Oh hey there!

We’re Be the Future and we’ve made it our mission to make sustainability playful, interactive and solutions based.

Since you’re here, you’re probably curious to know more about us. So grab a drink and let’s get chatting.

#tacklethecrisis on a forest background

I’m Sally, and I’m the Founder of Be The Future.

Be The Future started with a hashtag…then evolved on an intricate understanding of UK-Australia time differences.

Back in 2019, I was living with my family in London, running a circular business.

I was an ambassador for #tacklethecrisis, a campaign about spreading climate positivity. Scrolling through the other ambassadors, the ‘Unlikely Genius’ logo caught my eye. Behind that quirky name, I discovered a super talented educator-learning designer-illustrator.

So in December 2020, I wrote Helen an email:

I’m looking for a witty, funny, smart copywriter and designer to help me with my idea. And you seem kind of perfect.

Helen jumped on board right away. Phew.

We got to meet in person a couple of times between lockdowns ending and my family and I moving back to Australia (could this founding story *be* any more pandemic?).

Across the world, we collaborated on various projects: the Hope Act Thrive podcast, the Happy HabitART competition, and The Day The Crab Got Crabby book.

2023’s business launch saw us “washed up” on the shores of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia and Runswick Bay in Yorkshire, England, as 4m long reclaimed waste mermaids to highlight the amount of plastic waste in the sea for World Ocean Day 2023.

We were featured in mass media including Channel 10 News, Channel 7 News, BBC News and The Times.

Lego houses

Just after becoming a ‘Mermaid with a ‘Porpoise’, I delivered my first interactive sustainability experience for children at The Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability.

Themes multiplied. Activities got ever more creative.

Then I invested in an interactive floor projector. Much loved by every child (and adult 😉), ever!

Be The Future experiences expanded to primary schools, early years services, and councils throughout Sydney. And as we expanded, I continually collaborated with teachers and educators to develop and evolve our pedagogy in alignment with curriculum.

Alongside this, Helen won Innovate UK funding, and started the sister social enterprise, It Started With a Sloth, in the UK.

Group of children and educators smiling

Credit: International Grammar School

Helen and I finally met in person again in 2025, when Helen came to Australia for the Sacred Earth, Sustainable Futures experience we held at the Australian Museum with TIPIAC for CAWSYD 2025.

In 2025 Be The Future started creating collaborative programs:

🐨 Be The Future For The Wild with Taronga Zoo Sydney

⚡️ The Future Is Electric with UNSW

Then, in 2026, Be The Future started creating sustainability professional learning for early years educators.

We also have an exciting professional learning program for teachers under development, in collaboration with a brilliant teacher, Laura, and wonderful young First Nations people.

What started as Be-The-Future-stretched-across-the-globe has now become Be The Future in Australia and It Started With A Sloth in the UK.

I absolutely we adore what we do at Be The Future: Creating interactive education for a sustainable world.

I’m so glad you’re here with us. Because we need as many people as possible to join this ever-growing movement to create a better future.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any ideas, questions or would like to collaborate.

Best,

Sally

A bit more about Sally…

  • Sally’s an award-winning solutionist, storyteller and creative for sustainability. Her purpose is to inspire others to take dramatic action on our climate and biodiversity crisis - the most important issue of our lifetime.

    Sally was recognised as an Emerging Leader by Environmental Education NSW in 2023.

    Sally is a Greenpeace Australia Pacific General Assembly Member, a Parents for Climate local leader, and a Climate Reality Leader. She’s been at the forefront of many positive change initiatives over the years, with organizations such as Young UN Women and Social Good Summit.

    She previously CoFounded Pure Bundle, a circular fashion startup, and worked as a Customer Experience Consultant at PwC. Sally holds a Masters in International Development from UNSW and studied at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

    Sally holds a current Working With Children Check and a recent First Aid Certificate from the Australian Red Cross.

    Connect with Sally