Judy Ling Wong (born 1949) is an environmental activist. For 27 years she was the UK Director of BEN. She is now its Honorary President. She received a CBE in the 2007

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

.Judy is a major voice on policy and practice towards social inclusion.

Early life and education

Judy Ling Wong was born and raised in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. She moved to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where she attended

Clyde School Clyde School was founded as a private girls' school in 1910 in Alma Road, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia by Isabel Henderson, a leading educationist of her day. It quickly gained a reputation for excellent academic results. The school was relocat ...

. She studied

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. In 1972 Ling Wong moved to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and lived in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

where she worked as a painter.

Career

Judy Ling Wong moved to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

in 1974. She worked as a painter, dancer and poet. She wrote a series of books, on nursery rhymes and ballet. She is based in London. In 1987 she established the Black Environment Network (BEN), building relationships between people from ethnic minorities and the built environment. In 1990 the BEN merged with the Ethnic Minority Award Scheme (EMAS), with BEN becoming more of a political project. Ling Wong has encouraged more people from minority ethnic backgrounds to visit the countryside. BEN championed the message that countryside access is not an access issue but a rights issue, challenging the notion that the English countryside is a "white space". Ling Wong worked to emphasise the relationship between environmentalism and the countryside. The

National Alliance of Women's Organisations NAWO or the National Alliance of Women's Organisations is a London-based umbrella organisation dedicated to promoting women's human rights with a special focus on gender and Europe. It was founded in 1989 and has 140 members, both women's organi ...

investigated rural racism and its intersection with gender. She advocates for access to nature and equality of opportunity to environmental participation within the urban environment where most ethnic minorities live. She services on the advisory board of the

University of Gloucestershire The University of Gloucestershire is a public university based in Gloucestershire, England. It is located over five campuses, three in Cheltenham and two in Gloucester. The university is the successor of a large number of merged, name-changed ...

Countryside and Community Research Institute. She is a co-founder of the National Park City Foundation and was a member of the steering group for the movement to make London a national park city. She chairs the Green Apprenticeships Advisory Group, supporting the BEIS Green Recovery Taskforce. Judy delivered the 2019 Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment Lecture at

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

Awards and honours

Her awards and honours include; * 2000

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for services to the environment * 2005

Honorary Doctorate * 2007

Commander of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for services to heritage * 2013 Honorary Fellowship

Institution of Environmental Sciences The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) is a professional association and registered charity in the United Kingdom. The organisation promotes environmental protection and conservation, and performs related education and meta-analysis of s ...

* 2014 Honorary Fellowship

Society for the Environment The Society for the Environment (SocEnv) is an Umbrella organization, umbrella body for environmental organisations in the UK. Its primary function is the licensing of its member institutions to confer chartered (professional), chartered status o ...

* 2017 Women's Environment Network Ambassador * 2020 Included in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

Power list 2020. Patron Population Matters • Patron CIEEM

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Judy Ling 1949 births Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Hong Kong emigrants to England Hong Kong women environmentalists People associated with the University of Gloucestershire University of Melbourne alumni