PORTS Australia joined the American Association of Port Authorities’ virtual Energy & Environment Seminar & Expo to share wisdom on sustainability planning. The delegation spoke specifically on how the recently released Port Sustainability Strategy Development Guide was created.

CEO, Mike Gallacher was joined by Ports Australia’s Sustainability Working Group’s chair and NQBP’s senior manager sustainability and environment, Simona Trimarchi to provide a 30-minute presentation on the ethos of sustainability, its relevance for ports, and why this made the PSSDG essential.

They highlighted to the foreign audience how diverse the environments in which Australian ports operate and why that meant a how-to guide on sustainability planning had to be adaptable.

During a live Q&A session, the panel and audience took an interest in Ports Australia’s past work looking at sustainability, questioning the intention behind the Sustainability Hub. Mr Gallacher and Ms Trimarchi explained how it not only showcases the important work Australian ports are putting in for the future but how it acts as a device for knowledge sharing between ports, locally and abroad.

Ms Trimarchi shared her view on the purpose and value behind the PSSDG for a port that is planning its sustainability journey, which was to acknowledge the work already being done, identifying any gaps, and mapping a pathway forward which accounts for everything and everyone the port interacts with.

Mr Gallacher said fostering strong relationships with other member associations internationally is an important vessel for collaboration and communication.

“There’s plenty we can learn from our international partners, just as there’s plenty they can learn from us,” he said.

“Making the effort to encourage that exchange of information is making the effort to futureproof our industry with the power of knowledge, which is what sustainability is all about.”