I love words. I really, really love words. I like poetry, and reading, and writing, and conversations, and songs with words in, and puns and wordplay and anagrams. I like learning words in different languages, and finding out where words came from, and watching them change over time. I love the effect that words have…
From the summer of 2015, myself and my two colleagues facilitated 19 peer-support groups for people aged over 55 across London. By bringing people together and lending our ears we were granted a rare and privileged insight into the lives of people who had come to live in extra care or retirement housing.
We found that too many older people are never granted the opportunity to reminisce about the person they have been and to reflect on what life means to them today. Facilitating these conversations unearthed a wealth of invaluable experience once forgotten.
Sharon works with the Tropical Forest & Climate Initiative to reduce deforestation emissions related to land use, with a particular focus on palm oil. In this role, she leverages science and public opinion to help persuade companies and institutions to adopt significant, lasting and measurable sustainability policies related to tropical commodity supply chains. Previously Sharon drove forward grassroots efforts to secure a landmark endangered forest protection commitment from Boise and a climate change policy from Citi. Sharon is the author of The Young Activist’s Guide to Building a Green Movement and Changing the World and is passionate about nurturing leadership at the heart of movements for environmental sustainability. She holds a master of environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a B.A. in anthropology and B.S. in conservation and resources studies from U.C. Berkeley. She is also a graduate of Green Corps, a fellowship for environmental organizing.
I’m a Wikimedian, based in Sydney. I am a project officer for ARC Centre for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCi) working on helping Australian cultural organisations use Creative Commons. I’m also the 2012 Director’s Fellow at the National Museum of Australia. My username everywhere is “Wittylama” - an anagram. I speak French and Swedish, have a bachelors in Globalisation Studies and one highly prized university medal. Currently studying for a Masters in IP law from QUT/WIPO.