Visiting Fellow
Managing for local sustainability, collective decision-making, sustainability and health
Phone: +61 2 62958650
Fax: + 61 (0)2 6125 0746
E-mail: val.brown@anu.edu.au

Valerie Brown holds an undergraduate degree in Ecology from Queensland University, a Graduate Diploma in Adult Learning from the University of Canberra, a Master of Education Degree in Integrative Studies from Endicott College, USA and the inaugural PhD in the University's Human Sciences Program, thesis topic "Holism in the University Curriculum". During 1979-84 she helped established the B.App.Sc.(Health Education) now B.Ed (Community Development) at the University of Canberra. From1984-89 she established and directed the Health Advancement Services of the ACT, and has since worked in projects to link public health and environmental governance in Australia, Malaysia, Fiji, and China, including setting up the National Local Government Environmental Research Network1989-95. Foundation Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Western Sydney 1996-2002, she is now Emeritus Professor from that University and Visiting Fellow and Director, Local Sustainability Project, at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University. In 1999 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for international and national contributions to public health and environmental health, and advocacy for and contributions to, sustainable development.

Professional Activities

I work with collaborative action research teams on locally sustainable responses to global social and environmental pressures. Past research programs have addressed the capacity for collective decision-making in the Local Government, community development, public health, and environmental management sectors; and establishing the Indigenous communities' environmental health workforce development program. My recent projects include principles for whole-of-community engagement in the Murray-Darling Basin; an interactive collective knowledge framework; and transformational change in regional collaboration for natural resource management.

PhD supervision includes theses on collective responses to complex socio-environmental issues in public health, environmental management, indigenous and community-based natural resource management, and urban planning.

Selected Publications

Brown Valerie A. 2008 Leonardo's Vision. A guide to collective thinking and action. SENSE Publishers, Rotterdam. 320pp

Brown Valerie A, Grootjans J, Ritchie J, Townsend M, and Verrinder G. 2005 Sustainability and Health: Supporting global ecological integrity in public health. Allen and Unwin. Sydney. Earthscan, London 360pp

Keen, M., Brown Valerie A. and Dyball, Robert 2005 Social Learning in Environmental Management. Earthscan, London. 250 pp.

Aslin, H and Brown, Valerie A. 2004 Towards Whole of Community Engagement.

A practical toolkit. Murray Darling Basin Commission, Canberra

Brown, Valerie A. Thinking globally and acting locally: Environmental health practice and climate change. Environmental Health 4. 1 2002, p5-13

Brown, Valerie A. Planners and the Planet: Reshaping the people/planet relationship: do planners have a role? Australian Planner 38 3 2001 67- 73

Brown, Valerie A Monitoring Changing Environments in Environmental Health in Environmental Health, 1.1 2001, p21-34

Brown, Valerie A. Stephenson. P., Nicholson, R., and Smith, J. 2001. Grass Roots and Common Ground: community-based environmental health action planning. Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra 106pp.

Brown, Valerie A., Love, D., Griffiths, R., Powell, J., Murphy, A., and Walsmley, A. 2000. Western Sydney Regional State of the Environment Report 2000. Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, Blacktown, 250pp.

Brown, Valerie A. 1996. Managing for Local Sustainability: policies, problem solving, people and place. National Office of Local Government, Canberra. 314pp.

Brown, Valerie A., Smith, D.I., Weissman, R., and Handmer, J. 1995. Risks and Opportunities: managing environmental conflict and change. Earthscan, London . 213pp.

Brown, Valerie A. 1995. Landcare languages: talking to each other about living with the land. National Landcare Program, Department of Primary Industry. Canberra. 215pp.

Brown, Valerie A. 1995. Turning the tide: integrated local area management for Australia's coastal zone. Department of Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra, 175pp (second printing).