A passion for our planet

HI I’M LILY!

I’m 23, a uni student and a passionate advocate for our planet. I have a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in environmental science from the University of Melbourne and am in my final semester of my Masters of Public Health. I care deeply about the planet and human health and want to facilitate an understanding of how these two concepts are complimentary. I believe they can (and are already beginning to) be explored together, rather than in their respective academic silos as has been the case in the past.

I grew up outside a country town called Scone in NSW. Both of my parents are veterinarians and we lived on a property with a massive garden. We had a rotating collection of dogs, cats, horses, bunnies and guinea fowl, and I would spend childhood afternoons hanging from the mulberry tree with purple lips and fingertips, lying on the grass with Labrador puppies stumbling around, and helping Dad plant all manner of veges, herbs and fruit trees around the garden.

We had a compost bin and were separating our recycling into metal, plastic, paper and glass since I can remember. Pretty much anything that didn’t fall into one of those categories could be fed to a hungry Labrador. Mum and Dad built these sustainably minded practices into our lives so much so, that I only really begun to be exposed to different approaches when I moved away to boarding school in Sydney and later residential college in Melbourne.

Over my 6 years in institutional living, having gone from the country where I was surrounded by space, animals and nature, to the city where I spent the majority of my time indoors, I realised how much I valued the natural world and how much it stabilised my headspace. When Covid-19 hit and we were all locked down in Melbourne, I amassed an impressive indoor plant collection and would go for 2-3 hour walks each day along the Merri creek path in Brunswick East or around the parks within my 5km radius. I saw other people seeking out the same connection and begun to understand the intrinsic desire we have to be connected with our natural world.

Fast forward and I’m currently towards the end of a Masters degree, combining my areas of study and passion for the planet. I’m hoping that as we go, more and more people will come to understand the importance of maintaining the health of our planet. It shouldn’t be a chore or this inconvenient task we need to do. It should be a way of connecting with each other and the planet, for the benefit of both.

I’m looking forward to some candid conversations as we learn together.

Lil