Mei-Ling Patterson

Hello/Bonjour, my name is Mei-Ling (She/Her/Elle)! I was born and raised on the unceded and stolen territories of what is currently North Vancouver, BC which is the land of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As a child and to this day I feel safest and happiest under the protection of the old-growth trees on this land and am continuously heartbroken over the logging of these majestic living beings. This extractivism for-profit under racial capitalism is a by-product of ongoing settler colonialism in what is currently Canada. Which I recognize that as a White-passing third-generation immigrant and settler of half-Chinese and half-White (British and Irish) descent I have been complicit in and benefitting from. Being raised in a middle-class family with English as a first-language, having access to post-secondary education without requiring student loans – something which is denied to many, being cisgendered, neurotypical, and temporarily-able-bodied are all privileges that are impactful to my lived experience. As a young bisexual woman, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to engage in and continuously learn more about climate and environmental justice – one of my biggest passions! As part of this, I’m currently enrolled in my master’s in Environmental Applied Science and Management, volunteering in the Communications Department at Shake Up The Establishment, and a member of the Youth Advisory Council at The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. Some of my most enjoyable learning experiences engaging in environmental and climate justice have been through my post-secondary studies and unpaid work/ engagements, a privilege which I recognize is not afforded to many. As such, it is critical to me that I practice intersectional environmental justice, something which I hope will help us to rebuild and reimagine a more equitable, circular, and sustainable world. My intention is to create space for and amplify the voices of equity-deserving communities. This is to prevent speaking on behalf of any individual and/or community given the unique lived experiences which I hold that shape my understanding and views of the world.