Susan Sheehan

"Together we can achieve a lot but as individuals we do not feel we have much power. We need to regain our sense of community - where we live, work, play and pray - and get a conversation going, to inspire action on climate change."

Why is sustainable development important to you?
The way we live our lives today produces too much waste. It is unnecessary and we have harmed the environment that supports us. We have an opportunity to reverse some of the damage, and give our children and grandchildren a future, but only if we act now.

What does being a London Leader mean to you?
Being a London Leader is recognition for the work I have done in my community to get people together to take action to reduce their impact on the environment. As individuals we must change the way we live, but it is much easier and more effective to do this by working as a group.

London is my community as much as my neighbourhood on the Hyde Farm estate in Balham. It is a privilege to feel a part of the London climate change agenda and engage with many more people to encourage change.

Past experience
I have always had an interest in environmental issues and thought I was 'doing my bit' but when it came to climate change I did not have a clue about my carbon footprint, or how to reduce it. I talked to my neighbours and they were similarly concerned and did not know where to start either. So we decided to do something about it and find out together. That was two years ago and we have accumulated a huge amount of knowledge.

At Hyde Farm Climate Action Network (CAN) we have developed a series of programmes aimed at reducing our carbon emissions. We were finalists of the Big Green Challenge in 2008, which involved putting together a major programme to encourage households to reduce their carbon emissions by 60% in a year. We have run a series of 'Draughtbusting Saturdays', set up a community food growing network, and developed an initiative to collect and use unpicked fruit from people's gardens.

I am very interested in the fact that the most difficult part and yet the most important part of setting up Hyde Farm CAN was the beginning - getting a conversation going in the first place. Once you get people together and they start sharing their knowledge, there is a lot of expertise and skill there. And we have made good friends. Now I am sharing this experience and it has become my job. Having spent 20 years writing about global manufacturing industries, I am now a community outreach officer, and loving it.