This year, the Taronga HATCH Accelerator Program has been supporting ‘ecopreneurs’ to take their idea from vision to reality. One of these ecopreneurs is Sally Giblin, who is determined to unleash the power of families and educators to rewrite our climate story, through her startup Be The Future.
Sally is a Greenpeace Australia Pacific General Assembly Member, an Australian Parents for Climate Action spokesperson, and a Climate Reality Leader. She’s been at the forefront of many social impact initiatives over the years, with organizations such as Young UN Women and Social Good Summit. Prior to Be The Future, Sally Co-Founded Pure Bundle, an award-winning circular fashion startup, and was a management consultant at PwC.
Here, we talk with Sally to find out more about Be The Future and how the HATCH Accelerator Program has been supporting her venture.
Tell us about Be The Future
Be The Future is unleashing the power of families and educators to be part of rewriting our climate story. We’re creating EDUtainment for young kids that bursts with hope, humour and playful action. We’ve created our first ocean EDUtainment kit, and are creating a gamified digital platform. You can support Be The Future through the company’s kickstarter here.
What was the inspiration behind Be The Future?
I’m a deeply concerned citizen and parent. Who had a profound moment that woke me up to the climate crisis. A moment that it was impossible to look away from.
A thick blanket of smoke hung over the city. 19 million hectares were burning. 1.25 billion animals were perishing. 33 human lives were being lost. Do you know where I was?
I was in Sydney in the summer of 2019-20. But rather than enjoying a summer of blue skies and beaches, the city was gripped by fear and loss. Because Australia was experiencing the most catastrophic bushfires in our country’s history. And climate change was happening. Now.
As parents, we love our children with no bounds. So how can we possibly do anything but tackle the climate crisis with all we have?
At the time of the bushfires, I was building an award-winning circular fashion startup in London with my CoFounder. But I realised I wanted to do something with a deeper impact, and a wider reach. My love of learning, growing and storytelling, combined with the immense need for greater climate awareness, made climate education the obvious choice.
This is now my path – for my lifetime.
What is your ultimate goal for Be The Future and what does success look like to you?
Our vision is for our children to live in a world where people and nature thrive. To do this, we want to get Be the Future’s multi-sensory EDUtainment into every household and early education provider across Australia and the UK.
How can people get involved?
If you’re ready to turn your family’s “eco overwhelm” into playful action, support our Kickstarter campaign, by buying an EDUtainment kit.
Because if we work together, we can use the magic of PLAY to create a better future for the kids we love.
When did you first grow an interest in conservation?
Growing up in Sydney, amongst the bush and the beaches, I’ve always been interested in conservation. It’s an inherent part of who I am. We need to create a world where people and nature thrive – together.
How have you benefited from the Hatch Accelerator Group?
I’ve loved the new friendships, the mentoring, the collaborations, the support, the challenge, and the learning. The constant drive to do more, be more, create more.
What tech do you use? Favourite app and/or podcast?
So much tech! Ecosia, Canva, Google Suite, KickOffLabs, Squarespace, Mailerlite… My favourite tech would have to be Ecosia, as you plant trees while you search. We need more tech like that – which makes it a no-brainer to choose a planet-friendly option.
Check out the EDUtainment kit:
https://www.bethefuture.earth/edutainment-kit
Keep up-to-date with Sally Giblin’s journey with Be The Future on social media:
Be The Future LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/be-the-future-earth/
Sally Giblin’s LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/sally-giblin-56470348
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethefuture.earth/
HATCH Taronga Accelerator Program
Join the HATCH: Taronga Accelerator Program Pitch Event 2023 to hear from the passionate founders about clever initiatives they are hatching for the planet. This is the first year the HATCH Pitch Event will be coming together in person at Taronga Zoo Sydney, for what will certainly be a memorable night.
