Future Makers Talk Series

Marlene Baquiran

Marlene Baquiran is co-founder of Climate Writers, a grassroots climate action community originating from Gadigal land. Along with co-founder Eezu Tan, this initiative started as friends hosting tea times in their living room and has since grown to a community of contributors that have sent more than 400 personal letters to MPs, met dozens of MPs, and contributed to policy submissions. Marlene is an environmental writer with a background in agricultural and food tech innovation. She is the Head of Publishing at Encour Press.

Robert Servine

Robert Servine, General Manager at Green Connect, is a passionate advocate for social change with a career spanning a wide range of organizations, including KARI, Nepean Communities and Neighbourhood Services, and Seattle Youth Garden Works. Robert's extensive experience includes working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, homeless youth, child protection services, out-of-home care, and asylum seekers. In these roles, he has empowered hundreds to overcome adversity and achieve their full potential. He is dedicated to promoting sustainability, fair food production, and social inclusion through Green Connect's mission.

Dr Jenny Newell

Dr Jenny Newell is the Curator for Climate Change at the Climate Solutions Centre, Australian Museum, Sydney. She works to advance understanding and engagement in the climate crisis, through exhibitions, events, digital resources and community collaborations. With a background in environmental history and a focus on Australia and the Pacific, she has used her curatorial roles at the British Museum, National Museum of Australia, the American Museum of Natural History and the Australian Museum to explore and advance positive human-nature relationships. Jenny convenes the Museums & Climate Change Network and Sydney Cultural Institutions for Climate Action (SCICA). Her exhibitions include Spark: Australian Innovations Tackling Climate Change (2021) and the touring exhibition about sustainability and regeneration, Future Now (2022-).

Eezu Tan

Eezu Tan is co-founder of Climate Writers, a grassroots climate action community originating from Gadigal land. Along with co-founder Marlene Baquiran, this initiative started as friends hosting tea times in their living room and has since grown to a community of contributors that have sent more than 400 personal letters to MPs, met dozens of MPs, and contributed to policy submissions. Eezu is a youth activist with a background in nature-based solutions and renewable energy start-ups. By day, she's a management consultant at Bain & Company and by night, a theatre-maker.

Mhairi Fraser

Mhairi Fraser is a founding member of The Goulburn Group Inc. a community organisation that has spearheaded several sustainability projects in the Goulburn Region of NSW. These include Goulburn Wetlands, an environmental regeneration project and Community Energy for Goulburn (CE4G), that is building a 1.8MWh community owned solar farm with battery storage. Mhairi and husband Peter moved to Goulburn from Sydney in 2008 and since then Mhairi has emersed herself in regional life, contributing to organisations concerned with environmental protection, climate action, renewable energy and the arts. She has a professional background in social work and adult education and is a mother and grandmother. Mhairi lives within the hope that humanity will find its way back to a true relationship within the community of life before it’s too late.

Camila Drieberg

Camila Drieburg is the Riverkeeper for the Parramatta River Catchment Group, where she supports local initiatives and raises the community's capacity to undertake projects with sustainable outcomes for the river. Camila connects organisations, volunteer community groups and individuals to develop opportunities to learn more about and care for the health of the Parramatta River.

Dr Sarah Barnes

Dr Sarah Barns is a passionate place-maker, researcher and digital storyteller who works with diverse communities and institutions to forge healthy and regenerative connections between people, place and habitat. As Founder and Co-Director of Studio ESEM, Sarah leads digital strategy and storytelling in community and public spaces. Through an RMIT Fellowship, she is currently writing a book on creative ecologies for future ancestors.