Meet Andy! - Deputy Director’s Note
It’s been just over a month since I joined the Canberra Environment Centre as Deputy Director, and it’s been a very busy introduction!
For those I haven’t met yet, alongside my work at CEC I run Queer Food, a small social enterprise that uses food to celebrate LGBTQIA+ stories and gives back to the community. Food, sustainability and community have been threads running through much of my work, and I’ve always cared deeply about the environment, so I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunity to join CEC and work alongside such a passionate and knowledgeable team.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been getting stuck into planning upcoming events, working on new grant applications and getting ready to launch Queer Trails for 2026. It’s also been great getting to know the Centre properly. There’s a lot happening here, from bikes being repaired and given another life at the Recyclery, to our Thursday morning garden sessions, workshops, events. I’ve also really enjoyed getting to know the people who make all of this happen, and some of the organisations we work with across Canberra.
August was a particularly busy month.
At our latest Impact Hour, our wonderful President Julie Boulton spoke about circular fashion, taking us from Canberra’s love of puffer jackets through to the much bigger environmental impacts of what we buy, wear and throw away.
Our next Impact Hour will be held on Tuesday 15 September, with ecologist and turtle specialist Bruno Ferronato speaking about turtle biology and conservation, as well as the work of Turtlewatch ACT to better understand and protect Canberra’s Eastern long-necked turtles. You can get a ticket here.
We also celebrated the launch of Season 4 of our Local Environment Heroes podcast, bringing together some of our past Impact Hour guests for a great night celebrating Canberra’s environmental community. The podcast grew out of our Impact Hour series and gives us another way to share the stories and work of people doing great things for Canberra’s environment.
The first three episodes are now live, featuring Dr Amy Carrad on changing the way we eat, Dr Michael Mulvaney on regenerating Red Hill and Canberra’s Gang-gang Cockatoos, and Emeritus Professor Mark Howden AC on nearly four decades of climate action. Listen to them here.