The Western Australian-based Waste Wise Schools Program (WWS) was created to address the problem of what to do about uneaten food. Food waste turns out to be a small problem that adds up to a large one – most kids eat most of their food most of the time, but they sometimes don’t. ‘Sometimes’ multiplied across many schools equals ‘big’.

Bushfires have, and always will be, a feature of the Australian landscape, but the spectre of climate change and rapid population growth are exacerbating community fears and increasing the risk to life and property. Risk reduction strategies, such as planned burns on public land and community education programs have been used by land and fire management agencies in Victoria for decades but intensified in the aftermath of the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed 173 people and destroyed over 3,500 homes. The Victorian Government incorporated the findings of the Black Saturday Royal Commission, as well as a 2015 review of bushfire fuel management on public land (led by the Victorian Inspector General for Emergency Management) to commence a significant program of change in 2016.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make a significant contribution to the economy, but also to global pollution levels, as they often lag behind in the uptake of environmental sustainability and business compliance practices. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria and Sustainability Victoria found that getting small and medium businesses to engage with their environmental programs was a challenge. Businesses either weren’t interested in taking part or weren’t ready and willing to make changes to their working practices. To help inform future design of environmental sustainability and compliance programs and maximise the chances of program success, we explored the conditions that would make businesses more receptive to change.