Over the last 12 months, there has been a marked increased in the public awareness of climate change, and, in recent months you may have noticed that IYPF has been developing a Climate Change Strategy. Coinciding with these changes, IYPF has become a member of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC). The AYCC is a coalition of youth organizations including local youth councils, youth environment groups, campus clean energy groups, student unions, faith-based groups, Indigenous youth organizations, and young professionals. AYCC believes that Australia is lacking the political leadership to stop climate change and the aim of the group is to hold those in power to account by creating a united youth voice, passionate about preventing a climate crisis and about creating a clean energy future. I am very happy to have been selected as IYPF’s representative to the AYCC, and in this role I look forward to progressing IYPF’s Climate Change Strategy, having IYPF members participate in AYCC projects and sharing with you results of our involvement with AYCC.

This is probably a good opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Kim Farrant and I attended the 2004 International Young Professionals Summit where I presented a workshop on "Sustainability in the Built Environment". I work as a Structural Engineer in Melbourne, Australia. As a result of my experiences at that 2004 Brisbane conference, and having talked to other IYPF members about the interesting activities that they were involved in, I was motivated to become more actively involved in environmental activism both within and outside my employment.

Whilst I have always had an interest in the environment, shortly after the conference I made the decision to embark on further study in the area of environmental sustainability. In October 2006 I returned from the UK where I completed a one year Master of Science degree in Nature, Society and Environmental Policy, at Oxford University. I studied subjects that included environmental management, corporate social responsibility, climate change and environmental policy. On the back of that experience I am now looking to use the knowledge that I have gained to be able to effect change toward more sustainable practices and I have been selected as a participant for the Victorian 2007 Future Sustainability Leaders Program.

Most recently I have relocated to Melbourne (from Adelaide) with the aim of being able to work in the sustainability field, but in the meantime I have been assisting the state office of my employer to assess its environmental impact and find ways in which this impact may be reduced.

I look forward to sharing with you AYCC’s progress and the involvement that IYPF takes in the group; as well as discussing the climate change issues that Australia is facing and examining how we as an organization can contribute to addressing those issues. Please feel free to contact me at any stage (kim_farrant1981@yahoo.com.au) and I look forward to working with you.

Kim Farrant
IYPF representative to the Australian Youth Climate Coalition