Since her early teens the 21 year old law student has been in global speaker on environmental sustainability and intergenerational issues. She describes herself as an environmental educator and adventurer.

Ms Raines said growing up in Bulli was the inspiration for what she does. One thing the former TIGS and St Mary’s student will never do is take her home town or the Illawarra Escarpment for granted. And she proudly tells the world where she is from.

“Being sandwiched between the ocean and the mountains has been my playground. That is where I have learned a lot about the environment. I surf and..I actually won a gold medal for Australia..at the Oceana Rock Climbing Championships.”

Ms Raines’s interest in the environment started early. “When I was about six I used to hate putting on sunscreen so I asked my mum why I had to wear it. She explained about the hole in ozone layer and I became really curious.”

When Ms Raines was named Illawarra Women In Business Young Achiever of the Year recently she revealed she was heading to New York to speak at a UN Global Compact Leaders Summit.

The Foye Legal legal associate is known as the Climate Girl from her www.climategirl.com.au website. She is recognised as a future sustainability leader, was a youth representative on the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi and is a World Wild Fund For Nature (WWF), Earth Hour, Unstoppables, Aim For The Stars Foundation. OzHarvest and Enviroweek ambassador.

“I have spoken at four UN conferences. The first when I was 13 in Norway involved speaking in front of 1000 young people from all around the world. My first live speech was in front of 1000 school kids from around the Illawarra on World Environment Day. When I was 14 I launched..Climate Girl.”

In 2015 Ms Raines visited Antarctica with a group of leading Australian entrepreneurs as an influencer on social, economic and environment issues. “I was the youngest person on the boat”.

Her goal for Climate Girl to become a world leading sustainable business that operates on a profit with a purpose philosophy. She wants to share easy to understand information for young people to learn about the environment and solutions in a fun and interesting way. Youth already share their environmental stories and connect with each other and she is also active on Twitter and Facebook.

Ms Raines is doing a law degree and is interested in environmental law and climate justice. She is placed at Foye Legal and was previously involved in writing a sustainability business plan for another firm. She has shared the stage with Al Gore, was a finalist in the 2015 Australian Law Awards, Women in Law Awards and won the 2015 Future Sustainability and Leadership Award.

“If we all do something small together we can make a big difference,” she said.

In June she will participate in intimate round table discussions addressing the connection between business and sustainable development goals. She is doing a law degree and is interested in environmental law and climate justice.

Ms Raines said it was an honour to be invited to such a prestigious, invitation only UN event in New York on June 22 and 23.

“It will provide me an opportunity to participate, as a youth voice, in intimate roundtable decisions on the connection between business and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), with a focus on the environment. These Global Goals are set to be a major driver of the markets of tomorrow and can unleash a wave of sustainable products, services and business innovations,” she said.

Ms Raines said as a full time third year UOW law student she was unable to fund such a trip herself. But sponsorship is one way she can do that and get her message out.

“My financial situation means I am unable to fund this fantastic opportunity to learn, participate and contribute as a young professional woman. I have experience participating in high level discussions..I have been a four time Australian Youth representative to UNEP as well as having experience in working with business leaders to be more sustainable. Through my work I aim to identify opportunities to influence the corporate sustainability and responsibility agenda in Australia.”

Ms Raines wants to be part of a new era of business. On this trip she wants to:​

Collaborate, learn, participate and network with world business leaders to identify concrete opportunities businesses can act on while managing risks such as conflict, inequality and climate change.

Collaborate, learn and network with business leaders to create a cleaner, faster, smarter tomorrow. The summit will provide an opportunity to look at how businesses can solve some of the world's toughest challengers such as poverty while creating new markets.

Learn how to integrate and implement the strategic goals by adopting new, responsible business strategies to really bring about the transformation needed to develop a new mindset, changing priorities, behaviour and narratives. And learn how shifting our way of thinking can help achieve the most ambitious goals of our time.

Learn how to not only acquire new knowledge and skills but build relationships with leading business leaders from around the world. And bring back information about how to implement such goals without compromising economic growth. And she wants to share what she learns with Illawarra businesses.

Ms Raines said the summit will provide her a unique opportunity to represent the Illawarra.

“At every United Nations conference I have been to and spoken at, I am proud to promote that I am from the Illawarra, and I will continue to publicise this fact,” she said.