Copy
The quarterly business newsletter of Ian McBurney
View this email in your browser
Live ecoLogical
Live ecoLogical
Follow Ian
Follow Ian
ianmcburney.com
ianmcburney.com
Email Ian
Email Ian
Connect with Ian
Connect with Ian
Talking ecoLogical
Talking ecoLogical

Life @ Live ecoLogical

Ian McBurney - Sustainability Speaker, MC, Facilitator, Educator, Author and Business Mentor.


What a year it's been!

I have been a part of 52 MC, facilitating, training and speaking gigs, a 40% waste reduction at St. John of God Hospital and a 45% waste reduction at Kyneton Toyota. I was published twice, my sustainability conversation card set Talking ecoLogical in February and the Sustainability Street iBook was published for the iPad in July.

And now I'm a little bit excited about 2015. I am looking forward to promoting Talking ecoLogical and the Sustainability Street iBook, further developing my business mentor program and lots of time face to face at events and conferences.  I've also started some big business development moves to make sure I can grow my business whilst maintaining my sanity, my health and my two days with the kids at home each week.  

Stay tuned for two upcoming online courses: 'Setting up a Great Green Team' and 'The Speaker/Facilitator/MC Toolbox'.

In the meanwhile, I wish you all a great Christmas and New Year and hope you can get outside while you're at it :-)

More good news from our Business Mentor Program 


Kyneton Toyota Has a Big Waste WinIn 2013 Kyneton Toyota was awarded a Toyota Environmental Dealership or TED which recognises dealers who embrace environmental excellence.  Not wanting to just rest on their accolades, earlier this year Kyneton Toyota contacted me to see what else they could do to reduce their environmental impact.
 
One of our first tasks was to assess the waste going to landfill and we realised that most could be recycled. John and Ros Bradbury were very keen to make an impact not just because it was the right thing to do, but because it could make their business more efficient and because it could save their business money.
 
Together we set up a green team, studied the waste stream, installed a new three-bin system and educated all staff on its use.  We improved the outside collection system, adjusted the system inside and after we began to make it work we soon saw the result: a 45% waste reduction.
 
Once it was all up and working they then invited the local school to visit and provided a three-bin system for their classrooms to spread the message. I call that a win, win, win, win. 
 
The winds of change are blowing on many fronts – make sure your organisation reaps the rewards, or at the very least, avoids the coming costs.

Sustainability Workshops - Inspiring the Ambassadors.

I had a ball two weeks ago in Williamstown delivering a two-day workshop for Community Sustainability Ambassadors on behalf of Hobsons Bay City Council. These folks have been long term local community leaders looking after the earth and creating the new economy. Their Council wanted to celebrate their efforts, provide a space for them to come together to share, learn and create. 
 
Together we celebrated their 2014 achievements.  I then spoke about enabling change, we had a conversation on hope and we created the top ten list of attributes for awesome small teams.  I delivered my Speaking/Facilitating/MC Toolbox and we went on a nature walk at the Willy Wetlands.  The group then created a Sustainable Living Festival event to take place in 2015 that will bring together all of the sustainability focused community groups in their area for some kitchen table conversations.
 
It was a pleasure meeting and working with passionate, experienced and skillful community folk who are changing the world around them. It was a hope inspiring session all around.
 
"Thanks, Ian, for leading our Sustainability Ambassadors through two jam packed days of learning, teaching, celebrating and sharing.  Your ability to keep the energy in the room high the entire time, be flexible enough to adapt to the needs of the group on demand, and allow time and space for the participants to share with, learn from and motivate each other was truly inspiring.  Participants said they felt 'enriched' by the experience and the have chosen to continue working together to develop a community event as a direct result of the workshop. We think you're ace!"
 
- Jen McQueeney, Environmental Engagement Officer, Hobsons Bay City Council

A Facilitator Fundamentals

This has been a wildly varying and incredibly fun year with so much time spent face-to-face inspiring and being inspired by people and organisations taking responsibility for sustainability.  Some of the highlights have included:
  • Facilitating the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Sustainability Visioning Workshop,
  • Leading the development of two primary school Active Travel plans,
  • Supporting five neighbourhood houses on sustainability action planning, to both reduce their impact and to reimagine their enabling role as local, living, regenerating economies appear around them,
  • Working with five secondary colleges on leadership and change practice to help the City of Greater Bendigo put together a Youth Council,
  • Leading the two day DEPI Young Professionals Network Retreat at Philip Island for 50 inspiring and intelligent young state government folk,
  • Facilitating two Melbourne DEPI Forums for local government on sustainability and climate change adaptation, 
  • Delivering Green Team sessions for five organisations at all stages of the journey, and 
  • Running a Melbourne University Waste and Resource Recovery Centre Think Tank. 

Want a facilitator who gets everyone participating, is thought provoking and heaps of fun? Check out my website for referees and further details.

MC Wrap-up 

 
This year has been a big one on the MC front too, events have included:
  • Connecting Greater Bendigo, on integrated transport and land use for the City of Greater Bendigo,
  • Minding your Business workshop on mental health at work for the City of Greater Bendigo,
  • Active Travel Forums for business and schools,
  • The Hume, Darebin and Banyule City Council Community Environmental Champions Graduations,
  • ‘Greening the Health Care Sector’ in Brisbane for the Climate and Health Alliance,
  • The Small Business Bootcamp run by Synergize Hub as part of the Victorian Small Business Festival,
  • The Bendigo Youth Summit, with 70 young folk on behalf of the City of Greater Bendigo,
  • The Warrnambool Community Sustainability Festival. 
"We were lucky enough to have Ian MC at the Warrnambool Sustainable Living Festival, the largest event of its kind in South West Victoria.  Ian's energy and enthusiasm were completely contagious and his effortless crowd-management skills ensured that guests were constantly engaged and informed about events throughout the day.  Ian's endless bag of tricks (literally) entertained kids and adults alike and successfully got people talking about their vision for a healthier, happier future."
- Lisa Rankin, Sustainability Officer, Warrnambool City Council 
 
If you're after a sustainability-knowledgeable, funny, on time and on message Master of Ceremonies check out my website.
The Sustainability Street book for iPad is now in the iBookstore. Sustainability Street provides "a new reason to be neighbours" and might just be the most powerful community sustainability approach on the planet.  The book has animations, videos, images and stories to bring the concept into the digital world. After twelve years and 300 communities in three countries plus a university evaluation of the approach, you can be amongst the first to download Sustainability Street: and I'd love you to rate it and review it in iTunes! 

Want to reduce your waste, water and energy consumption by 30% meanwhile 
building wonderful new relationships in your local community? Read more about my unique education with Francis Fitzgerald Ryan through my days at Vox Bandicoot and the beginning of Sustainability Street on my Blog. 

A card set to inspire meaningful conversations about ecological sustainability and your organisation. I'm a little bit proud of these :-) 
Order today!


Order Talking ecoLogical now

What's Ian Thinking About? 

 
My blog.  It's where I go to reflect in more than 140 characters.
Here are my latest posts ranging from overheard conversations to my journey to becoming an iPublished author.

Launching the Sustainability Street iBook

My (web) Surfing Suggestions:


There is a campaign happening right now to create the ‘Great Forest National Park’ near Melbourne. The multi-tiered park system will create tourism, adventure, parks and ecology jobs and will be a boon to local economies in the region. All of those benefits and then there is the biodiversity and forest ecology side of things.
 
My awesome brother is an ecologist working with professor David Lindenmayer who is a Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology at the Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society. Lindenmayer has been published widely (over 470 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 36 books) on a wide range of topics associated with forestry, woodlands, wildlife and biodiversity conservation and ecologically sustainable natural resource management.

 Click here to watch his 30 minute Science Behind the Great Forest National Park talk at Federation square last week. 

He's the Master. It's like listening to Yoda talking about the Force. 

Dip your toe before taking the plunge...


Want to explore how looking after the planet can look after your business?

Book a two-hour, thought provoking, deep thinking, participatory session that can kick-start your journey into the new economy or evaluate  and re-invigorate your progress.  

What are we doing well?
How can our business benefit?
How do we change?
$660! Book Now

Help Go and Grow Gardens get going!



What if you could help my friend Sara Hill to set up a social enterprise that created employment, reused waste, grew local food, connected people with the soil, connected communities and saved water? What if you got a wicked wicking veggie bed in the process?

Well, you can. Get your Go and Grow veggie Garden Wicking Bed today! Or get one for a friend.  And ... if you're quick, it will be delivered before Christmas. 
I'm one of a bunch of micro businesses who set up Synergize, the first co-working Hub in Bendigo in 2012. We sit inside the awesome Haven; Home, Safe, just near the fountain in Central Bendigo. 

Our website: check it out!
 
The BSG rocks.
Get on board
Join the BSG and help change the world around you, for a "diverse, inspired, connected, ecologically effective and delightful Bendigo." In 2007, I helped set up the BSG. In 2014, it's still going strong. Join in in your area of passion.
A few years back I wrote a story for Tadhg, aged 2, about a walk in nature. It was illustrated by Sharyn Madder, who is awesome. You can download a pdf here. Let me know what you think!
Ian McBurney is an ecological sustainability practitioner who has inspired and enabled tens of thousands of people in business, government, schools and communities to move towards a better future.  He believes passionately that at this time in history, when every natural system is in decline, it is people and therefore culture change that will gift us a sustainable society. That society will be better for us in every way. We'll be more local and connected, happier, healthier, more profitable and more proud of who we are.

Two Sustainability Street iBook winners ...



Noel As're and Jenny Mann were the two lucky winners of the Sustainability Street iBook from my last newsletter.

Congratulations! 

Who could you gift it to for Christmas? Who do you know that wants to change the world around them? 
Click to view the Sustainability Street iBook in iTunes
"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."
- Alan Watts, Philosopher
Share
Tweet
Forward to Friend
Share
Tweet
Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2014 Live Ecological, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp