Communicating for Nature

COMMUNICATING FOR NATURE

WRITTEN BY: KELLY GREEN, COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

Growing up in rural New Brunswick, I’ve always had a connection to the natural spaces around me. I was homeschooled until the fourth grade, and my parents had always put a large emphasis on being outdoors during this time. I would help my father, who would do selective cutting in our 60-acre forest for firewood to use in the winter. This meant I spent a lot of my childhood in this forest.

This began my affinity for nature, as I would spend hours being amazed by intricate leaves and the immaculate designs on tree bark, and my dad would often help me identify the trees around us. When I wasn’t immersed deep in the forest, I was in a tree house located about an acre into our property. This is where I would do my homework, read, listen to the birds, and watch squirrels and birds interact. When I finally attended public school in grade four, I was surprised by how little we went outdoors, or even spoke about it.

Throughout the years, I kept a close connection with nature, but my classes rarely ever discussed it. We had a house fire at the end of my grade ten year in high school – and we were forced to move for a year while it got rebuilt. We moved to an urban area in a suburb, surrounded by concrete and construction. This was new to me, as I had spent 15 years of my life immersed in nature. Over that year, I started to realize the scope of how vital nature really was to me. In my final year of high school, I took my first Environmental Science class. This was the year I realized I want to work to protect the environment for the rest of my life, because no one should ever have to experience a life where nature isn’t flourishing around them.

After high school, I moved to Fredericton to attend St. Thomas University (STU) in pursuit of an Arts degree, with majors in Environment and Society Studies and Communications and Policy. I didn’t think there would be any environmental organization that would want to hire a student with little to no experience in the field, so I worked as a barista at a coffee shop. I threw out countless single use plastics as part of my job and handed out thousands of single use coffee cups, straws, and plastic covered pastries, knowing one day that they could end up in our oceans. This broke my heart, as sustainability and low-waste living is so important to me.

In one of my second-year classes, focused on New Brunswick ecology, earth systems, and sustainable local businesses, my professor, Vince Zelazny, (Past-President of the Nature Trust) told us about an internship opportunity at a local environmental organization that was looking for a student studying Environment and Society studies as well as Communications, to participate in the STU Internship program. My eyes lit up and I immediately contacted the organization for more information.

Four days later, I was offered the position as the Communications and Engagement Intern at the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. I went into the office for my first day and instantly felt a sense of friendliness, comfort, and was warmly welcomed to the team. I felt motivated and excited; this was the first time I could put my passion into practical application. I spent the semester working part time, getting familiar with the organizations mission and work that they do, and by the end of my first internship, I was offered a full-time summer position.

Coming into the Nature Trust every morning was a breath of fresh air, whether I was attending an event, scheduling social media posts, cleaning up shorelines along the Bay of Fundy, or helping to revamp our website. I always ended the day feeling great and like I worked towards something for the betterment of the province. This is something unique about the Nature Trust: your work matters. Every individual is filled with passion and motivation to protect the beautiful natural spaces of New Brunswick. It is truly an inspiring space to work in and has made my passion for protecting the environment even stronger.

Working with motivated, dedicated and knowledgeable staff who take the time to stop by your desk and ask how you’re doing, offer you a coffee, share their knowledge, or invite you out to lunch is something truly special. The Nature Trust feels like a home away from home, as cliché as that may be. What more could you ever ask for from a workplace?

I continue to work as part of the staff at the Nature Trust, now as the Communications and Engagement Officer. I still get just as excited to come to work, after nearly a year. I am now in my third year at STU and find myself using skills that I have acquired from working with the Nature Trust in my academics, as well as in my everyday life. The Nature Trust inspires me to get outdoors and connect with nature, even when you live in a city. Their 62 nature preserves located across New Brunswick provide a perfect escape from urban living and protect forests, wetlands, and shorelines from human development for future generations to enjoy. I am so grateful to be a part of that.

Thank you to St. Thomas University’s Experiential Learning and Community Based Learning Department and Venture For Canada for funding this work experience.