Eligibility
The Centre for Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Program is aimed people who are passionate about making the world more sustainable. They may be university students, young professionals or established professionals making a career transition. Applicants should either live in or be in commutable distance from Melbourne or Sydney for the period of the program. International applicants are required to have a good command of English and should ensure they have the appropriate visas and funding to support themselves throughout the program.

We are looking for participants from every profession, sector, community and aspect of society who are committed to leading their community towards a sustainable future.

Age: There is no age limit. Past participants have ranged from 18 to 50 years old. The average age is late twenties, early thirties.

Nationality: There is no nationality requirement. Past participants have come from around the world as well as rural Australia. As there is a requirement to be in Sydney every Wednesday night or Melbourne every Tuesday night we ask that participants are living in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory or New South Wales from April-November 2010.

Education: There is no educational background requirement. Many of our participants have post graduate education such as MBAs and doctorates and include Rhode Scholars and Harvard graduates. We have also had first year university students and people with no university education take part in the program.

Sustainability: There is no sustainability background requirement. While many of our participants had demonstrated their commitment towards sustainability before taking part in the program many others hadn’t yet.

2. What level of English is required to participate in the program?

Due to the nature of the Fellowship Program, you are likely to be interacting with lots of different people both in and outside the program. You will also be required to prepare reports and proposals as part of the program. You must have a high level of competency in the English skills of grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted via phone to assess your listening and speaking skills. The written application will be used to assess your grammar and writing skills.

3. Do I need Insurance?

All international participants are required to have insurance for the duration of the program. CSL will not cover any costs associated with accidents, illnesses, injuries or loss, damaged or stolen property.

4. What are the visa requirements for coming to Australia?

All non-citizens of Australia must have a valid visa or re-entry authority to enter Australia. New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports receive electronic visas entitling them to stay in Australia.

1) United States of America: Working holiday visa subclass 462. Information here
2) United Kingdom: Working holiday visa subclass 417. Information here
3) Canada: Working holiday visa subclass 417. Information here
4) All other countries: Please check the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website at www.immi.gov.au

** Please note that the working holiday visas are for applicants aged 18 – 30. Further information on other visas can be found at www.immi.gov.au

5. What is the cost of living in Melbourne and Sydney?

A summary of typical weekly living expenses you will incur while living in Melbourne and Sydney are listed below.

Melbourne

More information about the cost of living in Melbourne can be found here

Sydney

More information about living in Sydney can be found here

6. What is the weather like in Melbourne and Sydney?

The weather in Melbourne is temperate and mild with four distinct seasons. Melbourne has a reputation for having “4 seasons in one day”, so even if you come in summer you will need to have some warm clothing. A range of clothing for all conditions is recommended.

The average minimum and maximum temperatures are:

Summer (December to February): 14-26C., however it is not uncommon to reach mid-30s during summer.
Autumn (March to May): 17-25C.
Winter (June to August): 9-17C.
Spring (September to November): 11-20C.

The weather is Sydney is more temperate. The average minimum and maximum temperatures are:

Summer (December to February): 19-26C., however it is does occasionally reach mid-30s during summer.
Autumn (March to May): 15-25C.
Winter (June to August): 11-17C.
Spring (September to November): 10-26C.

7. What can I do when I am not participating in the Fellowship Program?

There are various things to do in Melbourne and Sydney, depending on your visa conditions.

1) Intern or volunteer with CSL. Click here for more information.

2) Volunteer with an organisation. Some helpful websites:
- Volunteer.com.au
- GoodCompany.com.au

3) Work in Australia. This depends on the conditions of your visa. Some helpful websites to look at:
- Seek.com.au
- Careerone.com.au
- Mycareer.com.au
- EnvironmentalJobs.com.au

Other useful link

- Gumtree.com.au
- Domain.com.au
- Flatmates.com.au
- ShareAccommodation.com.au
- News.com.au
- TheAge.com.au

“I realised that working 80 hour weeks was not for me and spent the next four years travelling the globe.” Aaron studied property for three years after finishing school but ended up working, ‘crazy hours, riding the real estate boom’.

On returning to Australia, he decided to change direction and obtained a Diploma in Marketing and has spent the last seven years in Analytics, Marketing and Sustainability. Aaron is due to complete his Masters degree in Environmental Management this December.

A fellow student, who had set up his own green agency, suggested that Aaron join the Fellowship Program.

“I felt that I was ready to take a leadership path that allowed me to go beyond talking about my passion for the environment and drive meaningful change for the world. Cheesy, I know, but it’s true.”

Aaron’s passion for sustainability has manifested itself in the project Wipe It Out, which aims to rid Australia of nonrecycled toilet paper.

‘Every year, we chop down 98 million trees to make toilet paper. That’s 200 trees every minute, just to wipe our backsides,’ Aaron states passionately.

Wipe It Out aims to put a stop to that while allowing Australians to wipe their backsides in comfort. He wants to ensure, “the planet remains a cool place to be for future humans, plants and animals alike. We are realists. We are not asking for people to be toilet trained”. He aims to see toilet paper produced from a sustainable source. “Why cut down old growth forests or even sustainably managed forests when we can use recycled paper?”

Joining Aaron in the Wipe It Out project are Fellowship Program participants Lucian McElwain, who is responsible for governance and regulation, Meg Ivory, Campaigning, and Paul Ferris, who is the Arts Coordinator. Wipe It Out will utilise social media, stunts, and celebrities to communicate a simple and clear message in a fun and cheeky style.

The campaign’s action asks will be a series of consumer pledges. Through these pledges, Wipe It Out will generate and demonstrate the kind of demand for recycled toilet paper that will empower manufacturers, retailers and government to take action. In this way, Wipe It Out sees itself as working with industry and government, not against them.

Some of Aaron’s facts: currently, only 5% of Australia’s toilet paper is recycled. Globally, 98 million trees a year – 200 every minute – are cut down to wipe our backsides. Chopping down trees sends 50,000 species packing from the planet – forever – every single year. In addition, every tonne of recycled paper saves 31,380 litres of water and 400 kg of greenhouse gases. We destroy 50,000 species a year due to deforestation, and cut down 70,000 trees a day for toilet paper.

In five years, the Wipe It Out team hope to have rid Australia (and perhaps the world) of non-recycled toilet paper. Check out the website, www.wipeitout.com.au, for the science and stats supporting the campaign, you tube clips and twitter blogs.

The Fellowship Program has changed Aaron’s way of thinking, “I have learnt the power of thinking laterally, of being creative, being humble, working with an eclectic passionate bunch of very smart people”. Aaron has enjoyed every aspect of the program but in particular ‘the investment in learning, personal growth, diplomacy, fairness, the range of amazing reputable speakers, the mentor program, the coaching sessions, the project, the retreats, the readings. Everything actually…”

Through the Fellowship Program, Aaron has been able to establish his own firm, Shiftlock, (www.shiftlock.com.au) which is a change agency. “I already have a few initiatives through the company and aim to be working in the business 100% by the end of 2010, creating change that leads to a meaningful future for as many people as I can work with. I am passionate about purpose, and work with aligning what we do with why we do it.”

Pippa Howard, Alex Houlston and Nicky Scheltus have teamed up on a project to prove the viability of establishing a fresh food farm in the Melbourne CBD. They worked with fellow participant Russell Hughes, whose architectural design work on urban farming has been a central inspiration.

The group has also been inspired by the City of Melbourne’s success in turning other dead spaces, such as laneways and industrial areas, into active and vibrant zones that are an iconic part of Melbourne’s culture. The aim is to make the urban farm fully sustainable and self-contained, providing its own water and converting organic waste into energy through the use of a bio-digester.

“Melbourne has ambitions to be a green city,” said Pippa, an architect and part-time lecturer in environmental design.

“One of the biggest single steps towards improving the sustainability of the city would be to create an urban farm so that it can reduce its reliance on external foodstuffs.

“Imagine rooftop gardens and other dead spaces being put to use growing fresh fruit and vegetables for sale to city dwellers.”

The project group has been scanning the Melbourne CBD for suitable “dead space” and has identified the car park at the Queen Victoria Market as an ideal site.

The group is building the business case for developing an urban farm on the QVM car park site and hopes to engage the City of Melbourne and other stakeholders in taking it to reality.

“The Queen Victoria Markets site is a fantastic case study of how you can make a city much more self-reliant in terms of food supply, as well as creating a vibrant and exciting urban space,” said Alex, who has a strong background in urban design.

“The car park is currently 2.5 hectares of dead space but is right next door to Flagstaff Gardens, which is Melbourne’s most utilised green space.

“Our case study will examine opportunities such as building a lightweight, tiered structure on top of the car park, or potentially redeveloping the site to the community’s advantage, with a rooftop produce garden, bio-digester and cogeneration boiler.

“The goal would be to provide food products to vendors at the market for a management fee, meaning we would not compete with existing stallholders and we would save on transportation costs and emissions. Examples would include herbs and mushrooms.”

Nicky, who works in Telstra’s Corporate Environment Group, said the project hoped to raise awareness about the potential for urban farming in the Melbourne CBD.

“While we are using the Queen Victoria Market as a case study, we think there could be great opportunities in any other dead spaces in the CBD. We are also looking at other examples around the world – including a rooftop farm in New York City – and how they might be adapted for Melbourne.

As a way of lessening their carbon footprint they had the novel idea of using waste cooking oil to fuel their epic 37,000 km car journey. The couple stopped off at fish and chip shops and Thai restaurants across the country whenever they needed to top up. (You can read more about their ecoadventure on www.ozonabatteredfish.blogspot.com.)

Rachel’s battered fish adventure has been the inspiration for one of the more unique projects to emerge from the Sydney Fellowship Program. With Fellowship Program colleagues Alex Graham and Lauren Rogge, Rachel is organising a car rally with a difference. All entrants in the 2500 km rally from Mildura to the Great Barrier Reef will be running on alternative fuels.

Through the car rally, to be held in April 2010, Rachel hopes to make Australians more aware of what is available as an alternative to petrol or diesel.

‘‘I think there is a fantastic opportunity to generate a greater shift in the number of people using renewable fuel and alternative technology,” she said.

Alex Graham is an environmentalist currently working as a program coordinator for the Australian Conservation Foundation. She came on board the project to deliver a media strategy and produce a documentary about the rally itself.

‘‘I hope that through working on this project, I can further develop my understanding of the role media plays in campaigning and also have some new skills under my belt.’’

Alex is full of praise for the Fellowship Program, which she calls ‘rewarding and inspiring’. ”In addition to visioning and strategic thinking, studying ‘leadership’ is very much a personal journey; one that is entwined with who I am and what I believe.”

Lauren Rogge is responsible for the research and logistics components of the project. She will be conducting research to be presented on the website, developing the rally route and the activities for participants, as well as designing the rules of the race. Lauren currently works as a consultant with Ernst & Young, where she works on projects that involve the verification of greenhouse gas emissions from organisations across a range of industries.

Rachel, who runs climate change awareness projects at the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, will be a participant in the rally, driving the car she calls “The Battered Fish”. She is also full of praise for the Fellowship Program. “It has been a brilliant networking opportunity for me, coming from the UK and not knowing anyone in the environmental world here, meeting people who are passionate about climate change,” she said.

“The media training sessions have been fantastic and I have learnt how to develop strategies for programs and how to network with people from varied backgrounds. It will be a real help in terms of organising the car rally.

Justin Medcalf, superannuation leader
Before the Fellowship, I was developing my own business, helping people invest their money in a greener way. I was still at a very early stage and in many ways I think I lacked the integral skills to be able to create the type of business and type of change that I wanted.

Alicia Jones, green building and construction
I’m a sustainability consultant for an engineering firm that provides advice for high-rise building projects on how they can be more energy and water efficient and how they can use more sustainable building materials.

Angela Mayer, advertising
My background is in advertising and I worked in a digital advertising agency until 2008, when I finally had the courage to make a career change. I really wanted to use my passion and my knowledge to create positive change in the environmental area. The course gave me the relevant skills to be successful.

Oliver Costello, indigenous issues
I’m studying a BA in Adult Education and Community Management. I assist at Get Up, which is a community advocacy organisation, mainly on Indigenous campaigns. I also work at The Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at UTS. At the moment I am working on a media project that looks at biodiversity strategies on Aboriginal land and strengthening Aboriginal culture.

Lauren Rogge, Big 4 consultant
I studied Commerce and Law at university and I currently work for Ernst and Young as a consultant in their Climate Change and Sustainability Services team. I work with corporations to assist them in understanding their impacts on society and the environment, and help them to best communicate their sustainability performance to their stakeholders.

Lindsay Soutar, community activist
About three years ago myself and some friends formed a climate action group in Newtown that met in the local pub. It started off with just a group of concerned friends but now we’ve grown in profile and numbers and can no longer meet at the pub! We are working in our local community and with other climate actions groups around Australia to advocate for real action on climate change. My professional background is in academic research.

Megan Ivory, climate change campaigner
I’ve been working in the environmental movement for around 10 years, currently with Greenpeace. I’ve also started my own charity, the Gareth Ivory Foundation, which focuses on providing health and education to disadvantaged communities in the Asia-Pacific area. We’re currently raising money to assist schools in East Timor.

Alicia Maynard, green building and construction
My background is in engineering and in the last five years I’ve focused on sustainable building design. Two years ago I became Sustainability Manager with a construction company and I started focusing on corporate sustainability and triple bottom line accounting. I’m also managing more of the design process, to ensure that sustainable design objectives get incorporated into the project.

Erin Cini, sustainable infrastructure
I’m an engineer, with a background in the water industry and delivering big infrastructure projects. Recently I have taken on the role of National Sustainability Coordinator with an engineering consultancy where I am developing processes and tools to incorporate sustainability, carbon assessment and climate change adaptation into our projects.

Aaron Fuller, NGO communications
I’m currently working at the Australian Red Cross as Marketing Manager, whilst also in the process of launching my own business, Shiftlock.com.au. It’s a consulting agency focusing on environmental projects, organisational behaviour and recruitment.

Marnie Kikken, community democracy
My background is in tourism and hospitality and after completing my Masters in Environmental Science, I’ve been working for the last four years in community engagement programs for the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales. I wanted to broaden the impact of the work I was doing and meet likeminded people from various industries and backgrounds.

Kate Parsons, church engagement
I studied marine ecology and I’ve been working mostly for local government in sustainable education roles. In the last couple of years I’ve been working for the State Government as a sustainability specialist, providing information and support for government agencies.

Alexia Wellbelove, coalition building
I recently moved back to Australia after living in the UK for 21 years, where I worked for environmental NGOs. I was the director of an organisation that organised groups together to lobby UK governments. I’m currently working for the Humane Society International.

Ross Harding
I studied mechanical engineering and finance then went to Sweden and studied renewable energy. I’m currently working as a building services consultant, teaming up with architects to design buildings to minimise their impact on the environment.

Alexandra Graham, NGO and film
I’m an environmental educator, currently working for the Australian Conservation Foundation. I am interested in using media to deliver sustainablility messages so I’ve started up my own small business, EcoReel, which makes films for schools and communities.

Lucian McElwain, natural resource management
I studied botany and spent five years working for Greening Australia. For the past six years I’ve worked in country NSW for the public service on native vegetation legislation. I’ve only recently moved back to Sydney and wanted to reconnect with some of my environmental networks.

Sara Haghdoosti, youth activism
I was studying Economics and Social Sciences at Sydney University while working with the Youth Climate Coalition as the National Recruitment Director for the Power Shift project. Before that, I was involved with organising National Women’s Day and Reclaim the Night.

Melissa Macpherson, corporate social responsibility
Having always yearned to do something more meaningful and people-orientated (and leave those excel spreadsheets behind me), in 2008 I finally left the world of investment banking to take a role with a not for profit aimed at making firms and their employees feel more connected to their community and socially responsible.

Michael Alvisse, furniture and design
I practiced architecture for 13 years before setting up Schamburg and Alvisse, a sustainable furniture company. We won the Australian Design Award in 2007 and have exhibited in Milan, San Francisco and in Australian museums. I also do community work with the Tamarama Surf Lifesaving Club.

Kate Robinson, environmental legislator
I am a Senior Legal Officer in the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. I have spent a fair amount of my working life helping to make and enforce environment laws, which has been extremely rewarding.

Jacqueline Taylor, business advocate
A few years ago I was an environmental lawyer at a top commercial law firm. Standing at the photocopier, I was disgusted at the reams of virgin paper that was being churned through, so I set about implementing the firm’s sustainability policy. Since then, I have launched into climate change management consultancy at Energetics where I consult companies in moving to a low carbon economy.

Rachel Mimmo, alternative transport
I was a corporate lawyer for five years in the UK, moved to Australia in April 2008 and travelled around the country for 8 months in a car that used waste cooking oil instead of petrol or diesel. I set up a blog to record my travels: www.ozonabatteredfish.blogspot. com. Once I finished, I decided to give up law and joined the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales.

Paul Ferris, law student and campaigner
I am finishing my law degree at the University of Sydney, while working as a researcher for an ex-CEO of Greenpeace International. For the last five years, I have been involved in community and student campaigning on sustainability issues, including with such groups as the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and the Australian Student Environment Network.