Speaking
Biography
After working with environmentalists in California in the early 1970s, Lorraine returned to South Africa and became the Contracts Manager for Africa’s biggest hotel group.
For the next 15 years, she fought a hard battle ahead of her time, trying to sway people in favour of green procurement, this being at a time when sustainable choices were more of an interesting idea than an urgent call to action.
Eventually deciding to go it alone, Lorraine began to aggressively promote green thinking. The mounting eco concerns combined with her procurement background stood Lorraine in good stead to develop an online procurement aid for hospitality venues.
HOTELLSTUFF/GREENSTUFF
Her brainchild and business, Hotelstuff, was born in 2001 (the first online directory of products and services in Africa) and was followed in 2006 by its sister, Greenstuff, a green-only online procurement tool. Lorraine and Greenstuff stood at the forefront of the green wave in South Africa, breaking new ground in many sectors.
Lorraine (a.k.a. “The Little Green Queen”) has enjoyed wide industry acclaim for her tireless work in the field of sustainability with many an award on her proverbial mantelpiece, including the Best Overall Stand for her Green Lifestyle Home at Decorex, Best Green Pavilion for her Eco Green Hotel at Hostex and Enviropaedia’s Eco Warrior Award in 2013 and 2014. She also received the Imvelo Responsible Tourism Award (FEDHASA Chairman’s Award) in 2011 for outstanding work towards improving tourism in South Africa and for twenty years’ of research and subtle activism. 2013 saw her invited to oversee the judging of the new Department of Tourism “Lilizela Awards” which now incorporate Imvelo’s Sustainability sector. In 2014 her "educational project" the Greenstuff Eco Guest Suite at the Inspire Trade Expo won a Bronze Award for Design and Content.
Education
- Wits Teachers’ Training College – B.Com
- Montessori Education – 2 diplomas – American Montessori Association
- Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Dip.PSM – Newport/Janus University, accredited by The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, UK
- International Purchasing Management – Newport/Janus University
- Carbon Auditing and Certification – Training with Green Leaf
- Green Interiors Design and Decor – Green Building Council
- NCPC (National Cleaner Production Centre) – course at CSIR via UNEP
- EU Flower Labelling – course under auspices of UN Environmental Programme
- The Climate Reality Leadership Corps – Trained by Al Gore and The Climate Reality Project (view Climate Reality Leader Certificate)
