Hi Neighbour is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation founded by actor Yael Stone that builds social licence for renewables by helping people develop careers in renewables with financial scholarships and vital industry information.
We spoke to Yael about her decision to stop commuting between Hollywood and Australia for her acting career so that she could pursue her sense of responsibility to do something meaningful to address the climate crisis.
How did you come up with the idea of Hi Neighbour? Was it a lightbulb moment, or did the idea evolve that what was needed was a concurrent energy transition and human transition for the community?
The idea definitely went through a few iterations, starting with my arrest in 2019 for painting a mural of Mother Earth on the wall of the local council swimming pool here in Wollongong as part of Extinction Rebellion.
My partner and I were back in Australia but set to return to the United States with our green cards, which we'd worked really hard to get. And then the Black Summer bushfires hit and created a kind of fork in the road for me, where I realised how important it was to me to contribute in some positive way to the climate emergency.
Though I really value the protest movement, that ended up not feeling right for me. I wanted to work more structurally by building positive connectivity between people and neighbourhoods.
I went back to university and studied sustainable communities with Chantel Carr, a human geographer who alerted me to the stark reality that I was living in this region of radical transformation, where we still have active coal mines and steel works, and we're also slated as a renewable energy zone.
Hi Neighbour emerged from the idea that we would be better able to talk about the challenges of transformation by focusing on the opportunities it can bring in terms of jobs.
How hard was it to get things moving given the fear and mistrust that had developed between people whose livelihoods are dependent on the coal and steel industries and those who want to see the fastest possible transition to renewable energy?
I'm sure that fear and mistrust are still there but starting conversations around job opportunities, particularly for young people, has proved to be the right approach for us.
Interestingly, it’s not an age thing that determines people’s views on climate change. There are a lot of older people in the community who are absolutely committed to climate action - one of the people I work most closely with, Darryl Best, a retired coal miner who is on our board, is utterly invested and it is very much about his kids and grandkids.
The work of Hi Neighbour is quite localised at this point in time. Are you looking to expand it to other regions over time?
Actually, we’re just about to embark on a roadshow across four of the five state designated renewable energy zones. We’ll be in Dubbo, Muswellbrook, Newcastle and Armidale, replicating an event that we staged in Port Kembla earlier this year called Love Your Work.
Love Your Work is aimed at 18 to 24 year olds. It’s a community gathering with entertainment and food, where we talk about what kind of jobs are being created. What can people be studying? What are the jobs going to look like?
And we let people know about the scholarships Hi Neighbour offers to help locals skill up for clean energy careers.
You’ve said publicly that everyone except your partner thought you were mad to abandon Hollywood to take on this new venture. Have you had any regrets and what does it mean for your acting career?
If I have any regrets, it’s that my decision not to straddle living between Australia and the US was misinterpreted as a decision to stop acting.
I'm very much still working and I love my work.
“None of this would be possible without ABL. I remember when I found out that the firm was going to support me, I burst into tears. It was the first time in the early days of the journey that people, people I really respect, had taken me seriously.”
What value can Arnold Bloch Leibler and your other partners from diverse sectors bring?
Getting Hi Neighbour off the ground has been really hard work and I've had to learn a lot. I'm just so grateful for the folks around me.
None of this would be possible without ABL. I remember when I found out that the firm was going to support me, I burst into tears. It was the first time in the early days of the journey that people, people I really respect, had taken me seriously.
I work mainly with Peter Seidel (public interest partner) and Billy Sakis (senior associate) and even though I’m sure I ask lots of stupid questions, at no point have I ever felt patronised or talked down to it. I only feel supported and encouraged.
ABL and Kearney Group, who provide financial advice and accounting, are the two pillars that make this work possible.
