In Conversation With… Christine Milne AO

I was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and my family moved to Barbados when I was about 4 years old. From an early age, I loved the nature and exploring, and became an aspiring environmental activist, when such a thing was quite unheard of in Barbados! After I completed my Cambridge A-Level studies at Queen’s College, I became an exchange student with the organization American Field Service (AFS) and moved to Denmark. I have to say that being as exchange student was one of the best decisions I made in my life! I gained lifelong friends, learned a new language, and came to appreciate an entirely different culture. I also became more resilient and adaptable, and learned to truly appreciate the fact that, despite the perceived barriers of culture and language, people all over the world share the same desire to connect at an authentic level, and forge meaningful relationships.

In Denmark I indulged my interest in Scandinavian mythology, studying Nordic literature at The University of Odense, before returning to Barbados to complete an undergraduate degree in Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. Here, I also completed an undergraduate degree in Law.

in my capacity as an educational consultant, I possess over two decades of experience in teaching students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as emotional/physiological challenges such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I strive to be an effective advocate for children, and those who are more marginalised in the both educationally and societally.

My passion for the environment has led to two other significant career achievements: I am currently contracted with the University of Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance as an educational consultant with the Ocean Explorers Programme, and I am also an Environmental Education Expert with Omnis Education. Recently, I was appointed as Technical Secretary of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica Correctional Services Technical Committee.

I am the mother of an amazing son, CJ, who makes my life a wonderful adventure, and I live with my family and my five awesome cats, Lovington, Leo, Luna, Luscious and Moxie.

I love writing,and I have written articles on climate change and social issues for a number of publications, including Global Voices and The Elephant Journal. My hobbies include surfing, weight training, running, reading, writing, equestrian sports, and hiking.

Christine Milne was the Leader of the Australian Greens from 2012 to 2015 in the Australian Parliament. She was elected to represent Tasmania in the federal parliament in 2004 after a distinguished career in the Tasmanian state parliament (1989-98). She was instrumental in developing the Clean Energy Package, which was the core legislation responsible for addressing global warming. Christine also served on the Global Council of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) from 2000-2008 with four years as one of the four global Vice Presidents. She represented the organization at the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention.

Christine was the first woman to lead a political party in Tasmania and is a leader in the environment movement in Australia and overseas. She was appointed to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1990 and has received many awards during her distinguished career. She has also been awarded the Inaugural Women in Leadership Award for Tasmania in 2015. She is currently a Patron of the Australian Solar Council, an advisory board member of the Climate Accountability Institute in the USA , an Ambassador of the 100% Renewable Energy Campaign of the World Future Council and the Global Greens Ambassador.