Having attended an alternative school in my childhood and teenage years – aka “that hippie school with no homework!”, according to mom – I was surrounded by people who cared deeply about the planet. I grew up in close contact with nature, and conversations about what was going on in the world and how to make it a better place were a constant. This impacted my personality and decisions, which include becoming a journalist to help others share stories and be heard.
In addition to my upbringing, after my son was born, in 2018, the gloomy political scenario and news about the environment made me increasingly concerned about the future. That was when I realized I wasn’t doing enough to help improve things, so I decided to be more active to change what I think is wrong. I firmly believe that we have power as citizens, voters, and consumers; and that we can create a better world by making conscious choices and acting together. I’m working hard on that by volunteering my time, skills and expertise; working on communication and education initiatives; and being an active citizen and consumer.
Causes in Which I’m Especially Interested
Environmental & outdoors education
Nature conservation & climate change
Recycling & waste reduction
Green & sustainable businesses
Social entrepreneurship
Permaculture & sustainable farming
Food security
Sustainable tourism
Health care accessibility
What I’m Currently Doing
New West Plant-Based Cooking Club
The New West Plant-Based Cooking Club is a safe space my friend Bimala Spencer and I created to get to know our neighbours and spread knowledge about vegan food and how delicious it can be. We offer monthly plant-based cooking classes/meals with no cost to participate thanks to a small neighbourhood grant from the Vancouver Foundation and Family Services of Greater Vancouver; and everyone who lives or works in New Westminster, BC is welcome to join. The spots for each meeting fill out in hours and there are always long waitlists – I feel grateful to see so much interest in environmentally-friendly food and the strong community it’s helping to form!
Random Acts of Green
I’ve recently joined the Green Spotted Volunteer Program with Random Acts of Green to help create engaging environmental social media content to encourage behaviour change.
