SAMANTHA GRAHAM, PhD

Samantha holds a PhD in Corporate Sustainability and has been designing and facilitating Sustainability programs since 1993.

Sam has lectured extensively at Edinburgh University’s Centre for Human Ecology, Sydney University and the University of Western Sydney. She has developed and delivered a new Master of Science degree (Human Ecology) in the UK and has contributed to the development of numerous other short courses and workshops.

Sam spent four years as a facilitator of the ground-breaking ANZ Cultural Transformation program while maintaining her work with student and grass-roots community groups through academic and Local Council engagements.

She now works with Sustainability Education for global companies and not-for-profits.

Her educational programs are designed to create a shift in worldview for participants, giving them a new and more accurate understanding of the Human-Nature relationship.

Her popular and unique ‘Carbon Cuisine’ workshop specifically explores the relationship between food and personal footprint in a hands-on, systemic way, taking the issues of sustainability straight into peoples’ home life.

Sam brings a unique blend of pragmatism and theory to each client’s specific needs. She facilitates with passion and enthusiasm and brings a sense of fun to all she does. She believes that new ways of thinking together and being in community are inevitably the way forward.

JOHN L TALBOTT, PE

John is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) who has dedicated much of his life to developing viable practical solutions for sustainable living.

With his unique experience as a founder and project director of the Findhorn Ecovillage Project in Scotland* for over twenty years, John combines his technical expertise with a hands-on understanding of Sustainability in a real-life context.

John has made important contributions to numerous education programs, including the Masters in Science degree at the Centre for Human Ecology, Edinburgh University and the month-long Ecovillage Training on behalf of UNITAR (the United Nations Institute for Training and Research).

He is the author of Simply Build Green, a technical guide to ecological building.

Since moving to Australia in 2003 John has focused on facilitating corporate cultural transformation values assessment and personal development programs, including as a facilitator of the ANZ Breakout programme, while maintaining his passion for all things green. This passion has now emerged in the development of Sustainability Education programs for corporate, community and not-for-profit organisations.

John also continues to consult on a variety of sustainable projects, currently serving as Technical Director for gDiapers the world’s first biodegradable and flushable baby diaper. He oversaw the Cradle to Cradle Certification of the product, the first mass consumer product to receive this designation. John also works with ecovillage development and community-scale renewable energy systems.

In 2005 he was featured in the ‘Forward Thinkers’ campaign sponsored by the AVIVA Insurance Group.

His personal motto: “If it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable.”

* The Findhorn Ecovillage Project has won United Nations acclaim for its approach to global sustainability and the Findhorn Foundation has been formally designated by the UN as a sustainability training centre for local authorities in western Europe. Findhorn continues to be one of the world’s leading examples of a sustainable community, with its own wind farm, ecological waste water facilities, over 100 green buildings, its own currency and diverse social and economic infrastructure.

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