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SustainabilitySustainability Symposium Symposium & Fair& Fair ChallengingChallenging : Consumerism: The The War War on on Waste

Friday 11 April 2014 – JCU Cairns Campus Free Event – Everyone welcome Friday 11 April 2014 – JCU Townsville campus Free Event – Everyone welcome

Sustainability Fair & Soapbox Stage The Fair will provide an opportunity to discover, engage and get creative with some of North Queensland’s diverse waste-focused sustainability initiatives. 10.30am – 2.00pm Live musician Tabi Sari will provide entertainment while you discover a variety of recycled, and creatively upcycled local businesses. Ride the Food Rescue bike to mix and Market Square, Outdoor Amphitheatre, sample a smoothie made from rescued excess fruits or get creative and make a recycled PET bottle flower! You’ll have the opportunity to view the stomach contents of a whale, or drop into a short workshop on hot and cold composting & worm farming. Education Central Be sure to catch the upcycled fashion parade and make a pledge to reduce your plastic bag use. There will also be the chance to discover the amazing work of Tangaroa Blue, or sign your businesses up to receive assistance to reduce waste. So come along, there’s a lot to discover at the Fair!

Welcome to Country and Opening Address The symposium officially opens at 10am, with ABC Radio Far North presenters Kier Shorey and Richard Dinnen hosting the day’s proceedings. In the opening address JCU’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding will provide an update of JCU’s sustainability agenda and achievements along with a background on the overarching consequences 10.00am – 10.30am of consumerism and waste for the tropics. Education Central Lecture Theatre 134 Room 010

Keynote Address The White Good in the Tropics: Place, Practice and ‘Consumer Culture’ Prof Kim Humphery Does the concept of ‘consumer culture’ really explain all that much about our consumer-oriented way of life? Is this culture as ubiquitous as is often assumed, and is it the same everywhere? In this talk Professor Kim Humphery (video-linked from Cairns) will look at some alternative ways of thinking about why we consume – and over- 10.30am – 11.15am consume. He will suggest that consumption is intimately connected with the material realities of where we live and with the everyday conventions and routines that we Education Central Lecture Theatre all tend to share. Kim will also suggest that thinking beyond the notion of a dominating consumer culture allows us to envisage different paths to achieving sustainable Building 134 Room 010 forms of consumption.

To register go to: alumni.jcu.edu.au/2014SusSympFair jcu.edu.au Sustainability Symposium & Fair Challenging Consumerism: The War on Waste

JCU perspectives From the Occupy movement to the 2020 Chinese consumer: A glimpse of JCU’s latest research Dr. Hongbo Liu, Dr. Maxine Newlands & The JCU research agenda has embedded tropical sustainability in many disciplines, and this is your chance to engage with a diverse set of views on consumerism in our Dr. Breda McCarthy region and globally. Economist Dr. Hongbo Liu (video-linked from Cairns) will look at the effects of rising consumerism in China, our most important regional trade partner. Dr. Maxine Newlands (video-linked from Cairns) will explore why issues of sustainability and resilience are at the forefront of social movements such as Occupy Sustainability11.15am – 12.30pm Symposium & Fairand ‘Get up!’. Marketing expert Dr. Breda McCarthy will present a profile of sustainable food systems in Northern Queensland to draw some conclusions as to how Education Central Lecture Theatre sustainable food systems can expand and become more stable in the future. ChallengingBuilding 134 Room 010 Consumerism: The War on Waste Lunch Experience the Sustainability Fair and find out what’s happening in the Townsville Region! 12.30pm – 1.30pm FridayMarket Square, 11 April Outdoor 2014 Amphitheatre, – JCU Cairns Campus Free Event – Everyone welcome Education Central Panel discussion Professor Kim Humphery, Dr. Maxine Newlands and Professor Stewart Lockie will interactively discuss an increasingly pressing and crucial question: 1.30pm – 2.30pm How can we move from a critique of consumerism to action, in time to save the tropics and ourselves? Education Central Lecture Theatre There are now almost as many registered cars in as there are people. In 2013, we were awarded the shameful title of worst carbon emitter per capita among major western Building 134 Room 010 nations. This session will examine how our nation’s obsession with ‘stuff’, when combined with growth, rising incomes, and , will impact on the future of our environment and our communities. Professor Jeff Sayer of the Development Practice Program at JCU will moderate the discussion. This session is video-linked from Cairns.

Community-based responses Practical solutions to a waste crisis Ken Bellamy, Brett Pritchard & The complexities of require both large-scale management systems and individual responses. Biotech business owner Ken Bellamy and Warren Jonsson expert Brett Pritchard will discuss the current waste issue and offer practical solutions suitable for the tropics. Ken will share his experience in implementing very effective centralized waste management systems in Malaysia, while Brett will talk about his work with ‘closing the cycle’ on food and to create high-value products 2.30pm – 3.30pm that enhance food production. Local and business owner Warren Jonsson (video-linked from Cairns) will discuss responsible consumerism and the importance of Education Central Lecture Theatre avoiding the supermarket duopoly to refocus on supporting local businesses. Building 134 Room 010 Simplicity, or Else! Simplicity, or else! Mark A. Burch & Linda Cockburn There is now abundant evidence that our society’s consumer culture is no longer economically or ecologically sustainable. Authors Mark A. Burch and Linda Cockburn will look at the dire consequences of continuing down the path of rampant-consumerism, and provide some alternatives. 3.30pm – 4.30pm In a video address from , Mark will tackle the question of how we can negotiate a shift towards simplicity, preserve the human experiment from impending Education Central Lecture Theatre extinction, and if possible, fashion a new culture that conserves our most cherished values. He will share his search for the possibility of a good life for everyone, within Building 134 Room 010 the limits of what the Earth can sustainably provide. Linda will discuss the barriers that prevent people from changing their lifestyles as well as her own experience in creating lasting personal epiphanies that drive change. Her talk will be video-linked from the University of in Hobart.

Closing Comments ABC Radio Far North will provide a short summary of the day and reflect on how the issues raised will affect our region, both now and in the future. This session is video-linked from Cairns. 4.30pm – 5.00pm Education Central Lecture Theatre Building 134 Room 010 Sustainability Symposium & Fair Challenging Consumerism: The War on Waste

Complimentary drinks, food A chance to discuss the day’s proceedings, meet likeminded folk and pick up a signed copy of Kim Humphery’s book, Excess: Anti-Consumerism in the West. and socialising Living the Good Life (Linda Cockburn) and The Hidden Door (Mark A. Burch) will also be available for purchase. 5.00pm – 6.00pm SustainabilityMarket Square, Outdoor Symposium Amphitheatre, & Fair Education Central Challenging Consumerism: The War on Waste Public lecture with Prof Kim Humphery Can We Buy a Better World? Ethical Consumption and Sustainability 6.00pm – 7.00pm Over the past three decades ‘ethical consumption’ has emerged as an increasingly prominent alternative to conventional shopping. The field of ethical consumption has FridayEducation 11 Central April Lecture 2014 Theatre – JCU Cairnsmorphed Campusfrom being a small politicalFree movement Event into a global – networkEveryone of organisations welcome and a retailing and production sector; while the call to buy ethical goods and services (which can variously mean sustainable, fair trade, local or humane) has begun to make at least some inroads into how we actually consume. Nevertheless debate Building 134 Room 010 rages on just how useful ethical consumption is as an alternative. Kim Humphery will engage with this debate, explore the relationship between ethical and , and identify some of the challenges we face in consuming differently. This talk will be video-linked from Cairns.

Please register early to secure a seat in the Education Central Lecture Theatre.

To register, go to: In seeking a brighter future for people in the tropics worldwide, JCU will work to ensure that our actions today do not limit the range of social, cultural, environmental and economic options of future generations. Through our scholarship and practices, JCU seeks to meet the challenges that affect the tropics, and in doing so, materially alumni.jcu.edu.au/2014SusSympFair contribute to , world-wide.

The Sustainability Symposium is a joint initiative of:

JCU Sustainability Advisory Committee

JCU Sustainability Action Group Sustainability Symposium & Fair Challenging Consumerism: The War on Waste

Workshops

Hot and Cold Composting & Starting at various times during the Fair - Community educator Jay Jackson will present mini workshops with tips and advice for how to achieve success with hot SustainabilityWorm Farming Mini WorkshopsSymposium & Faircomposting, cold composting and worm farming. Take the opportunity to tap into Jay’s extensive knowledge and experience to better understand and achieve effective and improvement for your home, community or school . ChallengingRecre8Tiv Recycled Art – Consumerism:Drop in to the Recre8Tiv area and makeThe your own recycledWar PET drink on bottle flower. Waste Help to a field of recycled flowers or take home to plant in your own garden. PET flower making workshop

FridayTour of the 11 JCU April Sunshine 2014 Edible – Garden JCU CairnsBrett Pritchard Campus will give a tour of theFree Sunshine Event Edible Garden – andEveryone demonstrate the uniquewelcome garden bed design that is poised to revolutionise urban food production.

4.00 – 4.30pm Note: Please arrive early to secure your place as spaces are limited. Meet at Rotary International House

About the contributors

Kim Humphery Associate Professor Kim Humphery is Director of the Centre for Applied Social Research at RMIT University. Much of his research over the past two decades has focused on the history and politics of consumption and, more recently, on anti-consumerism as a social movement. Kim is currently working with a number of RMIT colleagues on a major study of ethical consumption in Australia, funded by the Australian Research Council. Kim’s books include; Shelf Life: Supermarkets and the Changing Cultures of Consumption (Cambridge University Press, 1998 & 2011), Excess: Anti-Consumerism in the West (Polity, 2010), and the co-edited collection Consumer Australia: Historical Perspectives (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010).

Mark A. Burch Mark A. Burch is an author, educator, and group facilitator who has practiced since the 1960s, and offers presentations, workshops and courses on voluntary simplicity. In 2010, he retired as Director of the Campus Sustainability Office for The University of Winnipeg, and is currently a Faculty Member of The Simplicity Institute in Melbourne, Australia, Chair of Transition Winnipeg, and Director of Sustainable South Osborne Community Cooperative. Mark has published seven books on voluntary simplicity, as well as a series of essays and numerous articles. His most recent book, The Hidden Door: Mindful Sufficiency as an Alternative to Extinction, is published by The Simplicity Institute in Australia.

Maxine Newlands Dr. Maxine Newlands’s research focuses on from , carbon tax to , activism, protest, social justice, journalistic practices and occasionally sports-media. Maxine has lectured in environmental politics and journalism both in the UK and Australia. Her journalism appears in the Ecologist Magazine, The Conversation and Protestcamps.org. Maxine is a member of the Journalism Education Association of Australia, a Research Fellow at the London East Research Institute, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Sustainability Symposium & Fair Challenging Consumerism: The War on Waste

About the contributors

Stewart Lockie Director of The Cairns Institute, Professor Stewart Lockie began his research career investigating the evolution and impacts of in . This has Sustainability Symposium & Fairsince been extended to studies of conservation, resource development, climate policy, environmental standards, markets in services, and green consumption practices. Stewart is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. He is the current President of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Environment and Society and a member of the International Council for Science’s Committee for Scientific Planning and Review. Challenging Consumerism:Stewart is also Foundation Editor of Thethe journal Environmental War . on Waste Breda McCarthy Dr. Breda McCarthy is a lecturer in Marketing at James Cook University. Her research interests include local and consumption, wine consumption in China, cultural tourism, strategy formation processes and marketing activities of entrepreneurial ventures. She has written several book chapters, journal papers and case studies Friday 11 April 2014 – JCU Cairnsin the field Campus of marketing and management.Free Event – Everyone welcome Linda Cockburn As an antidote to , Linda’s family took six months off from spending and managed to avoid buying almost anything. Linda and her family documented the experience in their book, Living the Good Life – How one Family Changed Their World from Their Own Backyard. Linda is currently working on a short film titled Peak Challenge.

Hongbo Liu Dr. Hongbo Liu is currently a lecturer in Economics at the School of Business. Previously she has worked in the Australian meat and industry. Hongbo specialises in resource and , health economics and welfare economics, with particular interests in food consumption and its impacts. Hongbo has led and participated in projects in both Australia and China. She is also a journal referee for the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Population and Environment and China Agricultural Economic Review.

Brett Pritchard Brett Pritchard has been a permaculture designer and educator since 1991 and is currently working with TropEco at JCU to develop low maintenance food growing systems for the dry tropics. Brett is also the Education Officer for Permaculture Townsville Inc.

Ken Bellamy Ken Bellamy is the principal of Vital Resource Management Pty Ltd (VRM) - an organisation that fosters cooperative, sustainable environmental management through improvements in soil and water quality. Studying humanities in California, Ken graduated with an honours degree in Theology and a keen interest in human relations. Returning to Australia in the mid-1980’s he practiced as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) for ten years, prior to being challenged to revisit his passion for the way things work in our eco-system. This challenge led to the establishment of VRM in 1997 as a biotech company offering a natural alternative to genetic modification and ‘kill everything clean’ processes in the management of biological .

Warren Jonsson Forth generation local farmer Warren Jonsson opened Jonsson’s Market after becoming fed up with the frustrations of trying to make a living as a primary producer in Australia. His family-run business attempts to resolve the ongoing issues associated with major chains and their control over pricing, product type and the extreme disparity in price from the paddock to the supermarket shelves.

ABC Far North presenters Kier Shorey Kier Shorey has been presenting the Breakfast Show at ABC Far North since 2006, before which he was a successful Sydney-based screenwriter. Richard Dinnen has over and Richard Dinnen 20 years of experience in radio journalism, having worked variously in commercial radio in NSW, current affairs, news and programs in QLD, ACT, NSW and VIC, as the ABC correspondent in Papua and the ABC Pacific correspondent.