Kitchen Table Sustainability: The Five Authors

Kitchen Table Sustainability was written by a team of experienced practitioners, scholars and activists who are passionate about community engagement with sustainability. This work was done with no funding or institutional support — purely as a voluntary effort.

To purchase a copy of Kitchen Table Sustainability from amazon.com, click here:

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Table-Sustainability-Practical-Engagement/dp/1844076148

Krissy Kneen launching the book at Avid Reader Bookshop in West End, Brisbane, December 2008

Wendy Sarkissian PhD, an author and lecturer with a doctorate in environmental ethics, has taught in schools of planning, landscape architecture and architecture and has co-authored several award-winning books. As a consultant and researcher focusing on sustainability and community engagement, she has pioneered innovative planning and development approaches, earning over forty professional awards.

Nancy Hofer, who holds a Master’s degree from the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia, has a background in ecology and natural resource conservation.

Yollana Shore, qualified in environmental science, majoring in social policy and development, is experienced in social planning and community engagement and is an independent business owner and qualified personal development practitioner. You can contact Yollana at www.soulbusiness.com.au

Steph Vajda,

Steph is a facilitator, project manager, event producer and CCD practitioner who is based in Brisbane and works between Australia and Sri Lanka. He has over fifteen years experience working in a variety of community, government and private sector contexts in Australia and internationally.

His work is based on the use of creative participatory processes that maximise people’s contributions to decision making, planning, community building, interculturalism, creative expression and governance.

With Dr Wendy Sarkissian, he has co-authored two planning publications through London based publisher Earthscan (Kitchen Table Sustainability and SpeakOut) and has received over twelve professional awards for his work.

Steph specialises in the nexus between community arts, cultural practice and the decision making processes used by decision makers and community organisers. He feels that by directing the way people participate toward outcomes that generate cross-sectoral collaboration, real and practical opportunities emerge for innovative thinking about the needs of diverse communities.

His professional skills include program and project design, creative engagement and consultation, community cultural development program development, artsworker management, social and strategic planning, decision making systems design, team and organisational management, communication systems, evaluation and review processes, and workshop/meeting design and facilitation. Other skills and interests include photography, film making, permaculture, 8 years previous experience in the hospitality industry and a lifelong addiction to basketball.

Cathy Wilkinson is a senior executive with the Victorian State Government, is currently leading a major urban water reform and was previously responsible for Melbourne’s metropolitan planning. She is a qualified planner and environmental scientist with a PhD from the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.