Having grown up half-Dominican and half-Canadian, I spent a lot of time in Dominican Republic during my formative years. This allowed me to develop a strong connection with my country’s vast landscapes and subsequently an immense drive to preserve them. This has directly translated to my chosen domain of study at Concordia, as I wrap up my undergraduate degree in Human Environment and Sustainability studies. During which I have acquired knowledge on environmental justice and initiative , ultimately leading me to this amazing opportunity with the enuf team. I am eager to work with the team to make a tangible difference, as well as learn valuable skills that I may one day bring back to Dominican Republic as they strive towards environmental, social and economic sustainability.

I was born and raised in a beautiful touristic town in the Western Himalayas of India. I have witnessed from the last two decades, how the excessive use of plastic has drastically changed the climate of the town. This has been the primary reason that has motivated me to join “Waste Not, Want Not” Concordia. I aim at spreading awareness about the importance of segregation of the waste, especially composting and how waste management could be a small step from our side to make this world a better place to live.

Waste reduction is a key solution for the regeneration of our ecosystems. The Earth cannot sustain the rate at which we are producing and therefore wasting. Landscapes are being destroyed from the lack of proper waste treatment systems, therefore entire habitats disappear. I believe understanding our waste and reducing is key for the survival of our generations and the nexts.

I worked at enuf creating visuals and taking photos to communicate enuf’s important mission and greater purpose. I had a very pleasant, insightful experience. The team felt welcoming, my work enriching and the greater mission in alignment with my core values. I found balance and harmony in workflow, communication with the team and co-creation. I would highly recommend the experience, to anyone seeking to better understand our invisible structures at play, in a welcoming environment, creating impact that matters.

I am committed to living a low-impact lifestyle for two reasons:
1. Every which way you square it, living life through sustainable principles just makes sense.
2. I carry a deeply rooted value of contributing to the Earth’s rehabilitation for the well-being of all current and future living beings.

Both logically and emotionally, low-impact living is the strategy best suited to actualizing my life goals. Living a low-impact life has brought me incredible joy, but it’s been an emotional ride. I grew up in a frugal and creative home and learned many valuable lessons on minimizing consumption and appreciating the things one already has. It wasn’t until I went to university, got an apartment, and began living independently that a key challenge arose; waste management. I noticed the torrential heaps of garbage spilling out of trash cans and the piles of IKEA furniture and freebie trinkets that first-years tossed after 1-year in Rez. I audited my own garbage/recycling/compost cans and faced the fact that I could do better. Waste Not, Want Not was there to catch me. Working with WNWN has not only cultivated my confidence in proper waste management techniques but has given me the opportunity to positively affect local waste systems! And in the process, I have gained much hope for the future.

Out of all the environmental problems we’re facing, reducing waste has always been the one that really inspires me. While some problems that feel too large to comprehend and confront on a personal level, waste is something we all contribute to and one we can make a big difference in tackling with just small changes to our lifestyle. During the time I had the pleasure of working at enuf, I saw how impactful it is when people come together to make these small changes and advocate for a better future. I’m so proud to have been involved in this organization and can’t wait to see what great things come next.

As an urban planning student. I got to learn every day about the environment and its relation to the city. Day after day and class after class I started getting frustrated and saddened about the environmental crisis we are witnessing. However, thinking that I was powerless made me feel worse. When I knew about this initiative I wanted to join to do something good but i wasn’t expecting much. However, noticing how students are learning more about sustainability and how it affected their behaviour proved to me that we are not powerless. WNWN taught me we can make the world a better place when we take actions no matter how small they are.

I was born in, and spent a big part of my childhood in southern Spain – a place I love dearly. Like most of the world, this region has been experiencing extreme weather events with increasing frequency and strength as a direct effect of climate change. Living through devastating droughts and heat waves in a place that already registers some of the highest temperatures in Europe has helped me understand what is at stake when fighting the climate crisis. As such, I want to work on solutions to this crisis and am honored to get a chance to do this at enuf. With my background in communications, I look forward to using these skills to reach new clients and share with them the many benefits of using enuf’s services.

Born and raised in Vietnam, I witnessed sustainability being embedded in daily habits but not prominent in conversations. Saving up takeaway containers. Never throw away shampoo containers if we can make it a cute plant propagating pot. Using pomelo peels as a main ingredient for Vietnamese traditional desserts “Che Buoi”. In fact, not until recently did I realize that my interest in arts was fueled from the excitement of crafting and upcycling projects since I was a kid. Unfortunately, current popular sustainable conversations do not count marginalized community practices. Sometimes they make sustainability seem distant, somewhat glamorous and inaccessible. Hence, I aspire to study, retrieve and renew my ancestral practices of sustainability and participate in creating an inclusive and sustainable community.

Annie is a third-year Human Relations and Sustainability undergraduate student, with a love for plants and composting.

Prior to joining Concordia University, Annie initiated and implemented the on-campus composting pilot at Dawson College that has grown to become a widely-practiced habit at the Cegep where every waste station now includes a compost bin! With an eagerness to lead, a passion for program development and communication, Annie is helping people get off auto-pilot when it comes to waste sorting.

The waste reduction movement is of utmost importance to me because the earth is what we all have in common. Growing up in a disproportionately vulnerable place like the Philippines showed me that it is in our best interest that we strive to protect the soil under our feet, the air we breathe and all the beings that we share this beautiful planet with.

I lived most of my life in Lebanon, where recycling wasn’t a thing. I was in scouts for several years, where we did small things to try and create a more sustainable and greener environment, by cleaning beach chores and trying to recycle between our group, because we believed that the change starts with you. Therefore, I wasn’t exposed to the full idea of sustainability, until I came to Montreal in 2019. I started hearing about the benefits and
advantages that come from it and seeing the public doing so. After that, all my actions started to be based on sustainability, I learned to recycle, compost and going to different initiatives, such as cleaning beach chores, parks and so on. I believe that if we work together, we can make this planet a better place, not just for us, but for the coming generations!

The practice of burning trash has been the most prominent yet gravely unsustainable form of waste management back in my hometown in Algiers. Even though I was not fully aware of climate change headlines at a young age, I fully remember how burning waste pits were directly affecting the air quality and soil retention of my neighbourhood at the time.

As years went by, I started to question our rate of consumption and noticed the stark difference between the goal of getting rid of waste and the goal of completely preventing the production of waste. I wanted to become a Waste Ambassador for enuf in order to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of composting and how easy and impactful it can be. I am more than happy to make this part of my journey to sustainable living

My mom lived in Germany before the collapse of the Berlin wall, and they had quite the rigorous recycling and composting regiment for their citizens there. These good habits were instilled into me at the tender age of young. The Canadian attitude towards recycling and composting did relax my sorting, but I will forever be that kid that rips the plastic apart from the cardboard tissue box and makes sure that the compost bin isn’t contaminated. The waste crisis in Canada became such that I felt I needed to do something to help mitigate it, and luckily enuf was helping in my student community at Concordia University. I am glad to be working alongside thoughtful people and contributing to positive changes in our communities.