Talking green business

I was talking to a friend the other day who was trying to work out who he should vote for in the coming election. He couldn’t see any clear choice because he regards himself as a “green capitalist”: someone who believes passionately in free enterprise but equally about protecting the environment.

This led to a lengthy debate about whether capitalism and environmentalism can go together (well, if truth be told, it was a short debate followed by a lengthy discussion about the cricket; it was a barbecue, after all).

Anyway, along comes David Suzuki. Not to the barbecue, but into my inbox. It turns out he is tackling this very issue at an all-day seminar in Sydney on Friday, September 20.

‘Sustainability and Business: an Oxymoron?’ is the name of the Canadian eco-legend’s keynote speech at the seminar.

A general admission ticket price of $270 appears to be a demonstration that capitalism and environmentalism already go together quite nicely, thank you very much, but Suzuki (pictured) is a big drawcard, and the price does include entry to the EcoXpo Sydney show and various samples, magazines and so forth.

For an extra $80 you can upgrade to VIP status and get priority seating plus entry to the business lounge, home to nibbles and networking opportunities.

There’s also an inspiring list of other speakers at the seminar, including Gardening Australia presenter Costa Georgiadis; David Ritter, CEO of Greenpeace Australia; and Clare Mann, founder of Animal Effect Australia, who will all be tackling similar themes on what promises to be a thought-provoking day.

You can buy tickets here.