Next Up

When Tasneem was younger she was enraptured by National Geographic in learning about animals, their habitats, and the profound diversity of our planet. She grew a deep appreciation of the importance of wildlife and ecosystems on the balance and harmony of the earth. This was further sparked throughout her childhood as she grow up with animals whom taught her empathy and compassion. Through volunteering she has been committed to raising awareness around sustainability, animal protection, and environmental responsibility. In university, she created the first presence of World Wildlife Fund in Calgary through collaborating with the Students Union at the University of Calgary and World Wildlife Fund Canada.  The club received the award of being the most active campus club across Canada raising over $6000 in two years for endangered animals and their habitats.

She is currently working as a Youth Counsellor for The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth, supporting refugee and newcomer youth in their settlement journeys to Calgary. She completed a Bachelor of Social Work and is interested in exploring the intersectionality of climate change on social welfare and learning more about green social work. On her spare time, you can find her cuddling with her dog, working out, or trying to learn Korean through watching Korean dramas and listening to Korean music.

Sonia was born and raised in the City of Calgary. She has a degree in Biology, Psychology and Education.  She is passionate about the environment and is currently working as a teacher. She teaches Biology and General Sciences to High School Students. When she is not teaching she is working as a Sustainability Educator. She goes to schools across Calgary educating teachers and students on the importance of recycling and composting. Her goal is to reduce the amount of waste produced by younger generations by showing them how their collective actions can make a difference.

In her free time Sonia enjoys going for walks, watching documentaries and eating chocolate.

Sarah Grass moved to Alberta from New Brunswick in 2013 and recently began working with the non-profit organization ReThink Red Deer, which seeks to inspire & educate citizens to envision and create a sustainable future in the local community. Sarah completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University in May 2011, focusing on themes of collaborating with nature. She volunteered with the Nature Trust of New Brunswick on their Youth in Nature project and is currently training in a project lead role with ReThink Red Deer - Coordinating campaigns, events & workshops such as Garbage Free February, and the EcoLiving Fair. Thanks to her parents and grandparents, she became conscious of the importance of protecting the environment from a young age and is dedicated to sharing what she has learned with her community, in a creative and engaging way.

Romy is a born and raised Calgarian with proud roots in Latin America. These days she spends most of her time answering emails by apologizing for the delayed reply, while the rest of her time is divided between Twitter and scrolling through the menu selection on panago.com. For fun, she likes eating and hiking in the great Rockies—simultaneously, if possible.

While she is lucky to have dabbled in various hobbies and interests growing up, her most notable and formative experiences lie within community activism and student advocacy. She gained valuable knowledge and skills in these areas, but mostly an appreciation for everything she has yet to learn. Currently, she works for the municipal government at the City of Calgary and, like a predictable millennial, has yet to figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

Randy is a Metis from fishing lake metis settlement.  He is a leader in his community by serving 10 years as an elected official and one year as President of the Metis Settlements of Alberta.

Randy now leads the community in regards to environmental monitoring and also for the Metis Nation.

Randy along with his wife lives a traditional way of life in Fishing Lake by living off the land and respecting the harvest Mother Earth provides.

Randy and Desiree are working towards not only inhabiting the land but working to protect it. (We all know it takes a village)

Born and raised in Edmonton, Rabia is passionate about connecting people and ideas to create stronger, more connected communities.

Much of her work is centred on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the goals. Through her work with organizations such as Edmonton’s NextGen and Engineers Without Borders Canada, she has recognized that a collaborative approach is the key to finding effective, sustainable solutions.

Rabia completed her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta. Her undergraduate experience has inspired her motivation to gain a deep understanding of global sustainability issues and apply her technical knowledge in the area of climate action through policy to counter the multidisciplinary impacts of climate change.  

In her spare time you might find Rabia at a local craft or farmer’s market, enjoying the an Edmonton festival, or creating some form of art.

Myles has lived his life across Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 Territory. Born in Calgary, he moved to Edmonton to complete a BA in Political Science at the UofA and has lived there ever since. Myles currently works as a Social Marketing Supervisor for the City of Edmonton, overseeing the implementation and evaluation of evidence based behaviour change programs. On his way to his current position he has worked for the Alberta NDP, spent summers surveying the backcountry for mountain pine beetles, and held a variety of roles in municipal waste collection. Myles has volunteered his time as a contributor to Terra Informa, an environmental news radio show, as well as a door knocker on political campaigns at all levels.

Myles passion for environmentalism and climate action comes from a deep love for connecting with nature. Any chance he gets he is backpacking, biking, fishing, or skiing. His experiences being a foster brother as a child exposed him to the painful realities of colonialism in Canada. He strives to continually challenge his own thinking and behaviours while working to support decolonization.

Marco was born in Red Deer, Alberta. Marco would later move to Calgary enroll at the University of Calgary and complete a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He was one of fourteen students pioneering the newly offered Certificate of Sustainability Studies at the University of Calgary, the first of its kind offered in Canadian Universities. Marco’s key interest in sustainability is to bring harmony to nature and society. He believes that bringing sustainability practices into daily living at home, in leisure, or in the workplace, will be integral to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

In the Summer of 2017 Marco pursued the Leadership of the Green Party of Alberta. He came in second place and is now the President of the Green Party of Alberta. Marco has amassed an immense network of other leaders in Sustainability and Climate Change initiatives across Alberta and British Columbia. He plans to use his network politically to pursue action at a policy level in all levels of government. Marco plans to be a Provincial candidate in 2019.

Marco works in Account Management for a Property Services company. He also is an active researcher who has mixed interest in anything from Community Garden Models to Mental Health. He also operates a small Landscaping and Gardening business that is dedicated to bringing nature and sustainability into people’s homes or workplaces.

I free people's thinking so they can create new futures. New ideas, new decisions, new actions, new outcomes. When I founded World Creativity and Innovation Day, April 21 (WCID) in 2001 I had this question in mind: “Wouldn't it be nice if people felt welcome and able to use their creativity to make the world a better place and to make their place in the world better too?”  WCID became a passion project, and now people in over 50 countries take part. In 2017 the United Nations made it a Day of Observance in support of meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Professionally I help leaders and teams over hurdles to transforming and adapting their organizations with the future in mind. I want to include climate issues as decision making factors moving forward. My education: BA in Cultural Anthropology from SUNY Buffalo and an M.Sc. in Creativity and Change Leadership the International Center for Studies in Creativity. Grew up in Toronto, travelled a bit, and now live in Canmore, AB. Love it.

Jodi Lammiman is an Edmonton transplant who lives with her partner Chris and wild child kitten Nola. As a child she was often scolded for asking the ‘wrong questions’, disappearing outdoors for hours, and having her head stuck in a book. Twenty-some years later, not much has changed. Jodi would describe herself as a seeker, questioner, and an advocate for social and environmental justice. But even more than that, she seeks to be a person who listens well and loves deeply.

She believes in following her curiosity wherever it might lead. Thus far, it has led her into and out of faith, to live in the woods with 8 others at a retreat centre, to study under eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, and to hold her questions tightly and the answers less so, recognizing that the answers are often changing.

With education in Sacred Literature, Leadership, and Spiritual Direction, Jodi spends a lot of her time helping other people explore their own questions about life, meaning, and intentional participation in social action. She believes that reflection, social and environmental action, and spirituality must be undertaken in the context of love and community in order to create meaningful change in the world. To this end, she and fellow Next Up alumnus Amy Spark created Refugia Retreats, an initiative that offers retreats, workshops, spiritual direction, and facilitation in order to foster curiosity, attentiveness, and reflection as catalysts for societal and personal change.

When not working at Refugia or as Community Wellness Coordinator at King’s University, Jodi is an avid fan of reading anything she can get her hands on (particularly YA fiction), drawing, and having long, rambling conversations with friends who are more like family.