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Illuminate with KATE WOOD-FOYE
THE GUTS, GRIT AND GROUNDWORK OF REMARKABLE REGIONAL E N T R E P R E N E U R S , I N N O V AT O R S , LEADERS AND GAME CHANGERS.
Angela Frimberger is a leading light with a passion for business, animals and the environment, expertly combining her roles of parent, biologist, veterinary oncologist, small business owner and volunteer climate advocate and educator. Angela shines a light on environmental concerns and in 2014 trained as a Climate Leader by the Climate Reality Project and Australian Conservation Foundation. Locally she is known for her role as Chair and Treasurer of the Energy Forever community renewable energy project and also successfully manages her family’s adventure experience business, Façade Escape Room. Founding Climate Vets in 2016 and through her role as national Deputy Chair of Veterinarians for Climate Action, Angela leads important discussions to advance climate advocacy within the veterinary profession and the broader community.
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ngela you are passionate advocate for the environment, inspiring, and educating and channelling your passion into numerous projects with purpose – what projects are you most excited about? There are three projects that I’m especially 90 GREATER PORT MACQUARIE
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ANGELA FRIMBERGER
excited about right now. My family’s local small business, Façade Escape Room (façade-escape.com.au), is flourishing again after the most recent COVID wave; and this is always throwing something new and fun at me! The local NFP I’m involved with, Energy Forever (pmhsn.org.au/energy-forever-inc), is embarking on a new social enterprise to support the sustainable growth of the original charity. Right now we’re exploring an exciting partnership with another community organisation, and a community battery, both potentially launching this next year. I’m also super excited about the growth of Veterinarians for Climate Action (vfca.org.au)! VfCA is growing so quickly – clearly our mission of addressing climate change on behalf of the animals resonates with many people both within the animal care profession, and animal lovers in all walks of life. You are a woman of many talents… nature lover, veterinarian, business owner, mother and climate change educator and social entrepreneur. You have passion for animals and nature, and have combined these passions in NFP Veterinarians for Climate Action. What inspired you to establish/be
part this organisation and how do you hope to make an impact? I’ve been a veterinarian for 30 years, and love the animal care profession for its compassion and dedication to health and welfare of both animals and people. I’ve also always loved nature, and I’ve matured at a time of increasing threats to the environment, so this developed into a passion to protect it. Eight years ago I received climate change communication training, helping me go from just being quietly worried, to actively working on the problem. When Jeannet Kessels, a veterinarian from Brisbane, contacted me three years ago to say she was worried about climate change too and wanted to start an organisation to help veterinarians act on it, I was thrilled to weave these two important threads of my personal mission together. The central message we want to share is that if you love an animal, climate change is important to you; and the most valuable action we can take it is elect and support policymakers to make the strongest and quickest possible emissions reductions. How important are collaborative pursuits and partnerships to your projects’ success?
