Net Zero Futures: Young voices. Bold ideas. Real change.
Description
Young Voices. Bold Ideas. Real Change.
You can change the world.
Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and today’s youth aren’t waiting for someone else to solve it.
From grassroots action to organisational advocacy, a new generation of changemakers is bringing bold ideas and fresh perspectives for a more sustainable future.
Join us at UTS for an inspiring, thought-provoking conversation on the role young people can play in tackling the world’s most complex environmental challenges.
Hear from young climate leaders about what it takes to turn ideas into action to influence real-world outcomes, with key speakers including:
Damon Gameau — Director and CEO, Future Council
Kal Glanznig – Councillor and Co-Founder/Program Manager of Blue Minds
Ruby Rogers — Future Council founding member
We will conclude the evening with a special screening of Future Council, an inspiring documentary that follows young climate leaders from around the world as they work to drive meaningful environmental action.
Their stories offer a powerful reminder that young people aren’t waiting for change - they’re helping create it.
This event is open to students, educators, youth organisations, policymakers, industry professionals, and anyone wanting to connect with a community that cares about the future of our planet.
Come with your questions. Bring your ideas. Leave inspired to make a difference.
Pizza will be provided. Bookings are essential.
Presented by UTS’s Transdisciplinary School as part of Net Zero Futures.
Meet our Speakers
Damon Gameau, Film director, speaker, and author.
After 10 years as an actor in which he appeared in several feature films and television shows, including receiving an AFI nomination for best supporting actor in the film Balibo, Damon turned to directing and activism. As a director he wrote, directed, and performed the vocals for the 2011 winning Tropfest short film, Animal Beatbox. In 2015 he released his first feature film ‘That Sugar Film’ which became the highest grossing Australian documentary across Australia and New Zealand of all time. It has received awards from across the world including the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Documentary. The accompanying book, ‘That Sugar Book’ was a best seller in Australia and has since been released in over 20 countries and 8 languages around the world. That Sugar Guide is his latest release. Damon then completed the documentary ‘2040’ in 2019 with an accompanying book called ‘2040: a handbook for the regeneration’. The film now sits in the top 4 highest grossing documentaries at the Australian cinema. Damon was nominated for the 2020 NSW Australian of the Year for this work. Damon then co-founded Regen Studios with Anna Kaplan where together they work with philanthropists and NGO’s to build comprehensive impact campaigns for the films to raise money for ecological solutions and awareness in classrooms, board rooms and in Parliaments around the world. Damon’s recent projects include ‘Regenerating Australia’ and the ‘Future Council’ feature documentary. He also spoke at TEDx Sydney and his talk ‘went viral’ when posted on the global TED platform.
Kal Glanznig, Councillor, Filmmaker & Ocean Advocate
Kal Glanznig is one of Australia’s leading youth ocean and climate champions, dedicated to building a generation of hopeful, action-driven environmental leaders. In the past year, he has inspired over 20,000 people in person through keynote talks, school programs, and Q&A film screenings of his documentary Rising Up. Elected in 2024 as the youngest independent Councillor in the Sutherland Shire, one of Sydney’s largest coastal communities, he is driving local climate action through transformative sustainability strategies. Creator of the acclaimed documentary Rising Up, Kal first made headlines in high school after delivering a $100,000, 100 kW solar panel project that inspired over 20 schools to follow suit. He later co-founded Plastic Free Cronulla, a community movement that helped secure New South Wales’ legislative ban on single-use plastics, and co-founded Blue Minds, a national program empowering young Australians to tackle eco-anxiety and lead ocean action.
Hannah Higgins, UTS Transdisciplinary School
Hannah Higgins is an educator, researcher, and PhD candidate at the University of Technology Sydney who is passionate about youth voice, mental health, and sustainability. Her advocacy journey began in high school, when she was selected to represent her local government area during Youth Week at the NSW Parliament, contributing to discussions on issues that mattered deeply to young people, including climate change, access to education and technology, mental health, and equitable gender representation in sports and media. Today, Hannah teaches across a range of transdisciplinary subjects at UTS and has worked with organisations including UNICEF to engage university students in exploring the role of youth voice in addressing climate change and other complex social challenges. Her Honours research in environmental physiology explored how technology mediates human connections with nature, examining the implications for environmental awareness, wellbeing, and sustainable behaviour in an increasingly digital world. Alongside her academic work, Hannah has collaborated on industry projects tackling sustainability challenges, including developing strategies to address greenwashing in the fashion industry and encourage more sustainable consumer choices. Recognised as a runner-up in the Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs Award, she is passionate about helping people take informed, practical steps towards a more sustainable future. She believes meaningful change comes from empowering young people, strengthening connections between people and nature, and creating opportunities for collective action on complex environmental challenges.
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