Remarkable People

Sydney Theatre Company, as the premier theatre company in Australia, has been a major force in Australian drama since its establishment in 1978. The Company presents an annual twelve-play program at its home base The Wharf, on Sydney's harbour at Walsh Bay, the nearby Sydney Theatre, which STC also manages, and as the resident theatre company of the Sydney Opera House. Current Artistic Directors, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton joined the Company at the beginning of 2008. 

Sydney Theatre Company offers Sydney audiences an eclectic program of Australian plays, lively interpretations of the classic repertoire and the best of new international writing. It seeks to produce theatre of the highest standard that consistently illuminates, entertains and challenges. It is committed to the engagement between the imagination of its artists and its audiences and the development of the theatrical art-form. As the state theatre company of NSW, it also produces a significant education program for schools, STC Ed, and in its studio space produces work devised by, and for, developing artists, originating in 1988 with Baz Lurhmann's Six Years Old and, in its current identity, as Next Stage. The Company reaches beyond its home state, touring productions throughout Australia and internationally. It plays annually to audiences in excess of 300,000.

Sydney Theatre Company actively fosters relationships and collaborations with international artists and companies. Renowned directors Michael Blakemore, Max Stafford-Clark, Howard Davies, Declan Donnellan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Liv Ullmann and Steven Soderbergh have worked with STC in recent years, and in 2010 Tamás Ascher will direct Uncle Vanya for the Company. STC has presented productions by Complicite, Cheek by Jowl, Out-of-Joint and the National Theatre of Great Britain, and in 2010 will collaborate with acclaimed UK physical theatre company Frantic Assembly, present Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of August: Osage County and co-present Long Day’s Journey Into Night with Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland. In 2001 STC performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York with its production of The White Devil, returned in 2006 with its production of Hedda Gabler and once again in 2009 with its production of A Streetcar Named Desire which also toured to the Kennedy Center in Washington. Other STC productions to tour internationally in the last few years include The Cherry Pickers (UK 2002), Riflemind (UK 2008) and Blackbird (NZ, Germany 2008). 

STC has launched and fostered the theatre careers of many of Australia's internationally renowned artists including Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Rose Byrne and Cate Blanchett.

In 2006 STC launched its first acting ensemble, The Actors Company, which, over three years, performed an extraordinary range of repertoire including award-winning productions of The Season at Sarsaparilla, The Lost Echoand The War of the Roses. STC’s new permanent ensemble of theatre-makers, The Residents, commenced work at the Company's home base, The Wharf, in June 2009.  The Residents are nine actors employed full time by Sydney Theatre Company with a particular focus on the development of theatre while working across all aspects of the Company's program including Main Stage, Next Stage and STC Ed.

About

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is committed to inspiring people to achieve a healthy environment for all Australians. For over 40 years we have been a strong voice for the environment, promoting solutions through research, consultation, education and partnerships. We work with the community, business and government to protect, restore and sustain our environment.

Our vision: What we want
ACF will inspire and promote a society which is environmentally aware and responsible.

Our mission: What we do
ACF campaigns to protect restore and sustain the environment.

Our values: How we act
ACF is professional, collaborative and courageous.

Who we are
We are a national, community-based environmental organisation.

Philosophy

The Australian Conservation Foundation:

• Reveres the enormous sweep and splendour of life on earth which has evolved over billions of years.
• Values and promotes in all Australians a love for this ancient island continent, its seas and waters and its unique life forms and landscapes.
• Recognises that we share the earth with many other living things that have intrinsic value and warrant our respect, whether or not they are of benefit to us.
• Seeks to protect biological diversity; the different plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they form a part and their potential to evolve.
• Recognises that human society and economic activity depends upon the sustainability of the planet's natural systems.
• Seeks a society that changes our relationship to the earth to one of harmony with the environment: from one of dominance to partnership; from fragmentation to connection; from insecurity to interdependence.
•  Believes that each generation holds the earth's natural values in trust for present and future generations.
• Values and respects the custodianship and the continuing and special relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples to their traditional lands and waters.
• Values and works co-operatively with those who advocate for and take action to protect the environment.
• Believes that social equity and justice are fundamental to sound environment outcomes. Believes that strong environmental policies help to achieve society's goals of improved quality of life, good health and a sound economy.
• Values participatory democracy and will work to defend the rights and enhance the role of all people in protecting the environment.
• Will pursue positive solutions to environmental issues, which include consideration of social and cultural impact

About SolarAid

Two of the biggest threats facing humanity today are climate change and global poverty. SolarAid helps to combat both by bringing clean, renewable power to the poorest people in the world.

Power to the people

SolarAid works in rural areas across East and Southern Africa; installing solar on schools, community centres and clinics. This is known as macrosolar.

Barely 2% of rural Africa has access to the grid yet many regions of Africa have the highest levels of sunshine in the world. SolarAid works with these remote and disadvantaged communities, helping them tap into an abundant source of free, clean and renewable energy - the sun!

Fighting poverty with SunnyMoney microsolar

We believe that the best way to fight poverty is to create jobs and businesses for people to generate income. Using a pioneering and innovative technique called microsolar, we train local entrepreneurs with sales and marketing techniques to manage their own businesses and generate independent income by selling our solar-powered SunnyMoney products.

What is SunnyMoney?

SunnyMoney is our microfranchise brand which uses a pioneering technique called microsolar to bring light to the poor whilst creating jobs and offering an alternative to costly and polluting kerosene lighting. Local entrepreneurs receive marketing and commerce training to enable effective distribution of portable solar-powered lighting systems and to ensure the lasting success of their new business. With SunnyMoney, everyone is a winner: the franchisees, their families, their communities and the environment.

How the Miracle of Crystal Clear Skin started in a Sake Brewery

The fascinating story behind SK-II began at a sake brewery in Japan, where scientists noticed the elderly workers had wrinkled faces, but extraordinarily soft and youthful hands. These hands were in constant contact with the sake fermentation process. It took years of research for scientists to isolate the miracle ingredient Pitera®, a naturally-occurring liquid from the yeast fermentation process. 

Since then, SK-II with Pitera® has become the beauty regimen of many celebrities and beautiful women around Asia and the world. Today, these women have the pleasure of a luxury which the elderly Japanese women unwittingly enjoyed. Crystal clear skin.

The Miracle Discovery of the Key to Crystal Clear Skin

Over a quarter of a century ago, a chance discovery of soft and beautiful hands of sake workers inspired research into the yeast fermentation process. It took years of research for scientists to isolate the ingredient Pitera™, a naturally-occurring liquid from the yeast fermentation process.

Pitera™ is a single blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and organic acids that regenerates the appearance of your skin by promoting the renewal of the outer layer – enabling the skin's natural rejuvenation process. Believing this to be the 'Secret Key' to beautiful skin, we used the initials 'SK' to form the name SK-II Pitera™.

Begin your journey to crystal-clear skin with SK-II Pitera™.