Going green in Rio

An ANU delegation will join 50,000 people from around the world at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro later this month. A group of 20 people from ANU, including students, researchers and general staff, will gather alongside heads of state, government negotiators, Nobel Laureates and non-governmental organisations from across the globe to attend workshops and seminars on sustainability issues. The conference, nicknamed Rio+20 to mark the anniversary of the original United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, will focus on jobs, energy, food security, water, sustainable agriculture and disaster readiness. The ANU delegation, the largest from any Australian university, will report on the conference via a live blog from 17 to 22 June. Once back in Canberra, they plan to present symposiums and seminars on the conference topics, with guest speakers from Australian Government agencies. To prepare for the big event, the team have held meetings with Bob Brown and the Australian Government negotiation team and presented their ideas at the United Nations Association of Australia forum in Melbourne in May. Delegation director Julie Melrose says it is a great privilege to have the chance to contribute to global initiatives on sustainability issues.