SEJ COMMITTEE
Social and Environmental Justice's Committee members come from different backgrounds, speak various languages, work in different fields, have many interests, and bring with them a wide range of skills. Our Committee stands united against policies that further environmental classism, environmental racism, and eco-ableism. We believe the very real problems facing our communities and the wider world must be tackled with social and environmental justice as the starting point.
Everyone deserves a cleaner, safer, healthier environment in which to live, work, play and learn.
Clair Battaglino
Clair Battaglino spent over 35 years working in education with children & families in north & east London. She always loved to cook and became increasingly passionate about urban food growing, coordinating different award-winning school and community gardens. After retiring from full-time teaching, she set up KEENTOGREEN which helps people grow edibles in urban spaces. Clair completed the DEFRA-funded training as an Air Quality Champion for Hackney. She believes that the three Es – Education, the Environment & Equality - must always go together.
Katharina Herrmann
Katharina Herrmann studied sociology in Berlin and moved to London in 1992. She works in social care and has a keen interest in the impact political decisions have on the most disadvantaged in society, and in how to make urban spaces better for everyone. She lives in Finsbury Park in North London.
Rebekah Kelly
Keen walker, recreational cyclist and public transport user. Lived in Islington my whole life, raising a family here with my teenage children. I worked for many years as a SENCO in Islington early years sector, now working as a SEND specialist in Hackney. Member of the committee for Islington Street Association and community advocate.
Ediz Mevlit
My name is Ediz Mevlit and I work in the bus industry helping members of the public get to their desired destinations without have to use a car...
I’m a very keen cyclist and cycle many miles each week.
I’ve been campaigning for clean air a number of years now and I’m thrilled to help create SEJ.
A very proud moment for me.
Mohammad Rakib
Mohammad is a community activist, dedicated to upholding the rights of working class people. He has championed and defended his community for his entire adult life. His prior experience in tackling attempts at gentrification and social cleansing of his native Tower Hamlets, enabled him to quickly detect and highlight the same dangerous traits and motives hidden within greenwashed LTN policies.
Having sounded the alarm bells from mid 2020, Mo became a key organiser of community response and opposition to the LTNs, to the vocal minority of zealous LTN supporters and to the manner of their imposition on his home borough. Mo also allied and provided support and advice to similar campaigns in London and further afield. The grassroots effort in Tower Hamlets grew to several thousand members, becoming an active and engaged resident group and contributed heavily to the civic discourse of the local elections in 2022. In turn, the pro-LTN incumbent administration's overwhelming majority of 42/45 was more than halved. The massive electoral swing knocked them out of power in favour of a local independent party opposed to the LTNs.
Mo is proud to contribute to SEJ and to continue to support its aims and efforts.
Stella Sawyer
Stella has lived and worked in several London boroughs since commencing her nursing career in 1983. She is currently working with people living with long term health conditions, helping them manage the challenges of their everyday lives, and connecting them with activities in their local communities to reduce the social isolation that so many experiencing long term ill health feel. Stella has lived in Lambeth since 2004.
John Stewart
John Stewart has worked and campaigned on transport for 40 years, and on noise for the last 25 years. He has chaired a number of local and national organisations. He has written several publications, including the book Why Noise Matters. He lives in Stockwell in South London.
