Next Up

Lauren grew up in Calgary and has always been mindful of building community. She was in the final year of her studies at the University of Calgary when she took the Women’s Studies class that made her realize she wanted to pursue social justice seriously.  Sweatshops caught her attention first and she found the issue to be a gateway into feminism and environmentalism.  She was struck by a Suzuiki quote “what we do to the earth, we do to ourselves” and began to live with this in mind.  During University she volunteered at the Women’s Resource Center, and Green Calgary, and later went on to work for Green Calgary as an Educator.  She currently works for The City of Calgary in Waste & Recycling Services with a focus on diverting and reducing waste for businesses.  Lauren loves to “trash talk” with anyone, any day of the week!  Being able to speak to the public and educate others about waste reduction is her favourite part of her job.  She loves running and is currently training for her second ½ marathon, and loves to use cycling as her primary form of transportation.  Lauren also loves reading, writing, and music; she sings, plays piano and guitar, and is learning the Mandolin.  In her spare time she is a self-professed “festival fanatic“, watching as many films as she can, and making sure to go to Folk Fest each year.  She lives her life with the motto: “I will do the best I can.”