March 11, 2010Queensland businessman Graeme Wood is donating $15 million to a new
University of Queensland (UQ) institute which will tackle problems linked to global-scale change.
Governor of Queensland Penelope Wensley last night announced the donation by Wood, a founder of
Wotif.com, when she launched the Global Change Institute (GCI) in Brisbane last night.
Wood immediately called on other successful Australians to join him in supporting the GCI, which will pit leading researchers against the most complex global problems.
“If we want to make a genuine impact on global issues concerning the environment and the effects of rapid population growth, the investment has to be substantial,” he says.
“Every gift counts but in order to make a difference, substantial support is necessary.”
According to Wood, universities are the logical places to find solutions to the world’s problems and therefore places in which businesses should invest on behalf of future generations.
“I call upon the business community, government and individuals to assist the University in bringing together the best national and international thinkers and practices towards solving these complex and pressing global issues,” he says.
“Our generation can and must make a mark in history by espousing altruism and responsible business practices to leave the world a better place for our children and grandchildren.”
The impressive contribution will seed a $40 million building at UQ’s St Lucia Campus which will employ sustainable design, construction and operating practices, including Australia’s largest solar photo-voltaic grid electricity generator.
This will reduce the St Lucia Campus’s peak electricity consumption by 6 percent and carbon emissions by 1.14 kt CO2e per annum.
The GCI’s focus will not be limited to first-order environmental problems, but include a multidisciplinary approach to interconnected issues such as population shifts, energy innovation, and water and food security.
Rockhampton-born Wood co-founded the online accommodation booking company, Wotif.com in 2000.
With a keen interest in sustainability, he is also the founder of Wild Mob, a not-for-profit organisation providing volunteers with the opportunity to assist with environmental conservation work in projects in remote and iconic locations across Australia.
