Saturday Spotlight Series Gaïa obtained a master’s degree in Applied International Law and Politics from the University of Sherbrooke in Québec in 2020. Through the French Red Cross' Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI), she became familiar with disaster law in the southwestern Indian Ocean countries and island territories that are most affected by the consequences of climate change, and yet the least responsible. She initially joined The Climate Reality...

Saturday Spotlight Series Ashley Anthony is a communications expert with a background in journalism and marketing. Focusing now on environmental non-profit work, previously she was a news director, radio host, and adventure junkie. Now she lives a quiet life in Saint John, NB after stints in Yellowknife, NT, and Terrace, BC, with her husband and three kids.   Why did you join the climate movement/what pushed you to become interested in climate change issues? After working alo

By Maheep Sandhu, Community Climate Hubs Manager at the Climate Reality Project Canada In November 2021, I had the privilege to attend the global climate negotiations occurring in Glasgow, Scotland on behalf of the Climate Reality Project Canada. While at COP26, I did live correspondence for community-based partners like the  Calgary Climate Hub  and  The Climate Dialogues , interviewed young people from Kahnawá:ke, observed negotiations for the  Climate Action Network-Canada

By Grant Linney Late last month, I returned from six restorative days of canoeing in Killarney Provincial Park amidst fall colours, good weather and close friends. It reminded me of an Indigenous distinction between spending much-needed time in nature, in “what made you” versus our all-too-common experience of being distracted by the superficial world of “what you made”.  As a career outdoor and environmental educator, I seek to expose people of all ages to the beauty, wonder

By Lou Collin Every year, Climate Reality Leaders across the globe mobilize for a day of action to create an enormous wave of simultaneous advocacy that spans over 24 hours worldwide. I must admit that initially, this annual event, called 2 4 Hours of Reality ,  raised skepticism in me: it doesn’t take an expert to know that the climate crisis will not be resolved in one day. However, it does take mass grassroots mobilization to create the political will that is needed to cre

Saturday Spotlight Series Margo is currently pursuing a Master's in Environmental Assessment at Concordia University. Passionate about data and impact measurement/management, she wants to work toward supporting the transition of communities toward increasingly sustainable and equitable practices for all. She has a strong interest in climate justice, mobility, the zero waste movement, and food systems. Outside of work, she volunteers for the Quebecer Association Zéro-Déchet, a

Saturday Spotlight Series Adrian is passionate about environmental and social sustainability. He holds a BSc in Geography from the University of Winnipeg and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Leadership at the University of Guelph. He has run an urban farm, worked on grassroots urban nature awareness initiatives, and researched vegetation change in the sub-arctic. He is also a writer for The Gardener Magazine and a co-author of Rooster Town: The History of an Urban Métis Co

Saturday Spotlight Series Lucas (aka "Luke") is a quantitative social scientist with a background in political psychology. He is interested in improving how public and private institutions collect, communicate, and disseminate information with citizens. Lucas graduated with a master's degree in political science from the University of Calgary in 2019 and is a former fellow of the International Society of Political Psychology. Among his academic interests, Lucas is passionate

Saturday Spotlight Series Maheep manages the Community Climate Hubs. Prior to this, he worked as a  Fellowship Coordinator and Partnerships Specialist at Student Energy, Special Assistant to a Member of Parliament and as a Junior Consultant for the Enlight Solar Academy in Uganda. He has a Bachelors of Global and International Studies from Carleton University, which is also where he co-founded and led organizations including Climate Action Carleton, and the student union’s su

Saturday Spotlight Series Karel Mayrand is the President and CEO of the Foundation of Greater Montréal. Before that, he has been for twelve years Director General for Quebec and the Atlantic with the David Suzuki Foundation, and chair of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project in Canada. He is also Vice-President of the board of Société du Parc Jean-Drapeau. Karel is co-author of Demain, le Québec (Éditions La Presse, 2018), author of Une Voix pour la Terre (Boréal, 2012), co-autho

Saturday Spotlight Series Tonio is Senior Director of Environment, Lands and Water at the Assembly of First Nations (Canada), and is involved in a variety of related initiatives, including sitting as a board member of Climate Reality Canada, and participating as a Principle Investigator for the Food, Environment, Health and Nutrition of First Nations Children and Youth (FEHNCY) study. He has a PhD from Simon Fraser University (2008) and teaches in the Faculty of Social Scienc

Saturday Spotlight Series Jean-François Barsoum has over 20 years of experience at IBM where his focus is on understanding and communicating the societal and environmental impacts of technology. He was part of the core team that built the smart city concepts in the early 2000s. Currently, his main objective is to communicate and popularise climate change solutions, smart city innovations, and the potential impacts of new mobility – such as the emergence of autonomous vehicles

Saturday Spotlight Series Daniel is the Ottawa Region Lead Mentor for the Climate Reality Project Canada, He completed training in Mexico City in 2018 and has years of previous interest in energy and environmental conservation. He is the principal of the Building Science Trust (a small engineering consulting firm focused on energy conservation and conversion to renewable fuels in buildings). He is a mechanical engineer with over 35 years of experience in Net Zero Retrofit pla

By Julie Johnson, Climate Reality Leader Trained in 2015 Julie Johnson is a mom, educator and writer, trained as a Climate Reality Leader in Toronto in 2015. She is the co-creator/facilitator of a youth empowerment program for grades 3-8 centred on the UN Global Goals. Her climate activism comedy novel, Hill of Greens , is available on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. She lives in Oro Medonte, Ontario, and is actively involved in local social and climate justice ini

June 1st, 2020 The Climate Reality Project Canada stands in solidarity with those demanding justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Régis Korchinski-Paquet , Pierre Coriolan, and countless other lives lost to systemic racism, white supremacy, and police brutality. We recognize that these are not isolated incidents. As an organization fighting for climate justice, we have a responsibility to speak out against systemic racism and work with our partners to help

By Sofia Vedechkina This Wednesday, April 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. At The Climate Reality Project Canada, we’re extremely inspired when we think of the successes the world has had thanks to fifty years of climate action–we have achieved a lot in the last half-century by bringing environmental concerns to the political table and defending values that are dear to us, such as conservation, diversity, and equity. Our Founder and Chairman, Al Gore, once said:

By Sofia Vedechkina Judy Fainstein became a Climate Reality Leader in the first Canadian training and has a wide range of experience in both the public and private sectors. Since 2013, she’s been the Director of Operations for Andrew Weaver, Member of the Legislative Assembly of BC, and a Lead Author of the IPCC reports. Judy is passionate about providing leadership opportunities for youth and creating platforms to have their voices heard on issues that matter to them. We sat