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A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET
Careers in Sustainability Mediaplanet spoke with sustainability leaders Leah Perry and Helen Watts to gain insights into the pressing environmental challenges today, and their experiences in entering the field.
Q&A WITH
Leah Perry
Leah Perry Senior Manager Cleantech, MaRS Discovery District
What inspired you to pursue a career in sustainability, and how did you find your path to become a leader in the field? I’ve known of the ramifications of climate change, not only to our planet but also to humans since childhood, with kudos to my parents who have always been advocates for climate action. While I was at Export Development Canada, I was fortunate enough to
become a founding member of its Cleantech Team, which was my first realization that I could mix my two passions: supporting entrepreneurs and helping to tackle the biggest problem of our generation. Through my work at MaRS Discovery District, I have the privilege of working with early-stage climate tech ventures, of which, many of the founders have deep technical backgrounds. I’m inspired by their incredible inventions (and minds) every day. However, without capital and connections, the climate impact of these inventions will never be realized. Therefore, how did I find my path to become a leader in the field? Understanding your strengths and being incredibly inspired by those around you.
From your perspective, how can organizations in Canada enhance their
commitment to sustainability, and what role can young professionals play in driving this change? Improvements to enhance a company’s sustainability can be made throughout the full value and supply chain. It’s important to conduct a deep analysis of where improvements can be made and be open to new innovations. Innovative clean technologies have the potential to help To read the full interview, visit us reach our climate goals; innovatingcanada.ca. however, without corporate adoption, they’ll never realize their true climate impact potential. Young professionals can, and should, hold their organizations accountable for the climate plans they put forward. These organizations need your talent — your voice and influence matter.
Q&A WITH
Helen Watts the future of the Vancouver marmot to a pretty uninterested classroom of 13-yearolds. I went to my first climate protest at 19 years old while interning at the UN, and incidentally this would end up being the largest climate change march in history, the People’s Climate March, where I marched with 300,000 people.
Helen Watts Executive Director, Student Energy
What inspired you to pursue a career in sustainability, and how did you find your path to become a leader in the field? It’s difficult to draw a line to when I first sparked passion for sustainability work - I remember getting really into animal rights and starting the first Endangered Animals Club at school around Grade 7, a club of one member (me) giving impassioned talks about
As someone recognized for their achievements in sustainability, what do you believe are the most pressing challenges and opportunities in the field today? A just and clean energy transition that closes the energy access gap is a critical and complex challenge that will take years of sustained work, but seriously including young people in this work is still not happening at the scale it needs to. I want people to recognize that empowering this generation of over two-billion young people to care about and work on solutions throughout their lives is
one of the most powerful strategies we have for climate and energy action. By 2027 I want to see us in a place where we’ve mobilized millions of dollars for youth-led climate and clean energy projects and inclusive capacity-building programs, equipping our generation with everything they need to take action now. In my role at Student Energy and in my networks, I plan to keep pushing for meaningful and inclusive youth engagement because it’s something I still don’t see happening. Too many institutions still rely on tokenistic engagement which erodes the ability of youth movements to get traction and To read the full interview, visit influence in spaces where innovatingcanada.ca. decisions are being made. There’s credible research, dating back as early as 2003 that supports the value of youth participation in policymaking and decision-making, but youth are still widely left out of these spaces.
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