Alexandra de Blas

Alexandra deBlas (1965) is an Australian journalist and environmentalist who was awarded the 2003 3rd World Water Forum Journalists prize in Kyoto, Japan^{[citation needed]} and the 2004 United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Award.^{[citation needed]}

She is best known as presenter of the ABC Radio National environment program Earthbeat. Since 2004, de Blas has been on the Editorial Advisory Board of CSIRO’s Ecos magazine and currently runs an environment communications agency.^[1]

Education and early life[]

de Blas completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Sydney in 1985 and later completed a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Studies (Hons) at the University of Tasmania in 1992. She spent several years working on a PhD in environmental communication at the University but returned to the ABC before it was completed.^[2]

Career[]

de Blas started work as a Rural Reporter for the ABC in Queensland. She later worked on the ABC Radio program 'The Country Hour,' reporting from Tasmania and Victoria.

Controversy emerged in connection with de Blas' research into pollution from the Mt Lyell copper mine in Tasmania which she uncovered while researching her honours thesis in environmental studies at the University of Tasmania.

The Mt Lyell Mine Co threatened the University of Tasmania with a defamation suit if the thesis was published and the University decided that the work was defamatory and should not be published.

After two years of attempting to reverse the decision, de Blas took her thesis to the University of Technology where it was published by the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism.^[3]

In 1997, de Blas was engaged as the Presenter/Producer for the Radio National environment program Earthbeat, a position she held until the program's demise in 2005.^[4] From 2005 to 2008 Alexandra worked at Bush Heritage Australia as their Communications Strategist.

Bibliography[]

• The National Business Leaders Forum: Leading the Sustainability Business, Ecos, 161, July –Aug 2011 ^[5]
• New Intelligence on Saving City Stormwater, Ecos, 159, March 2011
• Ground Breaking Models give Fragmented Landscapes New Hope, Ecos, 158, Dec-Jan 2010/11
• Antarctic Penguin Colonies Threatened by Changing Climate, The Science Show, ABC RN 13 Nov 2010^[6]
• Cleaning Up Storm Water, By Design, ABC RN 18 Aug 2010
• Science Sceptics and Spin: Framing the Climate Change Debate, Ecos 156 Aug-Sept 2010
• Engaging Visions: The Exhibition, Artworks Feature, ABC RN, 12 Sept 2010
• Making the Shift from Consumerism To Sustainability Ecos 153 Feb-Mar 2010
• Ozone Layer Wind Shifts Create Moment of Grace, Ecos, 153, Feb-Mar 2010
• Sherpas Report Glaciers Going, Going, Gone Science Show, ABC RN, 30 Jan 2010
• The REDD Scheme: The REDD Approach to Protecting Green Carbon Ecos 151 Oct-Nov 2009
• Decline of Birds in Victorian Forests, Science Show ABC RN 5 Dec 2009
• Climate Action and Social Justice: Acting in Good Faith Ecos Oct-Nov 2009
• Australia’s Safe Climate Vision Future Tense, ABC RN, 23 July 2009
• Sustainable Commitments Insulate Financial Leaders Ecos 149 Jun-Jul 2009
• Engaging Visions, Artworks Feature, ABC RN, 9 Nov 2008
• Healing by the Community Spirit, Ecos, 145 Oct-Nov 2008
• Climate Code Red: the Case for Emergency Action, Ecos, 144 Aug- Sept 2008
• Earthbeat ABC RN Weekly Environment Show presented by Alexandra de Blas 1997-2005

References[]