FOUNDER of environmentally conscious snack business We Bar None, Ellen Burns, has put her hand up to run for North Ward in October\u2019s City of Ballarat election.<\/p>\n
Fuelled by her passion for climate change the first-time candidate who\u2019s backed by the Greens developed her small business to be carbon neutral and was the first in Victoria to use 100 per cent certified home-compostable wrappers.<\/p>\n
Ms Burns said she hopes her experience with We Bar None has equipped her with the skills to be adaptable and informed in public life.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a small business owner, especially a sole trader, you really become a jack of all trades,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncillors need a broad range of skills to deal with financial matters, community issues and how to solve them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a small business owner teaches you how to address these issues and think outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing up and living in Warrenheip and Brown Hill, Ms Burns has always harboured an awareness and appreciation for the issues faced by people of the area.<\/p>\n
Standing as a Greens endorsed candidate, she said her key focuses are climate action, local economy, community groups, food security and developing suburbs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand the issues of a lot of sections of our community and I am already working to address them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn North Ward, one of the biggest issues is managing the urban sprawl in a community focused way.<\/p>\n
\u201cRunning for council is the next step of what I am already doing so hopefully I can get elected and get a lot more done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside her business pursuit, Ms Burns also co-founded The Hidden Orchard which is a community group that harvests unwanted fruit and redistributes it to where it\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n
That endeavour illuminated for her the issue of food security and she said the organisation was still a long way away from solving it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2015, a study by Monash University showed that 12 per cent of Ballarat residents had accessed food relief that year, and that figure is estimated to have doubled as a result of COVID-19,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat could be a quarter of our community struggling to feed themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy position as a business owner but also as the founder of a volunteer group, gives me a pretty unique position to find solutions to the communities\u2019 problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout her social and entrepreneurial work, Ms Burns helped draft a few of the city\u2019s action plans including the food strategy and the Brown Hill local area plan.<\/p>\n
After that involvement with the operations and projects of the City of Ballarat, she said she decided the next natural step to run for a council seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI dipped my toe in getting involved with council from the other side of things,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gave me the inspiration to see if I could get involved from within to make some changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the wake of this year\u2019s bushfires, COVID-19, and the recent reshuffle of the municipality\u2019s CEO and executive leadership team, the future of the municipality remains unclear.<\/p>\n
Although, Ms Burns said she hopes she can be a part of supporting both the city, its residents and its governing body to rebuild.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing for me is really strengthening the Ballarat community and helping it realise its potential to be the regional hub of Victoria,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can do a lot to connect and strengthen the community and bring it together.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have been through a lot this year, that should be the focus of the next council to really focus on unity and strength.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FOUNDER of environmentally conscious snack business We Bar None, Ellen Burns, has put her hand up to run for North Ward in October\u2019s City of Ballarat election. Fuelled by her passion for climate change the first-time candidate who\u2019s backed by the Greens developed her small business to be carbon neutral and was the first in […]<\/p>\n