Celebrating 100 Living Planet Leaders
Four years after our inaugural class of ten Canadian post-secondary students from ten different schools and academic programs completed their Living Planet Leader certifications, Living Planet @ Campus has reached a new milestone!
One hundred Living Planet Leaders have now demonstrated their commitment to sustainability and conservation by completing a series of actions that reflect the core values of the program: learn, act and inspire. Students who complete their certification, ranging from poli-sci to philosophy majors, are showcased on the Living Planet @ Campus Leaderboard.
The Living Planet Leader program — launched in 2019 to inspire students to take action for a more sustainable future while building leadership skills and providing valuable networking — is an opportunity to take your passion for sustainability and conservation to the next level.
“Being a Living Planet Leader means prioritizing nature in my work,” said Living Planet Leader Elizabeth Blokker. “As an engineer, I am deeply interested in integrating nature-based solutions into the design of our cities. I see so many co-benefits between increasing biodiversity within our cities while also helping us adapt to climate change. Nature is the answer!!”
Another Living Planet Leader, Youstina Makhlouf, said the certification, “means taking the time to understand the world around you and being brave enough to do something about the problems you see.
The world’s problems are big and daunting, but being equipped with understanding allows you to see the big picture. Once you do, you know you can’t fix everything by yourself, but you must start somewhere. If you don’t start, no one else will be able to follow — [but] if you do, you create a ripple effect that goes beyond what you might think is possible!”
The Living Planet Leader program is open to all Canadian post-secondary students who want to make a difference by completing activities in four key areas:
- Campus, community or global volunteerism
- Personal application of sustainability
- Application of sustainability in academics
- Leadership and teamwork
Students can earn certification as a Living Planet Leader and join a community of like-minded individuals committed to making a positive impact on the planet.
Congratulations to all of our Living Planet Leaders — we look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish in the future.
