Louise Duxbury (left) helped set up the Denmark Environment Centre, established the statewide organization Green Skills and has worked for many years as a member of regional bodies such as the South Coast Regional Initiative Planning team.

“How do we create ‘green’ jobs? By developing a positive vision for the future, believing change is possible, convincing others to come on board, and getting on with projects that give life to the vision.
We set up Green Skills to act as an environmental training, project development and employment agency. We can develop jobs in farm forestry, ecotourism, renewable energy production and maintenance, organic horticulture, to name a few. These jobs provide an income with minimal or positive impact on the environment.”

Gina Litton (right) was 19 when she first camped in the forest. In 2001, Nelson Mandela presented her with the Athena Foundation’s first Earth Champions Award. Gina is one of many thousands who campaigned successfully for an end to logging in old growth forest in Western Australia.

“I lived for many months in a magnificent ancient forest, hoping to protect it from bulldozers and chainsaws. At night I would sleep at the foot of a towering karri, or sometimes on a narrow platform high in her branches.
I fell in love not only with the forest, but with life. At the same time I came to realise that our present path is unsustainable, with deepening social and ecological crises, and Earth itself crying out for change. There is a choice, and the time has come for each of us to make it.”

FACTFILE
• There were about 50,000 km2 of forest in Western Australia in 1829. Now only half that amount is left and most has been cut at least once.
• The State Government has declared that no more logging of old growth forests will take place.
• New jobs are emerging in the South West in tourism and forest related industries. Employment in the environment is one of the fastest growing labour market areas worldwide.
• Many other jobs are being created in new, green and clean industries such as renewable forms of energy, waste reduction, pollution control technologies and sustainable agriculture.