The Switch: Roly of Emu Parade

Back in 2019, Roland left his job running a café and began joining beach clean-ups to unwind and reconnect with nature. Taking responsibility for a beach he loved had a profound effect on his wellbeing: the more he cared for the planet, the better he felt mentally. That insight led him to wonder whether others could experience the same benefits.

Combining his passions for coffee and beach clean-ups, he founded Emu Parade, a non-profit organisation hosting beach cleans, mainly around the Sydney area. Volunteers who help collect litter are served up a fresh complimentary coffee or hot chocolate from his converted 30-year-old fire truck, affectionately named Trish. To hear about upcoming clean-ups near you, follow Emu Parade on Instagram.

Roland and Trish recently returned from an epic 4,000km Sydney-to-Perth road trip to have tea with his grandma. Together, sponsored by Future Super, they crossed the Nullarbor with zero diesel stops, truckin’ on waste vegetable oil instead.

You can follow his adventures at @ep.cleanup and in upcoming documentary, Tea with Gan Gan.

What gets you out of bed each day?

The prospect that anything could happen! My answer to this used to be “a good cup of coffee”, but lately it’s felt like something less tangible - the world is such a crazy place, and so much wild stuff has happened with Emu Parade since it began. So pursuing the unknown of what’s ahead is really what pulls me out of bed and into each day.

I wake up and remember how lucky I am to be in Australia and running after a dream, which fires me up to charge out and make the most of whatever’s out there waiting. I also have nieces and nephews who I adore, and I want them to grow up on a healthy planet.

How are you contributing to our planet beyond your super?

Well I eat mostly plants, I run my truck on used cooking oil instead of diesel… but mostly I like to pick up rubbish down at the beach, and encourage others to do the same with community cleanups. Our little events may not solve the pollution crises facing the Earth, but they definitely make a start, whilst facilitating connections to nature and one another that ripple out positively into the rest of life. It’s hard to continue making environmentally ignorant decisions once you’ve spent time picking up rubbish by the sea.

What people-powered movement is making a difference in 2026?

Emu Parade! We run a community beach cleanup program focusing on the things we can do to address local pollution, which in turn empowers community sentiment towards climate solutions and promotes positive mental health.