Arron Wood

Arron Wood2007 Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award winner Arron Wood has already achieved more than many of us would in a lifetime and his commitment to mainstream environmental sustainability has seen him advise the Australian Government, work closely with State and Territory Governments across Australia and New Zealand, mobilise the Australian school community and build links between the corporate world and the community sector.

Having worked with the iconic Melbourne Arts Centre on implementing behavioural change across a staff of 500 in conjunction with their environmental management strategy and counting names such as Sony, Toshiba, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Citipower, Powercor, Pratt Foundation, City of Melbourne, Sustainability Victoria, the Australian Government, the United Nations New York, Hanson and Telstra as clients, Arron’s skill is his ability to galvanise business leaders and community groups alike to deliver innovative triple bottom line solutions.

Arron sees the environment as the single biggest industry within the next 5-10 years and he’d like Australian businesses to be at the forefront of this global phenomenon to secure the nation as an environmental knowledge and technology broker in a post manufacturing economy.

Whether it is advising 700 local government executives from around the world on how to see sustainability as an opportunity or speaking at the National Business Leaders Forum on Re-calibrating the Risk From Climate Change Arron’s leading edge understanding coupled with global experience on sustainability issues results in constant demand for his talents across a wide variety of industries, community groups and government organisations.

Arron received The Centenary Medal for outstanding contribution to conservation and the environment, awarded by the Governor-General in 2003 and has recently been awarded a Churchill Fellowship which will take him to New York and Geneva working with the United Nations to research replication of environmental education programs on a global scale. Arron recently won the prestigious 2007 Melbourne Business Award for Contribution to the Environment and was selected to complete Al Gore’s Climate Change Leadership Program.

As winner of the 2006 United Nations Individual Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment Arron was also the 2001 Young Australian of the Year (National Environment Winner). Arron holds a degree in Forest Science from the University of Melbourne and is currently the youngest Board Member of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority.

Arron’s commitment to the environment was covered on ABC’s Australian Story in 2004 and he hosted and co-produced Channel Seven documentary Our Water, Our Future which aired in 2005. His previous roles have seen him with Lower Murray Water Authority, Mildura Rural City Council and the Mallee Catchment Management Authority. Arron was the youngest Waterway Manager in the State of Victoria by some ten years and held the Deputy Chair of the Victorian Waterway Managers Group in 1999.

Arron is now the Director of Firestarter Pty Ltd, an environmental communication and education consultancy business. The business works through behavioural change management, major event organisation, project management, education campaigns and innovative company promotion methods aimed at better linking the corporate sector with community and government. Arron initiated and now runs the highly successful International River Health Conference for students from around the world which has attracted $6.7 million in funding over the life of the project – single-handedly raised by Arron.

Arron’s insight and ability to identify emerging environmental markets and risks to existing markets has seen him speak at the Australasian Mutuals Institute Annual Conference, the KPMG Graduate Induction and the Ernst and Young Human Capital Forum to name but a few. He has even addressed the annual national staff meeting for Sony Australia.

As Director of Firestarter Pty Ltd, Arron was also the youngest Board Member on the Sunraysia Area Consultative Committee, was an ambassador for National Youth Week, a Steering Committee Member Lead On Australia Program, had his own fortnightly regional ABC Radio Program on the environment and a monthly country viewpoint on ABC Radio National discussing sustainability issues. Arron has appeared on Network TEN’s Good Morning Australia and Totally Wild, and Channel 7’s Sunrise, Big Arvo and Saturday Disney. In 2001 he was chosen as the Australian representative for the 25 most inspirational 25 year olds from around the world as profiled in French Canadian Magazine, La Actualite’. Arron has also written a book, a resource on how the environment can be used to build healthy communities which has seen a print run of 5,000 copies.

Further details:

  • Current member of the Future Melbourne Reference Committee deciding the vision for Melbourne over the next 10 years.
  • One of ten Friday Magazines Most Inspirational People for 2003, which included people like Steve Irwin, Troy Cassar-Daley, hurdler Jana Pittman etc
  • Current Working Group Member of the National Environmental Education Council
  • Current Watermark Australia Champion
  • Judge of the 2005 Humanitarian Awards, 2005 Powercor/Prime Business Awards and the 2006 National Landcare Awards