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Member Spotlight | Grasshopper Environmental

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About Grasshopper

Established in 1978, Grasshopper Environmental Pty Ltd have been providing professional, tailored and responsive Waste Management services and waste data reporting for over 4 decades across two major sectors in Sydney – Building & Demolition and Commercial & Industrial.

Our clients range from Tier 1 Construction and Government to Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing, Medical & Industrial Premises with a portfolio consisting of partnerships across major projects such as Sydney Light Rail, Central Station upgrade, Sydenham Station, Hornsby Hospital and Sydney Zoo.

Green Star Accredited and a Proud Member of ISCA we are experts in providing solutions for Recycling & Resource Recovery and Waste Data Reporting, helping clients reach green credentials for their projects.

  1. What does sustainability mean to Grasshopper?

Sustainability for Grasshopper Environmental, goes beyond the literal definition of the word, that is to ensure a future where we are able to maintain today’s practices tomorrow. Our definition is to implement practices, take action and promote change today that will significantly transform the way we manage waste as a community now and well into the future.

Our practice of ethical waste management and 100% Environmental Compliance underpins our commitment to Environmental Sustainability. What this looks like is a business practice that never compromises the environment and enables others to do the same.

Recycling & Resource Recovery is at the heart of environmental sustainability for us and we facilitate this through our partnership with our clients and waste processing facilities to recover the maximum volume of recyclable material from waste disposed, with the aim to recycle and divert as much as possible from landfill.

Education is another important factor in achieving greater environmental sustainability. Our knowledge of the current waste situation, barriers to recycling, effective recycling practices and the benefits of responsible waste management is what we use to better educate our community and clients in order to promote mindfulness and action in regard to waste.

  1. Why did you become an ISCA member?

Grasshopper Environmental opted to become a member of ISCA to share and gain access to knowledge in the areas of sustainability.

Furthermore, Grasshopper Environmental has demonstrated capability and success in achieving high standards of resource recovery and diversion from landfill on a number of infrastructure projects across Sydney. ISCA membership will better assist in connecting with industry partners who are seeking to achieve green credentials for their projects.

Aligning ourselves with the peak body for sustainability outcomes in Australia will be instrumental for Grasshopper Environmental in achieving greater heights in best practice.

  1. How have you benefited from being part of the ISCA Community?

Grasshopper Environmental joined the ISCA Community in July 2019, although we are new to this community, we are looking forward to the growth opportunities ahead of us.

  1. What notable projects are you currently working on?

Our clients range from Tier 1 Construction and Government to Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing, Medical & Industrial Premises.

Some of our current projects include:

  • The Northern Road, Stage 4
  • Sydney Light Rail
  • Early works for Parramatta Light Rail
  • Central Station Upgrade
  • The Langston, Epping – Commercial/ Residential Apartments
  • The Little National Hotel Sydney
  • North Shore Health Hub
  • Hornsby Hospital
  • Western Sydney Airport

5.       What does the future hold for Grasshopper?

By focusing our efforts on Environmental sustainability, our aim is to better contribute to a circular economy and a brighter future for Australia.

More information on Grasshopper here.

SA Water: Murray Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Initiatives

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SA Water’s new Murray Bridge Wastewater Treatment plant has been awarded the highest IS design Rating for a water or wastewater project in Australia to date. The $52 million project received an ‘excellent design rating through the IS Rating Scheme. South Australia’s newest waste water treatment plant in Murray Bridge, south-east of Adelaide, became fully operational last week, able to process up to 4.5 million litres of sewage a day from more than 14,000 people.

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Project Initiatives

Hea-1: The project received full marks (2.49/ 2.49points), achieving level 3.

This score was obtained through extensive consultation and project integration with the traditional Ngarrindjeri people.

Some initiatives include:

Naming of the project site: A suitable Ngarrindjeri name/word for the site will be provided through consultation with the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority. This will help contribute towards the survival of the Ngarrindjeri language.

John Holland was required to develop and implement over the life of the project strategies that maximise employment and training opportunities, particularly for the Ngarrindjeri community.

Ngarrindjeri Native Garden –The plant palette for this native garden consists of a variety of plant species that reflect Ngarrindjeri culture. An aim of the palette is so Ngarrindjeri plant knowledge can be shared and passed down to the younger generations. The shape of the garden beds reflect artistic notions of sand ripples, waves coming into shore and the wing of the pelican, an important Totem/Ngartji.

Wat-1: full points, level 3(8.96/8.96 points)

Based on the modelling conducted, the project to meet at least a 60% overall water usage reduction. The most significant saving is derived from changing the treatment process and using a compact MBBR process instead of the Storage lagoons. (Wat 1a Water Balance) . Further efficiencies are likely to be implemented during construction.

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For further information contact SA Water’s media team on 08 7424 2477

MEDIA RELEASE | Australia Looks to Sustainable Zero Carbon Emissions for Major Works

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16 October 2019

THE FUTURE IS HERE AS AUSTRALIA LOOKS TO SUSTAINABLE NET ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS FOR MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS – SYDNEY METRO NORTHWEST LEADING THE WAY.

Australia is currently driving world leading outcomes and impacts throughout the infrastructure development lifecycle to ensure sustainability is successfully delivered on major projects such as the Sydney Metro North West Project and Canberra Metro. Both projects effectively utilise renewable energy sources and deliver reduced carbon emissions.

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) has been working with Climate Works Australia and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) on a discussion paper, which is set to be released in November – “Reshaping infrastructure for a zero emissions future”.

All of Australia’s states and territories have set commitments or aspirations to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with many other countries and businesses now setting their ambitions for 2030.

At #ISCAConnect, the Infrastructure Sustainability Conference held in Melbourne this week, ISCA CEO Ainsley Simpson highlighted that ISCA now has 220 registered projects worth $160 billion (capital value) engaging in its Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme.

So far, completed projects that have achieved the IS As Built Rating (certified construction phase) have avoided a total of 2.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and achieved a reduction of 29 per cent in materials used. The IS Rating Scheme has also recorded five world firsts and 23 national firsts in sustainability innovations on infrastructure projects in Australia and New Zealand.

“Infrastructure is an enabler and all infrastructure should deliver cultural, social, environmental and economic benefits,” said Ms Simpson.
“Designing, building and operating infrastructure sustainably is becoming an expected way of doing business. This journey is challenging, but worthwhile and it has given us a solid foundation on which to build into the future. We must also recognise this phase for what it is – it is only just the beginning.”

According to the Reshaping Infrastructure report, around 70 per cent of Australia’s total annual emissions are associated with infrastructure. About 15 per cent are directly contributed through the way we construct and operate these assets, with an additional 55 per cent from the actual the use of infrastructure and the patterns of behaviour it reinforces, such as the cars and truck driving on roads.

“It’s no longer just a question of building and operating sustainable infrastructure but building infrastructure that enables more sustainable lifestyles and economies,” said Ms Simpson.

“Additionally, infrastructure will need to be resilient accounting for the physical impacts of climate change and adapting to future shifts in population, our economy and from technology.”

Significantly, the $8.3 billion Sydney Metro Northwest rail line has already embraced these challenges. The project is the first stage of the Sydney Metro development program, Australia’s biggest public transport infrastructure development. By 2024, Sydney will have 31 metro stations and more than 66km of new metro rail, revolutionising the way Australia’s biggest city travels.

Sydney Metro NW, along with the Canberra Metro light rail, are pioneers in the Australian transportation and infrastructure sectors with both government agencies purchasing 100 per cent renewable energy to offset the operational electricity consumption.

Sydney Metro Northwest will be acknowledged at the ISCA Infrastructure Sustainability Awards on Thursday night as the first project to receive a sustainability certification from ISCA in recognition of their commitment and progress throughout the planning, design and construction phases, for the completed program of works.

“From day one in 2011, delivering a sustainable new railway for Australia’s biggest city has been at the heart of Sydney Metro,” said Sydney Metro Chief Executive, Jon Lamonte. Through careful planning we have made – and are still making – choices that set new benchmarks for the delivery of sustainable infrastructure. The journey in delivering Sydney Metro has been rigorously planned, reviewed and adjusted to get the best outcomes for our customers and our communities.”

All of the greenhouse gas emissions generated from electricity used to run North West Metro are offset via an innovative Power Purchase Agreement and the development of a new 95megawatt solar farm in regional NSW.

ISCA’s Technical Lead for Sydney Metro Northwest, Kirsty Bauer, said the asset’s operational electricity consumption has been fully offset by the development of the Beryl solar farm, so in effect the operational electricity for the rail line is 100 per cent renewable.

“Sustainability has formed an integral part of Sydney Metro’s vision from the outset. This has been demonstrated in our commitment to measuring these important outcomes. In addition to achieving the first IS As Built Program Rating, and achieving the highest performance level of Leading, each of the packages of work under the program has also achieved Leading outcomes,” she said.

In her address to the Annual Infrastructure Sustainability Conference this week, Ms Simpson highlighted that while some positive progress had been made to drive a more sustainable culture within the infrastructure industry, it is not fast or ambitious enough to achieve the outcomes as laid out in the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda.

“In the latest Infrastructure Australia Audit there was a call to action to evolve the way we plan for infrastructure – one that is ambitious in its vision, embracing of uncertainty and agile in the way it adapts to a changing landscape,” she said.

“Already we are starting to see that this is indeed possible through the leadership of public delivery agencies, investors and private asset owners.”

“Sustainability is no longer a fringe concept, rather it permeates everything – it’s the vision, it’s the business case, the risk, the opportunity, the enabler and the value generated. We will continue to collaborate with industry to accelerate the realisation of sustainable outcomes in infrastructure across Australia and New Zealand.”

#ISCACONNECT Platinum Sponsors: MTIA

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WHO IS MAJOR TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AUTHORITY? 

The Major Transport Infrastructure Authority (MTIA) is responsible for facilitating the development and delivery of the biggest transport infrastructure program in Victorian history. As the state’s population continues to grow towards eight million by 2050, keeping people moving will require an extra 10 million journeys per day on Victoria’s transport network.

“We are proud Platinum sponsors of #ISCACONNECT Annual Conference and ISCA Awards. We believe it is important to bring together leading thinkers to discuss sustainable outcomes, enabling the delivery of a more sustainable future.”

Corey Hannett, Chief Executive Officer of MTIA, is the opening keynote speaker on day 2 of #ISCACONNECT and will be sharing an overview of some of the initiatives within the state’s plans for Victoria’s future transport network.

With billions being invested in 119 major road and rail projects across the state, MTIA’s role is to plan for Victoria’s future transport network needs now by: 

  • Building the Metro Tunnel to untangle the City Loop so more trains can run more often
  • Removing 75 dangerous level crossings
  • Upgrading every regional passenger train line in Victoria
  • Creating an alternative to the West Gate Bridge with the West Gate Tunnel

MTIA recognises the responsibility associated with this once in a generation investment and importance of optimising environmental, social and economic outcomes for current and future generations of Victorians.

Our projects were among the first to adopt the ISCA rating scheme in Victoria and subsequently have gone on to deliver some of the nation’s most highly regarded achievements in sustainable public infrastructure, both nationally and internationally.

We are continuing to challenge ourselves, our project partners and other agencies to be at the leading edge of sustainability thinking.

Banksia Awards

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Proud finalists of the 2019 Banksia NFP & NGO Award

We are extremely excited to announce that ISCA is a finalist for the 2019 Banksia Sustainability Awards in the not-for-profit/non-governmental organisation category. The Banksia Foundation has restructured the awards with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to raise awareness and demonstrate how Australian organisations are contributing to global issues, and 2019’s finalists have been selected based on how they have addressed specific SDGs.

ISCA is actively supporting the infrastructure sector through our IS Rating Scheme (ISv2.0) by integrating the UN SDGs making it clear the significant advancements in sustainability performance across governance, economic, environmental, and social areas.

The Banksia Foundation is celebrating its 31st anniversary this year, making the awards programme the longest-running in the world, and they celebrate Australian individuals, communities, businesses and government for their innovation and excellence in environmental and social stewardship. We are thrilled to be part of this prestigious awards programme.

Learn more about the Banksia Award here.

InfraBuild’s Journey to Making Sustainable Steel

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By David Bell, Construction Market Manager, Infrabuild Steel

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Infrabuild continues to strive for sustainability solutions that can offer better outcomes for its infrastructure and construction partners.

Steel has long played a part in the Circular Economy and is the most recycled material on the planet by weight. But did you know that Australia currently captures well in excess of 90 per cent of its potential scrap steel pool, reusing or recycling this into new steel products with no loss of quality?

As Australia’s largest integrated manufacturer and supplier of steel long products and solutions – including hot rolled structural steel, reinforcing bar and mesh, merchant bar, pipe and RHS, rod and wire and building products – InfraBuild is ideally placed to drive positive change in how our major road, rail, tunnel and other nation-building infrastructure projects are conceived of and constructed.

A commitment to sustainability is one of InfraBuild’s core values and is manifested in several initiatives the company has taken in recent years. For example, InfraBuild has been working on how its products rate against the Material Circularity Indicator tool and how they can continue to be improved upon – it’s an exciting way of looking at the flow of material through the product life cycle.

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(permission must be sought to use this image and credited as appropriate)

Most recently, InfraBuild has launched Viribar™, a patented high-strength steel ligature that reduces both the mass and embodied energy of steel ligatures by 33 per cent, while still providing the same strength capacity of standard-grade ligatures. This exciting new product will cost the same as a standard-grade ligature, but is lighter, easier to install and fully weldable. This makes it ideal as both a loose ligature that can be installed on site or as part of a prefabricated modular assembly that can be manufactured offsite.

Compared to standard-grade steel ligatures, the Viribar™ high-strength steel ligature doesn’t just offer a superior environmental outcome, it is actually easier to install and delivers a more economical outcome to users.

Driving Sustainability Outcomes

InfraBuild has affirmed its commitment to ensuring it is a long-term responsible and sustainable supplier to Australia’s infrastructure projects through other important initiatives.

InfraBuild is proud to have been an early adopter of ISCA’s ISupply Programme by being one of the very first companies to be recognised in the ISupply Directory when it was launched in 2018.

The company also supplies EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) for its range of structural and reinforcing steel products. InfraBuild’s five EPDs are independently verified and are recognised by ISCA’s IS rating scheme, the GBCA Green Star rating scheme and the Australasian EPD Programme.

In mid-2019, InfraBuild in conjunction with thinkstep undertook a hotspot analysis of the environmental indicators across all of its EPDs to understand how improvements in the company’s manufacturing processes and supply chain had altered the various indicators in the EPDs. There have been some exciting outcomes from this work, which InfraBuild’s Construction Market Manager, David Bell, looks forward to revealing during his presentation at the #ISCACONNECT ‘Innovations and Impacts’ Workshop.

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To find out more about InfraBuild’s sustainability initiatives, including the launch of its new patented high-strength steel and the results of its work with thinkstep, be sure to attend David Bell’s presentation, ‘InfraBuild’s Journey to Making Sustainable Steel’, at the ‘Innovation and Impacts’ Workshop on Day 2 (16 October) of the #ISCACONNECT conference. 

Limited tickets available, right here!

Lendlease: Empowering Communities Through Authentic Engagement

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EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT

To register for the Southern Program Alliance Site Tour, click here.

At Lendlease, we are proud of how we build assets that reflect community input.

We strive to leave positive impacts, from great environmental outcomes to important social legacies.

The Level Crossing Removal Project’s (LXRP) Southern Program Alliance (SPA), consisting of Lendlease, Acciona Coleman Rail, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and LXRP is an excellent example of what can be achieved when construction companies include key stakeholders in the design process.

The Traditional Owners of the land on which we are delivering level crossing removal projects along the Frankston train line have strong cultural connections to the sites. With Bunurong Land Council, Boon Wurrung Foundation and Wurundjeri Land Council, SPA developed an Aboriginal Cultural Competency Framework to demonstrate its commitment to authentic and meaningful engagement with the Aboriginal community.

This framework helped drive opportunities to leave legacies that resonate with the community. The framework was endorsed by the Alliance Leadership Team with the Alliance Principal, Aboriginal Affairs Allan Murray acting as a key champion.

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During the design phase of the Carrum and Seaford project, Allan Murray facilitated workshops with Traditional Owners, artists, community leaders, WSP’s Aboriginal architect and SPA architects COX, to discuss what Aboriginal features could be incorporated into the design. Concept plans were developed that focused on the traditional values of the land and the embedding of the Aboriginal Cultural Design principals.

A SPA Cultural Competence Continuum (CCC) was engaged to ensure that Aboriginal cultural values are successfully embedded, and legacies created. This CCC assists SPA to embed values, not only from design but also from a behavioral perspective. This way, Aboriginal design principals and opportunities become business as usual rather than an afterthought. SPA is also working towards a SPA Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), with champions identified from across the team.

Implementation of the framework, CCC, and RAP have resulted in many design outcomes that will  result in meaningful representation of Aboriginal cultural values. A few of these opportunities include:

  • Construction of a yarning circle and urban marker at Patterson River, Carrum
  • Aboriginal mural art at Seaford Road, Seaford
  • Renaming of the Patterson River bridge as the Karrum Karrum Bridge
  • Integration of Aboriginal ceremony throughout the project lifecycle.

While all design outcomes are meaningful, the construction of the urban marker and yarning circle urban marker is particularly significant. The yarning circle is a traditional space that is used to pass on cultural practices and values, while the marker is embedded with diamond patterns, a symbol of unity for the Bunurong people. The marker has an aluminum frame and features wedge-tailed eagle designs, a recognition of Bunjil, believed by the Bunurong people, to be the spiritual creator of the bay.

These features are leaving a significant legacy through which Traditional Owners can tell their forever story and share their culture with the wider community.

At the official opening of the Karrum Karrum space during NAIDOC Week in July 2019, Bunurong Land Council’s Uncle Shane said, “I think it’s fitting to be able to come together in NAIDOC Week. This is about people coming together and celebrating our culture, our history, and the achievement of our people. Coming together, black and white, hand in hand, going forward together”.

Please join us on a site tour on 15 October as part of the 2019 ISCA Conference to see what the project has been able to achieve in just a few short months.

You can also purchase your #ISCACONNECT Conference and Awards tickets, right here! 

thinkstep anz: Think Outside The Loop: Beyond The Circular Economy

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Barbara Nebel, CEO, thinkstep ANZ
Think Outside The Loop: Beyond The Circular Economy
We are hearing more and more about the circular economy as a way to reduce our impact on the environment by getting the most use out of materials.
Steel is often cited as a great example of a circular product, due to its recyclability and the option to reuse elements when “design for deconstruction” principles are applied.
The circular economy also has economic benefits – to reduce the need to produce new materials, and the associated cost, we can reuse what has already been produced. However, to truly reduce our impact on the environment, we need data to inform our decisions and must look beyond a purely circular approach and take other environmental impacts into account too.
Comparing Tomatoes With Tomatoes 

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Stepping away from the hard structure of steel for a moment to something much more fragile: the example I most often use, tomatoes, are often packaged in single-use plastic. A circular economy approach would first look at reducing packaging, or producing it using recycled materials.
However, the purpose of the packaging is to reduce food waste. Companies like Tesco have introduced strips containing ethylene remover to reduce how fast the tomatoes ripen, extending their shelf-life further. While this introduces another packaging element, it also means that fewer tomatoes have to be produced to meet demands, reducing the resources such as water, energy and fertiliser required to grow them.
If we compare the overall environmental impact of producing packaging against the reduced food waste, we quickly see that removing packaging altogether would actually increase the overall environmental impact of tomatoes.
If we then decide to produce the packaging using recycled materials, will we need to use more energy to manufacture the packaging, or more water to clean the plastic before it is recycled? Circular economy thinking will not tell us the whole story. We may run the risk of shifting environmental impacts from one part of the life cycle to another, increasing the overall footprint of the product.
This is where Life Cycle Assessments come in – they help us crunch the numbers that we need in order to inform circular economy decisions. LCAs look at the entire life cycle of a product, from production, through to use and disposal. This also includes the upstream and downstream processes associated with production (e.g. production of raw, auxiliary and operating materials) and disposal (e.g. waste treatment).
To come back to steel, InfraBuild formerly Liberty Steel or OneSteel produced Environmental Product Declarations on five of their products groups, which look at the full lifecycle of essential building blocks like Hot Rolled Structural Products and Reinforcing Rods, Bars and Wire.
When thinkstep prepared the Environmental Product Declaration for Infrabuild’s rebar product, we considered circularity using the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, as an additional indicator to be part of the overall Environmental Product Declaration, next to the traditional environmental indicators such as global warming or energy use. The MCI looks at what proportion of a product is, or can be, reused. This gave Infrabuild a benchmark for their product circularity as well as identifying areas where they could improve their operations.

We identified that the greatest opportunity for improvement would be to increase the amount of recycled steel used in the rebar product.

Circular economy thinking has the advantage of being easy to grasp by suppliers and consumers. However, Life Cycle Assessments can make your circular economy approach more robust and credible by providing the data needed to make good decisions.
Barbara Nebel will be chairing the Circular Economy session of the ISCA 2019 Conference in Melbourne on Thursday 17 October.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE

2019 ISCA Awards Finalists Announced

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ISCA Awards Finalists Announced  

The ISCA Awards recognise and celebrate leaders in the infrastructure sustainability (IS) sector. There will be six awards presented on the evening, and certificates presented to IS Projects who have achieved an IS Rating.

We are very excited to announce the three (3) Awards finalists for each Award category;

The Individual Leadership in Infrastructure Sustainability Award  recognises the individual who best exhibits the most outstanding performance, leadership and greatest contribution to advancing infrastructure sustainability in Australasia throughout the past year.

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The Emerging Young Leadership in Infrastructure Sustainability Award recognises the young individual who best exhibits the most outstanding performance, leadership and greatest contribution to advancing infrastructure sustainability in Australasia throughout the past year.

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The IS Innovation and Impact Award  recognises the IS project/asset that exhibits the most outstanding implementation of an innovative practise/s and/or has made a significant positive impact socially, environmentally or economically.  This is awarded to the IS certified or registered project/asset with the most notable innovation initiative/activity relative to the scale of the project. Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society.
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The Organisational Leadership in Infrastructure Sustainability Award (private and public sector) recognises the organisation that exhibits the most outstanding performance, leadership and greatest contribution to advancing infrastructure sustainability in Australasia. Any organisation (funding and finance; project planning, development or procurement; design, construction and operation; and any direct service or material provider associated with infrastructure sustainability) can enter this category.

 

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Outstanding Achievement in Infrastructure Sustainability Award (Design) recognises the IS Project which achieved the highest Design IS Rating score. This Award will be announced on the 17 October 2019 during the ISCA Awards Gala Dinner.

Outstanding Achievement in Infrastructure Sustainability Award (As Built) recognises the IS Project which achieved the highest As Built IS Rating score. This Award will be announced on the 17 October 2019 during the ISCA Awards Gala Dinner.
You can purchase your ISCA Awards tickets, RIGHT HERE!

Meet the 2018 IS Award Judges

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Meet the 2018 IS Award Judges

The Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Awards return for its fifth year. Hosted by Logie award winning comedian and star of Utopia, Dilruk Jayasinha, the awards are a celebration of the wonderful contribution of industry to sustainable infrastructure.

The judging panel, convened by ISCA CEO, Ainsley Simpson, is charged with carefully recognising leadership at an individual, project and organisational level. Made up of sustainability and industry experts, meet our judging panel for 2018;

  • Dr Steve Lennon – Vice-president of United Nations Association of Australia
  • Kate Meyrick – Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at The Hornery Institute
  • Nicole Bradford – Portfolio Head, Responsible Investment at Cbus Super Fund
  • Matt Willson – Associate Director – Sustainable Finance at Westpac Institutional Bank
  • Sue-Ellen Fenelon – Board member Engineering New Zealand

Honoured to be selected for the judging panel this year, Dr Steve Lennon believes “leadership in infrastructure sustainability is not just about recognising excellence, it also creates role models that we can all emulate in the quest for truly sustainable development.”

Similarly, CEO of the Hornery Institute, Kate Meyrick is happy to recognises leaders in sustainable infrastructure as it helps to “increase the competitiveness and liveability of our cities”.

This year, for the first time there will be six awards, four for the judges to preside over and two based on there IS rating score:

  • IS Individual Leadership Award – Recognising the individual who best exhibits the most outstanding performance, leadership and greatest contribution to advancing infrastructure sustainability in Australasia.
  • IS Emerging Individual Leader– Recognising potential future leaders aged 30 years or younger.
  • IS Organisational Leadership Award – This award recognises the organisation that exhibits the most outstanding performance, leadership and greatest contribution to advancing infrastructure sustainability in Australasia.
  • IS Innovation and Impact Award – Celebrating the infrastructure project which demonstrates the most impressive implementation of innovation.
  • IS Outstanding Achievement Award, Design– This award recognises the project which achieved the highest design rating between October 2017 – October 2018.
  • IS Outstanding Achievement Award, As Built– This award recognises the project which achieved the highest as built rating between October 2017 – October 2018.

Don’t miss out on this black-tie gala event:

https://www.isca.org.au/awards_ticket

Murray Bridge WWTP: Delivering Enduring Social Benefits to a Regional Community

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Murray Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant: Delivering Enduring Social Benefits to a Regional Community

SA Water and John Holland are building a new $52 million Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and associated transfer infrastructure in the Murray Bridge region, a predominately agricultural area of the State located approximately 75km from Adelaide. The new plant will replace an ageing treatment plant commissioned in the 70’s which has experienced ongoing issues with odour, significantly affecting the quality of life of at least 750 residents, and at risk of environmental breaches through potential uncontrolled discharges into the River Murray. The use of novel and enhanced treatment process and odour control facilities will help minimise odour from the new plant and improve the liveability and well-being of the surrounding community.

Besides achieving strategic goals of economic efficiency and environmental performance, the project team has excelled at partnering with the local community. From inception, the project team has worked collaboratively and placed an emphasis on the creation of long-lasting community values through its associated investment. The project team understands that the legacy the project leaves in communities is just as important as the physical delivery of the infrastructure.  This is particularly relevant when young people in the Murray Bridge Local Government Area (LGA) are significantly disadvantaged educationally, socially and economically when compared against key indicators.  (School & Beyond Inc Environmental Scan, Murray Mallee region, 2011).

This project has not only strengthened the participation of local community in planning for improved sanitation but also supported regional economic growth and community well-being yielding several benefits, namely:

  • Provision of local employment and opportunities for local businesses. These local jobs drive economic growth and build stronger regional communities into the future; additionally, over 10% of workforce is from the local Ngarrindjeri aboriginal community.
  • Investment in leading technology (Moving Bed BioFilm Reactor treatment process) for a reliable, sustainable and resilient wastewater infrastructure, which supports economic development and human well-being.
  • Community connectedness through the delivery of school engagement programs and collaborative community educational and engagement programs including …
  • Investment in recreational, arts and cultural activities including the establishment of an urban landscape design in direct consultation with key stakeholders which is based on and represents the unique Ngarrindjeri culture and riverine history of the region.

Learnings include:

  1. Sound technical capacity and understanding of industry specific innovation and opportunities is crucial to assist clients achieve their sustainability targets and objectives in a rapidly evolving environment.
  1. Strong team collaboration allows understanding of the risks and opportunities across all disciplines and all stages of the project, resulting in an improved design and construction methodology.
  1. Open and frank communication on the project challenges, progress and achievements to  our key stakeholders and general community.
  1. Development of a strong stakeholder and community engagement strategy. Early planning engagement and ongoing consultation with stakeholders and community ensured that both the value and risk of the project are shared, understood and well managed.

 

Meet the Line-Up | Innovation & Impacts Workshop

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Meet the Line-Up | Innovation & Impacts Workshop

Back by popular demand, the Innovation and Impacts workshop is another opportunity to find out more about the latest innovations, ideas and technology to implement into your project. In this session, the audience get the opportunity to lift the lid on these new ideas and ask detailed questions as they break away into workshops to learn more about the innovations of most interest to them.

Learn more about the 8 experts showcasing their latest innovations at #ISCACONNECT.

Sponsored and chaired by Jacobs.
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Jason Nairn – Lendlease
Innovation: Recycled Crushed Glass in Concrete Pavements Undertaken by the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade

Jason is a Materials Engineering professional with a passion for the supply and management of construction materials for the building, civil and infrastructure construction industries. He has over twenty years’ experience as a Technical Manager in the construction materials industry having worked across all aspects of this industry from as a supplier, a customer, a consultant and a contractor. His skills include design, production, selection and use of a range of construction materials in a range of applications including heavy manufacturing, building and infrastructure. In particular, he has extensive experience in concrete mix design, manufacture and supply of in-situ, precast and pre-stressed concrete.

 

Nicole Neal – Cardno
Innovation: The Opportunity for Sustainability Analytics in the Federated Model (BIM) 6th Dimension (6D) for Infrastructure Projects in Australia

Nicole is the Asia Pacific Region Environment & Sustainability Director at global infrastructure, environmental and social development company Cardno. She is an environmental management and sustainability professional with over 17 years’ experience in environmental and sustainability consulting and construction management.

Nicole’s professional expertise encompasses construction and infrastructure sustainability with her experience lying strongly in environmental and sustainability management associated with major civil infrastructure across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Italy and Africa. In 2016 she was also a lead author of ISCA’s Developing a Business Case for Sustainability Initiatives in Infrastructure: A “How To” Guide.

She plays active roles in industry associations, and current and recent past affiliations include the newly formed ISCA Victorian Working Group as Co-chair, ISCA Contractor’s Working Group (of which she was Co-Chair), ISCA Materials Advisory Group, United Nations Global Compact Network Australia, Australian Constructor’s Association (ACA) Sustainability Working Party, and Civil Contractors Federation (VIC) Environmental Management Committee. She is also a former Vice President of the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) Victoria Division.

Scott Brusaw – Solar Roadways 
Innovation: Solar Roadways: Intelligent Sustainable Infrastructure

Scott Brusaw is the co-founder and inventor of Solar Roadways, along with his wife Julie Brusaw. He is an electrical engineer with 30 years of industry design experience. He creates hardware, firmware, and software, and has designed entire product lines from start to finish.

He has taken Solar Roadways from concept to product and has just completed the newest model SR4, which will soon be available to the public. He has just completed the company’s third US Department Of Transportation contract and is now helping manufacturers gear up for mass production to meet world- wide demand for Solar Roadways.

Keith Allilomou – Downer 
Innovation: Smoother Roads Delivering Fuel Savings

Keith Allilomou is an Engineering Manager at Downer. Keith provides leadership, specialist technical knowledge and project management for Downer’s new ‘Reconomy’ division, using the latest in innovation and engineering technology to maximise repurposing and landfill diversion on an industrial scale.

Beyond delivery of physical projects and upgrades, he also works to identify and leverage new market opportunities for the Reconomy business, from Strategy and Market Analysis through to development of Business Cases and CAPEX proposals.

Previously, Keith managed energy efficiency, procurement, and general business improvement projects across Downers national Roads business, and is still heavily involved with the national production team.

David Bell – Infrabuild 
Innovation: InfraBuild’s Journey To Making Sustainable Steel

David Bell is currently the Construction Market Manager for InfraBuild Steel, based in Sydney.Working within the Market Development & Innovation Team, his national role is focussed on developing and deploying innovative steel solutions for the Australian construction and infrastructure markets.

This includes working with project teams to deliver steel outcomes for specific projects as well as the development and deployment of long term initiatives around innovation, sustainability, insight and product solutions.

David graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Civil/Structural Engineering (Honours) degree and is a current ISAP (Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional) to ISv2.0.

Vanessa McGrath – Jacobs 
Innovation: Realising Net Zero Carbon Emissions

Vanessa started her careers as a building services engineer working. In 2010 she was awarded a scholarship to study her masters degree across three European universities. This experience ignited her passion for creating a more sustainable world.

After running sustainability workshops with SMEs in Sweden, Vanessa moved to New Zealand to work for the NZGBC (New Zealand Green Building Council) and the New Zealand central government to introduce NABERS, to the Kiwi market. After managing and teaching NABERSNZ for two years, Vanessa became the Manager of Rating tools at NZGBC and oversaw both the technical and certification processes of Green Star NZ, NABERSNZ and Homestar. Since returning to Australia Vanessa has been working for part time for Jacobs as the Sustainable Building Lead and managing a cattle and sheep farm.

Thirukumaran Jallendran – Norman Disney & Young
Innovation: Towards Low Carbon Concrete

Thiru is Norman Disney &Young (NDY)’s Sustainability Lead for New South Wales (NSW) and is responsible for enhancing NDY’s sustainability presence in the Sydney/NSW market. Thiru has overall responsibility for the NSW team performance and reports directly to NDY’s Global Sustainability Group Leader.

Thiru has a comprehensive understanding of sustainability principles, strategies and implementation across a diverse range of applications. He has worked with consultant, project management, development and construction companies in Australia as well as Internationally in educational, commercial, residential, healthcare, retail and infrastructure sectors. Thiru has in-depth experience in structural design, field supervision, design coordination, project management, sustainability delivery as well as advocacy. He is well-networked within the professional, industrial and sustainability groups in Australia and Asia. Thiru has managed the successful delivery of sustainability ratings and outcomes on state-significant infrastructure projects such as the WestConnex M4 East and the Sydney Metro Northwest. Thiru is an Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional.

Hans Fuchs – Holcim 
Innovation: Towards Low Carbon Concrete

Hans Fuchs has been in the construction materials industry of supplying ready-mixed concrete, aggregates and asphalt for over 30 years. He moved away from his home in the UK in 2000 to work in Asia. Since then Hans has held the roles of Managing Director and CEO as he moved through Asia starting in India in 2000, Thailand in 2003, Indonesia in 2004 and India again in 2008. Hans moved to Australia at the start of 2013 and has been working with Holcim Australia as their Executive General Manager of Ready-mix Concrete.

TICKETS FOR #ISCACONNECT, RIGHT HERE! 

VIEW CONFERENCE AGENDA, RIGHT HERE.