Ife Piankhi

"Be interested in where you live"

For Ife, equity and social justice are as integral to sustainable development as climate change and recycling. She is passionate about using creativity and spirituality to tackle sustainability issues, and through her work as an artist, facilitator and poet wants to break down the perception that you have to have money to be sustainable.

Ife has travelled as far away as Africa to share her skills, but it is in London that she wants to encourage people to have a greater connection with the natural world and their local community, through concepts such as ancestral gathering. "People need to view themselves as part of a global community, and not just think that sustainability is about cutting back on things."

Ife started her career at 18 teaching in a supplementary school. Since then she has continued to work as a teacher and facilitator to draw out young people's potential, bolster their well-being and build better cohesion within communities. She currently works as the co-ordinator for the Linking Communities Project in Merton, has worked on the Findhorn Foundation EcoVillages programme, is a participant in the British Council UK Interaction Leadership Programme for community leaders and has travelled to Africa with the African Foundation for Development to work with female traders.

Encouraging people of different backgrounds and ethnicities to work in partnership for a common goal is a challenge Ife works to overcome on a daily basis. One of the biggest challenges she has faced in getting more people involved in sustainable development is overcoming preconceptions and apathy. "Sustainability is about building relationships, social justice, caring for the environment and each other, creativity and living in the present. The immediate environment should be our focus - a sustainable future is the natural outcome of looking at the present."

Ife believes that society is becoming more fearful and this stops people reaching out to the communities around them. "Sustainability is a long-term vision - it's about people and how we want to live. In London people feel they have so much to do and sometimes we forget to think about what makes us happy." She thinks Londoners in 2050 will be isolated if they are not connected with their local community. The tip Ife would offer those wanting to live a more sustainable lifestyle is to get involved. "Be interested in where you live - volunteer."

My commitment
"As a London Leader I will run a series of creative events that promote, inspire and motivate Londoners to make sustainability a priority in their lives. I want to make sustainability accessible to a wider audience and allow people to reconnect with the environment and each other."