Every interview I conducted in the last month for this February issue of Business View Oceania, whether in the public sector, or housing, healthcare, or renewables industries, has drifted off at some point into the topic of climate change. It seems no person or business is immune to the far-reaching impact of environmental upheaval that our planet is experiencing at our own hands.

The fact that #ClimateChange is trending as a top-level subject of discussion on any given day is a good sign. Getting the word out by any and all means and advancing the dialogue on this life-threatening issue will go a long way to forging ideas and solutions. And while citizens of all ages are working diligently for the cause, it’s the youth who are stepping up and asking, “What will YOU do?” before its too late. We’re all familiar with Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg, and her relentless efforts as an environmental activist. Gracing the cover of Time as their Person of the Year for 2019 has elevated Thunberg to new heights as a global influencer in the realm of climate awareness. And she’s only just begun.

Closer to home, an 11-year-old girl is making a big difference with her “Straw no More” initiative. Three years ago, young Molly Steer started the campaign in her home city of Cairns, with the goal of eliminating single use plastics. The most abused of which are drinking straws. Last year, Steer was honoured with Cairn’s Young International Woman of the Year Award for 2018  and in her acceptance speech, she challenged Cairn’s Regional Council Mayor Bob Manning to pick up the Straw No More campaign from her. Eager to take up the gauntlet, the Mayor stood up and promised that the Regional Council would work with her. That campaign to ban single use plastics, particularly plastic straws, has now spread across Australia. Well done, Molly!

Also, in this edition of Business View: On the renewables front, we hear from Yates Electrical Services, specialists in large scale renewable energy installations, about the development of some of Australia’s largest green energy projects. And Apex Energy is busy with remote, off-grid designs and construction – most recently, the team has been building out in the Cooper Basin.

We also delve into franchising. Did you know that approximately 1,344 franchise brands in Australia provide employment for more than 598,000 people and contribute more than $184 billion annually to the national economy? Our features on David Reid Homes and Andersens Floor Coverings zone in on two uniquely different business models that just might have you thinking there’s a franchise in your future…

Enjoy the read.

Lorie Lee Steiner

Editor-in-Chief