Gaia Campanelli and Brynn Hansen

At Climate Strategies, we work on big-picture questions: how countries can collaborate on climate action, how equity can be embedded into policy decisions, and how transitions can work for people and the planet. But meaningful climate action also takes root in our streets and parks. Outside of our day jobs, we’ve both become involved in a nature restoration initiative in East London that embodies the same values underpinning our professional work. 

East London Waterworks Park (ELWP) is a grassroots campaign to transform a 14-acre former Thames Water depot on Lea Bridge Road into a publicly owned green space. The vision includes natural swimming ponds, rewilded habitats, and gardens designed by and for residents. 

Gaia volunteers on the design team, contributing to collaborative plans for how the park should be shaped for local communities. These plans are informed by workshops that aim to translate scientific information about ecology into practical insights for participants. Gaia’s role at ELWP builds on her professional experience leading participatory dialogues through projects like ELEVATE, which supports policymakers and other stakeholders in designing climate policies with the help of modelling insights.  

Brynn creates illustrations for the project, helping bring ideas to life through sketches of proposed community meeting spaces and activities (like the ELWP ‘Bat Squad’ shown below). These efforts make the project feel tangible and engaging, supporting wider campaigns to raise awareness and excitement about the park. At Climate Strategies, Brynn often works on finding creative ways to communicate abstract or complex research findings — whether through accessible visuals, report designs, or graphics that help policy messages resonate with wider audiences. Contributing illustrations to East London Waterworks Park gives her a chance to apply and expand these skills in a community-driven context. 

For both of us, this volunteer project reflects the core values that guide our work at Climate Strategies, especially the belief that meaningful progress happens when local communities are actively involved in shaping transitions. From global frameworks like the Paris Agreement to local initiatives like ELWP, achieving climate goals relies on grounding efforts in real experiences and fostering inclusive participation. 

Click here to learn more.

An illustration of the East London Waterworks Park ‘Bat Squad.’

— 
Gaia and Brynn are part of the Climate Strategies Secretariat team and volunteer with East London Waterworks Park in their spare time. Illustrations by Brynn Hansen.

Gaia is a Programme Associate at Climate Strategies. She holds a BSc in Anthropology from UCL and an MSc in Medical Anthropology from the University of Oxford, where she focused on the political ecology of health and industrial pollution. She has worked in climate education, youth engagement, innovation and public health research, gaining experience in project coordination across the private and charitable sectors.

Brynn is a Communications and Members Officer at Climate Strategies. She holds a BA in Political Science from Columbia University and an MA in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po, Paris. Before starting at Climate Strategies, Brynn worked in the Communications and Digital Office of the International Energy Agency, where she helped promote their Net-Zero by 2050 report. She loves applying her passion for art and illustration to climate communications.