(1-hour keynote -or- 30-minute seminar)
Author/presenter
Andrei Kononov is the Executive Chef of The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne and a member of the RCH Sustainability Committee. He is an active participant of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) Asia-Pacific Food Community of Practice (CoP) as well as an Institute of Hospitality in Healthcare (IHHC) Victoria Branch Committee member and receiver of a 2023 IHHC Sustainability Award.
His passion for sustainability began in his role as Executive Chef of Zoos Victoria (ZV) where he found a wealth of resources, knowledge and a community of like-minded environmental conservation advocates.
Synopsis
This presentation will focus on three main aspects of the subject matter:
It will draw on our sustainability journey at RCH as well as my personal experience working with ZV, a national leader in sustainability and conservation practices. There will also be shared knowledge from my membership of the GGHH Food CoP and RCH Sustainability Committee.
In tone, this presentation will aim to entertain and draw the audience in rather than badger them with statistics and information, as well as focusing on the practical application of sustainability practices.
Vision (Are we there yet?)
Healthcare is one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis on a global scale, and one of the last industries to begin making substantive change.
The opening of this presentation will explore the state of play as it is currently, on a global and local level. It will touch on challenges such as global lobbying forces that seek to exempt healthcare from sustainability goals, lack of substantive support from governments and interest in funding sustainability initiatives.
Culture of sustainability (A cast of thousands)
Building a culture of sustainability in an organization is a key step in beginning to enact real, quantifiable change. This does not equate to preaching to your teams or wallpapering your working areas with posters. In fact, that influx of information and pontification can have the opposite effect as it becomes white noise to your audience.
This section will speak to creating a positive conversation around sustainability with your teams, as well as seeking out relevant organizations and allies.
Practical initiatives (Pick and Shovels)
This will be the largest section and will focus on practical experiences on initiatives that we have successfully implemented at RCH, ones that we are exploring and others that have been tried and failed.
Some of the topics covered will be:
Thank you for considering this presentation abstract, I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Andrei Kononov (He/Him)
Executive Chef
Tel: (03) 9345 5120
Mob: 0422 664 986
Email: andrei.kononov@rch.org.au
Department of Nutrition & Food Services
The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
Flemington Road | Parkville | 3052 | Victoria