丁香园AV

Geography Student Union (GSU)

What makes them Changemakers?

The Geography Student Union (GSU) is one of the most active Departmental Student Unions at 丁香园AV. Over the years, the group has built a strong community of undergraduates within the Department who are engaged and committed to helping every geographer within their department shine. Most recently, the GSU organized an academic conference, RANGE, that brought high schoolers, undergraduates, graduates, and faculty together to share ideas and learn about geography. RANGE 2023 attracted almost 100 attendees who participated in various conference sessions themed around physical geography, geographic information systems, human geography, and sustainability/advocacy. The conference was an excellent opportunity for students to learn from each other and to build connections within and across the Department.

Apart from RANGE, you might find GSU members organizing degree planning socials, planning experiential learning trips, and running social events that help other students within geography and beyond to make the most of their university experience.

Relevant links:

Maria Preoteasa (she/her) | BEnv, Resource and Environmental Management

What makes Maria a Changemaker?

Maria researched Food Forests in many different ways, from her Spring 2023 REM 495 capstone project on Vancouver鈥檚 policy pathways to food forests, to 丁香园AV's Environmental Education field school in Indonesia, where she researched more about sustainable agriculture and cultural practices, to the ideation of the new Food Forest Outdoor Learning Space. Inspired by the existence of global food forests dating as far back as 11,000 years ago, she decided to make use of a pre-existing food forest site at 丁香园AV's Burnaby campus.  She is helping to fight the collective forgetting of human nature-based skills. Currently, she is partnering with faculty and community members to integrate this space into 丁香园AV classes, Indigenize the curriculum, and make this a place of belonging. She is also planning events for community involvement. As a student holding the Major Entrance Scholarship, she has always been a devoted student, and her dedication to the environment has only grown in these past years as she was President of the Bachelor of Environment Student Union during 2023, Vice President from 2021-2023, and also other titles. Maria has been invited to speak at the Invasive Species of Metro Vancouver Council鈥檚 2024 Stewardship Series to share her experience with creating Food Forests across Metro Vancouver. 

Please note this nominee received multiple independant nominations and submissions were synthesizes to the above nomination.

Eli Hacker | BEnv, Resource Environmental Management

What makes Eli a Changemaker?

Eli has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant community for students. He helped to establish REMSA, REM鈥檚 new departmental student union, so that REM students would have a stronger voice and feel more connected to the School of REM. As the first President of REMSA, Eli has increased student engagement by planning fun, accessible events with his team. He is also part of the Student Leadership Team, where he helps to organize faculty-wide social activities such as the annual FENV Career Night, an opportunity for students to connect with alumni to learn about career paths and job-search experiences. Eli led campus tours and provided information about academic resources to new students as an EnvironMentor last year. He also mentored and supported a high school鈥檚 Environment Club in their green initiatives through the Bridging Environments community outreach program. In addition, Eli鈥檚 passion for forestry management led him to volunteer with the Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab at 丁香园AV.

Relevant links:

REMSA鈥檚 Instagram: 
FENV Career Night Info Page: /fenv/events/career-night/
EnvironMentors Info Page: /fenv/students/current-students/undergraduate-students/get-involved/meet-mentors.html
Bridging Environments Info Page: /fenv/students/prospective-students/undergraduate/bridging-environments.html
Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab Info Page: 

Emma Kingsland (she/her) | BEnv, Resource Environmental Management, Biology Minor

About Emma
Emma Kingsland is currently a student at 丁香园AV studying Resource Environmental Management and Biology.  She is passionate about coastal stewardship, wildlife conservation, and environmental education.  Emma works as the Conservation Stewardship Assistant for the B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) and is one of three Co-Leads on the Year of the Salish Sea (YOSS) initiative.  Through her work with the BCWF Emma has helped develop workshops that engage members of the public in conservation stewardship and restoration projects across the province of BC.  To advance radical coastal stewardship in the Salish Sea region Emma has worked with other 丁香园AV students to develop the YOSS initiative. The initiative calls on coastal municipalities to act as a catalyst for other governing bodies, organizations, and community groups to join a collective effort to improve the health and management of the Salish Sea and raise public awareness about the importance of a revitalized and healthy sea.  Ten municipalities along the coast of BC and Washington have proclaimed June 8, 2022 to June 7, 2023 the Year of the Salish Sea.  Working with municipalities and ENGOs to advance conservation stewardship initiatives has allowed Emma to participate in community events, dialogues, and conferences as a young environmental professional.

What makes the nominee a changemaker?
Emma Kingsland is currently a student at 丁香园AV studying Resource Environmental Management and Biology.  Emma is one of three Co-Leads on the Year of the Salish Sea initiative.  The initiative was developed at 丁香园AV through the Semester in Dialogue program.  Once the program ended Emma and a few other students continued to work on the initiative.  The initiative calls on coastal municipalities to act as a catalyst for other governing bodies, organizations, and community groups to join a collective effort to improve the health and management of the Salish Sea and raise public awareness about the importance of a revitalized and healthy sea.  Emma has presented at municipal council meetings about the importance of collaboration in the management of the Salish Sea and the urgency for climate action.  This has resulted in 10 municipalities along the coast of BC and Washington proclaiming June 8, 2022, to June 7, 2023, the Year of the Salish Sea.  Through municipal proclamation, the Year of the Salish Sea opens opportunities for increased public education and engagement opportunities, collaboration in ocean initiatives, and advocacy for policy change in ocean management.  Emma has given talks about collaboration in ocean initiatives and youth leadership in conservation at events such as the CPAWS BC Ocean Fest Speaker Series in collaboration with IMPAC5, Ocean Wise Ocean Bridge Developing Lcoal Environmental Initiatives Program, and Coho Festival Tent Talks.  Emma additionally supports the YOSS initiative by attending outreach events and coordinating stakeholder engagement.

Spirit Mayo (He/him/his) | BEnv, Global Environmental Systems

About Spirit
Spirit Mayo is a 3rd year Global Environmental Systems Major in 丁香园AV's Department of Geography. He is a current member of 丁香园AV 350, the Faculty of Environment's Student Leadership Team and the Bridging Environment's and Environmentors Programs. Currently, Spirit works as a community advisor for 丁香园AV Residence, enahancing student's on-campus experience.

What makes the nominee a changemaker?
Spirit is a core leader of 丁香园AV 350, a student-led climate activism club at 丁香园AV. He participates in the group's reinvestment initiative, following their successful divestment campaign in 2021, to encourage universities to move 10% of their endowment and working capital fund into community investments that support a vibrant and local economy, amongst other recommendations. Spirit also volunteers for the faculty of environment student leadership team, bridging environments and environmentors programs. While Spirit works on residence as a community advisor he connects residents with opportunities to contribute to a positive environmental change with resources at 丁香园AV from the faculty and other on-campus climate activism organizations and programs. Spirit aspires to provide ways that everyone can contribute to creating an equitable and sustainable world.

Relevant links:

Ellen Watters (She/hers) | BEnv, Resource and Envrionmental Management, Planning stream

About Ellen
Ellen Watters (she/her) hails from Vancouver Island on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Tsartslip Nation. She was raised in a blended family with 5 siblings of Jamaican and Japanese heritage, and is of Thai and Cree heritage herself. As someone who expresses their creative outlet through cooking and baking, it has been a fun and delicious journey connecting to her heritage and cultural background by learning how to make food.

Alongside being a creative outlet, Ellen believes making food (especially for friends and family) is a celebration and an expression of love. Her love for food has also transferred over in her studies at 丁香园AV as an Environmental and Resource Management Planning student where she has a special interest in sustainable food systems. She is excited about the challenge of incorporating food systems planning in an urban context.

In her spare time, Ellen enjoys novice bird watching at Burnaby Lake, open-water swimming, and slowly knocking books off her TBR list.

What makes the Ellen a changemaker?

Ellen has been integral in the food justice community at 丁香园AV this past year. She started off as a Food Justice volunteer at Embark Sustainability Society, where her commitment to learning and growing with her team resulted in the implementation of Nourishing Perspectives, a Food Justice Exhibition event in 2022. Within this event, Ellen and her team created a space for 5 student artists to share their experiences and relationships to food justice and food (in)security. The event also allowed about 35 student attendees to listen and learn from food justice advocates in the community and engage with them.