Professor Kate Auty began her five-day south-west regional tour yesterday and will host forums and site visits at a range of locations including Port Fairy, Narrawong, Portland, Hamilton, Koroit, Warrnambool, Terang and Camperdown.

Professor Auty will be in Warrnambool on Wednesday to host the Opening the Green Door workshop which will include a range of presentations and the chance for residents to pose questions and highlight concerns and ideas about sustainability in the south-west.

"I want to begin and to continue conversations about good science communication focusing on science, policy and people," Professor Auty said.

I want to explore new opportunities to network and share information with each other.

"The community is seen as a knowledge user but is often overlooked as a knowledge producer, and it is this pool of expertise that I am keen to harness in an ongoing engagement with the public.

"Blending science and policy with the knowledge and concerns of local people is essential to getting a true understanding of the effects of a changing climate and the challenges people face in ensuring economic, social and environmental sustainability."

Information gathered from the regional tour will inform and influence the work of the Office for the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability.

As part of the forum, Professor Auty will provide an overview of her role and share her framework for action which will shape the 2013 State of the Environment Report to be presented in the Victorian Parliament by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Ryan Smith.

The workshop will feature a number of presentations including Warrnambool City Council's Ian Fitzgibbon who will discuss the city's voluntary campaign to reduce plastic bag and bottle use, Deakin University Associate Professor Kevin O'Toole, will discuss research directions in south west sustainability.

The Warrnambool workshop will be held tomorrow from 12.30pm to 4.30pm at Proudfoots on the River.

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