Finding the connections

Meaghan Maund likes to think big.

The Stratford, P.E.I., native was attracted to Dal’s Community Design program because it offered her the chance to understand the city from an holistic point of view. So when she discovered Dal’s new Environment, Sustainability and Society (ESS) major, the fit seemed perfect.

“I find that sustainability isn’t just about the material you’re studying – it’s about getting you to see the bigger picture, the cycles, how everything is connected,” she says. “I can take that broader knowledge and apply it to my planning work, recognizing that everything I do has an impact, and that I have to think about sustainability all through the system.”

Ms. Maund is part of the first graduating class of Dal’s ESS program, which is unique in Canada. It allows students to pursue the academic field of their choice, and combine it with an interdisciplinary second major that brings together perspectives across the academic spectrum to capture sustainability in its broader context.

“It’s given me such a larger picture of the world and its network of connections. It was mind-opening.”

Her honours thesis explored park use on the Halifax peninsula and recommended features to increase the parks’ popularity. She also completed an internship with the Ecology Action Centre, working on the Active and Safe Route to School program to make it easier for children to take active transportation (walking, biking) to school. She enjoyed the experience so much that she plans to spend her summer volunteering with the centre. After that, she’ll leave for Europe on a backpacking trip, seeking to be inspired by the continent’s great cities.

“I’m looking forward to travelling, letting the world inspire me, and then coming back and seeing what I want to do. I know it will be something to do with planning, and it will be sustainability focused.”