Banksia Foundation

	The Origin Gold Banksia Award Target 100 Meat & Livestock Australia, NSW	Supported by:
	The GE Eco Innovation Award for Individual Excellence Professor Veena Sahajwalla The Eco Alchemist - The University of New South Wales, NSW	Supported by:
	The GPT Group Community Grant Bookend Trust, Tas	Supported by:

2012 Category Award Finalists 2012 Education Award - Raising the Bar 2012 Small to Medium Business Leading in Sustainability Award 2012 Large Organisation Leading in Sustainability Award 2012 Water Award – Our Most Precious Resource 2012 Agriculture & Food Award – From Paddock to Plate Sustainably 2012 Clean Technology Award – Harnessing Opportunities 2012 Indigenous Award – Caring for Country  2012 Built Environment Award – Harmonious Manmade Landscapes 2012 Land & Biodiversity Award – Preserving Our Ecosystems
Click on the award category title to link to relevant list of finalists

VIEW MEDIA RELEASE 

WINNER

Target 100

Meat & Livestock Australia, NSW

The program is not about a one-way flow of information, but rather provides platforms for those interested to directly engage with farmers, industry and other people interested in sustainable food production. This appears to be a world first. Judges all agree that "Target 100 is a step in the right direction and highlights the very best of the Australian industry".

As caretakers of almost half of Australia's landmass sheep and cattle farmers know firsthand the importance of a healthy environment. Their commitment to a sustainable future is embodied in Target 100 - an initiative by Australian cattle and sheep farmers, along with their broader industry, to deliver sustainable farming by 2020. Harnessing social media and other communication channels, Target 100 revolves around 100 research, development and extension initiatives that aim to make cattle and sheep farming more sustainable and case studies of individual farmers. Target 100 encourages behavioural change by exposing farmers to the practices of other producers and the latest environmental research by leading Australian universities and research institutions. It is inspiring the adoption of sustainable practices on a growing number of farms. It is also about bridging the city-country divide between those who produce food and those who consume it. Target 100 provides the platform that allows farmers and consumers to directly communicate about environmental and other issues in lamb and beef production. With more than 100 farmers sharing their sustainability efforts on the Target 100 website and 17,000 visits to the site since its launch in March Target 100 is well on its way to achieving its goal of engaging farmers and consumers on the sustainability journey.

FINALISTS

Catalysing the Transition to a Low Carbon Future

ClimateWorks Australia, VIC

ClimateWorks was established to address the gap between research and action in Australia's response to climate change. Over the last two years, ClimateWorks has developed a suite of action focused research projects, building on our Low Carbon Growth Plan for Australia. Our research is regarded as innovative, rigorous and credible. An independent evaluation last year found our work was highly valued by government, industry, regulators and research institutions. We ensure presentation of our research is clear and simple so it is accessible to everyone. We have also developed an innovative animation and video case-studies to reach a broader audience. To bridge the gap between research and action, ClimateWorks has undertaken a nation-wide education and engagement program with government, business and communities. We have also partnered with industry and communities to develop regional plans and motivate local projects. We believe our work is making a difference. ClimateWorks has presented our research to a range of audiences and to local, state and federal government. Our research has been widely reported in all media – press, radio and television - across Australia. Our regional plans provide a practical blueprint for communities, and there is evidence our research is being considered in decisions regarding public policy.

Citysolar Design System for Change: A Whole-of-Community Collaborative Framework for Action

Townsville City Council, QLD

Citysolar Design System for Change is delivering a program which is designed to lead and drive innovation, providing a framework for the community to respond to changes in their environment (economic, social and ecological), utilising a collaborative approach to integrate sustainability into their everyday lives. The program provides a framework for action where residents, businesses, schools, government and NGOs can act and create an economically viable energy efficient future.

The key objectives of the program are to:

• Communicate sustainability strategies to the community to encourage engagement and foster change.
• Build community involvement through sustainability initiatives and programs.
• Educate the community to take responsibility and action for their own sustainable future.

Citysolar works towards a vision of developing a community of sustainable action where everyone is part of a system of living, working, acting and talking to each other about their successes, failures and further opportunities.

Climate Clubs - Kicking Goals for the Environment

Institute for Sustainable Futures, NSW

"If Australians took saving energy as seriously as we take our sport we could be world champions at tackling climate change." That is the simple idea behind Climate Clubs. Climate Clubs brings Australians' love of sport to the field of climate change. Families are encouraged to form teams in their school community to engage in friendly competition to save energy at home. It is about addressing climate change while building community spirit, raising funds for schools and having fun. Following a successful pilot with three Inner Western Sydney primary schools in 2010, Climate Clubs expanded to include 12 primary schools in three Sydney council areas – Marrickville, Manly and Blacktown in 2011. Across more than 460 households, the program achieved:

• An average household electricity saving of 5.1% or 1.2 kWh/day
• A total electricity saving of nearly 104,000 kWh across the competition period
• More than 110,000 kg of greenhouse gas emissions savings
• Estimated participant electricity bill savings of more than $25,000 across the six months
• More than $5,000 raised for schools through Climate Clubs Certificates and prize money.

Through innovation and engagement, Climate Clubs inspired communities to "kick goals for the environment".

ClimateWatch

Earthwatch Australia, VIC

In partnership with the University of Western Australia

ClimateWatch was developed by Earthwatch with the Bureau of Meteorology and The University of Melbourne to understand how changes in temperature and rainfall are affecting the seasonal behaviour of Australia's plants and animals. The first project of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, ClimateWatch enables every Australian to be involved in collecting and recording data that will help shape the country's scientific response to climate change. Through delivery partnerships with Australian universities, ClimateWatch is engaging the next generation of scientists, science communicators and computer scientists in projects that make a difference and build Australia's citizen science capacity.

Cool Australia

Cool Australia, VIC

On his return from Antarctica Jason Kimberley determined to make a meaningful impact on how Australians understand our natural world and how we can best work to protect our life support system. Cool Australia was founded on the idea of plain speaking education about difficult to understand concepts concerning our natural world. This is being achieved through enabling teachers to get sustainability and environmental understandings into the curriculum. Our Promise to teachers:

• Cool Australia promises to make learning about our natural world exciting while making the teacher's role easier.
• We investigate sustainability by incorporating themes such as Energy, Water, Waste, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Consumption into learning activities and units of work across the entire curriculum.
• Cool Australia is for all teachers especially those who thought that sustainability was not in their brief or was too big to tackle.

Green Lane Diary

Green Cross Australia, QLD

The award winning Green Lane Diary environmental education program has been scaling up since 2010, encouraging primary school students (Years 3 – 8) to learn about environmental challenges and solutions, and inspiring them to take practical actions at home, at school and in their communities. This ten week curriculum-aligned program is delivered in print, web and iPad formats during Term 3 annually. Green Cross Australia has partnered with CSIRO Education to enhance educational content and national curriculum alignment, including a clean energy video competition introduced in 2012. Live streaming events at Questacon support interactive participation, and the program has achieved deep print, TV and radio outreach. Green Lane Diary is free. Teachers sign up through word of mouth. Student participation has grown from 12,353 in 2010 to 24,662 in 2011 and 41,418 students in 2012. Between July 2010 and July 2012, 512 schools, 11 parks, 38 home schools and home groups, 62 environmental centres, education groups, training centres and non-profits and 2 kids clubs have participated in the Green Lane Diary program nationally. Our Action Tracker has tracked 9,388 student environmental actions, and more than 100 special projects have been evaluated for annual Green Lane Diary Hero Awards since 2010.

Inspiring the Future

Bookend Trust, TAS

The Bookend Trust is a combined school and community environmental education and engagement initiative like no other. It stands out for two reasons:

• the innovation and diversity of the different methods by which it engages a wide range of participants in real-time, on-ground conservation management and learning; and
• it is a ground-up program, not started by companies, government grants or financially gifted individuals, but by everyday people in the community determined to make a difference.

Bookend (www.bookendtrust.com) is a not-for-profit community initiative that seeks to inspire disaffected youth and their communities with the positive careers they can build making the world a better place. This is achieved through a diverse range of projects engaging different ages and interests. Bookend works to inspire, not terrify, the next generation with facing the challenges that lie ahead.

The Sustainable Management Alliance in Research and Training

The University of Queensland, QLD

SMART (Sustainable Management Alliance in Research and Teaching) is a collaborative partnership founded in 2007 by the University of Queensland (UQ). SMART brings together Queensland's leading business people, with the ultimate goal of informing and enhancing innovative research and industry-guided teaching in the field of sustainable business management. The SMART program is an educational innovation that has created a new way of thinking about and providing education. It provides a truly integrative approach to learning via structured immersion into the real-world dynamics of environmental governance, management, entrepreneurship and conservation. It provides a win-win outcome whereby students benefit from real world experience and partners have access to expert advice and high quality research capability. SMART builds partnerships between business, government and community groups wherein the experience and knowledge of partner organizations drive the direction of the research and teaching program. SMART strives to incorporate interactive technology and learning processes into its teaching programs, including the development of an exciting and interactive software tool, the CarbonGame. Specific outcomes of SMART during 2010/12 include partnerships with over 20 businesses, a 300% increase in student enrolments and projects which have identified of over 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon offsets and abatement initiatives.

Townsville Queensland Solar City

Ergon Energy, QLD

In partnership with Townsville City Council

The Townsville Queensland Solar City project showcases the future of sustainable living in Australia – with a 'Solar Suburb' on Magnetic Island central to its success. In its final term, after four years of engagement, the project is now delivering game-changing results. Importantly, it has achieved a key goal – to provide a replicable model of how solar energy and energy efficiency can deliver environmental and economic benefits.

In 2011/12 Magnetic Islands peak electricity usage was reduced by 44% and overall consumption was slashed by an average of 40%. This outcome was driven by the communities desire to prevent an additional undersea electricity cable in the World Heritage marine environment. Much of this has been achieved thanks to an educational strategy which has focused on deeper and sustained engagement to embed a long-term approach to energy use – the re-usable energy behaviour change model - which also includes hosting solar arrays for community rather than personal benefit. It has captured public imagination, enlisted local support and changed customer behaviour in an entire community to deliver a formidable assault on traditional models. A part of the Australian Government's Solar Cities program, Ergon Energy leads the Townsville-based Solar City consortium, which includes Townsville City Council, local developers and funding from the Queensland Government.

Wipe for Wildlife

Zoos Victoria, VIC

Australians currently flush millions of trees down the toilet each year. As Victoria and the rest of the world continue to lose biodiversity at unprecedented rates it is becoming clear that traditional approaches to mobilising community action need to be revised. Zoos Victoria's Wipe for Wildlife uses humour to engage the community with Australian fauna species, calling on families to switch to recycled toilet paper to help local wildlife. With a cheeky tone, the campaign takes a fresh approach to reminding the community that our everyday decisions impact wildlife and that helping alleviate the impacts of deforestation and climate change can start from the toilet.

WINNER

Ecoburbia

Ecoburbia , WA

The key strengths of this project are the integration of sustainability in the business model and the integration and engagement with the community culminating in the reach of the educational programs. Ecoburbia and the Painted Fish integrate an accommodation business with sustainable business practices and community engagement. Their underpinning philosophy and passion combined with a determination to act, means they generate change, not only in their own business and facility, but also in their street and community.

The Painted Fish and Ecoburbia are a unique multi-faceted business providing sustainable accommodation, education, training, and community building initiatives to achieve truly remarkable environmental and social outcomes. The Painted Fish Bed and Breakfast provides accommodation for up to 10 guests, offering a practical example of how to retro-fit any suburban dwelling to achieve outstanding energy and water efficiency, produce vast quantities of food, and minimise waste while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing and practical space to live. Ecoburbia builds on the success of the Painted Fish and aims to educate, inspire and celebrate sustainability through formal (training courses) and informal (community building initiatives) sharing mechanisms. The foundation of Ecoburbia is built on the principle that community is the centre of sustainability. Bringing people together allows ideas to spread, a common vision to develop and a grassroots groundswell of change. Ecoburbia's most famous achievement is the annual Hulbert St Sustainability Fiesta. "Tim and Shani have turned their vision of co-operative, sustainable urban living into a pulsating, energising, and world-beating reality. I honestly believe that they are ahead of nearly all community sustainability projects anywhere in the world. They are an ongoing inspiration to me, my readers, and all who have contact with them." — Alan Gray, Editor, ''Earth Garden'' magazine.

FINALISTS

Positive Energy Places

Synergetics, VIC

Positive Energy Places is a revolutionary commercial office building. Since the vision of Synergetics Environmental Engineering is to have cities full of carbon neutral buildings, the staff at Synergetics thought, why not start with us? From here, a retro-fit was carried out to make our tired old tilt slab building at 490 Spencer Street extremely energy efficient in every possible way and cover the roof with solar panels. The end result is not only a fully functioning beautiful commercial office building filled with tenants, but it also has the unique characteristic of generating 121% of the average building energy needs and greatly increasing the building value at an affordable cost. Positive Energy Places is not only making a real difference, but hopes to inspire other businesses to adopt the positive energy objectives.

Saffrron

Saffrron, NT

From Humpty Doo barramundi to Rapid Creek Market snake beans, when you eat at Saffrron you really get a taste of the Territory. Supporting our farmers and our local fishing industry means a lot to us. We're putting sustainability on the table too. We've introduced bagasse tableware (zero-waste, one-use biodegradable tableware made from waste product of bamboo and sugarcane processing) in place of ceramic tableware (generally energy intensive and highly polluting throughout its lifecycle), and our takeaway packaging is biodegradable too, right down to our straws. We stock an Australian-made carbon neutral beer, source wines from vineyards with a commitment to sustainability, send waste cooking oil for recycling into biodiesel, and more. Did we mention our menu is authentic Southern Indian, Northern India and Tandoori cuisine? Our paneer, pickle and breads – naan, kulcha, paratha, roti and chapattis – are all house-made. And Saffrron's the only place in the Top End you can enjoy a South Indian Sunday brunch of house-made masaladosa, idli and vada. Multi award-winning, Saffrron is:

• The first restaurant in Australia to be accredited with Climate Action Certification, and
• The first restaurant in NT to receive Green Table certification .

Our dessert list is pretty amazing too.

The Ugly Duck Out

The Ugly Duck Out, TAS

The Ugly Duck Out, (TUDO) is a popular family restaurant located in Swansea, on the East Coast of Tasmania. This cheerful diner caters for dietary requirements and for those that wish to support efforts to reduce their environmental footprint. The "ecotarian" menu promotes the benefits of this style of dining, exploring the link between the food we eat and the environment. Locally, sustainably sourced produce are the foundation for fresh, honest, award winning preparations that are in harmony with the season and the place. For the interest of guests environmental art is displayed and an information stand features products, services and activities that are sustainable, carbon-neutral and ethically sourced. The front native garden is registered as a "Garden for Wildlife" zone while at the rear vegetable and herb gardens and fruit trees offer fresh, chemical-free produce for guest's enjoyment. Often referred to as the "information café", TUDO has placed itself at the forefront of the sustainability revolution through climate action accreditation, innovative practices and global benchmarking. By demonstrating ethical and sustainable leadership, TUDO is the ideal vehicle to deliver "food for fresh thought". 

WINNER

Here for the Long Haul

Qantas, NSW

Qantas' demonstrates the ability to match environmental outcomes with financial benefits for each initiative demonstrating credible leadership. Qantas addresses many important issues across emissions, consumption and ethical purchasing in a thorough manner. Accordingly, the notion of sustainability is embedded in most aspects of the business and Qantas should be commended for this. The judges were excited by the company's actions which could have a significant influence though impact and education.

At Qantas, we view sustainability as a guiding principle for how we work with our customers and within society as a whole. Over 90 years we have come a long way on our sustainability journey. More than just words on paper, in recent years we've made strong progress in reducing our overall environmental impact. We have proactively begun a reinvigorated new era of innovation as we pursue a sustainable path for aviation. Our ambitious sustainability plans are sector leading. We want customers and investors to choose us because of a shared vision of a prosperous and sustainable future. Join us. We're here for the long haul.

FINALISTS

Banking on a Sustainable Future

National Australia Bank, VIC

In 2010 NAB became the first Australian bank certified carbon neutral under the National Carbon Offset Standard Carbon Neutral Program. Many organisations would stop there, but in 2011, we went beyond carbon neutral by setting holistic resource efficiency targets. In 2012, we evolved and extended our Environmental Agenda by becoming the only Australian bank to incorporate consideration of 'natural capital' into our business planning, signing the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative's Natural Capital Declaration. We financed close to 200MW of renewable energy in Australia, making us the biggest renewable investor in the country. Since 2000 NAB has financed 70% of the nation's renewable energy projects. Employee involvement has increased, with one in six employees taking part in environmental engagement programs and over 5% actively engaged in Green Teams. We've strengthened our engagement and partnerships with government departments, academics, consumer groups, community and supply chain partners, and NGO's, supplier engagement continues to grow, with those who show sustainability leadership recognised at our annual Supplier Awards. Our efforts have been recognised globally, being the only Australian bank listed top 20 of the 2011 Bloomberg Greenest Banks Index and third ranked globally in Newsweek's most recent Green Rankings.

Custodians of our Lands

Treasury Wine Estates, VIC

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is a unique global wine company with a leading international portfolio of new world wines. Our brand portfolio includes Penfolds, Lindeman's, Wolf Blass, Rosemount, Beringer, Wynns, Matua, Seppelt and Coldstream Hills, to name a few. Head quartered in Melbourne, Victoria we hold over 11,000 hectares of vineyards, generate sales of approximately 32 million cases of wine annually, and revenues in the order of AU$1.6 billion. TWE employs more than 3,700 winemakers, viticulturists, sales, distribution and support staff across 16 countries. Our culture speaks of an impassioned group of people dedicated to the craftsmanship of making beautiful wines, that's why everyone at TWE is called a Vintrepreneur. As Vintrepreneurs we are custodians of our lands, this is something that is recognised throughout our business and is incredibly precious to us. TWE has a deep and intrinsic link to agriculture. The long term sustainability of our business is dependent upon sound management practices guiding our interactions with our environment and communities. Our approach to corporate responsibility and sustainability seeks to position TWE as a positive force in the communities where we operate; managing environmental and social risks both now and in the future to drive sustainability and competitive advantage.

Events Without Waste

Spotless Group, VIC

Between the used cups, hot pie wrappers and empty water bottles, the waste generated from major sporting events piles up fast - evidenced by those overflowing bins you see on your way out. More worrying, most of this waste goes directly to landfill. As a major catering and cleaning provider to the event industry, Spotless manages a lot of event waste.

The company – acknowledging its role in the waste lifecycle – has developed a new service that has the lofty target of 100 per cent of event waste diverted from landfill. It's a lofty goal but one that the company is fast closing in on. Recent major events have seen waste diversion figures of 97% for the 2011 President's Cup and 91% for the 2012 Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix. Even more remarkable is that industry diversion rates of 40%-50% are considered best in class. How has Spotless managed to change the event waste game so dramatically? Spotless has integrated procurement, cleaning, catering and waste services like never before. Every service stream has been re-engineered to work together. Procurement and suppliers were given clear directives on what products and packaging would not be accepted. Even more impressive is that this new service will have very little financial impact, if any, on our customers over traditional arrangements.

Go Beyond

Interface, NSW

Interface is Australia's second largest carpet manufacturer and the country's largest producer of modular carpet. With this kind of success comes enormous responsibility for the impacts they have on the land, air and waterways where they manufacture and around the world, as a result of their supply chain choices. To manage their impact, Interface is guided by Mission Zero™ - their promise to eliminate any negative impact they may have on the environment by 2020. Mission Zero has fostered a culture at Interface where sustainability is everyone's responsibility, and measuring the footprint of their products and practices has become critical in moving them closer towards achieving this significant goal. In November 2011, this kind of focus saw Interface introduce Australia's first carpet range featuring 100% recycled nylon yarn – yielding a 47% reduction in carbon emissions and an 84% reduction in the use of scarce resources.

Leading the Way in Corporate Sustainability

Melbourne Water, VIC

Melbourne Water plays a pivotal role in encouraging sustainability in the community and understands the importance of leading by example on environmental issues to ensure credibility. Melbourne Water has a coordinated approach to making sustainability 'business-as-usual', including a suite of innovative strategies, policies, action plans and corporate planning documents that embed all dimensions of sustainability across the organisation and in our business decisions. Melbourne Water has demonstrated how seriously it takes its role in sustainability leadership, through achieving the following outcomes:

• Achieved a 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2000/01 and 2011/12, and generated 676,899 gigajoules of renewable energy, which accounted for 49% of our total energy used;
• Ranked top of the listed global water utilities for sustainability performance in the last two Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes (DJSI);
• Won Overall Champion Award for Excellence in Green Purchasing at the 2011 ECO-Buy Awards

Through leading by example, setting challenging targets and rewarding environmental outcomes, we publicly highlight our commitment to the triple bottom line. We actively seek to work with other organisations to share our learning and through our advocacy, leadership and knowledge sharing, we contribute to overall advancement in community sustainability.

Monash University "Greening Up Our Act"

Monash University, VIC

Monash University is in a position to advance sustainability by providing scientific solutions, informing public policy and demonstrating best practice. Also, by leading social change through the education of future leaders and generations. Monash's network of Australian and overseas campuses, combined with the rich diversity of its student population, provides Monash with the opportunity to think and act locally and internationally. Responding to this challenge, Monash has developed a comprehensive program and governance structure across a broad range of sustainability themes. Behavioural change programs engage staff and students to work and study in a more sustainable manner. Extensive data measurement tracks these initiatives and informs the development of new programs. Infrastructural improvements provide a campus "living laboratory" for staff and students to test and apply their knowledge to further advance sustainability. The breadth, depth and innovation of environmental sustainability programs at Monash are now achieving results, positioning the University as a leader in the sector. The infusion of sustainability principles into all aspects of University life provides students, staff and the community with knowledge and awareness that will extend far beyond this sphere of influence.

Sustainable Retailing @ Woolworths

Woolworths Limited, NSW

At Woolworths, we believe that our greatest opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable planet is through our consumer products and customers. 27 million customers shop with us every week and we have an obligation to offer them more sustainable choices. We work hard to bring our customers affordable quality that is sourced with integrity. Our ultimate goal is to make sustainably sourced everyday products available to all our customers at an affordable price. In the last 12 months, we have made significant changes in our seafood sourcing for our customers where we now offer 17 certified sustainable products in our 'Select' brands of canned and frozen products that carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. Another example is our Homebrand tissue range that is now sourced from certified sustainable forests carrying the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. Through this one product range we can make a significant difference, tissues/toilet paper are in every customer's standard basket and Homebrand is the largest brand by sales volume. As Australia's Fresh Food People and the largest retailer, we support Aussie farmers who produce our food. Our Fresh Food Future program is designed to nurture young talent in agriculture and advance sustainable farming among Australian farmers.

Sustainability Revolution: Sunshine Coast Council Leads the Way

Sunshine Coast Council, QLD

Sustainability revolution - Sunshine Coast Council leads the way Sunshine Coast Council is proving their commitment to delivering on the goal of becoming 'Australia's most sustainable region – vibrant, green, diverse'. The decision to embrace sustainability initiatives across the organisation makes good business sense. It sees a win for the environment, a win for Council's bottom line and a win for the Sunshine Coast community. Council's success is based on a strong framework of sustainability-related policies, strategies and plans. These include the Climate Change and Peak Oil Strategy (one of the first of its kind in Australia), Corporate Carbon Neutral Plan (providing the path to reach carbon neutrality by 2020), Biodiversity Strategy (a 2010 Banksia Awards finalist), Sustainable Transport Strategy, Waste Minimisation Strategy, Affordable Living Strategy and the Energy Transition Plan. Council also has an organisation-wide 150 strong Sustainability Champion network and supports staff with formal training such as the in-house Diploma of Sustainability. Results have been seen across the board with significant financial, energy and materials savings achieved by streamlining its fleet, minimising waste, rainwater harvesting, solar implementation, energy efficiencies, and sustainable building design. Together with innovative programs for the organisation, the community and through pro-active partnerships, Sunshine Coast Council is recognised as a leader in organisational sustainability.

WINNER

Dewfish Demonstration Reach - The fish are Back!

Condamine Alliance, QLD

The environmental outcomes are impressive, with wide engagement of stakeholders. The project delivers nationally important outcomes and demonstrated success with well formed and sustained partnerships and high leverage factor from volunteers and co-investors. The judges were also impressed with the degree of public support and community engagement - clearly demonstrating the spirit of success at all levels.

The Dewfish Demonstration Reach is fast becoming the pride and joy of the Condamine catchment in Queensland. Not only is it Queensland's first Native Fish Strategy demonstration reach but it is proving that it can bring back the fish. This is great news at a time when native fish populations are down by 90% since European settlement. Determined to restore native fish numbers to 60%, Condamine Alliance developed a river rehabilitation plan and has led a revival mission since 2006 to 'bring back the fish'. The urgency of the project, together with the community's high regard for the river, has mobilised and empowered a new generation of river custodians across community, business, industry and government. The enormity of social and economic upshots of the Reach has both surprised and delighted all those involved in this pioneering project. Strong community and industry partnerships have attracted $2 million of co-investment from major players and helped spread the story far and wide. Ask any local and they will be most proud of the return of three native fish species not seen in the catchment for up to 15 years. The Reach may have a simple goal but for this community 'bringing back the fish' is a giant battle that must be won.

FINALISTS

Abattoir Waste Water Recovery and Reuse

R Radford and Son Pty Ltd, VIC

Throughout our 65 year history, R Radford and Son have continually invested in our business, employees, industry and host region of Gippsland. We have achieved significant growth through technical innovation that now identifies our Warragul facilities as a Centre of Excellence in red meat processing. Fundamental to obtaining and maintaining this status is our recognition that to ensure our long-term viability our facilities must be environmentally sustainable. Up until the end of the last decade Radfords had enjoyed a reliable supply of groundwater from on-site natural springs. However, the prolonged drought experienced at the time had, with increasing frequency, exhausted the spring and in-turn required Radfords to buy-in supplementary fresh water. Continued buy-in of water was financially unsustainable and constraints on the local mains supply system made it highly unlikely that connection to town water would proceed. Moreover, the required lead-time to connect to mains would be of the order of 18 to 24 months. These factors led to our determination to invest over K$700 in a comprehensive, state-of-the-art waste water capture and recycle system. In a red meat industry first; Radfords undertook the development of a system that adapted Ultrafiltration and related technologies to produce recycled water of potable (drinkable) quality!

Lachlan Environmental Water Management Plan and Lachlan Riverine Working Group

Lachlan Catchment Management Authority, NSW

In partnership with Lachlan Riverine Working Group member organisations

The Lachlan Riverine Working Group (LRWG) was formed in 2009 to provide advice on the distribution of environmental flows. Much of the information on which LRWG advice is based has been captured through the development of the Lachlan Environmental Water Management Plan (LEWMP). The LEWMP is unique and innovative for two reasons. It is the only 'live or dynamic' web-based plan of its kind in NSW and also covers the entire Lachlan Valley. The web-based format allows for easy community access and regular up-dates of environmental watering actions and outcomes. The Plan is designed to support the appropriate delivery of environmental water by reinstating a more natural flow regime and restoring and maintaining critical ecological functions and habitats. The website also provides a platform for the collation of much of the available riverine information for the Lachlan Catchment.

Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme

Tasmanian Irrigation Pty Ltd, TAS

The new Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme in northwest Tasmania is a striking achievement. It shows that even in 'the great irrigation debate' it is quite possible for farmers, conservationists and the wider community to agree. Built as a public-private partnership, this expansion of irrigation shows significant environmental outcomes like; less abstraction of water, improvement of threatened species habitat and science-validated management of natural values and soil health. Equally remarkable as these outcomes is the way that hard-nosed economics and good community engagement achieved them. The project created a value proposition for an entire farming district where environmental sciences became the light of enlightened self-interest. This is an idea which ought to travel further. To secure water at 95% reliability farmers invested millions of dollars of their money in a project delivering a major conservation payload. It is a matter of great pride to Tasmanian Irrigation that the peak Tasmanian conservation organisation used 'Threatened Species Day' to highlight this project as an example of development that others should follow.

WINNER

OzHarvest

OzHarvest Ltd, NSW

Ozharvest is an initiative of significant social impact that has clearly articulated the environmental and economic impacts. Its amazing reach, its ability to change law and its extension to rural and regional areas truly identifies it as a leader in this sector. The future branding and marketing strategies are addressed to demonstrate the corporate and media branding needed to support the sustainability of this initiative. The judges commended the new program REAP which was supported by very cool web communication and endorsed by the highly reputed Food Industry professionals. Ozharvest provides a practical ''toolkit'' to others wanting to set-up their own food bank.

OzHarvest is a food rescue organisation with a dual social impact, ensuring that every day, perfectly good food that would otherwise end up as landfill is delivered to the marginalised and disadvantaged people in our community who need it most. OzHarvest collects leftover food from fruit and vegetable markets, supermarkets, wholesalers, corporate events, caterers, shops, delis and restaurants, and delivers it the same day to over 400 of Australia's charities. By receiving food free of charge, charities are able to redirect funding to programs assisting those who are disadvantaged or at risk. No storage is required, as the food collected is picked up and delivered the same day using refrigerated van. OzHarvest was founded in Sydney in 2004, beginning with one van and delivering 4000 meals in our first month of operations. Last year OzHarvest delivered enough food to provide 3.24 million meals across Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Adelaide, saving over 1700 tonnes of food from landfill and preventing over 2800 tonnes of carbon emissions entering the atmosphere. In addition, OzHarvest has recently launched an online toolkit to teach regional communities how to set up food rescue in their local area.

FINALIST

Delivering Food Supply Chain Sustainability Value: from Paddock to Plate and Back Again

CHEP, NSW

CHEP Australia is part of the worldwide Brambles organisation and is a national pooling solutions business specialising in the provision of reusable pallets, crates (RPCs), containers and associated supply chain logistics services. Whilst CHEP's business model, equipment pooling, is inherently sustainable, in 2010 CHEP established its Sustainability Program to further enhance the sustainability value of CHEP's pooling system to Australian supply chains, including the food supply chain. CHEP's Sustainability Program focuses on four key areas: customer, environment, people and community and has targets across these key focus areas to 2015. CHEP's demonstrated commitment to sustainability has been recognised in 2012 by Bronze Partner status in the NSW Government's Sustainability Advantage program. Highlights from CHEP's sustainability program which benefit the Australian food supply chain include:

• CHEP's unique pool of reusable, recyclable multi-purpose Beverage Trays eliminating around 1,250 tonnes of cardboard one-way cardboard packaging waste each year.
• CHEP's unique accreditation from the National Transport Commission to stack empty pallets 20 high on trucks instead of 18 high, saving fuel use and associated carbon emissions to rebalance CHEP's pallet pool.
• CHEP's in-kind support of equipment to more than $800,000 to key food distribution charities including Foodbank and The Smith Family.

Leading the Way in Sustainable Red Meat Processing

R Radford and Son Pty Ltd, VIC

Throughout our 65 year history, R Radford and Son have continually invested in our business, employees, industry and host region of Gippsland, achieving significant growth through technical innovation that now identifies our Warragul facilities as a Centre of Excellence in red meat processing. Fundamental to obtaining and maintaining this status is our recognition that ensures our long-term viability of our facilities must be environmentally sustainable. Critically; environmental management responsibility is held by Managing Director (Robert Radford) who has championed a number of projects that significantly improves our commercial competitiveness whilst enhancing our status of good corporate citizenry and responding to the objectives of our Environment Improvement Plan. In 2011, our investments of K$701 in Waste Water Recovery and Reuse and K$455 in Heat Recovery and Cooling Efficiency added to our continuing efforts to improve the intensity of our consumption of natural resources. These investments enabled us to reduce water consumption to below 42% of the industry average and contain electricity usage at a level consistent with our 23% production shortfall.

WINNER

SF6 Recycling Plant

ABB Australia Pty Limited, NSW

This technology provides an effective means of recycling SF6. The quality of the recycled SF6 meets that required for the gas insulated switchgear, enabling it to be used without further purification. The new technology has been successfully commercialised at a dedicated SF6 recycling plant that ABB has established in Sydney, with international applications to commence shortly. Using recycled SF6 gas will help reduce carbon emissions and could result in cost savings. The five tonnes of SF6 that has been processed so far has saved nearly 60 million kg of CO2e. The judges commended ABB on a highly skilled technical solution to a problem material that provides environmental and economic benefits.

ABB Australia Pty Limited, in conjunction with SN2 Pty Ltd has developed a patented technology for the comprehensive recycling of contaminated sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas, based on a new energy-efficient cryogenic process. The new technology has been successfully commercialised at a dedicated SF6 recycling plant ABB has established in Sydney, with international applications to commence shortly. The purity of recycled SF6 gas using the newly developed technology is about 99.99 percent and is in accordance with technical grade IEC 60376 (the standard for new gas), which enables SF6 to be reused again and again. Using recycled SF6 gas will help reduce carbon emissions and could result in a cost savings potential of up to 30 percent. In addition, a focus on delivering world best practice gas management of SF6, a high potential global warming gas, also delivers beneficial environmental outcomes. The technology closes the lifecycle of SF6 ensuring a minimal environmental footprint for this gas that is vital for the efficient, safe and reliable transmission of electricity.

FINALISTS

Australia's First Trigeneration Precinct for Commercial Buildings

Investa Property Group, NSW

In partnership with Cogent Energy

Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney was designed to be highly energy efficient and to utilise trigeneration as its primary source of electrical and thermal energy. However, when it was opened in 2010, the trigeneration plant sat idle. The building was simply too efficient, meaning that the trigeneration plant had insufficient load to operate. This problem is faced by the majority of trigeneration systems installed in the commercial property sector. In April 2011, Investa with Cogent Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Origin, solved this problem launching Australia's first commercial building trigeneration precinct. This solution allows Coca-Cola Place's trigeneration plant to operate at maximum capacity, utilising waste heat to provide the building's primary source of cooling, and send surplus power to the grid, sharing the benefits with Deutsche Bank Place in the Sydney CBD. Rather than developing or implementing a new technology, Investa and its partners have developed an innovative commercial solution to overcome the significant technical barriers faced by this emerging cleaner technology. The trigeneration system now generates electricity with 40% less emissions than electricity from the NSW grid, and the commercial agreement will result in emissions savings of over 1,000 Tonnes of CO2-e per year.

Climate Wizard

Seeley International, SA

Climate Wizard has the proven capacity to dramatically reduce energy consumption for air conditioning, by up to 80%. Because, air conditioning is the single largest contributor to peak power loads, Climate Wizard has enormous potential to reduce global carbon emissions and new power generation infrastructure spending. This breakthrough technology is an entirely new category of air conditioning – high performance indirect evaporative air conditioning. It delivers superior cooling at a fraction of the operating cost of traditional refrigerated methods, and without adding any moisture to the conditioned space. Climate Wizard works by using the natural cooling power of evaporation to dramatically reduce air temperature by up to 35°C. It can be installed stand-alone, or as a retro-fit pre-cooler for existing conventional systems. Climate Wizard was a finalist in the 2011 Australian Innovation Challenge. Since then, work has continued to develop Climate Wizard to suit a variety of commercial installations. An iconic recent installation at the University of Adelaide required 11 custom built high volume modules, each containing 8 Climate Wizard cores. This system supplies 465kW of cooling for the flagship new Learning Hub building, using less than a quarter of the power of a conventional air conditioner. Seeley International continues research on developing the residential Climate Wizard which will enable wider adoption of this energy reducing technology.

Closing the Loop on Bottle Recycling

Colmax Glass Pty Ltd, NSW

Colmax Glass is the first Australian company to be able to successfully process waste glass fines into a high-value high-volume end product consistent enough to be re-used in making bottles. The efficiency of Colmax's processes and the relatively high value of the outputs mean that Colmax takes this material from MRFs for a gate fee ten times lower than the cost of dumping the material. MRFs that send their glass to Colmax rather than landfill can increase their overall recycling recovery rate from 70% to over 98%. Since commissioning its new facility in Perth in January 2011, Colmax provides Australia wide solutions in recycled glass from its plants in four states, enabling Colmax to divert 82,550 tonnes from landfill in the last two years. In 2011, recycled glass processed by Colmax lifted the overall glass recycling recovery rate in Australia by 8%. Most of the glass processed goes back into high value uses that recapture the intrinsic value of the glass, providing additional environmental benefits in the form of energy savings to our customers and reduced mining of virgin raw materials. Key markets include bottle manufacturing, glass beads, pool filtration, bricks, pavers, road markings, abrasives blasting, termite barrier and fertiliser.

Fridge Buyback

Next Energy, NSW

Fridge Buyback encourages residents to be energy efficient by giving up their working second fridge or freezer. Fridge Buyback is the only organisation in Australia which is professionally degassing domestic fridges/freezers on a large scale. Resulting greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by an average 1 tonne CO2 per year per appliance and the metals recycled. Fridge Buyback offers a $35 rebate and free removal by professional removalists. Fridge Buyback has:

• Collected more than 38,000 appliances
• Saving residents more than $10.2 million dollars per year on power bills
• Avoided an estimated 311,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions
• Recycled more than 3,400 tonnes of metal
• Recovered and safely destroyed more than 3100 kg of CFC refrigerants Old fridges freezers are one of the biggest energy users in the home, costing residents an average of over $300 a year to operate.

Getting rid of the old fridge or freezer in the garage is one of the easiest steps households can take to cut their power bills.

"Imagining a More Innovative Supply Chain": CHEP Multi-Purpose Beverage Tray

CHEP Australia, NSW

CHEP Australia is part of the worldwide Brambles organisation which offers managed, returnable and reusable packaging solutions to companies across the globe. With a pool of more than 300 million pallets and containers worldwide, CHEP has more than 7,500 employees and operates in 45 countries. Since 1956, CHEP Australia's supply chain solutions have helped customers store, protect and move goods from production to point of consumption in a safe, cost efficient and environmentally sound way. Started in 2009, CHEP led a collaborative project to "imagine a more innovative supply chain", including reduced environmental impacts, for the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) beverage sector. CHEP designed a unique pool of reusable, recyclable multi-purpose Beverage Trays to hold either 1.25 litres carbonated soft drink bottles or 2 litre juice bottles. The tray is a "one-touch" packaging solution, where the same packaging is used for transportation, retail display and storage of products. It has reduced the environmental impact of the beverage supply chain, by eliminating around 1,250 tonnes of cardboard one-way cardboard packaging waste each year. The lightweight, stackable tray design also minimises transport fuel use and associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Three Birds with One Stone

Advanced Plant Nutrition Pty Ltd, QLD

Advanced Plant Nutrition produces a silicon based plant additive that increases nutrient uptake, helps protect plants from pests and disease and dramatically increase yield, and therefore, farm income. The innovative material, "MaxSil" can also be used to reduce carbon intensive phosphate fertiliser requirements whilst still increasing crop yield. The greatest part of the story is that MaxSil is made from waste glass and has the potential to divert up to 200,000 tonnes of waste normally destined for landfill.

WINNER

I-Tracker Initiative: Best Practice Tools and Partnerships for Indigenous Land and Sea Management

North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd, NT

An innovative use of technology for broad application for geographic and project coverage. The application is clearly being used in a way that is benefiting community at a wider level than originally planned, and has positive outcomes for managing the country. The judges were particularly pleased to see the great connection between technology and its application to care for our country on a multitude of levels. This is a broad reaching project that builds local capacity while providing a range of data to inform management processors, it engages with a large number of Indigenous groups as well as mainstream partners.

I-Tracker is a revolutionary approach for land and sea management and monitoring by Indigenous Rangers. Rugged touch-screen field computers empower local rangers by putting customised data collection software directly in their hands, while the I-Tracker network based at NAILSMA provides ongoing development, support, training, and idea exchange. By using the highly acclaimed CyberTracker software, I-Tracker links Indigenous Australian rangers into an international network of practitioners and supporters. Indigenous rangers using I-Tracker take pride in knowing they are using the same state-of-the-art tools and technologies as other land managers across the globe. Originally developed and field tested by a working group of rangers, Traditional Owners, scientists, and government managers, I-Tracker now supports regular patrol activities by Indigenous rangers who are collectively responsible for over 25 million hectares of land and sea country. As the northern hub of the Australian Government's National CyberTracker Network, and a partner with over fifteen organisations and government departments, NAILSMA's I-Tracker project leads the way in Indigenous conservation and land management.

FINALISTS

Bunya Mountains Elders Council

Bunya Mountains Elders Council, QLD

The Bunya Mountains Murri Ranger and Elders Council project has led to a revival of Indigenous presence and influence on the natural and cultural landscape of the Bunya Mountains, after a century of absence. In March 2009, the BPCG coordinated a series of meetings between Western Downs Regional Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to discuss establishing an Indigenous Ranger program. The program was to be run on two adjoining parcels of land, Russell Park and the Bunya Mountains National Park. With funding from the Australian Government's Working on Country Program, the Bunya Mountains Murri Ranger program was born. Four Indigenous rangers, one ranger coordinator and one part-time administration assistant are now employed through the program. The BMRG plans to hand over the management of the Ranger program to the Elders Council once it has developed capacity. The Bunya Mountains Murri Rangers have worked on a number of significant projects, including the burning of the Westcott Balds in the Bunya Mountains National Park. This was the first time in more than 120 years that Traditional Owners had conducted a burn in the region. The Rangers have also implemented the actions identified in the Russell Park Eco Plan and are involved in the development and delivery of the Kids on Country Schools Curriculum Development Program in local schools.

Jidaanga Cultural Project – Endangered Phaius australis

Booroongen Djugun Aboriginal Corporation, NSW

The local Goori community, Booroongen Djugun College (BDC), and partners mark a major step forward to save a rare and endangered Orchid from extinction. Through the encouragement of a distinguished Elder of the Dunghutti/Gumbaynggir Nations, the late Aunty Maggie Morris, BDC's Natural Resources Unit located a colony of Phaius australis also known as the Swamp Lilly in the Kempsey area. The JIDAANGA Cultural Project – Endangered Phaius australis, seeks to provide safe refuge for the species on Aboriginal land, reserve systems and other suitable sites on private property. This project will provide conservation for Phaius australis, (a swamp orchid), via a commitment to management, preparation, monitoring and the specific ecological requirement for the species to continue in the wild. The Aboriginal inhabitants of the various Aboriginal nations are implementing what the traditional owners of country agree to, and are the primary determinants of activity for this cultural heritage project.

Darling Quarter and Commonwealth Bank Place

Lend Lease and Commonwealth Bank, NSW

A far-reaching project, not just looking individually at design, construction, operation, local and community impacts, but all of those together - it has strong design, innovative construction, sleek and people-centred operations, and a great sense of community interaction and local benefit. Overall, this is a well thought-through project, communicated well, with a strong sense of ''making things better''.

The Darling Quarter and Commonwealth Bank Place development is unique for its precinct wide social and sustainable initiatives to ensure precinct vitality and longevity. The project is an important example of two major private industry stakeholders, Lend Lease and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. They are working collaboratively with government to push the boundaries and set a new benchmarks for the creation of urban precincts for people to work, visit and enjoy. Commonwealth Bank Place is the largest and most unique commercial office development in the Sydney CBD. The development is located within Darling Quarter, a new 1.5 hectare precinct that includes a playground, retail terrace, children's theatre and community green . This integrated commercial and public domain development has created one of Sydney's most vibrant and sustainable precincts and provides a new flagship campus for CBA. The buildings are some of the highest rated large scale buildings by the Green Building Council of Australia and are recognised as world leaders of sustainable design. While innovation and technology have been important factors in the design of the commercial buildings, the Darling Quarter precinct highlights the importance of place making initiatives to ensure long-term activation. The emphasis on social sustainability extends from the interior fit-out concept of Activity Based Working (ABW) through to the public domain.

FINALISTS

Australia's first Trigeneration Precinct for Commercial Buildings

Investa Property Group, NSW

In partnership with Cogent Energy

Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney was designed to be highly energy efficient and to utilise trigeneration as its primary source of electrical and thermal energy. However, when it was opened in 2010, the trigeneration plant sat idle. The building was simply too efficient, meaning that the trigeneration plant had insufficient load to operate. This problem is faced by the majority of trigeneration systems installed in the commercial property sector. In April 2011 Investa, with Cogent Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Origin, solved this problem launching Australia's first commercial building trigeneration precinct. This solution allows Coca-Cola Place's trigeneration plant to operate at maximum capacity, utilising waste heat to provide the building's primary source of cooling, and send surplus power to the grid, sharing the benefits with Deutsche Bank Place in the Sydney CBD. This approach addressed the technical challenges of implementing trigeneration via an innovative commercial agreement, providing a model for precinct-based trigeneration systems across Australia. The trigeneration system now generates electricity with 40% less emissions than electricity from the NSW grid, and the commercial agreement will result in emissions savings of over 1,000 Tonnes of CO2-e per year, equivalent to the yearly emissions produced from 197 Victorian homes.

Carnegie Morgan Hill House 120 Sussex Street Sydney, Sustainable Development Project

Local Government Super, NSW

Carnegie Morgan Hill House is a great example of Local Government Super's strong commitment to environmental and social sustainability. The main aim of the building upgrade was to transform the 21 year-old office building into the first CBD building in Australia with a five and half star NABERS Energy rating. The upgrade reduced the building's total energy consumption by 54% making it the lowest energy-intensive CBD building in Australia. Water consumption has also been reduced by 46%, and 97% of the building's waste is now diverted from landfill. All this was achieved using leading Australian lighting, air-conditioning and chiller technology. The full upgrade was completed at a final cost of only $160 per square metre. Independent consultants CETEC were commissioned to study the impact of building upgrades on the indoor environment quality, before and after the upgrades were undertaken. Results revealed that the upgraded buildings were more socially sustainable and productive, cleaner air quality, lighting and the thermal comfort of these buildings. These upgrades mean lower running costs and more satisfied tenants and this means more sustainable long-term returns for their fund members and the environment.

The Green Swing

The Green Swing, WA

The Green Swing is an initiative of two couples aimed at promoting sustainability in urban living. The project is a small scale, multi dwelling, inner city development close to Perth's CBD consisting of two town houses and two apartments. It's energy and lifecycle assessment results are impressive including a 10-star energy rating for one of the two-storey townhouses. The owners fought hard for permission for both apartments to share a rainwater tank and use the water for toilet and washing machine. Being allowed to disburse grey water on commonly owned land is also a first. Its design resulted in more than 60% of the 839sqm block being high quality open space and encourages community feel encouraging walking and cycling and providing some shared facilities. In addition, The Green Swing has received permission to revegetate the sump next door and create a community garden.

INVEST - a Sustainability Rating Tool for Roads

VicRoads, VIC

The sustainability impacts of roads can be significant. VicRoads believes that with significant impacts comes an opportunity to improve. To encourage, benchmark and recognise sustainable practices in road design and construction, we have created a sustainability rating tool for roads. This tool is called the Integrated VicRoads Environmental Sustainability Tool (otherwise known as INVEST) and is the first of its kind in Australia. INVEST seeks to drive the sustainability objectives and directions of the Transport Integration Act 2010 and the VicRoads Strategic Directions. In addition, it promotes many of the actions we have committed in our Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy 2010-2015 and related Action Plan. INVEST will change the practices of planners and civil engineers working on road projects across the State. It aims to enhance their understanding of sustainability while also promoting sustainable behaviour change through a best practice planning and evaluation model. Through sustainability innovation and leadership promoted by INVEST, it will deliver large scale results. Sustainability initiatives covered by INVEST will lead to significant greenhouse gas emission savings and improvements to the management of environmental and social impacts of roads.

The University of Adelaide Ingkarni Wardli Building (formerly Innova21)

DesignInc, VIC

The eight storey Innova21 building for the Faculty of Engineering Computer and Mathematical Science, has been designed to be used as an teaching tool with innovative features and high environmental sustainability. It achieved Australia's first Six Star Green Star rating for an education building. To the north, thermal chimneys and a façade pattern of sunshades and colour contextually respond to the university's traditional character. Student focussed spaces and highly visible vertical circulation promote a collaborative learning environment where the workings of the building are on show. Active slab technology combined with an under floor air distribution system using 100% fresh air provide a comfortable and healthy internal environmental. To the South, an exhibition space roofed in ETFE provides a link to the existing Engineering faculty buildings.

WINNER

The I-Tracker Initiative: New tools and Knowledge for Better Conservation

North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd., NT

An excellent use of modern technology and a great way to have indigenous land managers involved. It can be applied across a range of biodiversity monitoring projects across a large geographical region, rather than a single species or area. It has transformed the collection or environmental information and the management of environmental and biosecurity issues across the top end of Australia. Most importantly, it has been embraced by Indigenous communities and could be adapted to be used by any community.

I-Tracker is a revolutionary approach for land and biodiversity management and monitoring by Indigenous Rangers. From its beginnings as part of the award-winning Dugong and Marine Turtle Project, I-Tracker has grown to encompass thirty-eight ranger groups across northern Australia. Rugged touch screen devices empower local rangers by putting customised data collection software directly in their hands. Whereas, the I-Tracker network based at NAILSMA provides ongoing development, support, training, and idea exchange. By using the highly acclaimed CyberTracker software, I-Tracker links Indigenous Australian rangers into an international network of practitioners and supporters. With growing ownership of land by indigenous people, over 36 million ha of conserved land in Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), and substantial investment by communities and government in Indigenous rangers, the development of new tools and systems to support indigenous conservation and land management efforts is essential to the success of biodiversity conservation across much of Australia. As the northern hub of the Australian Government's National CyberTracker network, and a partner with over fifteen organisations and government departments, NAILSMA's I-Tracker project leads the way in Indigenous conservation and land management in Australia.

FINALISTS

Beach-Nesting Birds Project

BirdLife Australia, VIC

Ocean beaches are rarely recognised and managed as habitats, despite being critical to Australia's declining shorebird populations. BirdLife Australia's 'Beach-Nesting Birds project' has demonstrated that recreational related disturbances, that have influenced these declines, can largely be remedied by: community education, on-ground work defining zones of recreation and conservation, and by engaging coastal managers/planners and the community in monitoring beach health. With approximately 500 volunteers working throughout Australia, species decline is being halted. Breeding success has increased tenfold when on-ground management has been put in place. The Hooded Plover is now recolonising parts of the Victorian coast where they have been absent for at least the past 10 years. This new national program for beach-nesting bird conservations also addresses other significant problems facing coastal ecosystems. The program allows birds to be used as a flagship for generating community involvement in broader landscape scale issues and enabling biodiversity asset monitoring of coastal management investment.

Cassinia Environmental

Cassinia Environmental, VIC

Cassinia Environmental is a developer of regional Victorian land for environmental services including carbon and habitat protection. With more than 10,000 acres of land currently managed under permanent environmental covenants, Cassinia is on track to provide important biolinks between national and state reserves from the Grampians to the Murray River at Gunbower within ten years. With innovative management and a unique business model for private funding of biodiversity conservation, Cassinia is providing solutions to restore Australia's depleted rural landscape.

Hooded Plover Heroes

Phillip Island Nature Parks, VIC

Phillip Island is a wildlife haven, however, for the Hooded Plovers, it has been a place of danger. Research in the 1980s concluded that the breeding population of this vulnerable species of shorebirds was declining significantly. Breeding success on Phillip Island was too low to sustain the population. The Nature Parks pioneered and led a unique, integrated campaign where the local community and key stakeholders joined forces to save the plovers. This program included research-led management, community action, education, innovative technology and successful partnerships. The 'bigger picture' was to create and showcase a successful model for other Australian communities where Hooded Plovers were facing the same challenges. Today, the number of breeding birds has quadrupled. Last breeding season resulted in the highest number of chicks fledged since records began. Phillip Island is home to the 'only known' increasing population of Hooded Plovers in the world.

Lower Blackwood Linkages: Reversing the Trend

South West Catchments Council, WA

When most people think of the Lower Blackwood they think of pristine waterways surrounded by lush, healthy bush. Surveys have found over 600 species live here (14 priority species) including the EPBC listed White-bellied frog. Sadly with more then 65 % of the vegetation cleared, the reality is very different. Once living in noisy abundance, these frog populations are now heavily fragmented and marginalised and sadly many creek lines have fallen silent of once regular mating calls. The South West Catchments Council has recognised the value of this area and has embarked on a collaborative, integrated project to address the multiple pressures on this ecosystem. This project takes a multi-pronged approach to begin to reverse the trend of the declining ecological values of the Lower Blackwood catchment. Through working with individual landholders on their properties and undertaking a range of on-ground works, to working with the local community and Perth Zoo in a world-first frog breeding program.

Rehabilitation of Former Snowy Scheme Sites in Kosciuszko National Park

Department of Environment & Heritage, NSW

The Former Snowy Scheme Sites project has successfully rehabilitated over 200 degraded sites across Kosciuszko National Park, leading the way in high altitude land rehabilitation across Australia. This project has set a standard of excellence for linking ecology with engineering design, demonstrating the use of local resources and expertise, and for delivering outstanding results. Construction of the Snowy Scheme impacted the valuable ecosystems of Kosciuszko National Park, with blocking of waterways, dumping of tunnel spoil and hazardous waste, soil erosion, extensive weed invasion and loss of threatened species habitat. Rehabilitation is being achieved by a highly skilled team and each site is designed following flora, fauna, geotechnical and cultural field surveys. "Extreme" revegetation is producing outstanding results, growing endemic plants in freezing conditions where there was no topsoil, organic matter or nutrients. Project success and techniques are woven into general park management resulting in the development of Park–wide rehabilitation standards, the establishment of a Native Grass Seed and Straw Farm and training for field staff. Fauna surveying on scheme sites discovered a new population of the Endangered Mountain Pygmy Possum, resulting in new directions for protecting them. The project has integrated social and environmental benefits, with extensive financial support and skill development to volunteer community groups and engagement of local contractors.