Q&A with Zali Rackel

Our new Project Support Officer, Zali

Meet the newest member of the team

Let’s all welcome Zali! Who joined us in April.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what brought you to the Canberra Environment Centre?

Hellooo! I’m Zali and it is lovely to e-meet all of you! I am currently an undergrad student at ANU, and I plan to graduate by the end of the year (yay!). My academic background is in Australian and Indigenous Studies, with a core focus on Cultural and Natural Resource Management.

What brought me to the CEC was a good old fashioned cold email! I absolutely love what the organisation does, and I wanted to contribute more to the town that has raised me. So, I emailed Jen (our lovely Director) and the rest was history! Also, as an avid cyclist, the addition of The Recyclery made it all seem like an absolute dream!

What’s your role here, and what kind of projects will you be working on?

I am the CEC’s Project Support Officer! In this role, I will help organise workshops and events that listen to the needs of our community. I’ll also be making sure our website, social media and newsletter has all the helpful information need for anyone looking to get involved! Each thursday, you will find me down in the community garden from 9:30-11am with our Project Officer, Bianca.

If you happen to visit our Recyclery workshop. you’ll probably see me down there quite a bit. I’ll be helping out with our Saturday bike sales, organising cool Recyclery events and hopefully tinkering around on some projects!

What’s one fun or surprising fact about you that most people don’t know?

I love to crochet! Right now, I am making a bunch of funky beanies for the cold Canberra winter.

Do you have a favourite local spot in Canberra to connect with nature?

Any of our six local Canberra peaks. There is nothing more beautiful than riding amongst the bush and taking the time to appreciate the local environment.

What does “living sustainably” mean to you personally?

To me, living sustainbly means reducing your carbon footprint in ways that are accessible to you. I am also pretty keen on the “leave no trace” principles whenever I find myself in the outdoors.

What’s one easy sustainability tip you’d share with the community?

Ride. Your. Bike. Everywhere! It may feel like a bit of a slog at first, but once you commit to it, you’ll never look back!

Do you have any final remarks you’d like to share with the community?

Please follow our instagram @canberraenvirocentre AND @recyclerycbr