An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Trees play a vital role in supporting the ecosystem and are home to many animal species like koalas, bats, possums, gliders, owls, and parrots. In addition, trees help combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing carbon in the soil and trees, and releasing oxygen into the air during photosynthesis. Therefore, it is crucial to halt excessive logging and land clearing to preserve the environment and plant new trees wherever possible to ensure a sustainable future.
As we face an unprecedented environmental crisis, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. This series seeks to spotlight the innovative minds and passionate advocates who are leading the charge in environmental conservation and sustainable practices. We aim to explore the most effective strategies, breakthrough technologies, and transformative policies that are shaping a more sustainable future for our planet. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Claudia Clark.
Claudia Clark is the author of the upcoming book Vanishing Downunder: The Expanding Threats to Australia’s Wildlife and the acclaimed Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel (Disruption Books, 2021). Clark is a political activist who campaigns for animal rights, environmental protection, and women’s and LGBTQ issues. She has advanced degrees in history, labor relations, and social work.
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
I was around seven years old when I saw my first picture of a koala and became obsessed with Australian animals like kangaroos and wallabies. Although I loved animals, I realized from a young age that I didn’t enjoy biology or natural science, so a career working with them wasn’t feasible. However, as I grew up, I became an activist and started fighting for campaigns such as saving the whales or advocating for better recycling programs. In September 2023, I visited Australia, and my life changed forever when I saw a kangaroo hop for the first time in person at a zoo in Sydney. I turned to my husband and exclaimed, “Look, they’re hopping!” He rolled his eyes and replied, “Yes, of course they are. That’s what kangaroos do.” At that moment, I knew I wanted to do something to help protect these animals. As an author and activist living in Berlin, I decided that writing a book to raise awareness about the dangers these animals face was how I could contribute to their future.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
I am extremely introverted, but surprisingly, I discovered that I enjoy speaking publicly. This might seem ironic to many people, as most individuals fear speaking in front of an audience. However, throughout my career, first as a political activist and later as an author, I found that when I have an engaging audience and I am passionate about my subject matter, the public energizes me. This does not mean that I do not get nervous before beginning a presentation, but once I reach the podium and see that I have supporters, my fear turns into enthusiasm. While speaking on stage or in front of people is something I enjoy, the one-on-one conversations and small talk before or after the event can be quite draining. Nonetheless, I have learned that it is part of the process, and I am gradually becoming more at ease with it.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Passion is the first key element in working as an activist and author. This kind of work can be extremely tiring and overwhelming, and progress and change often happen slowly, in small, incremental steps. It’s common to feel like every step forward is accompanied by two steps back. Without a deep passion for the cause, it’s easy to become disheartened and lose motivation for the issue altogether.
The second important thing in life is integrity. Unfortunately, many dishonest people will do anything to achieve their goals. I started my career in an unrelated field, and too often, people asked me to do things that went against my moral beliefs and were illegal. Although I earned a decent salary in those jobs, it became increasingly difficult to live with myself, knowing that I was compromising my integrity. After much soul-searching, I returned to school and earned an additional degree, which changed the direction of my life. I could have continued in the initial field where I started and would have done a competent job, but I never would have been thrilled. Because I refused to compromise my integrity and changed my career path, I am now in a position where I am genuinely content and successful.
The third trait is determination. As someone who has dyslexia, I have faced numerous challenges in both my academic and professional life. I can’t even count how often people have told me I can’t achieve something because I’m not smart enough or lack the necessary skills or experience. However, nothing has motivated me more than proving those people wrong and demonstrating that I can overcome any obstacle.
One particularly memorable experience was when my high school algebra teacher announced in front of the entire class that I was the dumbest student he had ever taught. I was determined to prove him wrong, so I retook the class during summer school with a different teacher and raised my grade from a D to an A. Later on, I took multiple statistics classes during my undergraduate and graduate studies. Whenever I felt frustrated or uncertain about my ability to succeed, I thought back to my algebra class and reminded myself that I could achieve great things.
Similarly, when I wrote my first book about two of the most influential people in the world (Barack Obama and Angela Merkel), I faced numerous rejections from publishers reluctant to take a chance on an unknown author. However, because I firmly believed in myself and my work, I persevered and eventually found a publisher to publish my book.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that might help people?
Since September 2023, I have been working on a book that highlights the crucial need to save the wildlife in Australia. If everything goes according to plan, the book will be published in the winter of 2026. Australia has more endemic animals than any other country except Indonesia. Regrettably, Australia also has one of the worst extinction rates in the world. Since European colonization in 1788, more than one hundred of Australia’s unique animals have become extinct, and currently, over five hundred are endangered, including some of Australia’s most iconic animals like the koala, wombat, Tasmanian devil, and the platypus. Multiple factors have led to these declines, but environmental and climate change are among the most significant. I hope that after reading my book, Australians, activists, politicians, and people worldwide will understand how important it is to save these animals before it’s too late.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. What pivotal moment led you to dedicate your career to sustainability, and how has that shaped your approach to environmental challenges?
I have always been an avid animal lover, and in 2019 when I saw photos of first responders carrying scorched koalas and other wildlife from the wild fires in Australia which have intensivied due to climate change, I knew I needed to do something to help these helpless animals and combat climate change. As a writer and political activist who lives in Germany, writing a book to educate people about how important this cause was seemed like the logical course of action.
Could you describe a groundbreaking project or initiative you’ve been involved in that significantly contributed to sustainability?
“Vanishing Down Under” is the first project I have been involved in that has directly contributed to sustainability. Most of my previous work has focused on women’s, labor, and LGBTQ rights. With this project, I am shifting gears to bring attention to the crisis of Australia’s wildlife due to the actions or lack of actions on behalf of the Australian government and people.
Writing my first book taught me that it does not make a person rich and famous. However, it does provide credibility, and people tend to listen to and believe you more after you are a published author. Along with raising awareness of the importance of saving Australia’s wildlife, I hope this book will help open doors for me to educate and advocate for the environment in other ways. I believe climate change is the world’s biggest problem, and I would like to do something to help combat it.
How do you navigate the balance between economic growth and environmental preservation in your sustainability strategies?
Developers, architects, engineers, and business owners should recognize the importance of sustainable energies and consciously shift their strategies toward sustainable practices. Denying the need for sustainable energies harms the environment, businesses, and the economy. Instead of investing in coal or fuel, companies can retrain their workers to install solar panels, creating a more sustainable future.
The government can subsidize companies that transfer their previous policies towards sustainable practices to encourage businesses to adopt them. Employers could also offer incentives for people to work from home, reducing the carbon footprint of daily commutes. Additionally, offering bonuses to people who carpool or use public transportation can further encourage adopting sustainable transportation practices.
It is important to note that the shift towards sustainable practices is good for the environment and can be financially beneficial. By investing in sustainable technologies and practices, companies can reduce their energy bills and become more self-sufficient. Furthermore, consumers increasingly demand environmentally conscious products and services, which can create new market opportunities for companies adopting sustainable practices.
What emerging technologies or innovations do you believe hold the most promise for advancing sustainability and why?
The advancement of sustainability heavily relies on developing technology for EV vehicles and carbon offsets for air travel. The use of oil to fuel cars poses a significant threat to the environment, given that cars are a widely used resource worldwide, with many households owning multiple vehicles. It is not feasible to expect people to abandon their cars, but rather, to make them more environmentally sustainable by reducing their reliance on oil. In today’s highly globalized world, interconnectivity has pros and cons, with the biggest con being the negative environmental impact. Therefore, implementing policies, such as the development of electric airplanes or carbon offsets, can help offset these actions until the technology for electric airplanes is fully developed and implemented.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet”?
1 . Trees play a vital role in supporting the ecosystem and are home to many animal species like koalas, bats, possums, gliders, owls, and parrots. In addition, trees help combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing carbon in the soil and trees, and releasing oxygen into the air during photosynthesis. Therefore, it is crucial to halt excessive logging and land clearing to preserve the environment and plant new trees wherever possible to ensure a sustainable future.
2 . Decrease reliance on fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas. Coal accounts for 75% of Australia’s energy production, and mining these fuels contributes to the warming climate, trapping heat within the atmosphere and bleaching ocean temperatures and corals.
3 . Follow a vegan diet. In addition to saving animals, people who follow a plant-based diet account for 75% less greenhouse gas emissions and result in significantly less harm to water, land, and biodiversity.
4 . Request financial incentives from town/city council to upgrade homes for wildfire resilience, energy efficiency, and rooftop solar with low permit fees, rebates, zero-interest loans, etc.
5 . Elect candidates at all levels of government who understand the importance of implementing climate-friendly policies.
In your view, what are the key steps individuals, communities, and governments need to take to achieve a more sustainable future?
Individuals can make a significant impact in promoting sustainability by changing their behavior in various ways. For instance, they can upgrade their appliances to more energy-efficient ones, use public transportation more frequently, air dry clothes instead of using dryers, switch to electric vehicles if they have to drive, reduce the number of things they consume, such as not buying too many souvenirs when traveling, wash and reuse items such as grocery bags, and reduce the amount of plastic they consume.
Moreover, communities can work together to promote sustainability by participating in activities such as frequent tree-planting events or organizing fundraisers to help community buildings such as schools or churches install sustainable technology like solar panels.
At the governmental level, politicians can implement policies that promote sustainable living and penalize those who refuse to comply. For instance, the government can invest in improved public transportation programs that offer more convenience, reliability, and affordability than driving individual cars. In addition, policies could be implemented to initiate school education programs about the significance of sustainable living and what that lifestyle entails. Governments could also offer financial incentives to encourage people to seek careers that work toward sustainable lifestyles.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
In Australia, some individuals work as wildlife rescuers or caregivers in sanctuaries on a voluntary basis. They receive limited government funding and heavily rely on public donations. This often leads to caregivers being burnt out, leaving the field, ultimately leading to the animals’ suffering. Australia is known worldwide for its wildlife, and tourists from around the globe visit the country to see its animals. To address this issue, I propose implementing a government-funded program to provide licensed caregivers with the necessary funds for better animal care.
Furthermore, caregivers must be licensed by the government, but the individuals responsible for enforcing regulations and guidelines are often state employees with no direct wildlife experience. Therefore, I would work towards passing legislation that mandates a minimum of six months of practical experience for these individuals to understand better the challenges caregivers face in their daily work.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
For updates on my upcoming book, people can follow my publishizer campaign at https://publishizer.com/vanishing-down-under/
Or my website, claudiaclarkauthor.com
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com .
The Future Is Green: Author Claudia Clark On Their Top Strategies for a Cleaner Planet was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.