From Awareness to Action: Using Dalhousie’s Sustainability Framework to Make Positive Change in Your Daily Life

As the title suggests, I’ll use Dal’s sustainability framework to deliver a 360° session on what sustainability means, how it can be broken down into pillars that intersect with all areas of daily life, and how participants can make changes to support what I understand is already strong existing knowledge. I’ll include case studies for each pillar that should resonate with your members.

The session will be interactive: after introducing each area, participants will have a few minutes to jot down ideas on the worksheet. At the end, we’ll revisit these lists and each participant will choose 1–3 items to focus on implementing over the next six months.

A Bit About Me:
I’m a project manager, educator, and researcher passionate about doing good for our planet and its people, using curiosity and compassion to lead the way. I’m known for my academic research on ghost gear—abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear—particularly in the Canadian Maritimes, where I reside, specifically in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people (Nova Scotia). My background is in marine biology and sustainability: I hold a BSc and a Master’s in Marine Management from Dalhousie University, and I obtained my Project Management Professional designation in 2023. I’ve worked across the Maritimes and now work full-time in Dalhousie’s Office of Sustainability as Sustainability Manager, as well as teaching a fourth-year undergraduate sustainability capstone course in Dal’s College of Sustainability, where students work on real-world projects. Both roles allow me to combine action and teaching—an approach I’ll bring to our session.