Finding Nature | LinkedIn (original) (raw)
Business Consulting and Services
HQ for sustainability professionals to connect and be nourished in meaningful ways
About us
Where corporate sustainability folks can connect, be nourished and share wisdom as part of their efforts to create meaningful and real change
Industry
Business Consulting and Services
Company size
1 employee
Headquarters
Sydney
Type
Self-Owned
Founded
2024
Locations
Employees at Finding Nature
Updates
- 📣 Event announcement! 📣 Disclosures & Frameworks & Bears, Oh My! The Yellow Brick Road of Sustainability Reporting 17th October, 6pm, in Surry Hills In one of the final scenes of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy approaches the all powerful Wizard of Oz pleading “Please sir, we've done what you told us, we've brought you the broomstick of the wicked witch of the west.” After placing the broomstick in front of herself, Tinman, The Lion and Scarecrow, Toto reveals the charade The Wizard has been playing on all of Oz. The all-knowing, all powerful Wizard is nothing but a regular (older & white) man. The gig is up. The delusion revealed. In the world of corporate sustainability, reporting has been the origins and mainstay of individuals and teams for over three decades. From the first sustainability reports in the early 90s, to the creation of the Global Reporting Initiative in 1997, the UN Global Compact and Carbon Disclosure Project in 2000, the Principles for Responsible Investment in 2006, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board in 2011, The Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement in 2015, the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures in 2017, Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures in 2021, the International Sustainability Standards Board in 2021, and now the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards in September 2024. Need a break too? All while greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and coal mines get approved. All while nature continues to be lost and biodiversity destroyed and species killed. All while social cohesion degrades. All while disinformation rages. All while wealth inequality continues unabated. There have never been more reports from corporates espousing their commitments and pledges and targets. There has never been a more dire and dangerous climate and ecological situation for humans. So, more reporting then?Pablo Berrutti is the special guest at the next Finding Nature supper club event and we will get under the hood of all things the illnesses of corporate sustainability reporting. Of course it can't be nor ever will be perfect, but is it possible to use the introduction of mandatory disclosures to hopefully become a reflection of performance as opposed to a distorted glass? Come for the provocation, stay for the nourishment, belonging and wisdom. And not to mention @Gus_tronomy on food and Grifter Brewing on the drinks. Tickets in the link below 👇🏼
- Find 13 minutes this weekend and tune into Chris Andrew at TEDxSydney delivering a masterclass in how finance needs a radical reimagination to enable more sustainable and equitable futures, as well as reflect the reality of a more uncertain and volatile climate. A few highlights: • “what happens if those institutions stop us from making the right choices?” • “why me? I guess I’m an annoying reformed banker.” • “the Mother Earth loan is an opportunity to bring in finances that addresses the harm we’ve done in the past. A loan to bring justice back into our finance system.” Chris has been an enormous support to Finding Nature and is behind our upcoming trip to Barrington Tops. A few other announcements involving him and his work soon too.https://lnkd.in/gR_4KRzV
How Indigenous designed bank loans can address a changed climate | Chris Andrew | TEDxSydney Salon
https://www.youtube.com/
- Friend of The Pod Announcement! Satyajit Das - or Das - is a man who's worn many hats. Financier, author, traveller, speaker - a strenuous protagonist for evidence and fact. He's a man who wants to understand and take into account the reality of a situation and to look deeply into the meaning of that information, no matter how confronting, surprising or alarming. With The Nature Positive Summit coming up (but please don't look at those coal approvals), Das shines a spotlight on the constant financialisation and commodification of nature that is driven by our underlying disconnect and disdain for the natural world. Das came to Australia from India in the late 70s, and a career in banking followed, until he had some unexpected life changing expeditions in nature - one in Zaire, now Congo, and the other Antarctica, which seems to have altered his relationship to work and living. He famously predicted the impending global financial crisis in 2006, before being named as one of finance's most influential thinkers by Bloomberg. He's written a tonne of books along the way, and he's on the show today to talk about his most recent - 'Wild Quests'. Das is generously offering Finding Nature listeners a discount on his book Wild Quests that forms much of this conversation. Head to Monash University publishing website and buy the book, and for 20% off use the code birdlife20 - all one word. Listen where you listen to pods. Share & subscribe 🙏🏼 Ep. 30
- 📣 Go Giver Friday 📣 🔸 Xylo Systems are hiring! 🔹 The Good Cartel have their next collective co-working day in Melbourne - Sign up! 🔸 20% off one of my favourite books of the year 'Wild Quests' by Satyajit Das (Monash University Publishing) - Buy it! 🔹 John Morrison is launching his book 'The Just Transition; A Systems Thinking Approach To Managing Climate Action' in Australia on October 1 with Pillar Two - attend! See comments for links. If you want something promoted, highlighted or have something this community could help with, ping me.
- Friend of The Pod Announcement
from the Human Rights Law Centre is on the show to talk about the development of Australia's first climate and environmental whistleblowers information guide - what it is, why it's needed and how people can get in contact. Whistleblowing is a contentious, taboo and dangerous action. People like Rob Bilot, Erin Brockovich, Mark Felt, Edward Snowden and Desiree Fixler surface an array of thoughts and emotions. Each have played a significant role in bringing light to grievances and harms to people and planet. Action on the climate and biodiversity crises needs not only rapid and urgent action, but also honesty with where we're at and what's not working. Only with a true picture of reality can we transition our societies and economies. Regina's work, and that of The Whistleblower Project more broadly, is critical work. Search for Finding Nature wherever you get your pods. Ep. 29
- This is why Finding Nature does events. Not the usual fare. Not the usual formats. Not the usual food. Not the usual people. Not the usual interactions. Not the usual preparation. Not the usual experience. Not the usual seating. Not the usual conversations. Not the usual thinking. Not the usual experience. Over 500 of you out there have made that clear this year. The current professional event and experience model is broken. Not to mention exorbitant (shout out to unnamed exclusive food and beverage provider at a central Sydney council who quoted $6k for a two hour basic package as their best offer!). We go to something - especially pay for something - for a feeling and for memory creation that is unique and important. Creating unique events and memorable experiences is just about changing one in the professional event market - everything.
Alison Taylor
Alison Taylor is an Influencer
Clinical Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, lots of other hats, even more opinions. Author of Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World, Harvard Business Review Press, February 2024.
2w Edited
Why panel discussions suck. Because, let's face it, the vast majority do! This is a good piece from Viv Groskop in the FT, which rightly points out that often no-one knows why they are there, the chair dominates the discussion, the entire conversation is disjointed, and you are probably made to sit on some stupid piece of seating, like a bar stool. I've actually stopped agreeing to moderate panels entirely, and only speak on them in exceptional circumstances. Here's what I'd add to the points raised in this article, from the perspective of responsible business: While egotistical chairs *are* an issue, a far bigger issue is that I'm often asked to act as a moderator and then expected to fill a kind of administrative coordination role, booking calls and sending around questions. It's the worst kind of unpaid office housework. Even worse, I'm often asked to moderate so I can be a token woman on what would otherwise be a manel. However, if no one, including the conference organizer, does this essential prep work, the result is a dull conversation where everyone makes their pet remarks in order, and there is no narrative thread or wider link between the topics. This is mostly what I see when watching a panel. A lot of people just aren't comfortable speaking off the cuff. But reading prepared remarks is rarely interesting to watch. In responsible business, we only want to hear good news from poster children, because these events are about PR, from Davos on down. This gets dull and repetitive super fast. Because these are usually sponsored events, often pay to play, there's little interest in discussing actual challenges, let alone trying to address them. This is a big reason sustainability is in such crisis. That's before we get to other basic planning issues. I was on a panel this summer with EIGHT panelists and a moderator. This is not a good idea! Finally, we need to ask what these events are even FOR. With pay to play becoming a norm, very few people I meet are actually there for the content as opposed to the side "networking" opportunities. Why is it so damn difficult to run a good conference?!
The problem with panels ft.com - Final shout out and reminder about Finding Nature expedition to Barrington Tops October 11-13. Expedition info and EOIs are going out today. Please mention who could be interested and tag your interest to receive the info pack with the comment Nature Base or send me a message. Guy Michael Williams Rob Rogers Chris Andrew
Want to hit the road and find nature with Finding Nature? We are taking a small group to Barrington Tops from October 11 to 13 with the intent of supporting First Nations food enterprise, helping with cultural practice preparations and connecting to self, each other and Country. To learn more about this trip and whether or not it's something you'd be interested in attending, sign up to the info session in comments 👇🏼 Chris Andrew Guy Michael Williams Pablo Berrutti Rob Rogers - I need your help, others need your help, and you probably need some help too. Introducing Go Giver Friday - a new, weekly post where four people in the Finding Nature community call out a specific ask to see how people here can help and support them. I’ve met hundreds of new people this year through this thing, each enriching my knowledge and many helping along the way. I keep hearing that people were looking for this, others needed help with that, did I know anyone over there, can I introduce them to that person here. I hope to strengthen this community by highlighting the asks and needs to the many who are now here so connections can be made independent and separate to me, to increase our own agency and to find the answers we’re looking for across this remarkable group of people. My ask - read the carousel. If you can help, reach out to them. If you think of someone else who could help, tag them in and repost to your network to expand the potential for a helpful match. If you need help, let me know and we can line you up for future posts. Andrew White Heather Rawding Mark Rowland Richard Burton
- But, look at this Graph! Haven’t you seen The (Latest) Report! And here’s Another Doom Chart! Change is hard. Change needs persistence. Change creates fear. Change means doing something different. Change takes time. Change requires investing in relationships. Change, change, change. Do it all, now, effortlessly, perfectly. Thank you. Last night we had 40 folks from the Finding Nature community exploring, grappling with and learning about how to do change. Often it seems like some mythical dark art, available to CEOs and those already with power exclusively. History and our own personal experience tells us that’s not true, but how can it be demystified and the tools, methods and practices be made more visible - especially from the sectors who are experts in campaigning, creativity and organising? That’s what ‘Corporate Change Making in The Age of Greenwashing, Greenhushing & Greenwishing’ was all about. Susie Bayes (Climate 200), Adam Verwey (Sustainable Investment Exchange) and Paul Oosting (Acacia Money) shared their insights, lessons and tools for how organisational change makers & intrapreneurs can go about being more intentional, deliberate and effective. A couple of insights that I took away from the night: ▶ Susie reminded us that we I, You and We Can - a mindset of being engaged and showing up is the first step in participating in the political process to elect more politicians who are committed to climate action, gender equity and greater integrity in the Australian parliament ▶ Adam shared that power can be exercised each day by the decisions every individual makes around where they invest and that the tipping for when organisations notice and shift their practices is often a remarkably low number of customers taking their business elsewhere ▶ Paul helped us all experience that a little bit of OODA is all you need to get started on discovering a whole array of what you’d never considered before. Creative intelligence is too often dismissed as an element of strategy work and Paul brought to life (at 8.32pm on a Wednesday as well!) a process many can take back and use today, tomorrow and next week. Get behind Climate 200! Sign up to Sustainable Investment Exchange! Reach out to Paul about Acacia Money and get trained properly in the OODA Loop Blueprint so you can win whatever your campaign is! What were your highlights or insights…?