JENNY WEBER

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST AND CAMPAIGN MANAGER AT THE BOB BROWN FOUNDATION

I grew up in Wollongong, a steel town, with parents who took me into the environment often.

There was a surf spot called ‘shitties’, because of the sewage that went into the ocean, and another called ‘oilies' because of the pollution from the steelworks. When you grow up with these things, you accept them. After going to logging areas in north-east New South Wales with my boyfriend, who was involved in community groups like North East Forest Alliance, I began realising there was something very wrong with how the environment was being treated, and that I could do something about it.

Now, with the Bob Brown Foundation, my main focus is protecting a remarkable place in north-west Tasmania called takayna/tarkine.

It has Australia’s largest temperate rainforest, but it’s not listed as a national park or World Heritage Area. One major campaign we’re dealing with there is against the arrival of a mining company. Last May, we had 400 people come to the front line with us and 71 people were arrested. It was the biggest thing Tasmania had seen since the 1982 Franklin Dam protests. We successfully forced the bulldozers out, but we’re on alert for them to return at any time.

While the environmental movement has been growing, so have the threats.

Our Stop Adani convoy rallied 30,000 people along the eastern seaboard, for example, but Adani has built the whole new Carmichael mine. That can bring a sense of despair that we’re not getting anywhere. However, seeing our movement meld with the climate movement and the Aboriginal community shows that resistance is still very healthy.

I’m really motivated by nature itself. The sense that it’s bigger than me inspires me in so many ways.

I recently discovered a remote corner of the Tarkine that is hundreds of years old. A few of us walked through it for a couple of hours to get to a camp site and I was in awe. The looming threat of that ancient ecosystem being completely flattened and destroyed by toxic sludge inspires me to keep going. Being surrounded by other activists is also really empowering because you feel like you’re committed to something.

I’ve had some great mentors in my life who’ve said things like, “Don’t get depressed, get active”,

and “Push through the despair and you’ll find the empowerment”. That’s powerful and keeps me going. I could choose to be overwhelmed by everything or I could do my bit to resist the devastation that’s being forced upon the environment.

In my time as an activist, the need to resist powerful corporations has been clear.

There’s a long history of the logging and mining industries having powerful influence over the government in Tasmania. I’ve learnt to fight the system, but always in a non-violent way. That’s one of the most powerful things about the environmental movement. In our day and age, violence is a problem globally, so to have a community of people who are dedicated to taking on powerful corporations without violence is incredible.

My advice to someone who is concerned for the future of the environment is to live your life in every way you can.

Go to parties, study, have a really great group of friends, but also find some time to get involved. If you can’t go to the front line or you’re worried about being arrested, there are other options. There are some great environmental organisations around the country who love welcoming young people. We can’t afford to have people nervous about getting involved, so if you’ve got any inkling to get active then absolutely do it because the planet really needs us. And seeing young people engaged is really empowering for everyone – it shows that for generations to come, people will continue to stand up and defend the environment.