About People, Planet, Purpose
An award-winning consultancy supporting organisations and communities to connect people and planet through strategy, engagement, evaluation and education.
About People, Planet, Purpose
People, Planet, Purpose is an award winning consultancy passionate about connecting with people and the planet in purposeful ways.
With years of experience across the Education, Government, Tertiary and NGO sectors, People, Planet, Purpose works with organisations to create meaningful impact across four focus areas:
Community and stakeholder engagement – bringing people together around shared environmental and social impact goals
Strategy and strategic direction – creating the frameworks that turn vision into outcomes and real change.
Policy and Program evaluation including social and environmental impact – measuring what matters, communicating it clearly
Environmental engagement, education and advocacy – building awareness, connection and action
Through these focus areas, People, Planet, Purpose supports organisations to enable and facilitate connected and cohesive communities, alongside work with the planet.
Our planet is in crisis. Now, more than ever, we need empowered people and communities and a healthy and regenerative planet.
About Zhan
I’m a passionate educator, strategist and advocate for the earth and communities, on a lifelong journey to learn from and connect to our natural environment.
My journey started as a small child growing up in bushland and spending many hours playing in the wild in the Blue Mountains and other areas in Sydney’s Northwest region. Through this immersion, I developed a deep affinity and connection to the land.
This early experience shaped my outlook, and has fuelled my interest in and passion for the natural world that surrounds us. I have since developed that interest through my work across multiple fields – all with a common thread of connecting people and the planet.
My Path
My career began in education. I hold a Bachelor of Education and taught in Primary schools in NSW, the Northern Territory and the United Kingdom, as well as delivering education programs to high schools in NSW and Victoria.
In my role as an educator, I learned about the power of supporting children and young people’s connection to the planet and that through this connection, advocacy, on-the-ground action and environmental and social change can occur. This work was evident in the Alive! Program, which I developed in conjunction with the Hawkesbury Environment Network in Sydney’s NorthWest. The Alive! Program was featured in the Landcare in Focus publication (August 2014) with special guest Costa from Gardening Australia. You can also read more about the history of the Network here
From there, my work expanded across strategy, stakeholder engagement, and community programs. I went on to learn more about Education for Sustainability through completing a Masters degree in the Environment, specialising in Education, Policy and Economics. I also obtained a Certificate in Permaculture, and commenced training in Land Conservation and Management.
In addition, I hold a Graduate Certificate in Evaluation from Melbourne University, an IAP2 Certificate from the International Association of Public Participation, and a Diploma in Project Management enabling me to bring a depth of understanding of program strategy and evaluation to program management to ensure outcomes are successfully realised, measured and communicated.
Cross-Sectoral Expertise
The combination of creating successful large-scale strategies and the know-how to translate the strategy into practical on-the-ground outcomes with multi-disciplinary teams is a key strength of People, Planet, Purpose.
I have applied this know-how in my work across the Education, Government and NGO sectors including:
NSW Government
- Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Framework
- Regional Clean Energy Program
- Biodiversity Offset Program
- Water 4 Life Plan
Queensland Government
- Youth and Women’s Strategy
- Water Policy and Programs
University of Queensland Global Strategy and Partnerships
Other multidisciplinary programs including:
- Alive!: an Environmental Youth Engagement program
- Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils’ Water in the Landscape Program
Rewilding and Land Regeneration
Alongside this professional work, I aim to do my bit for caring for the planet with my family through re-generating the land we live on in Southeast Queensland. Learn more about this work below.
