Sustainability and ESG – 101 Virtual Course

Course Summary

Part of UDIA WA’s Virtual Classroom Series, Sustainability and ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) 101 explores the context of urban development in Western Australia. This course is designed to provide an introduction to organisational sustainability, sustainability from a community perspective and how to achieve sustainability outcomes through projects. 

Whether you’re aiming to expand or deepen your knowledge, or to explore new interests, through our series of ‘101 style’ lunchtime webinar sessions led by industry experts you’ll gain a better understanding of the theory and valuable insights through relevant case studies and examples.

Virtual Course registration is on individual basis. Upon registration, each participant will receive a link to access the session. You can join the webinar from any device and location that suits you. Please note that this is a virtual series, and participants are expected to keep their cameras on and microphones off, except during Q&A sessions and interactive exercises.

24 June 2025 – Session One: Sustainability – The Organisation and the Community

26 June 2025 – Session Two: Sustainability and Projects – Lifecycle Assessment

27 June 2025 – Session Three: Sustainability and Projects – EnviroDevelopment Certification

Who Should Attend?

• Industry practitioners looking to broaden their knowledge & understanding of sustainability and ESG
• Development Managers and Project Managers (from Assistant to Senior)
• Consultants, Local Government & State agency/department representatives working/engaging with developers and/or assessing projects
• Professionals involved in organisational strategy, sustainability or community development
• Anyone looking to get into sustainability and ESG
• Those new to the WA development industry seeking to build their local knowledge

Course Outline  

Session One: Sustainability – The Organisation and the Community(90 min session)

• Introduction to Sustainability and ESG in Urban Development
  • What sustainability and ESG encompasses beyond emissions and climate action in an urban development context
    • A Brief History of Sustainability
    • Terminology
  • Typical focus areas for organisations in the urban development sector
  • Mandatory reporting requirements – what are they and who do they apply to.
  • The business case for sustainable development practices

• Developing sustainability and ESG strategies and initiatives
  • Key considerations and steps in building an organisational sustainability strategy – why organisations might need one and what it should look like
  • Materiality assessment, and understanding risks and opportunities
  • Examples of actions and positive impact – including case studies of what (relevant) organisations are doing in this space
  • Assessment and reporting, including data requirements/considerations
  • Considerations in avoiding ‘greenwashing’, including ensuring robust strategies and accountable management
  • The importance of integrating social and governance, as well as environmental outcomes to build better communities
  • How to discover what your community expects in terms of sustainable development
  • How to engage with the intention to deliver practical initiatives with tangible outcomes of relevance to the community
  • How to measure and understand community impact of sustainability initiatives
  • Relevant case study examples of initiatives and community impact

Session Two: Sustainability and Projects – Lifecycle Assessment (60 min session) 

• What is LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and why is it an important tool
• How LCA is used to decarbonise construction     
• At what stage in the project life cycle should LCA be applied 
• Environmental Product Declarations, other types of LCA data and their key considerations
• LCA tools: eTool and RapidLCA     
• Scope 1, 2, & 3 emissions and how LCA can support corporate and project level reporting.
• Applying LCA in a land development context: challenges and considerations 
• Case study examples in a built form and land development context

Session Three: Sustainability and Projects – EnviroDevelopment Certification (90 min session)

• The types of developments certified
• Overview of the six categories (water, energy, waste, materials, community and ecosystems) and the new standards
• Certification levels
• The process for gaining certification
• The relationship to land development and build form influence
• The benefits for projects, buyers and occupiers
• Case study examples demonstrating features across the six categories
• Other tools e.g GBCA Green Star Communities, OPL

David Beyer

Principal – ActiveSustainability Consulting | Regional Sustainability Manager – Communities, WA – Lendlease

Mark Taylor

Hesperia Property Pty Ltd | Sustainability Manager

Sam Sandhay

Cerclos | Life Cycle Designer

Presenters

Presenters

Pricing

Ticket purchase is on an individual basis and only the ticket holder can join and listen to the sessions.  Recording and dissemination of any sessions by participants is not permitted.

To obtain member rates please use your company email when registering. All prices are inclusive of GST.

Member: $400 pp $360 pp

Non-Member: $550 pp $495 pp

Rules of engagement

• You can join the webinar using your own device, from any location that suits you. This is a virtual and not in-person series.
• Registered participants will be provided with a link to access the session.  This is not to be shared with others.
• It will be a camera on, microphone off (unless speaking) situation.