Dr Louise Duxbury

Louise is a distinguished sustainability practitioner, facilitator, and community landcare leader who has made outstanding contributions to the WA landcare community. She has more than 35 years of experience contributing to environmental initiatives, leadership development, and community resilience across the Great Southern region and beyond.

Lou holds a PhD in Sustainability and Technology Policy from Murdoch University. Her academic foundation is complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology, with Special Honours in Energy Policy.

In 1989, Lou founded Green Skills Inc., a not-for-profit organisation who promotes and demonstrates sustainability in action through the creation of employment opportunities and the provision of training, research and on-ground projects. Under Lou’s leadership, Green Skills has become a cornerstone of community-based environmental action and education.

Lou was awarded the Great Southern Development Commission Medal for Excellence in Natural Resource Management for her work with Green Skills in 2006, and with prize money took a study tour of sustainable communities around the world in 2007. She returned and shared positive examples of what has been done in other inspiring places to become a carbon neutral and socially sustainable communities. Lou is also a leader in working collaboratively and respectfully with First Nations Peoples.

Beyond her role at Green Skills, Lou has served as a Director of Gondwana Link Limited for 15 years, assisting with collaborative ecological restoration efforts across the Great Southern, and stepping up to take the Chair role last January.

Lou held the role of Executive Officer at WA Landcare Network from 2016 to 2021, and then the role of Chair of the National Landcare Network Board from 2022 - 2024, where she advocated for community-led landcare initiatives at the national level.

Since 2016 Lou has been a lead facilitator with Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA) where she is passionate about facilitating programs that empower women as leaders in environmental and community development, aiming to create systemic change and build personal confidence among participants.

As a founding resident of the Wolery Ecological Community on the South Coast, where Lou and her husband Simon live, Lou lives her commitment to sustainable living. Lou loves her garden and inspiring others through her practical application of sustainability principles every single day.