Even back when she was a teenager, Ilea Buffier knew she wanted to use business as a tool to tackle climate change.

To learn about businesses, she bought one at the age of 20. It was a furniture dealer for one of the largest commercial furniture manufacturers in the world, and a business she regularly saw profiled in sustainability books and articles.

It gave her valuable experience in the area of sustainability, and then in 2005, she became an angel investor in Carbon Planet, a company who developed the world’s very first carbon accounting software, helping businesses measure the carbon dioxide equivalent they emit, and find ways to reduce or offset it.

Fast forward, and Ilea founded Evalue8 Sustainability, an enviro tech company with the mission of making it easy for all organisations to measure and reduce their carbon footprint.

“We automate carbon accounting for businesses. From owning my commercial furniture business, I learned carbon accounting can be costly and time-consuming,” says Ilea.

“We make the process as effortless as possible, and then focus on the reduction opportunities for those types of businesses. We keep businesses on a path to net zero, which is really exciting.”

As part of her business journey, Ilea has been supported by the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN), through an Innovation Connect Grant, and the GRIFFIN Accelerator program. She also works from CBRIN in their co-working space, so she’s able to regularly tap into their expertise and mentorship.

And Ilea is just one of the passionate local Canberran female founders who are doing incredible things to help build a more sustainable tomorrow. For this year’s International Women’s Day, CBRIN is bringing them together for an inspiring event.

From midday on Tuesday 8 March, Ilea will join a panel of three other local women to discuss gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.

The panel also includes Mia Swainson, an environmental engineer who is also President of the Canberra Environment Centre, Chair of Canberra’s Zero Waste Revolution, and HerCanberra’s sustainability columnist; Sophia Hamblin-Wang, the COO of MCI a technology platform that transforms carbon dioxide into building materials and other valuable industrial products; and Claire Chesterton, co-founder of MIIROKO, a home hair colour company that offers salon-grade hair colour that’s vegan, cruelty free and comes with a reusable kit. The panel will be chaired by local writer and money coach, Serina Bird.

After the panel session, the CBRIN team will lead a one hour, interactive workshop looking through the lens of innovation and entrepreneurship, and discuss how everyone can do as the IWD 2022 campaign theme says and ‘Break the Bias’.

Held at the CBRIN head office in Civic, the event is an opportunity to learn, connect and hear from inspiring women in Canberra working on their businesses and passions.

Tickets to the event are $15, which includes lunch, and are available to purchase now.

Article published by HerCanberra.