A just transition to sustainability must support the most marginalised

Hear how Open Pantry delivers healthy meals and community for the Western Sydney residents.

On a rainy morning in a patch of Kew bushland, Jesuit Social Services staff gathered to learn about nature-based therapeutic practice and the ways it can enhance their work with participants, and improve their own wellbeing. 

Recently, Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places, our hub for place-based action, research and advocacy, was commissioned by the Victorian government to investigate what makes some place-based approaches so effective. Our team, alongside partners RMIT University, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Queensland, explored existing literature and practice, publishing a research report and case studies across the state, including the Latrobe Valley Authority. 

Three engineering students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Massachusetts, USA, have wrapped up seven weeks at Jesuit Social Services’ Ecological Justice Hub in Melbourne, where they developed a process and workshops for recycling plastic bottle caps using the Hub’s new recycling equipment.