrates the five bio systems and five urban systems in the design of a city's green and blue infrastructure.  Adrian joins the conversation to share his proudest moments in his career by showcasing some global examples of the radical shift in design needed for cities of the future.

Dr. Kimberly Camrass is the Director for the Climate Futures department for the Queensland Government. Kimberly is a passionate sustainability professional, and joins Think.Future to share the highlights of her award-winning essay Regenerative Futures: 8 Principles for Thinking and Practice as applied to precinct scale in an urban environment. Join the conversation as we explore the importance of moving beyond mitigating further harm to the planet, challenging designers to push the opportunity envelope in the design of precincts resulting in both positive environmental and social impacts. To design according to these principles requires a powerful shift in thinking and practice and above all depends on integrating community vision through the art of storytelling, connecting people to place, to nature and to each other.

Dean D'Cruz, Partner and Principal Architect in MOZAIC conducts workshops and seminars globally focused on sustainable architecture practices. At the core, Dean believes architects can be the change agents for a better Built Environment and he joins the conversation to share how low-cost solutions for sustainable housing are being inspired by regional and cultural influences from the rural villages in India. Requiring less investment in infrastructure and providing a higher standard of 'liveability', the rural villages of India are demonstrating the benefits of decentralization and potentially shaping the way for the villages of the future. 

Brad Searle is the Head of Development at BINGO Industries. Brad joins the VinZero Think.Future podcast to share the innovative and impressive progress BINGO Industries is making in supporting the circularity and decarbonisation agenda for the Built Environment. BINGO Industries is focused on transforming the recycling and waste industry, particularly in innovating to increase recycling rates and the diversion of valuable waste materials from landfill and maximising the circular value of recovered products. Through strategic partnerships, Brad aspires to develop a circular economy model for reuse, repair, remanufacture, and repurposing, in return for significant environmental and economic benefits. BINGO Industries has an inspiring vision of a waste free Australia, underpinned by their ‘never say never' mindset.

Bob Willard, Founder and Chief Sustainability Champion of Sustainability Advantage, is a leading expert on quantifying the business value of sustainability strategies and a dedicated BCORP advocate, prioritizing both people and planet. In this interview, he delves into the crucial mindset necessary for effectively addressing sustainability within the construction and infrastructure sectors, particularly in project procurement practices. He emphasizes the possibility of integrating profit and purpose by illuminating the demand side of procurement and how this can drive essential changes. Bob addresses the hindrances affecting the global achievement of net-zero targets, the market dynamics propelling sustainability, and stresses the significance of government procurement processes in shaping the market, and the importance of the Science Based Target Initiatives in upholding global governance.

Dr.Matthias Irger/Head of Sustainability/Cox Architecture; With a long-standing history serving sustainability outcomes Cox Architecture is seeking to maintain the livability of cities amidst rising temperatures and extreme weather. Join in the conversation as Dr Matthias Irger unpacks the factors that drive urban heat and create heat islands at a localized level. An experienced architect with a PhD is Sustainability Urbanism, Matthias is Head of Sustainability for Cox, overseeing its practices for sustainable design and planning. Through his role as Senior Research Fellow and Industry Adviser at the University of New South Wales in Australia, Matthias is actively engaged in bridging science and design practices. Join us as we explore how architects, urban designers and planners can mitigate urban heat and design for nature and comfort through connected design principals.

Markus Roselieb/Architect and Principal, Chang Mai Life Architecture. Join in the conversation as award-winning architect and bamboo enthusiast, Markus Roselieb, delves into the incredible world of bamboo. As Principal at Chang Mai Life Architecture, a firm at the forefront of utilizing bamboo in groundbreaking architectural designs, Markus shares his passion for this remarkable material with a higher tensile strength than steel. Markus shares the story of their awe-inspiring Panyaden International School, where the natural curves and irregular structures, created from bamboo, enhance the environment and touch people's hearts. Listen as Markus highlights its beauty, strength, and importantly, its negative carbon footprint. As he eloquently puts it, bamboo is akin to a "steel cable" when harnessed effectively through sustainable harvesting and innovative design. Discover the potential of bamboo as a material that resonates with the human soul, embracing a brighter, more sustainable future.

Hollie Hynes, General Manager of Sustainability and Environment and Georgina North, Head of Technology and Innovation at Laing O'Rourke join Vinzero Think.Future to share their expertise and insights into the art of what's possible in leading innovation and excellence in construction and engineering. Join in to hear how value is unlocked within their business supply chain as Hollie and Georgina challenge stakeholders to push boundaries and open a portfolio of creative and innovative possibilities.

Catriona Brady is the Director of Strategy and Development at the World Green Building Council and manages global programmes for the World Green Building Council network, consisting of 77 national member councils who represent a combined network of 46,000 member organisations. Her areas of speciality in the green building field include circular economy, health, equity and resilience, and she oversees both the 'Circularity Accelerator' and 'Better Places for People' programmes at WorldGBC. Listen as Catriona shares her passion and vision for circularity and explains how the circular economy model is a powerful lever in the supply chain and is part of a broader whole systems approach to sustainable development in the built environment.

Georgette Godbolt- Head of Global Sales, Sustainable Fund Australia: Sustainable Fund Australia is a profit for purpose company helping Australian business fund sustainability initiatives utilizing their council rates as a payment gateway. In just a few short years they have funded the removal of over 630000 tonnes of carbon, and provided over $112,000,000 in efficiency savings. From tenant to property managers, landlords to portfolio owners, Sustainable Fund Australia are providing businesses support to transition towards net zero sustainably, both for the environment and for their business. Listen as Georgette Godbolt shares their story of success across the Australian Built Environment landscape.

Ashish Rakheja - Managing Partner - AEON Consultants. The population across India is growing at a rapid pace, and with this comes an appreciation for the shortage of precious resources. Ashish Rakheja, Managing Partner for AEON Consultants joins the Think.Future podcast to share how this shortage in resources is driving a green building movement equivalent to 10 billion square feet for the India Built Environment. This appetite for energy and water conservation is driving adoption of both sustainable and responsible building practices and Ashish is passionate about leading the charge.

Samantha Peart, Global Head of Sustainability: Hassell are calling for a new state of togetherness centred around reconnecting people, reviving culture, and reinventing cities for a more sustainable and inclusive future. Join in the conversation as Samantha Peart, Global Head of Sustainability, takes us through the Hassell approach to deep stakeholder engagement with a focus on systems thinking, centred around having the right people at the right time throughout the design build process. From project-to-project Hassell are celebrating their sustainability and efficiency wins.  Whether it is minimizing up front waste, leading in adaptive reuse or designing for disassembly, the aim is to deliver a built environment in a more circular and systematic way that looks after all stakeholders, even the non-human ones such as the blue banded bee!

Anne Kovachevich, Sustainable buildings and precincts leader: Anne Kovachevich is a Foresight Practitioner and seasoned Sustainability Practitioner and leads the sustainable development of buildings and precincts at Mott MacDonald. Combining an engineering background with 25 years in sustainable building design, Anne is passionate about Futures Thinking which has evolved past setting a Vision for sustainability to guiding the process of navigating strategically towards that vision through all possible uncertainties.  Anne discusses a Futures Thinking framework for how the various systems can strategically evolve together in the built environment at precinct scale.  The Futures Thinking framework integrates design for efficiency in the built environment of energy, water, food, and transport to suit different community needs in precincts.  To hear more about how the application of the framework can accelerate sustainable design into the future,  click here to listen now.

Ruben Langbroek, head of GRESB: The transition to a sustainable real asset investment sector is imperative. GRESB are driving this transition by providing the industry, property companies, fund managers and infrastructure companies with the data insight and tools needed to make better decisions for their investors and shareholders. Join in the conversation with Ruben Langbroek, head of GRESB Asia Pacific shares how data is being used to drive improvements, positive behaviour, and proactive engagement towards a better Built Environment.    

NYC architect, Esther Sperber founded Studio ST Architects in 2003 to focus on sustainable, innovative and responsible design. Combining leading technologies with evolving environmentally friendly design and production methods to revitalise our Built Environment. As clients drive demand for open spaces, communal spaces for collaboration and celebration, and spaces for green enjoyment, Studio ST are responding with functional designs making everything old new again. With a trend for simplicity in both design and material choices, Studio ST are leading the way combining exceptional designs with responsible material choices as their clients seek to return to more nature-based settings that provide a sense of health and wellness for mind and body.  

Romilly Madew AO FTSE HonFIEAustis Engineers Australia Chief Executive Officer and has a remarkable track record in shaping the Built Environment landscape. Notably, Romilly was previously CEO for the Green Building Council of Australia for an impressive 13 years and in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Australia's sustainable building movement, she was honoured with an Order of Australia award. Today, Romilly is spearheading a rebranding revolution for Australia's Engineering profession as it faces the largest ever pipeline of work amidst skill shortages. Join in the conversation as we explore this critical rebrand initiative and its ability to address the challenges whilst capitalizing on the opportunities that lie ahead for one of the most in-demand professions in our Built Environment future.

Dr Florian Graichen is an Honorary Professor at the University of Waikato in the School of Engineering and is General Manager for Scion a crown research Institute in New Zealand where he specilaizes in Bioproducts and Biomanufacturing Areas including the portfolios covering high value Biorefineries, Distributed and Circular Manufacturing, Bioproducts and packaging and Integrated Bioenergy.  Join in the conversation as we discuss how these activities are directed at solving new product and process challenges and opportunities that arise through transition to a Circular Bioeconomy.   

Karen Chovan is a tailings risk and impact management specialist, and CEO of Enviro Integration Strategies Inc. A geological engineer with 25 years of experience in mine waste management, Karen is deeply passionate about fostering collaboration between mine operators, their suppliers, and the communities in which they operate. Karens objective is to help mines optimize the value of the minerals extracted, mitigate and reduce waste throughout the process, and regenerate and reinvent sites at end of life to maintain the economic progress for the impacted communities.  Karen's company Enviro Integration Strategies is sparking a mine waste revolution, aimed at reducing the risk of costly and hazardous mining waste failures.

In 1994 Interface founded its mission zero initiative with a goal to reduce the company's environmental impacts to 0 by 2020 over the last 29 years achieving a 76% reduction in carbon footprint for its products. Today the goal is to move beyond mission zero to becoming a restorative enterprise and to be carbon negative by 2040. Join the conversation as Aidan Mullan shares the journey so far and the focus for what's next.  

Jorge Chapa, Chief Impact Officer at Green Building Council of Australia shares his views on the change in mindset required to achieve Circularity for the Built Environment and the importance of it for our future. Join in the conversation as celebrate the World Green Building Council recently released Circularity Playbook and unpack the business case for circularity and a new way of thinking for the future.