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Clare Wharmby

    • About Me:

      I live in Edinburgh with my partner and two kids (and two gerbils). I love secondhand shopping, science fiction books and napping.

    • My Work:

      I work at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute which is part of the University of Edinburgh (it sounds more fancy than it is). I work with an amazing team of people trying to find ways to help businesses and councils solve climate change and make healthier happier communities.

    • Read more

      I run a programme which is called the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service. We help all of Scotland’s 32 councils make their climate change strategies (which are often long and slightly boring documents) into online live action plans. We also help work out if Scotland is doing enough to solve climate change (and the answer is probably not yet) and then we help find ways to deliver change faster. Climate change is scary but lots of the solutions could also help solve fuel poverty, bad air quality and health problems so there is a lot to be optimistic about.

    • My Typical Day:

      I wake up about 7am and chat to my kids while we get ready for school and work. I walk or take the bus to work, where the morning normally starts with coffee and a chat with my colleagues. I am often in lots of meetings during the day and then I try and do work in between. My work is really varied; sometimes I produce datasets, sometimes I write reports, often I provide input into other people’s work and I do a lot of talking. We usually have lunch as a team (with some very wide ranging conversations) and I finish work about 5.30pm.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would like to run Climate Classrooms where students can come and talk about their ideas, fears, interests and confusion about climate change. I often talk to my kids about problems and find that they have quite different solutions and ideas which are often really useful.

    Candidate CV questions (extra)

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Climate change collaborator

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        Zoo keeper

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I didn't think so but my teachers disagreed

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Antique furniture restorer

Questions answered by Clare

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