Former Deputy Director & Former Project Officer

Laura is an avid permaculture gardener, cultivator of connection and community, and passionate sustainability supporter. A dietitian by trade, she has worked for over 20 years in direct health care, health promotion, preventative health and community programs. 

She has a passion – although some people might say obsession – with food growing, preserving and the role of food in connection. She believes in encouraging and inspiring ground roots action while also advocating for systemic change. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-jean-dietitian/

Project Officer & Former Outreach Officer

Tina is passionate about conservation and loves learning about and promoting all the little things that we can do, and make it matter for the environment.

Tina graduated with first class honours from the Australian National University in 2022 studying the feeding behaviour of greater gliders. She brings expertise in ecology, evolution and taxonomy linked to conservation.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-gopalan/

Recyclery Manager

Geordie brings more than 15 years’ experience in bicycle restoration and sales built through working privately with Stone Cold Classics and originally with the University of Canberra Design Workshop Bicycle Collective. Geordie was mentored and trained by Ian Downing Bicycle Repairs of Bike Revive Tumut. He is also a qualified upholsterer and has completed most of his Bachelor of Industrial Design. Geordie is a mature, reliable Manager, able to manage competing priorities to deliver on-time and confidently trouble-shoot in difficult circumstances. Geordie recently applied for his working with vulnerable people card and has a current driver’s license.

https://www.instagram.com/stellenstudio/

Murray is a bike mechanic with more than a decade of experience on the tools. He has been with us since 2020 when he took on the job of revitalising the Recyclery after years of dormancy. He continues with us now part-time, working on projects and filling in.

Recyclery Staff

Ying began volunteering with the Canberra Environment Centre when she joined as a community member in 2021. While she was working in the community garden, she noticed people at The Recyclery and became curious about what they were up to. Thus, began her new adventure delving into all things bikes and cycling! Ying is now a valuable part of our casual staff team and an active and keen promotor of active travel in Canberra. Look out for her in a fun outfit at our monthly bike sales!

Former Project Officer

Katrina is deeply passionate about the health and well-being of people and the planet and is driven to live, work and create in the sustainability space. She is a multi-disciplinary creative with experience in horticulture, permaculture, design, architecture, zero-waste living and more.

Katrina feels incredibly privileged to work at the Canberra Environment Centre as Project Officer. She sees it as a role that can positively impact her broader community, supporting people with educational opportunities and resources. She loves meeting and connecting with people and facilitating the weekly community garden sessions to which she brings her fervent interest in food and food production.

Cohen is a new-school bike mechanic with an old-school taste in bikes. He began repairing bikes at the Ceres Community Bike Shed as a teenager a decade ago, and now pursues his passion whole-heartedly as a bike mechanic and bike repair educator.

Cohen’s love for bikes is deeply wound up with a desire to work towards a sustainable future where we are more connected to the community around us and the earth beneath our tires. At the Recyclery, he is focussed on expanding our capability to deliver bike repair training courses.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cohensaunders

Director

Jennifer’s professional background spans environmental journalism and communication, education, and community arts. Across these fields, she has worked on projects designed to share practical ideas and inspire action, always with the goal of helping people live better, happier lives while cherishing and protecting nature. This mix of storytelling, learning and community connection aligns strongly with CEC’s mission and values, and positions Jennifer well to support the organisation’s continued growth and impact.

Outside of work, her best weekends are spent bushwalking, picnicking and enjoying time with her two young children. Sundays at her home are affectionately dubbed “bush Sunday” (often met with a little groaning from the kids), as she loves exploring the ACT’s nature reserves, parks and walking trails. A perfect day includes towering old gum trees, a chorus of local birdlife, and, where possible, a swim in a waterhole, beach or river.

Jennifer is excited to work in the service of the CEC community, and sees the Centre’s key programs, including the Bike Recyclery, the Community Garden, and accessible and practical education offerings, as essential building blocks for the connected, climate-resilient city Canberra needs. For Jennifer, these pillars embody slow, planet-friendly living and offer nourishing antidotes to a world in flux.

Project Officer

Bianca has a background in sustainable building design, permaculture and community garden coordination. She is very passionate about using thoughtful design to create local systems that support food security and connect communities. 

In 2020 Bianca undertook an honours research project focused on circularity in building materials and how we can design to regenerate rather than degrade our environment. In her spare time she is expanding her verge food forest and probably feeding her dog fruit from the trees.

Following this she continued to work in solar passive residential design and completed a permaculture course to further develop her skills with a holistic approach to house and garden design.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianca-knox-923273176/