Tuesday, September 14, 2010

ARIES: Fostering Environment Sustainability in Accounting

One of the challenges in the emerging cultural shift towards protecting the ocean revolves around the fact that environmental service costings are not a classic element of the balance sheet used by business and industry. Notable, however, is that a key strategy in the Australian Government's National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability in key professions may be bringing this a little closer.

The Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES) have been exploring the question around the drivers and barriers to progressing the integration of sustainabiity into the accounting profession. In conjunction with Macquarie University and the University of Technology Sydney, ARIES hosted the first of a series of high level rountable dialog forums to better articulate the nature of the ‘soft skills’ which need to be incorporated into accounting professional education for the future.

 Imagine a time where we might see equitable values placed on environmental services and pollution impacts before they hit the ocean outfall. Some businesses have led the way and many have discovered some extra profits around better waste managment. It is nice to think that ARIES is making an effort to bring the barriers down and facilitate a new sustainability paradigm.

If you would like to know more about how this project is progressing or would like to download the project report click here.

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