Feeding a Warming Planet: National Science Week

/ˈtɪpɪŋ pɔɪnt/ a time during an activity or process when an important decision has to be made or when a situation changes completely.

Western Australia is a land of unique landscapes that have created and shaped many diverse communities.

Through this connection to the land, Western Australians are often witness to the early effects of global climate change.

While we have everything we need to slow and ultimately halt this, scientists agree we have reached a tipping point with very little time to avert the most catastrophic consequences.

Across six carefully curated panel discussions, leading Western Australian thinkers will come together to discuss the realities of climate change in our region and the opportunities to accelerate our climate response.

A safe place for compelling conversations — challenge your thinking and broaden your perspectives.

Feeding a Warming Planet: National Science Week | Wednesday 18 August

For our next conversation in the Tipping Point series we are partnering with National Science Week to explore the impact of global warming on the way that we source, produce, create, share and consume food.

We are joined by horticulturalist Sabrina Hahn; Nyoongar traditional landowner and business executive, Gerry Matera; founding member of AgZero 2030, Cindy Stevens; and Western Australian Food Innovation Precinct General Manager, Dr Christopher Vas, to look at food business solutions, agricultural and scientific innovation, as well as age-old tradition to find new paths towards more sustainable food practices for our future.

In Conversation is held in Hackett Hall under the blue whale. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
A licensed bar is available throughout the event.

MEET THE PANEL

Meri Fatin [Facilitator]

A chance opportunity to bring the chief architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, Christiana Figueres, to Perth in March 2020 has changed Meri Fatin’s life.

Later that year she was guest curator of the TEDxPerth COUNTDOWN: WA Climate Leadership Summit, which led her to founding WA Climate Leaders, driving a vision to inspire big picture action from the State’s decision makers in this critical decade.

Sabrina Hahn [Panellist]

Sabrina Hahn is a whole lot of Hort with Heart - – master gardener, horticulturalist with a passion for the creation of sustainable environments that make cities more livable. Her aim is to make gardening an entertaining pastime and educate listeners in the importance of creating biodiversity in their own backyards. She believes gardeners have a role to play in becoming caretakers of sustainable landscapes that allows other species to thrive.

Sabrina has shared her stories and passion for green spaces on ABC radio for 30 years, being one of the earliest pioneers to promote sustainable gardening practices in the media. She is a highly entertaining public speaker, writes a twice-weekly gardening column in The West Australian, and contributes articles for Gardening Australia and Organic Gardener. In 2019 Sab released the ever-popular gardening podcast “Sabrina’s Dirty Deeds”

Her extensive knowledge on gardening comes from a scientific background of horticulture, soil science, entomology and botany. Sabrina has been awarded a lifetime membership from the Nursery and Garden Industry of Western Australia and nominated for Australian of the Year for her services to the industry.

Sabrina also works as a tour guide with Australians Studying Aboard since 2008 and has led numerous garden tours for ASA to Italy, France and Spain. Sabrina has a great passion for plants, gardens and their place in the greater landscape. She explores the relationship between landscape and people’s sense of belonging. Sabrina’s love of travel to other Mediterranean climates allows her to share her knowledge of gardening in Western Australia with fellow gardening enthusiasts and translate its place in the Australian landscape.

Sabrina has worked extensively for the past decade in remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley developing edible gardens so that Aboriginal people have greater access to healthy food and become more sustainable. She believes the availability of healthy, fresh food will have a positive impact on the health of children in remote areas where fresh vegetables are a luxury. She has formed friendships with women elders in communities to enable them to propagate their own bush tucker and bush medicine plants so that their knowledge is passed on the next generation.

Sabrina is also a published author with three books under her belt – Sabrina’s Little ABC Book of Gardening, Sabrina’s Juicy Little Book of Citrus and Dirty Deeds all published through Fremantle Press.
 

Gerry Matera [Panellist]

Nyoongar Traditional Owner | Business Executive

As a passionate advocate for Aboriginal and LGBTQI+ community affairs, Gerry has founded a number of successful Aboriginal-owned businesses in the renewable energy, construction, food and security sectors.

Gerry’s construction business Marawar was awarded the 2021 National Registered Aboriginal Business of the Year for driving significant growth and demonstrating ongoing engagement with the Aboriginal community.

Gerry’s early career as a chef began his vast experience in the food industry, leading to several successful agriculture and food business ventures, including catering and bush foods company Gather Foods and Black Pig Deli.

He is Senior Vice President of Pride WA and has recently been appointed director of Australian Biome.
 

Cindy Stevens [Panellist]

Cindy Stevens farms with her husband Simon, and three children Jade, Darcy and Archie on a grains and livestock farming operation in Corrigin, 230km east of Perth. She is a fourth generation farmer on Ballardong Noongar country, with a background in Science and Education. She is passionate about seeing the farming sector adapt and mitigate against climate change to provide a sustainable future for generations to come, and to ensure future food production. Cindy is a founding member of the AgZero2030 group of farming and agricultural industry volunteers, which encourages the agricultural sector to pursue net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Christopher Vas [Panellist]

With over 18 years of experience across Australasia and NZ spanning business, government and academia, Dr Christopher Vas currently leads the activation of the Western Australian Food Innovation Precinct (WAFIP) as its General Manager. The WAFIP – an ecosystem comprising R&D, Innovation and Food Technology Facility - is funded $21M by the Australian Government and $40M+ by the State Government as part of the development of the Peel Business Park. The Precinct has also been funded an additional $3.8M by the WA State Government and the Shire of Murray to establish an Enterprise Support Program.

Previously, Dr Vas was Director of Industry Programs at the University of Canterbury and Founding Director of the Singapore Centre for Research in Productivity, Innovation and Technology (SCRIPT) in Singapore. He was also Chief Investigator of the Smart Urban Farm Factories project and Commissioner and Executive Director of the Second Murdoch Commission on Food Security, Trade and Regional Partnerships.

PAST TIPPING POINT CONVERSATIONS
10 Jun | Politics of the Precipice

Event details for future panels announced soon.