Hop out of your bubble and into a welcoming space full of creativity and connection.
Space Matters is a new event mini series bringing people together to explore how we can think differently about people, the planet and productivity. Expect short presentations by expert speakers. Arrive for a chat, stay for a conversation, over drinks and nibbles in a relaxed space that encourages real connections.
Next Session: March 26th. Theme: Guidance and Governance
Over three evenings in early 2026, we’ll unpack how our environment, social fabric, and shared guidance shape the world we build, and how to make those choices count.
Simon and Jeremy host an evening of sharp mini-talks, art you can dive into and good chats on and off the stage…all designed to get you home on time.
Charcuterie, drinks, mingles before and after some great speakers...
Proudly supported by Digital Storytellers and co-hosted at the Impact Story Lab. A co-working and creative space for change-makers, creatives, and community leaders, designed to support all forms of impact work, with storytelling at its heart.
The Space Matters Series
Upcoming Sessions
Thursday 26 March
Theme: Spaces That Guide
This session creates space to explore how guidance shows up today. Whether online, in the office, at the coffee station, or over after-work drinks. It looks at how creating environments that nurture conversation, trust, and ideas allow people to thrive in their roles and contribute meaningfully to their organisations.
Speakers
Ben Pecotich
Dynamic4, Sydney Design Thinking (SydDT)
Ben Pecotich is a designer, coach, and founder of Dynamic4 – a social enterprise and B Corp focused on regenerative leadership, design, and innovation for happier communities… and making the transition to more regenerative ways of living and doing business.
He works alongside leaders to solve problems that matter by designing and building business models, products, and services that customers and teams love, make money, do great things for people and our planet, while increasing wellbeing.
For 30+ years, Ben’s led, designed, and delivered strategic change in financial services, digital & tech, health & fitness, and founded startups/social enterprises – in Australia, NZ, Asia, the UK, and Europe.
Ben’s the author of Solve Problems That Matter: Design, Build & Launch Your Social Enterprise Idea and co-founder of Sydney Design Thinking.
Special Guest - to be announced
Community gardens personality, Urban Agro-Ecologists and others have been invited.
Special Guest - to be announced
Community gardens personality, Urban Agro-Ecologists and others have been invited.
Past Sessions
Thursday 26 February
Theme: Urban Nature
This session explored how green design thinking can increase wellbeing in urban life. From community gardens and pocket + large parks, to green walls, urban tree canopies, rain gardens and re greening of waterways… Let’s celebrate how allowing space for nature in cities helps us connect with the environment, ourselves and with each other.
Speakers
Louise Pearson
ASPECT Studios
Louise trained as an artist and designer and has more than 25 years’ experience in landscape architecture, architecture, and art. Driving significant public‑realm projects, she has been instrumental in shaping many award‑winning public places including the Ian Potter Wild Play Garden and the Darling Square Public Domain. Her ability to set city‑shaping moves based on first principles combines with a love of detail to develop coherent, rich, and immersive places.
Louise has also played a key design leadership role on major infrastructure and city‑shaping projects such as the new Sydney Fish Markets public domain and the Inner West GreenWay, bringing clarity of vision, sensitive integration of complex systems, and a strong environmental ethic to these landmark initiatives. Her work on these projects reflects her commitment to creating public spaces that are deeply connected to place, people, and ecology.
As Studio Director, Louise is integral to setting the studio’s vision, maintaining quality, and guiding the broader team through weekly critique sessions. She believes that having an inspiring and diverse design process is central to the creation of excellent works. Her art practice – which includes drawing, painting, and sculpture, informs inventive approaches to design and fosters the studio’s creative culture.
Interested in refining the urban condition, Louise considers projects from city‑scale strategy through to construction detailing: the bones of a city through to its intricacies. Combining unique skills in architecture, art, and public‑space design, her broad perspective leads to the creation of inspiring works that are complementary to their environment.
Rousseau Anai
Pocket City Farms
Rousseau Anai is the Chair of the Board of Pocket City Farms, a Sydney-based social enterprise transforming underused urban spaces into productive, community-led farms. His work centres on food security, education, and reconnecting people with place.
Belinda Bean
Wilder Impact
Belinda Bean is the founder of Wilder Impact, a consultancy helping people, organisations and communities turn good sustainability intentions into real-world action – with less beige strategy and more wild impact. Her work focuses on urban greening, nature-based solutions and behaviour change, bridging big-picture strategy with practical, on-the-ground delivery.
Through Wilder Impact, Belinda supports councils, industry, educators and community groups to design and communicate solutions that are credible, accessible and scalable – from backyards and local streets to precincts and city systems.
Belinda is also the Executive Director of the Australasian Green Infrastructure Network and a sustainability educator, bringing a systems-thinking lens grounded in hands-on experience. She is passionate about reconnecting people with nature in cities, and showing how everyday greening decisions can drive climate, biodiversity and community benefits.
Reframing ESG: Environment, Social and Guidance
At Environmentarian, we believe ESG shouldn’t live in board reports. It should live in real life.
That’s why we’ve reinterpreted ESG as Environment, Social, and Guidance.
- Environment is about place: how our buildings, materials and landscapes shape the future.
- Social is about people: the connections, culture, and collaboration that drive impact.
- Guidance replaces governance: because leadership today is less about compliance and more about care, integrity and example.
This reframing humanises ESG, bringing it back to where it belongs: the everyday actions, choices, and relationships that build trust and resilience. Space Matters is our way of grounding these ideas in community, not in spreadsheets.
Why “Space Matters”
The name Space Matters comes from a simple idea: the spaces we inhabit – physical, social, and mental – shape how we think and act. When we create better spaces, we enable better conversations and decisions. The series invites guests to step into a different kind of room, one built on openness, curiosity, and long-term thinking.
Each speaker has just a few long minutes and then a short panel discussion. Whilst the sessions are short the intent runs deep: to connect ideas, people and purpose in ways that outlast the event itself. The format draws inspiration from creative salons, community storytelling and initiatives like GreenUps, Sydney Design Thinking and People, Planet, Pint, which have shown that change starts with dialogue and building rapport where connections are made.
Join the Conversation
Space Matters is hosted by Jeremy Thomas of Environmentarian with Simon Banks recovering artist and keynote speaker and keynote speaker. Together with a rotating list of guest speakers and local creatives, they’ll guide discussions designed to leave you inspired, refreshed, and ready to take new ideas into the world.
Tickets available on Humanitix.
Follow @environmentarian.au on Instagram and Jeremy Thomas on LinkedIn for updates, speaker announcements, and highlights from each session
By attending this event you are contributing to the wider purpose of Environmentarian. Last year we donated 1.83% of our revenue and thats not to mention our mission driven work about capturing carbon in highly insulated hempcrete buildings. Read more here.
By registering, you acknowledge this event may be photographed and/or filmed. If you prefer not to appear in any content, please let the organisers know on arrival.
Wanna learn more about Environmentarian and how we can help with your Online Ecosystem?
Thursday 29 January
Theme: Connecting in Spaces
This session explored the power of creative spaces in building culture and community and how creativity, inclusion, and participation bring people together in meaningful ways. Through real stories of collaboration, local initiatives, and spaces designed for human connection, speakers will share how the places we create shape the communities and workplaces we belong to.
Speakers
James Winter, Brand X
James Winter is the co-founder and Director of Brand X, one of Sydney’s most influential artist-led organisations dedicated to creating affordable, sustainable creative spaces across the city. With a background in theatre direction and nearly two decades shaping cultural infrastructure, James has played a central role in re-imagining how creatives access space. He currently advises government and industry on cultural strategy and the night-time economy.
Madeleine Jaine Lobsey, Wondiverse
Madeleine is a AuDHD creative and nationally recognised leader in neuroinclusive practice. She has spent more than two decades working in theatre, story, community arts, leadership training and inclusive design. She programs small inclusive events up to large-scale public programs and is the founder of Wondiverse, a neurodivergent-led organisation.
Read more about their work here…
WonderPlay Studio at L2, 101–111 William St. is Sydney’s first neuroinclusive creative development space. It will be a home where neurodivergent, disabled and diverse creatives can write, collaborate, develop projects and build careers in a safe, inclusive environment.
Ben Ward, Greenups
Ben Ward is a passionate, analytical and motivated advocate for people and planet, a clear communicator, systems thinker and strategist. He has recently re launched the community sustainability event Greenups that ran from many spaces for 15 years.
