Katherine Barnes’ veins run green. The successful Interior Architect is taking sustainable corporate practices to the world and inspiring Sydney’s community in the process.

Barnes was recently short-listed to the top six in the 2009 Telstra Business Awards Young Businesswoman category, recognising her efforts in creating a sustainable design business and supporting sustainability initiatives.

Beginning her company IDscape in 2007, New Zealand-born Barnes has a commitment to producing projects to the highest green standards.

“We mainly specialise in commercial fit outs,” she says, “but we just finished a fit out for Santos’ new café at the International Airport, the first one to really use sustainable product all the way through.”

However, it is outside of her day-to-day business that the designer is really hitting the sustainability trail. Along with a group others, Barnes has created the Sustainable Grounds concept.

Coming off the back of the Sustainable Sydney 2030 program, the group saw a need to keep the issues on the top of the agenda. ’¨’¨“We realised there was an opportunity here to connect with the community and to do something as a charity, to get more conversations happening around Sustainable Sydney to help reach their targets and their aims,” she explains.

The group is establishing a network of cafés around the city to host events, share ideas and create a collective of like-minded souls to develop sustainable business practices.

“Most conversations these days are happening in cafés, and not only when they’re open, but cafés as a space are also great places for community events when they’re closed.”

With a number of events already held, the green ideas are flowing and the positive response has been incredibly encouraging.

Barnes has worked on a number of high-profile projects such as the Australian Rugby Union headquarters, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

IDscape recently merged with PDM International, who have seven offices throughout the Asia Pacific, helping Barnes to expand her business into new regions.

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