Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year set to MC National Clean Technologies Conference

The Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year and leading sustainable business expert Arron Wood has been announced as the MC of the National Clean Technologies Conference due to take place from 29 - 31 May 2019 on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Building on the success of The Cleantech Effect event, run by the Sunshine Coast Council in 2016 and 2017, the National Clean Technologies Conference & Exhibition is expected to be bigger than ever in 2019 with more than 70 keynote and industry speakers and 50 exhibitors – and will attract more than 250 delegates from across Australia.

Conference director Peta Moore of Nectar Creative Communications says they are thrilled to have confirmed Arron Wood, who is also the Deputy Mayor of the City of Melbourne as the MC given he has a successful business within the cleantech industry, has won multiple awards for his work, and is a leading commentator on cleantech related topics.

“Arron is at the pulse of what makes Melbourne the world's most liveable city. Apart from being the City of Melbourne's Deputy Lord Mayor, his insight and ability to identify emerging green markets and risks to existing markets, and the fact he has his own environmental communication and education consultancy business, Firestarter Pty Ltd,

made him a natural choice as MC,” says event organiser Peta Moore of Nectar Creative Communications.

Wood says he has heard a lot about the Sunshine Coast and is excited to check out the ‘Cleantech Capital’ of Australia.

“The clean tech sector is something I’m really passionate about and I am thrilled I can be involved and am keen to visit and meet with the industry leaders and change makers in such an exciting, emerging region as well as MC a world class program of international drawcard speakers on all clean technology growth areas including energy, waste, water, built environment,” he says.

Wood is on the high level Enterprise Melbourne Advisory Board to attract sustainable investment to Melbourne, won the 2007 Melbourne Business Award for Contribution to the Environment and was also the 2001 Young Australian of the Year (National Environment Winner). He is the weekly environment reporter on radio 3AW, Melbourne's number one talkback station, and the author of an autobiography Billabong Boy.

His business Firestarter Pty Ltd, working through behavioural change management, major event organisation, project management, education campaigns and innovative company promotion methods aims to better link the corporate sector with community and government.

He also initiated and now runs the highly successful Kids Teaching Kids Program for students from around the world.

The full program for the event is set to be revealed in early 2019.

Registrations for exhibitors are now open at: https://nctce.com.au/exhibition/become-an-exhibitor/. A limited number of early bird tickets are now also available at https://nctce.com.au/.

ENDS

For interviews and photos email pr@thecreativecollective.com.au or call Yvette Adams of The Creative Collective on 07 545 11315 or 0405 022 977.

EDITORS NOTES

BIO FOR ARRON WOOD

Arron is the Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne.  Seven times the World's Most Liveable city. Named in the top ten education leaders nationally as part of The Weekend Australian Magazine, Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award-winner Arron Wood grew up in Mildura, Victoria spending his early years campaigning to save the River Murray. Rather aptly titled his autobiography ‘Billabong Boy’ was inspired by those early years.  Arron is an expert in sustainability and his company won the Victorian Telstra News Ltd Micro Business of the Year. He is founder of the award-winning education program Kids Teaching Kids that has seen over 125,000 students participate in the peer education model since 1999 and was the 3AW environment reporter for many years.

Arron is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was Chair of the 2017 World Ecocity Summit Advisory Board. His Kids Teaching Kids Program won the prestigious 2010 People’s Choice Banksia Award chosen from 55 finalists across 10 categories.

Arron was one of the ten Friday Magazine’s Most Inspirational People for 2003, which included people like Steve Irwin and Troy Cassar-Daley. He's a former member of the National Council on Education for Sustainability and was selected to complete Al Gore’s Climate Change Leadership Program. Arron was honored to be a Clean Up the World Ambassador with David De Rothschild and Celine Cousteau.

Arron received The Centenary Medal for outstanding contribution to conservation, awarded by the Governor-General. As a past winner of the United Nations Individual Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment Arron was also the 2001 Young Australian of the Year for the environment.

He served two terms as the youngest Board Member of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority. He served a term as a Sustainability Victoria Board Member and served a term as Councillor for City of Melbourne. He is currently on the South East Water Corporation Board and is Chair of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute.

In what was a huge career highlight Arron’s commitment to the environment was covered on ABC’s Australian Story.  In 2008 Arron completed a Churchill Fellowship which took him to New York and Geneva working with the United Nations to research replication of environmental education programs on a global scale.