Geelong Sustainability would like to acknowledge that our event was held on Wadawurrung Country, and that sovereignty of these lands was never ceded. We pay respects to elders past, present and emerging.
On Monday 27 March Geelong Sustainability hosted a panel discussion featuring three exceptional women in the climate space. The event was held on Wadawurrung Country at Runway HQ in North Geelong, and was part of a monthly series being supported by an Environmental Sustainability grant through the City of Greater Geelong.
As people arrived for the night, they were serenaded with sweet soulful music by Melody Moon and fed with some delicious vegan snacks courtesy of Feast Geelong. We were also very lucky to have two student photographers from Oxygen College, Dani and Rachael, snapping some great shots of our speakers and guests.
We kicked off by hearing about Ula Majewski’s journey into the climate sphere, from campaigning for Tasmania’s ancient forests, through 15 years of activism all over the world. Nowadays you will find Ula continuing her activism through many channels, including Patagonia, White Horses Magazine, and OrganiseUs.
Dr Prue Francis then treated us to an insightful science lesson about seaweed found in the Great Southern Reef – specifically the golden kelp. Prue is incredibly knowledgeable about this particular reef, and for good reason. She quite literally wrote the book on it! Prue spoke about how she became involved in marine science, why ocean literacy is so important, and why we need to include seaweed in the national conversation around climate change. You can find her publications, including her children’s book The Great Southern Reef, on her website.
Finally, Surfers for Climate co-founder and Patagonia Global Sports Activist Belinda Baggs spoke to her own journey. Belinda is a phenomenal surfer, with numerous championships under her belt, as well as surf films and magazine covers. Belinda spoke passionately about how important it is for us to take whatever steps we can towards climate action, while also allowing ourselves grace. A single person can’t achieve net zero alone, and community action counts in the climate space.
We were thrilled to have over 50 people attend the event, which made for a fantastic atmosphere, with lots of networking and mingling. Photos can be found on our Facebook page, and we are so excited to keep welcoming people to our monthly events.