Working with our partners
Due to the vast diversity of the 2022 Sustainability Partnerships cohort, many of them naturally came to work together. We were in a great position to facilitate collaboration among all these organisations and enable better outcomes.
In December 2022, Green Music Australia, Plastic Free July, Take 3 For The Sea, the Sydney Opera House and Jack Johnson, for a Plastic Free Afternoon Tea networking event. Over 13 music venue operators, other environmentally-minded community organisations participated, gaining an insight into Jack Johnson’s green touring practices and Sydney Opera House’s sustainable event operations.
The opportunity was a powerful networking and information sharing event with likeminded organisations who, as EPA partners, began reaching out to solve common problems and combine resources to force collective action.
Partners were encouraged to reach out to each other to help solve problems collectively that might arise. Many organisations, for example, reached out to Great Plastic Rescue to help facilitate the collection and processing of their excess plastic stock. The University of New England worked with Great Plastic Rescue to remove banned items from all commercial kitchens, cafes and restaurants on campus to avoid sending them to landfill, and several KU centres also sent banned items preventing, allowing their stock to begin a second life as a new product. And UoW engaged Green Connect to help them understand their waste footprint by undertaking two waste audits on the Wollongong campus across the year.
Some partners used the expertise of others to deepen their impact spread their reach. Surfing NSW engaged Take 3 to help with beach clean ups after major NSW events to minimise their impact on their surroundings and maintain their leadership as custodians of the beaches and oceans.
Lastly, we also had a clear role in contributing as partners to these projects. We were able to lend expertise and resourcing to many partners to help progress projects. Our CEO, Tony Chappel, rolled up his sleeves to clean up plastic pollution at Take 3’s annual CEO Clean Up event at Manly Beach, representatives provided subject matter expertise at conferences and webinars for Girl Guides, Green Music and Southern Cross University, and promote various activities across social media.
As partners, we have more to offer then merely lending funding support. Solving problems means coming to the table as equal actors, sharing resources and risk, and being honest and transparent with issues, delays, and concerns.
