about last night

 Last night I attended a reunion for staff members from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) - it also marked my first outing in the city since COVID and the new baby (yew!), but I digress. 

It is so hard to express the role GBCA has played in my life. It was the first job I had in the environmental sector after what I like to call my 'green awakening', and it challenged me, supported me, and helped me grow into the woman I am today.  From my first day working at GBCA in 2009, I felt I had found a home of kindred spirits; people who were not only committed to helping halt the environmental crises we find ourselves hurtling toward, but also wanted to connect with others, have fun, and form relationships that would last beyond our days working in the same office, the Greenhouse (complete with worm farms, compost, stunning balcony plants, and many many more technical green features than I'll explain here). 

With my former boss, always mentor, Romilly Madew AO FTSE

It is also the time when I wrote my book, with incredible thanks the support of then-CEO Romilly Madew AO FTSE (now CEO of Infrastructure Australia). She supported my move to part-time so I could write, suggesting we turn my role into a job share because she wanted to support women achieve their career aspirations. I used the offices for my book launch party. I returned to the GBCA for a contract after my failed move back to the US, a haven amidst my emotional turmoil. Rom also supported the launch of Clean Cut Fashion, as our key speaker at our first presence at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Sydney in 2014. And even I rented a desk in the Greenhouse for a few months while writing my PhD thesis, craving the energy of other environmentalists (over the years GBCA shared offices with the Climate Institute, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, and 1 Million Women).

Friendships I have made at GBCA continue, though with less catch-ups in person because of life - you know, changing jobs, moving to new cities or countries, having children. But I'm proud to say that much of my professional network is built around this powerhouse of Australia's sustainable development professionals. Though there were many beloved faces missing last night, their presences were felt in the flood of memories that accompanied the evening.

So, thank you for joining me on my quick trip down memory lane. It can be so easy to overlook significant places and people in your life, and it was a real gift to be tossed into the mix last night with this brilliant, funny and determined group. A special thanks to Rom, Suzie and Robin for making it all happen, I'm already looking forward to the next time.

xxLisa

Oh the hilarity! And fabulousness! Suzie and I
wore the same One Dress by Ever By X!

PS - Robin, no photo with you! The one person I see the most in real life - hugs

fire feels

Recently I contributed to a new website, Fire Feels: Telling politicians how we feel about the 2019/2020 bushfires I heard about the site from one of the founders (and my colleague!) who led a climate grief workshop last month.

This important site was created in the wake of this summer's horrific fires as a means of communicating your grief, rage, horror and shock to our politicians. It actually originated between two friends writing to one another about how they were feeling, and then realising that our politicians - the ones who have the power to make the dramatic, systemic changes we need to decarbonise and to value nature - should hear how we feel. Instead of 'staying calm', we should tell them how we feel.

You can contribute, too, just visit the site for instructions. Importantly, if you need further support, please seek professional support - find more information here.

So without further ado, below is the letter I wrote to my MP, Zali Steggall

To Zali Steggall: I had hoped never to experience this fear and grief

I have been a climate activist and working in sustainable development for over a decade. The scenes from the bush fires have brought out fear and grief that I had been hoping never to experience – and fighting for others not to experience – for so many years. I attended a climate grief workshop to help me start to address these feelings, during which I drew the following two pictures.

One is the scene I just can’t get out of my head of standing on a fairly isolated beach in Broken Bay with my two year-old son as the sky was golden-orange and ash-flakes snowed down upon us. There were children in the water who were laughing and playing, trying to catch the ashes with a goal of catching the biggest one possible. Did they know what it was? It was a very apocalyptic scene. It was very hard to accept that it was really  happening, and we were not even in the worst of the fire zones.

CC-BY-NC-SA Lisa Heinze

The other is a representation of how I feel – sad and frozen, but also angry. I’m just waiting for that anger to thaw me out of my frozen state so I can start flowing and acting (and activisting!) again.

CC-BY-NC-SA Lisa Heinze

I know that you are committed to climate action, I voted and campaigned for you because of it. I am writing to remind you of how urgently Australia needs to take bold action. I will stand behind your climate efforts, but also push you for more brave and robust efforts for the sake of the future and younger generations.

From Lisa Heinze

and the fires rage on

The Australian bushfires have left a wake of devastation across the country, and the fires blaze on. Greater Sydney has experienced numerous apocalyptic days over the past few months but – aside from people with respiratory and cardiovascular issues – we are the lucky ones. Our homes still stand. Our businesses and jobs are in tact. We even had (nearly) blue skies over the Christmas break, making it possible to momentarily forget about the destruction of our beautiful country. But one whiff of smoky haze or quick social media check wrenches us back to reality.

Image source: WWF

Sometimes I think, “Well, soon all of the national parkland will be burnt and so at least the fires will stop.” Some sort of twisted rationale my mind has come up with to help deal with what is happening. Willing the smoke, the haze, the ash, the constant reminders that our nation burns as the climate fiercely changes, willing all of it, to stop. But I know it won’t, not yet, this is early bushfire season in Australia.

In actual fact, estimates suggest nearly half of all the country’s forests will have burnt by the time this bushfire season is over. Half. How do we even wrap our heads around what this means in terms of habitat and wildlife loss? Greenhouse gas emissions? People’s livelihoods? The Australian bush is varied, diverse, and so incredibly beautiful. Although I grew up in another incredibly beautiful part of the world (hello Rocky Mountains!), it wasn’t until I moved to Australia that I truly fell in love with the natural world. The bush is a place of magic and wonder, and I crave immersing myself in the forests on a regular basis. I haven’t yet ventured toward any burnt areas, safe in my urban beachside bubble, but accounts from people flying over the smouldering land and driving through the scorched earth are bracing me for a barren and blackened landscape, unrecognizable from the bush I know and love.

It’s near impossible, to imagine what the people who live in these areas of the country and have lost everything – their homes, businesses, possessions, even loved ones – are experiencing. There are beautiful and powerful written accounts, like this one by author Jackie French who praises the leaders who have emerged in place of our nation’s so-called leaders, that start to put into perspective what life has been like these past couple of months. And many others who highlight the very long, unknown, road to recovery for so many of these communities that have been decimated by the fires.

Like so many Australians, I’ve felt powerless in terms of what I can do to help. I have gladly donated money, knowing that is what is most needed right now, but it can feel like it’s not enough. There’s an ache to get out and be useful, and yet how can I be useful in a time like this? It’s dangerous. Fires still blaze. I have zero emergency skills, unlike the firefighters* and other first responders who are (as they so often are) the saviours of the nation.

There are, however, many clearheaded people who have already sprung into action and offer ways to be involved. Some of the initiatives that have caught my attention include:

• Knitting and sewing for wildlife – mittens, pouches, possum boxes, nests, and more. Thousands of people from around the world are putting their knitting and sewing skills to help injured and orphaned animals recover. The Animal Rescue Craft Guild has more information on what is needed and patterns to help you create the needed items.

• ThreadTogether is an initiative that collects unworn/unsold items from retailers to distribute to people in need. They have ramped up their efforts in the wake of the crisis to collect even more for those communities impacted directly. If you are a designer or retailer with unsold items, get in touch with them ASAP.

•  Go with Empty Eskies campaign, a viral facebook post by Tegan Webber that urges us to head to the regions as soon as its safe and buy all the food and drinks (and everything!) we need from those communities.

• Spend with Them Instagram campaign, partly inspired by the Empty Eskies campaign, which highlights businesses in effected areas that need our dollars to keep afloat. If you are in the market for something, why not start there?

• Carlie Ballard and Linda Tahija teamed up to sell raffle tickets to give away a $600 voucher for their beautiful fashion and jewellery brands - ends tonight!

• Authors for Fireys  is a Twitter auction that channels funds directly to the firefighters with authors from around the world auctioning signed books, character namings, lunch dates, workshops and more. I haven’t put my hand up for this only because my book is old news, but I'll try and get myself organised (it ends tomorrow!) to offer a sustainable fashion workshop in exchange for donations.

• Hearts on Fire instagram auction of experiences from fashion, food, travel and the arts to raise money. Incredible things up for auction here!

• Yesterday more than 45 Australian retailers participated in the "All In" campaign, donating 100% of their profits to the Red Cross bushfire campaign. It was good timing for me - I needed some new work clothing so spent it all with the Iconic (which is also going to be offering its warehouse to store donated items over coming months to assist the charities that have been inundated with goods).

It’s hard to know what to write, and how to respond, except to say that I’m heartbroken, saddened, frightened and angry. I’ll continue to do what I can, to act thoughtfully yet forcefully for change. I’ll be at the protests today in Sydney, hope to see some of you there, too.

xLisa

tis the season for a revolution

In previous years I've written guides and given advice about choosing sustainable holiday gifts. You know, buy from ethical, local, Fair trade suppliers and artists. Choose pre-loved items. Give someone an experience instead of an object. Cook a meal, babysit kids, plant a tree, make organic body scrub. And wrap it all in sustainable gift wrap.

I still wholeheartedly believe in those options. And - despite what the rest of this post may suggest - I really do love the holiday season. Love it. There is nothing better than enjoying delicious food and the company of loved ones under the twinkle of fairy lights. As an added bonus, living in Sydney means that Christmas is the perfect excuse for an extended summer break at the beach. Bring. It. On.

But this year, instead of hoping santa brings me a gorgeous sustainable frock and fretting over the 'perfect' gift for my loved ones, I want something bigger. I want a revolution. I want a seismic cultural and political shift to address the growing climate crisis. It's not too much to ask, is it?

View this post on Instagram

Fires continue to burn out of control. Brothers stand together. #fujifilmx_au #fujifilm @fujifilmx_au @greatlakesadvocate @nbnnews @nbcnews @cbsnews @barringtoncoast @abcaustralia @nbnnews @cbsnews @nbcnews @9newsofficial @9newsgoldcoast @ninenewsillawarra @channeltennews @tennewsperth @sevennewsaustralia @abc.tv @sbs_australia @newscorpaus @sydneymorningherald @dailytelegraph @couriermail @newscomauhq @the.australian @natgeo

A post shared by Martin Von Stoll (@stoll_photography) on Oct 26, 2019 at 2:23am PDT

My state is literally on fire. Look at these photos. That extended summer break I mentioned before will likely be spent indoors to escape the hazardous smoke pollution which periodically blankets the city. The fires have come so early and so fiercely that fire chiefs are making public declarations about climate change and begging the government to address the climate crisis. And what does our Prime Minister do? Offers platitudes, thoughts & prayers, naively comments that volunteer firefighters don't need to be paid because they "want to be there" and uses the opportunity of our nationwide distraction to axe the federal arts department and splitting the energy and environment portfolios into other, larger, portfolios, all but ensuring climate change doesn't get a look in. Shame.

Photo: AAP via SMH

Halfway around the world other world leaders are meeting for the annual COP climate talks. I freely admit to being particularly ambivalent about the talks this year. Which is unfair - many people work tirelessly in the lead up and throughout the talks to convince nations to make binding agreements to emissions reductions. But from my perspective (and at least one top scientist) it just looks like we've had these talks for over 20 years and global emissions are rising year on year. Countries including Australia and the United States shirk responsibility and forfeit the opportunity to become climate leaders. And remind me, how many people took an international flight (and how many business class, or private planes) to attend the talks? Not Greta, obviously, and though it doesn't make a dent in the grand scheme of greenhouse gas emissions, it does have an impact on the power of one's activism and leads to systemic change.

So needless to say, this holiday season I'm distracted. Instead of teaching my toddler about the magic of the season I'm fretting about his future. I don't want the champagne and baubles and bonbons - well, not as much as I usually do, anyway. I don't have the energy to handcraft gifts and I don't feel the same joy listening to Mariah Carey's "Merry Christmas" album as in previous years. I want global leaders to act just as that - leaders - and to take the bold actions necessary to halt the worst of the project climate disasters. We are seeing too frequent glimpses of them already, and frankly, it's terrifying.

But I hear you. You want a list. You want a guide for an ethical holiday season, so here it is:

• Change your household energy to 100% renewable energy. There are multiple affordable options available making this option more attainable than ever.
• Divest your retirement/superannuation. There are a variety of funds options that do not invest in fossil fuel companies but do have competitive returns. Make your money work for the future you want.
• Ask your workplace about their own energy and investment plans, and work with them to make the necessary changes if not enough is being done.
• Contact your politicians. Relentlessly. Let them know the climate is a top concern of yours, and if it's not theirs they will not get your vote.
• Volunteer your time.
• Donate your money. This year there are a variety of bushfire appeals including for Fire Services and wildlife rehabilitation. If any of my loved ones want to know what to get me, please do this for me.
• Connect with others. Build your community and look after those who need some extra care.
• Rest as much as you can, we have a lot of work to do in 2020.

Until then, fellow Revolutionaries, 

xoLisa

sustainable work life

Hello!

It's been awhile, and I'm just going to level with you - this working parent business is hard! I feel like calling every parent I have ever worked with to say, "I'm sorry if I ever gave you the side-eye for leaving work on time! And please tell me how you managed to be so put together for work while wrangling a small child at home." 

Though they probably wouldn't have even noticed my side-eye if they are like me, one eye on my work and another on the clock to ensure I time my commute-daycare-dinner-bath-bedtime routine just perfectly to minimise the likelihood of a meltdown from my mini-one.

I am managing to complete (and enjoy!) my paid work each week, but my labours of love (like this blog and other sustainable fashion activism) have taken a backseat. As so many women have experienced before me, I'm learning firsthand that you can't "have it all", at least not at the same time.

Lucky for me my paid work is incredible. I have the opportunity to meet and work with dedicated, passionate and clever people, including bringing people together with various backgrounds and ideas, all in the name of sustainability. And I was able to write a blog post about it for the Sydney Environment Institute. Here's a sneak peek, and head over their website to learn more.

Living Lab Series: Sustainability Across Campus, From Wave Flumes to Waste Fighters

Lisa Heinze takes us on a journey through the University as she explores past projects and future plans for the Sustainability Strategy.

Image by Vital Sinkevich, via Unsplash

Did you know that the University of Sydney has a wind tunnel and wave flume in its Centre for Wind, Waves and Water? Or that students can take units titled “Building a Sustainable World” or “Poverty Alleviation and Profitability”? Or that we have both a community garden and a food co-opright here on campus?

Over the past few months, I have had the great pleasure of getting to know some of the people behind these initiatives as part of the University’s sustainability strategy development project. The Sydney Environment Institute has been supporting the development of the University’s new strategy, and I have the lucky job of connecting with people who are working hard to make a difference through their research, teaching and actions at the University. In particular, the SEI has been responsible for creating an Advisory Group consisting of staff and students from across the University, and overseen the development of over a dozen sub-groups, to help establish a sustainability vision, identify priorities, and determine guiding principles across a range of sustainability issues at the University.

So what exactly does this mean? And what does it look like on a daily basis? I began by poring over faculty websites and staff profiles, seeking sustainability connections through research or teaching, and sending inquisitive, hopeful emails, asking for participation in the project. I’ve had my fair share of coffees, meeting people to find out more about their work and interests, sharing details about how the working groups’ insights will feed into development of the strategy, and connecting people into various groups to focus on categories like Energy & Emissions, Social & Culture, Water, Built Environment, Landscapes & Biodiversity, and more.

I’ve had the distinct feeling I was standing inside the (thankfully idle) engine of an Airbus A380 as I stood inside the awe-inspiring Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel at the Centre for Wind, Waves and Water...

Read the entire article here.

environmental melancholia: part one

I'm taking a serious turn in this blog post to talk about the grief, anxiety and apathy that can accompany environmentalism. It can come about from working in the area or as a result of hearing endless news reports about the climate, drought, rising sea levels, deforestation, you name it. It is sometimes referred to as ecological grief or environmental melancholia.

Good times at the beach?

This post has been on my mind for awhile, and though I'm sure I won't communicate everything I want to about it, I figured I may as well just dive in and get the conversation moving.

For example, I started writing a post in January (and because of working-motherhood never returned to), and it included the following:

As I've awakened on another steamy Sydney morning, during this summer of record-breaking heatwaves, I find myself thinking about the future. As a climate activist it's hard not to make the connection between these extreme weather events and our changing climate. Not to sound too apocalyptic or anything, but the early stages that climate experts have been warning about for decades are starting to occur. 

One-third of Australia's flying fox population died in a two-day heatwave last November. In addition there has been the mass death of hundreds of thousands of fish in the Darling River due to extreme heat and low river flow, and over 100 wild horses perished in extreme South Australian heat this past week. This is what biodiversity loss as a result of climate change looks like. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it is bleak.

Uplifting stuff, right?

Ugh.

I've also started working on a new project with the Sydney Environment Institute and speaking with a number of sustainability researchers from all faculties on campus. Normally talking to brilliant minds who are furiously working on climate and environmental issues energises me. But every now and then I realise, some of these people have been working on this stuff for decades. And we are still in a global political stalemate over concrete and revolutionary action (and it's only revolutionary because we have waited for decades to extricate our lifestyles from fossil fuels after learning of their impact - don't even get me started on that issue).

Oh yeah, the latest UN IPCC report was a real doozy, too. Did you miss it? The key takeaway is that we need to enact swift and immediate action to avoid catastrophe. We will reach a world of 1.5 degrees warming in 12 years (we've already reached 1 degree), at which point several hundred million human lives are at stake. I've taken the following from Grist:

We only have a decade left to finish our initial coordinated retooling of society to tackle this challenge. The scientists were quite clear about this. By 2030, we’ll need to have already cut global emissions in half (45 percent below 2010 levels, according to the report), which (again, according to the IPCC) would require “rapid and far-reaching transitions” in “all aspects of society.”

The language in this report is markedly more urgent than anything they've published before, which should highlight the gravity of the issues.

And then last night I was playing with my son at the beach, and as he was being adorable, crawling about on the sand, exploring the seashore, he made his way to give me something - a little styrofoam ball. How depressing. Is it human nature to clean up the planet? Or, more likely, he's watched his dad and I religiously take 3 (or 12) for the sea every time we are at the beach. This is something I wish I didn't have to teach my son, to clean up polluting litter from the beach and oceans. Let alone what's to come as the climate continues to change throughout his life (I must blog another time about the decision to procreate in a time of climate crisis).

So there you have it. Some of the causes of my current state of environmental melancholia. I have started reading a book of that same title by the very clever psychologist Renee Lertzman, and will give you a mini book review in the next post. I'll also share insights from other experts in the area, in case you have also experienced similar feelings of grief or anxiety.

As environmentalists or activists or simply humans living in this changing world, it is important to look after ourselves, acknowledge our emotions, and learn how to help each other move forward, don't you think?

More soon,
xLisa

climate optimist

This week I saw a new campaign floating around on social media asking people to pledge to be a #climateoptimist

Now, I didn't need any urging to be optimistic about climate change. Despite all the bad news that surrounds climate change, including the impacts already happening like increased extreme weather events around the world and climate refugees, I've been an optimist ever since I became an environmentalist.

Actually, I think that it's because I'm an active environmentalist that I am an optimist. I feel incredibly privileged to have met countless innovators and changemakers through my work, including through the green building industry, the sustainable fashion movement, and the many climate and renewable activists I've met along the way.  I know people who have launched social enterprises that recycle used fishing nets into skateboards and sunglasses, created transparent and ethical supply chains for textiles, made apps to help people shop more ethically, invented sustainability roles for themselves, and worked with big business and government to address larger systems and institutions. Simply put, there is so much activity, and so many people working on solving the climate (and other environmental) crisis, that there is no reason not to be an optimist.

I know not everyone can meet these people in their day jobs and hear about the latest innovations as they are being created and tested, so I thought I'd share some of the reasons why I feel so optimistic:

• Global energy-related carbon emissions have been flat for three years in a row, even as the global economy grew by 3.1%. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a proponent for endless growth economics, but it's promising to see that we don't have to totally overthrow capitalism to address climate change (not right away, anyway...)


• Australia's energy-related emissions decreased 2.3% in the year to June 2017, this brings us to 9.1% below 2005 emissions and 0.8% below 2000 emissions. Furthermore, emissions per capita are at the lowest level in 27 years, down 34.2% since 1990. Read all the details on the Australian Department of Environment and Energy website.


• A global energy transition is underway. Renewable energy has grown by record levels once again in 2016, up 10% from the 2015 record to 161GW, and costs less each year, 23% reduction in investment compared to 2015. There is more investment in renewables than any other energy form. 


• In the US, after Donald Trump announced pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, a number of cities and businesses pledged to meet the commitments.


• Australian researchers have identified 22,000 sites for pumped hydro energy storage to address renewable energy storage concerns.


• The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation just awarded $20 million in environmental grants (as if I needed another reason to love Leo).


• Fossil fuel companies are being taken to court by children, cities and states to pay the damages of climate change because the industry knew about the link between fossil fuels and climate change and failed to act (similar to the tobacco industry cases).


• The Australian green building sector has decreased emissions by 62% and potable water use by 51% (compared to traditional building standards).


• Interest in sustainable fashion is rapidly growing. I don't have any quantitative stats to share on this, however, given my own involvement in the movement (and my recently completely PhD research) I can attest to the increased interest from consumers, governments, industry and educational institutions. While not directly connected to climate change (though the production, use and disposal of clothing certainly adds to emissions), this growing interest in sustainable fashion signals growing concern and awareness of all environmental issues, and shows that a broad range of individuals care about these issues and want to play a part in the solution.

In short - passion and innovation change the world, and I see no shortage of either. 

This is the main reason I'm a climate optimist,
but there are too many to list.

I wouldn't be true to my activist self if I didn't add a final caveat: just because I am optimistic does not mean we can be complacent. We have a lot of work to do, and we need all hands on deck - citizens, businesses and governments. So while I am optimistic - and I hope you feel optimistic, too - I don't want to give the impression our work here is done.

What do you think? Are you a climate optimist? Why? Why not? I'd love to hear from you, so let's keep this important discussion moving.

xxLisa