Our Patron

Our Trust Patron - Jeanette Fitzsimons

Jeanette was born in Dunedin and grew up in Mosgiel but was exiled to the North Island from early teenage years. She is well known from her time as co-leader of the Green party from 1995 to 2009. Jeanette's current passion and work is in addressing the challenges and opportunities of climate change and peak oil. She lives in an ‘off the grid’ house and has put into practice the principle that first you reduce your demand, then you use appropriate energy for end use (eg not electricity for heating or cooking) then you use renewables that complement each other - the Fitzsimons' have PV alone in summer, PV plus micro-hydro in winter when there is enough water in the stream and insufficient sun.

About BRCT, Jeanette says: "You really are the pioneers of Community resilience in the broad range of issues you tackle - local food production, energy efficiency, renewable generation, low carbon transport and the social structures and activities that hold a community together. Perhaps the most radical thing is your belief, which drives all your work, that economics must be the servant of social wellbeing, without going broke."