I recently had the absolute pleasure of spending two days in Victoria visiting our licensees.

From fabulous furniture, to leaders in library design, to successful stonemasons, I was incredibly proud to be with GECA and be a representative of so many great organisations.

They’re committed to local jobs; to creating, innovating and driving environmental and ethical processes and products against commercial odds.

They are not only surviving, but are thriving here and across the globe. They are smart, savvy businesses that we should be celebrating. Read more from our CEO, Kate, here.

Thanks to all who made it to our event on 3rd March, 'Collaborate, Innovate, Celebrate'. Anna Scott gave us some great insights into sustainable production and consumption patterns in Australia, and we heard from Jean-Louis Haie from Planet Procurement about the new ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement standard. Lendlease's Charles Prior also showed us how the benefits of sustainable, ecolabelled products can impact all levels of an organisation, right down to making temporary on-site accommodation for construction workers a better place to be! For an in-depth recap of all the presentations, you can head over to our website.

If you're interested in the new ISO20400 Sustainable Procurement Standard, the upcoming Global Forum on Sustainable Procurement is held in Sydney. Through a series of short and powerful presentations, you will hear about practical experiences from sustainable and socially responsible procurement functions and supply chains, as well as insights on ISO20400 - click here for more details.

GECA is pleased to be a Supporting Sponsor for Green Cities 2016, held from 22-24 March at the Hilton Sydney.

This year, stop by the GECA Coffee Lounge, furnished by Stylecraft and featuring signage from Dunlop Foam, between speaker events - it's a great opportunity to network with other attendees and refuel with a cup of Fair Trade coffee.

You can also catch up on emails at the Zenith Agile Work Space or relax in the KE-ZU Lounge Area, and during the conference, feel free to move to one of the Aspect Stand Up desks in the room.

For more details about Green Cities, head over to the website.

GECA is in the process of developing a new standard for cement and concrete products.

The standard is being developed to address a number of industry needs, including to allow cement and concrete better access to points under green building rating tools.

The standard is currently going through a second round of consultations with a Technical Advisory Group. Once these consultations are finished, a draft of the standard will be released for public comment and further feedback.

A final version of the standard is expected to be released mid-year 2016. Read more.

Sunday 6th March was Clean Up Australia Day, and the GECA team took to the local streets on March 1st for ‪Business Clean Up Day‬!

Cigarette butts were by far the most common piece of litter we picked up, along with all the other rubbish cluttering up our environment. We kept plastics and other recyclable materials separate to keep them out of landfill and off the streets.

Now is a great time to take a look at the recycling options you have available at your workplace and to consider how you can work towards sending less to landfill.

GECA's newest licensee, Lybase, is one of the first to take advantage of GECA's GENICES recognition in gaining their certification with us.

Lybase, a Malaysian-based LED lighting manufacturer, have their products certified with both the Malaysian and Singaporean GEN-member ecolabel organisations. This enabled Lybase to obtain GECA certification under our 'International Ecolabelled Products' standard. Read more.

Australian Workstation Manufacturers (AWM) have added a new item to their list of GECA certified products. The Alto Sit to Stand Electric work station is designed to "revolutionise the way you work", utilising a precision height adjustable system.

The Alto Sit to Stand Electric model includes an internal sensor that will stop automatically if something is in the way, and the pneumatic system includes weight adjustable engineering. More new options from AWM are on the way soon.

GECA are proud to be a Supporting Partner of SEE Sustainable Experience 2016, held at the Australian Technology Park, Sydney, from 21-23 July this year.

Visitors will get to SEE the latest sustainable innovations from manufacturers and suppliers from around Australia that will assist them to design and construct green buildings. Free educational seminars, delivered by exhibitors and industry leaders, will be held over the three days.

Register for your free visitor pass or enquire about exhibiting and sponsorship through the SEE Sustainable Experience website. GECA licensees can access a 10% discount on exhibition and sponsorship packages by mentioning their certification.

Total Facilities is Australia’s largest learning and networking industry exhibition for the facilities and workplace community. Held annually between Sydney and Melbourne, it attracts influential decision makers from over 1,000 leading companies with responsibility for creating efficient, sustainable and productive facilities and workplaces.

GECA is proud to be a Supporting Partner of the event, which will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 6-7 April this year. Read more.

Get your entries in for the UNAA's World Environment Day Awards for 2016.

Each year, in support of United Nations World Environment Day (June 5), the United Nations Association of Australia recognises innovative and outstanding environmental programs and initiatives from across Australia and the important work of Australian environmental leaders through its World Environment Day Awards.

Our CEO, Kate Harris, is on the judging panel for the 'Organisational Leadership' category.

Saturday, March 19 at 8:30pm is Earth Hour, and this year we're encouraged to switch off for the places we love.

One of the things that makes Australia so great is the beautiful outdoor lifestyle we live. From beaches, rainforests and rivers, to snow-capped mountains, coral reefs and lakes, we have one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

But the healthy, outdoors lifestyle we enjoy is under threat from rising temperatures and more extreme weather caused by carbon pollution - it only takes a small change in the climate to mess up the delicate balance of nature.

That’s why in 2016, we’ll be switching off to protect the Places We Love. Read more and get involved here.