Dr Paula Roberts is a Senior Lecturer at Bangor University. Growing up in Llanberis she was “concerned about the natural world” and became a Countryside Manager.  Eventually though, she became an environmental scientist – specialising in soils of polar regions.  Passionate about change making, and the Welsh language and culture she now finds herself running a community power company.  Paula also runs an MSc in environmental management and business management – attempting to close the gaps between environment and business.
Talking points
Doing something rather than complaining.
Success: We have an interesting project about reclaiming coal mines in Indonesia, restoring previously damaged and degraded land into a productive resource.
Superpower: Tenacity, the ability to stick with it and keep going.
Activist: Yes, because you’ve got to push boundaries to get resulting change.
Motivations: I’m a cyclist and a mountaineer so I like to keep moving… I like to see places that haven’t been trashed.
Challenges: Getting another community energy project underway.
Miracle: It would be nice to find yourself in a place where the government and the policies are on your side, where they work with you instead of making yourself hit your head against a wall.
Advice: Life is a bit of a rollercoaster, you really never know where it is going, so you just have to learn to stay on.
This conversation was made with help of the Sustainability Lab at the Bangor University.