Business and Technology

Abstract

Sustainability has often been sought through new technologies for housing, water supply, food production, energy sources and waste management. Throughout these industry sectors we often come across, innovators, entrepreneurs and educators that have discovered new technologies and built new businesses from the ideas that were born and implemented in the process. In this chapter I will profile five individuals in Western Australia that have grappled with the challenges of sustainability and innovation through the abovementioned sectors and built successful businesses along the way. Their businesses are addressing the major environmental challenges facing society today, challenges that are often not being responded to effectively by our politics of the day. Their business models are often the most innovative one may find globally, making use of leading edge practices in science, information technology, communications and social networking. Through their businesses, positioned in the domain of sustainability, they have demonstrated corporate social responsibility and, as individuals they are models of responsible citizenship. Accordingly, this chapter sits at the nexus of business, engineering and entrepreneurship, while it is written from the disciplinary perspective of sustainability science.