Auckland

A planner and researcher, with professional knowledge and extensive management experience in the recycling industry in general and the construction and demolition waste in particular. During the years of activity in the field of the environment, I developed an extensive network of contacts with key actors in various sectors. I served as a waste and recycling coordinator at the Lod Municipal Authority where I was closely exposed to the challenges, both at the regulatory level and at the field level, facing the treatment and recovery of waste streams in Israel. Today, I am aiming to expand my activity creating collaborations for the treatment and prevention of negative infections caused by waste and developing models based on civil activism in these areas.

PROJECT

Lira shapira- local green coin is a a non profit organisation which is promoting and supporting the separation at the source and the independent treatment of organic household waste. we are distributing a local coin which is directed to generate and reinforce the local economy and local connections and ties between different layers of the society. Each coin we distribute is linked to the value of 1 kilo of organic waste treated in the conventional way by transporting it to landfills. We also launched a new project called “Tel hubez”- an urban farm managed by the local residents aiming to educate and teach agriculture and grow organic vegetables for a local community market. This project also supports new connections and is aiming to build a stronger resilient community- one of the most important qualities we need as citizens in order to face the coming climate change related challenges. All of these activities are recognised and supported by the Tel Aviv municipality.

My experience in the waste field led me to the understanding that civil action, aiming to reinforce the community and the sense of responsibility over the waste we produce is something to invest in. so i joined my neighbour and we established the N.G.O which we run together in the last year.

MOTIVATION FOR AND COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

In the last 7 years since i graduated from my second degree studies in environment, i worked in the business sector, the municipal sector and now as a civil action generator. my motivation is based on the deep understanding that i gain in Africa, working as a stagier during my architecture studies, – waste is a byproduct of human activity and an endless source of raw materials. i would like to use waste as a resource for building a strong community.

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Adi Sholev Founder and CEO of Urban Daisy – Green Roofs, Green Data Adi is passionate about creating pathways between impact, product and research. She is continually searching for holistic solutions and understandings for sustainable development. Her diverse education and experience working as an ecology researcher, project manager at an Agtech startup and leading several environmental – social projects has culminated in her founding Urban Daisy – Green Roofs, Green Data. Environmental sustainability is dependent on the collaboration of multiple sectors and disciplines and cannot thrive without financial viability. For this reason, Adi is dedicated to creating financially beneficial sustainable solutions and hopes to facilitate quantifiable environmental impact within the business sector.

PROJECT

Urban Daisy is a one-stop-shop for green roofs offering full service and project management starting from location surveys through design, construction and maintenance. Our green roofs are designed to amplify environmental impact, improving buildings’ thermal function, stormwater management, air quality and local biodiversity. Urban Daisy optimizes design via data analysis creating multifunctional green roofs that are both financially and environmentally beneficial. Our green roofs double as Living Labs with research conducted in collaboration with climate specialists and geographers. Sensors are installed on our green roofs and in buildings to measure and analyze the specific benefits of each and every green roof. Using this data, we generate Environmental Impact Reports that businesses can publish and present to their investors and customers. In the future we aim to use our data to develop design tools and knowledge for mitigating the Urban Heat Island and managing stormwater in urban settings.

The core question Urban Daisy is attempting to answer is: How can the business sector be motivated to take part in creating resilience to climate change? The short answer, make it financially viable. Mitigating the climate crisis is a complicated mission and though there is still much research to be done there are some challenges that can be addressed immediately. Unfortunately, lack of finance is often a major barrier to progress. Urban areas are growing rapidly, and while space on ground level is becoming scarce rooftops are largely unutilised. Green roofs are a way to create both positive environmental impact and utilize real estate. Quantifying the specific impact a green roof has on its environment helps businesses follow sustainable development goals while using the green roof for their own uses.

MOTIVATION FOR AND COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

As a global community we are facing challenges in almost every aspect of our lives. Many of these challenges be it social, health, finance and others are often location specific and create polarized opinions. I believe that environmental sustainability is not only a global concern but also a common denominator people and organizations can agree on. We all need a healthy environment to thrive and survive. Considering the challenges national and local governments are facing, and the dearth of public resources, Adi believes the private sector is positioned to take a larger role in mitigating the climate crisis. Financially beneficial and profitable products and services promoting sustainability could facilitate this.

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A lawyer by training, Alexandra specialized in human rights. She began her career at a law firm and then worked for Amnesty International in Germany. For the next ten years, Alexandra worked at organizations specializing in CSR, diversity, change management and sustainability.

In 2012, she joined L’Oréal as Chief Sustainability Officer, launching “Sharing Beauty With All”, L’Oréal’s sustainability program, which sets commitments for 2020 addressing the company’s impact across its value chain.

In 2017 Alexandra was appointed Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, becoming the Executive Vice President of the L’Oréal Foundation in addition to her role as head of the CSR & Sustainability Department.

Instrumental to the launch of the Women4Climate initiative since its early beginning, Alexandra has been mentor of Paris 2017 and 2018 Women4Climate cohorts. 

Project name: Communication, Education, and Sustainability Implementation in the Auckland Wine Industry

Ko Te Mata te maunga

Ko Tūtaekuri te awa

Nō Ahuriri ahau

Ko Ali Lowrey tōku ingoa

Ali Lowrey is a sustainability consultant and a science communicator. She has a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Auckland, specialising in wine science. Her research included relationships between soil chemistry, climate change, and agrochemical applications, and assessing connections between vineyard terroir, matauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga.

She is originally from the Hawke’s Bay, where her knowledge and passion for wine and the environment began – and the foundation of being a firm supporter of the local New Zealand food and beverage industry.

She believes that new and exciting scientific discoveries should be made available to all, shared over a glass of local New Zealand wine.

As an activist and community builder, Amy supports people across all stages of their climate action journey to experience more ease and joy in doing the work the world needs. For 8 years, Amy worked at the national non-profit WWF-Canada, leading the award-winning Living Planet @ Work program. In this work, she supported thousands of people across Canada to take action for nature and fundraise for conservation. She’s facilitated dozens of speaking events, workshops and open conversation spaces. In 2018, Amy co-founded the Toronto-based climate action group Carbon Conversations TO, which offers judgement-free spaces for individuals to explore their relationship with climate change and effectively cope with climate distress. Currently, Amy works as the founder of her coaching practice Amy Castator Coaching, where she supports individuals and groups as they navigate their journey of embedding climate action into their personal, work and community efforts. She works with her clients to find more ease and joy in doing work the world needs.

PROJECT

Carbon Conversations TO (CCTO) is a volunteer-led, grassroots group that offers facilitated learning opportunities to empower and equip individuals to make lifestyle changes, build community and take collective action to effectively cope with climate distress. Climate distress is a widespread issue that affects well-being across generations. Despite our commitment to healing the planet, unresolved emotions can prevent us from making lifestyle changes, advocating for systemic change and having important climate conversations with others. CCTO’s mission is to normalize climate action. The group facilitates courageous conversations ranging from individual workshops to in-depth multi-session programs. Through their programming, CCTO provides a safe and supportive space that brings concerned citizens together to express their climate-related emotions and learn about tangible steps to contribute to a healthier city and planet. Our organization operates based on the belief that finding hope and empowerment are the keys to rebuilding our connections with ourselves, each other and the Earth. They’re the keys to help us develop inner resilience, where we can look at adversity head-on, and say yes to taking action anyway. We are here to make climate grief and distress spaces more accessible, so that people don’t have to feel alone in navigating these challenging times.

Here is a story from our co-founder, Brianna Aspinall, who came up with the idea of bringing Carbon Conversations to Toronto: “The beginnings of Carbon Conversations TO started from love, care, and a realization that I was not living in line with my values. There was also fear and anxiety, feelings that were hard to share and process. My partner Erick and I watched a documentary about climate change and while it was a mix of ‘doom and gloom’ and hope, the story weighed heavily on both of us and almost paralyzed my partner into deep sadness. We realized we both needed to process and accept the truth about climate change while finding our unique way to become part of the solution. Through research and conversations with friends we learned that many others were also struggling to find a space to connect to their feelings about climate change. I went searching for a solution. I looked for proven models and found Carbon Conversations in the UK. I then met my fellow co-founders Amy Castator and Tara Wilkie. We gathered a team together to put the program into action in Toronto.” Brianna Aspinall, Co-founder, Carbon Conversations TO

MOTIVATION FOR AND COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

I believe substantial climate progress will only happen when we deepen our relationships to ourselves, each other and the Earth. I believe when we’re able to be present to our inner fears and worries and meet them with compassion, we find new possibilities. I believe that when we understand we’re not alone in feeling pain for our world, we can support each other more openly and readily. I believe when we connect to the Earth, we remind ourselves of the complex beauty it has, and what we’re standing up for. All of this is what motivates me to act.

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I’m originally from Tel-Aviv and graduated from Bar Ilan University with a Bsc. in Computer Science and Economics. My first role in the tech industry was as a software developer, in which I relocated to St. Louise in the US. After a few years I realised that my true passion is being close to customers so I transitioned to project and customer management roles, in both corporates and Startups. In the last few years I worked in senior management roles on the business side as a VP customer success. In 2021 I co-founded a real estate Startup in the field of urban information surfacing using image processing.

PROJECT

• Build the world’s first collaborative surveys database, accessible to the public – using our patent protected unique algorithm.
• Strong automatic tool that converts images taken by anyone to valuable data.

MOTIVATION FOR AND COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

• Enriched database with many types of information.
• Smart City – based on tool that provides city data.
• Up-to-date data using images and measurements taken by citizens devices.
• Cost reduction by using an automatic algorithm, instead of human-based person-hours.