Lea Elliott Email & Phone Number

Vancouver

• Collaborating with my colleagues and the community to protect and enhance the ecological health and ecosystem services of Iona Island and the Fraser River estuary. • Interpret and integrate environmental legislation, regional policies, ecological data, and best management practices into processes, plans, policies, and projects.• Draw on a wide breadth of environmental knowledge, including local ecosystems, ecological processes, nature-based solutions, habitat restoration, and resource recovery.• Evaluate consultants, keep consultant-led projects on track, and provide input to improve reporting, recommendations and designs.• Initiated a multi-disciplinary team to investigate the use of reclaimed water.• Lead the evaluation of an effluent heat recovery project consultant supported multi-disciplinary team.• Convey the value of projects to colleagues, senior staff, and the community.• Build consensus and find common ground between a variety of staff and community needs and objectives.• Identify the most strategic path to move projects forward in a complex environment.• Communicate effectively in writing, during casual interactions, at meetings, and with formal presentations.

Vancouver

Catalyze more sustainable practices through strategic solutions development, policy analysis, writing, workshops, and public speaking:* Give story rich and inspiring talks on what nature can teach us about sustainability. * Deliver workshops to teachers to provide the skills they need to inspire 3000+ students to care about the environment and be hopeful sustainability leaders.* Mentor fellow professionals to integrate holistic environmental change into their work.* Researched, wrote, and published the book Work Like Nature: Sustainability lessons from ecosystems for your job or businesses. * Sourced, investigated, and interviewed green innovators. * Moderated panel discussion on government collaboration in the face of diverging policy perspectives.* Wrote sustainability articles for the Centre for Civic Governance, the Institute of Public Administration Canada, Vancouver Economic Commission –Thriving Vancouver, and the New Brewer.* Hosted talks for emerging sustainability business leaders on running a values-based business, getting your idea off the ground, and the benefits of collaboration.

Vancouver

I work with Vancouver teachers to give them the tools and ideas they need - in the classroom and in the garden - to inspire the next generation of green innovators.Together, we’ve grown the ecological literacy skills of 350+ students.Each year brings new stories of students discovering the wonder of nature. One of my favourites was watching a class of ten-year-olds as they peered at mason bees emerging from brown cocoons. We heard munching, a hole appeared, antenna unfurled and a cute, fuzzy face peered out. The students took sharp intakes of breath, and I heard "wow cool" over and over.

Richmond, British Columbia

At the City of Richmond, I implemented a wide variety of greener practices, legislation, and policies which required a significant breadth of environmental knowledge, an understanding of how municipalities work, as well as knowledge of municipal, regional, provincial and federal environmental legislation and responsibilities. Some of the projects I completed were:* Created a Richmond specific approach to the Riparian Areas Regulation that effectively protected fish habitat, met the legislation and was easy for landowners to implement.* Wrote the city’s first Pesticide Use Control Bylaw.* Initiated a system to help the City’s dyke manager manage dyke infrastructure for safety, beauty, and birds.* Conserved the last 15 acres of the Northeast Bog Forest held in private ownership. * Wove ecological principles into the City Centre Area Plan - a first for Richmond.* Delivered a barn owl habitat compensation project.* Ensured Olympic Oval development protected and enhanced the Fraser River and an adjacent watercourse.* Supported snow geese management. * Worked with a variety of property owners and businesses to address pollution issues.* Provided plumbing inspectors educational leaflets and support to prevent restaurant grease from clogging the region’s liquid waste system.

Research, education and promotion of sustainable fisheries, agricultural watershed management, bird conservation, water-wise gardening and habitat mapping.Favourite memories: Sharing with City of Vancouver residents how to grow a garden that uses water wisely 15 years before Vancouver ever hit stage 2 water restrictions.

Facilitated discussion and learning of undergraduate students in agroecological principles, critical thinking, team work, feedback and presentation skills.Favourite memories: Being in a roomful of 18 year-olds excited about B.C. apple farming and pastured-raised beef before the 100 mile diet was conceived of.

Researched the effects of forestry on birds, amphibians and plants through a variety of projects.Favourite memories: Early mornings spent searching for woodpecker nests, afternoons spent measuring plants and evenings spent calling for owls. Ah, the life of a field biologist.

Msc., Resource Management And Environmental Studies

Thesis: Developed a method to quantify the effectiveness of riparian buffers to protect stream habitat and water quality.

Bsc., Biology And Environmental Studies