Having admired Rotary Camberwell’s annual Art Show and wanting to support the community, Fabienne joined the Club thirteen years ago, is currently Club Secretary and will be President in 2022-23.
But it’s her long-standing interest in the environment and Rotary’s work in this area that has given her the opportunity to take her awareness and caring to a practical level. Her role as Co-Chair of the Environmental Sustainability Committee for District 9800 has been particularly rewarding, especially at a time when the Environment has become the seventh Area of Focus for Rotary International.
Fabienne believes that partnering with other committed organisations will allow Rotary to use its human resources and skills to really make a difference for the environment. An exciting example is through Emma Cutting’s The Heart Gardening Project and its Melbourne Pollinator Corridor initiative (see the last edition of Networker), linking communities to create wildlife and pollinator-friendly, urban green corridors through nature strips and gardens.
It is partnerships between Rotary clubs, councils, schools and community leaders that Fabienne sees as valuable opportunities for Rotary to take community leadership. She also feels that by encouraging Rotary clubs to improve the environment through connections with their communities, real impact can be achieved. “Consider changes that can be made in our own backyards,” she advises. “Recycling, reducing plastics, minimising food waste, implementing plantings to support pollinators and making sustainable improvements such as green energy use and more thoughtful transport uses will make an impact.”
Fabienne would also like to see clubs establishing Environment Committees that set practical goals based on local issues, as she believes this will greatly contribute to environmental improvements and solutions.
Having a focus on the environment is also attractive to new and younger members. Fabienne cites the example of Camberwell Rotary’s seven new members all mentioning the environment as an area of interest, and that they want to join the Club’s new Environment Committee. “The environment resonates with young people,” she says.
Rotarians who would like to know more about how they can start an environmental project can find valuable information at https://www.esraganzpi.org/ Joining ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group is also a great way to learn more and is only US$30 in annual membership. Another forum that provides support and promotes the vital role of pollinators is https://rotariansforbees.org/