Contributors

Presentations

You!

This summit is all about empowering the good people who come along.

Yours is the energy that will work towards a safe climate;and your ideas will be what shows us how to do this.

The Open Space sessions are the place for you to share and refine your ideas with other summitteers. Check it out here

Summit facilitated by Jane Knight of HREA, Daylesford, and Janet Phillips and Susie Burke from Castlemaine

Other speakers

Philip Sutton

Philip is Convener of the Greenleap Strategic Institute (a non-profit environmental strategy think tank and advisory organisation promoting the very rapid achievement of global and local ecological sustainability), Assistant-Convenor of the Climate Emergency Network and past-President of the Sustainable Living Foundation and the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics. Most recently Philip co-authored “Climate Code Red”, which puts forward a case for emergency action on climate change. Philip was also the architect of the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act passed in Victoria in 1988.

Damien Lawson

Damien is the National Climate Justice Coordinator with Friends of the Earth Australia and a coordinator of the new Victorian Climate Action Centre. He has worked as an advisor to Greens leader Bob Brown and Senator Kerry Nettle and has been active in environmental and social movements for over twenty years.

Graeme Drysdale

Political awareness and activism was launched during Vietnam War years and the threat of conscription.

Upon moving to Ballarat in 1999 he put aside his suspicion of organized politics and became involved in the Ballarat & District Greens, which included: Regional Secretary from 2002-2004, campaign manager in the 2004 Federal election, positions on three preference negotiating committees, and candidate advisor on two occasions. His active participation in party politics has steadily diminished in recent years.

Along with other dedicated Mt Helen residents he went head-to-head with local entrepreneurs who deemed that prime indigenous habitat was an ideal location for a residential subdivision. This case involved liasing with the supporting interested bodies including the Environment Defenders’ Office.

As the inevitable war with Iraq gained momentum he became one of a manic few who attempted to maintain the momentum of the loose alliance that was a Ballarat Peace Network.

Graeme has been a committee member of BREAZE since its inception.

One thread common to all of the above has sitting on an advisory committee, writing articles and policies and developing media campaigns.

Karen Corr

Karen Corr has been President of the Bendigo Sustainability Group since it’s inception in April 2008.  In that time the BSG has grown to 160 members and has more than 10 action groups including Sustainable Foods, Bulk Buy Solar Panels, Sustainable Living, Community Education, and Policy. In her role as President, Karen has been involved in organizing and facilitating community events, getting numerous projects up and running, setting up partnerships with other organizations, liaising with media and general running of the organisation.  Karen attended the National Climate Action Summit in February this year.  Confronted with the climate science presented and inspired by the 150 community groups represented at the summit, Karen has a new found level of determination and spirit that she is now taking to groups in addressing this urgent issue of climate change.  Karen has a degree in Environmental Engineering and Science and has been working in the areas of water management and sustainability for the last 10 years.