GECA 2009 Annual General Meeting

The Good Environmental Choice Australia Annual General Meeting was held in Sydney on November 26th 2009. The AGM marked a major advance in the ongoing development of the organisation. Members voted overwhelmingly to adopt new Constitutional changes. The new Constitution implements decisions made by the Board and follows a review of the position of Directors, and the decision that members of the Board should not be employees of or consultants to the company. It also implements a decision that as the company's membership is divided into different groups of members based on different interests, no one category of membership is to have a majority on the Board.

The goal is for the organisation to not only meet governance best-practice, but to have a broader and balanced representation from GECA certified product manufacturers or service providers, Universities and Research Institutions, Government, Procurement professionals, Environmental and Consumer Organisations, Industry Associations and Professional Societies, Financial Institutions, Building Industry Professionals.

New Governance Provisions

Following the recommendations of McKinsey & Co, the Board has implemented new Governance structure that will allow the organisation to manage the growing demand for ecolabelling.

The new structure includes the setting up of Board committees including Finance and Risk; and Governance, Nominations and Ethics; as well as the Standards Advisory Committee and the Marketing and Membership Advisory Committee. GECA is looking for candidates interested in contributing to the Standards and Marketing and Membership Committees. People interested in finding out more should contact Aimee at management@geca.org.au for an expression of interest form.

In a move welcomed by members, Licencees will also be able to choose from a list of JAS/ANZ- approved conformity assessment bodies from April 1, 2011. Environmental Assurance will continue to provide auditing services. New scheme rules are being drafted to reflect this and other changes.

GECA Welcomes Three New Directors

GECA is pleased to announce the appointment of three new directors who where enthusiastically elected by members at the AGM. Our new directors come with a wealth of experience and knowledge and include:

Sue Holliday

Sue, an economist and planner, is currently Managing Director, Strategies for Change Pty/Ltd, and Chair of the Federal Government's Built Environment Industry Innovation Council. She is a former Director-General of Planning NSW, and amongst other things, was an Inaugural Board member of the Green Building Council of Australia and is a former Board member of the Australian Building Codes Board.

She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Certified Practicing Planner, Planning Institute of Australia, Immediate Past President, Planning Institute of Australia and a former Adjunct Professor of the University of Technology, Sydney.

Gordon Renouf

Gordon, a lawyer, and current Director of Policy and Campaigns, for the consumer group CHOICE.

His current directorships, advisory committee and representative positions include the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (Ministerial Advisory Body), the Executive Committee, Consumers International and Executive of the Consumers Federation of Australia.

Andy Baker

Andy Baker co-founded Mobium Group in 2005, and released the first Living LOHAS in Australia report in 2007. Since launching Mobium Group, the firm's Living LOHAS Report has been widely quoted, including being described by the Sydney Morning Herald as the 'benchmark in Australia on purchasing trends and consumer attitudes in the green sector'.

Andy leads Mobium Group's strategy consulting practice and is a regular contributor to a range of publications, seminars and conferences in Australia and internationally on topics related to consumers, business and sustainability. He is a former Strategy Consultant at Accenture, where he provided financial analysis and corporate strategy advice to ASX100 Australian companies. He has qualifications in Economics and Ecology.

Green Cities Conference and Expo Melbourne 2010

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) will once again participate as a sector partner and exhibitor at Green Cities 2010.

Green Cities is one of the largest and most influential green building conferences in the Asia Pacific region and will be held at the 6 Star Green Star rated Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Sunday 21 to Wednesday 24 February. The conference will run over four days and the exhibition will run for two days.