City Talks 2012 Poverty amid Plenty: Exploring ideas for a more equitable and sustainable world

Is a more equitable and sustainable world possible? If so, how do we achieve it? Paul Gilding, the former Executive Director of Greenpeace International and author of The Great Disruption, has posed this question to audiences around the world. Now it’s Sydney’s turn.

He will be joined by Clover Moore MP, Ross Gittins AM, Economics Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, Sam Mclean, Deputy National Director at GetUp!; Ben Waters, Director of ecomagination Australia and New Zealand at GE and Rachel Botsman, social innovator and author of the influential book Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live; and

Paul Gilding will explore how we got to this point. As a society we continue exploiting finite resources to fuel further growth and consumption, despite the ecological damage to our world. At the same time economic growth in many western democracies is based on government and personal debt which further destabilises the economy.

The panel will discuss the workings of the global economy, asking who it benefits and at what cost, before putting forward solutions for creating a resilient, more sustainable and equitable future for all members of our society.

Ross Gittins AM, Economics Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald will discuss what global structural changes need to occur so we can transition to a new economic model which values environmental and social sustainability.

Sam Mclean is the Deputy National Director of GetUp an independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation with nearly 600,000 members, which aims to build a more progressive Australia by giving everyday citizens the opportunity to get involved in important issues. Sam will be discussing the urgent need to rethink democracy and corporate social responsibility; speaking about GetUp’s campaign to examine political donations and the lobbying power of corporations, excessive corporate salaries and bonuses and corrupt corporate practices and standards.

Director of ecomagination, GE, Australia and New Zealand will explore the role of global corporations in contributing to the solution. Ben Waters leads GE’s ecomagination initiative in Australia and New Zealand, which has invested $5 billion in clean tech research and development, generating $70 billion in revenue in its first five years and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 22 per cent. Ben will discuss how GE identified the opportunities for global businesses to profitably transform to the green economy and opportunities for other businesses to transform their businesses.

Rachel Botsman, Social Innovator and author of “What’s Mine is Yours – the Rise of Collaborative Consumption will contribute her views on what the individual and community response is. TIME Magazine recently called collaborative consumption one of the “10 ideas that will change the world”. Rachel will explore how individuals and communities can harness technological opportunities to facilitate better social connections and participate in collaborate consumption.

Cycle to CityTalks – free valet bike parking located at Ash Street (behind City Recital Hall) from 6.00pm – 9.00pm

Visit sydney2030.com.au for information on our sustainability projects.

Tickets are FREE and ESSENTIAL and available by calling 02 8256 2222 or www.cityrecitalhall.com