Smells like green spirit

Alison Koper and Mike Leonards were winners at the Environmental Programs' awards reception. (Danny Abriel Photo)

From the time she was seven years old, Alison Koper knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: an environmental lawyer.

“Not even really knowing what that meant,” says the 20-year-old student from Calgary. En route to the Rockies, her family frequently drove past a mining operation that “seemed to be in the process of moving a mountain. There was always a huge plume of smoke going up into the atmosphere, and that really bothered me.”

Mike Leonard, 28, of Cole Harbour, has always loved being outside and often got scolded as a child for wandering off into the woods for hours. Yet he didn’t see the environment as a career choice until he was out working as a marketing analyst in the wireless industry, after graduating with a business degree.

“It just wasn’t right. I was very unhappy going to work every day, so I needed to make a drastic change,” he says.

They’re obviously on the right track – both students were recognized at the annual Environmental Programs Awards reception, held last month.

Mr. Leonard earned the Environmental Programs Award, given to third-year students who show academic promise. Through his Dal internship and ongoing volunteer work with Clean Nova Scotia – which involves giving public school presentations – he came to the realization that he wants to be a teacher.

Ms. Koper is pursuing environmental studies with emphasis on geology, toward her goal of becoming a corporate lawyer in environmental and natural resources. She received the 2008 Owen Hertzman Prize, granted to Environmental Programs students who contribute significantly to school life. An active member of the Environmental Programs Students Society (and this year’s president), she helps coordinate social events such as movie nights, a field trip to a maple sugar farm, guest lectures and fundraisers. The group is assisting DSU with Green Week activities and they’ll launch the new edition of the Green Perspectives Journal.

Other award winners were Rachel Deloughery and John Morrissy, who got the Pearson Book Prize, and Caitlyn MacMaster, who received the W. Andrew Mackay Alumni Scholarship. All five winners are on the Dean’s List, along with 13 other students recognized for their achievement.

Given the flexibility of its academic options, Environmental Programs draws a diverse group of students. It’s no fluke that it’s the fastest-growing program on campus, says Mr. Leonard, adding the planet needs more people who have educational backgrounds combining environmental issues with law, business, politics, sociology, design, technology and more. He stresses his appreciation for the department’s “amazing and supportive faculty … they’re always working to improve and advance the program and keep it on the cutting edge.”