My name is Maeranne Shenner and this eportfolio is to showcase how my understanding of environmental sustainability has grown throughout my lifetime. I grew up in Calgary, Alberta, a city that has definitely shaped me to the person I am today. My mom has always had a passion for the outdoors, and with Banff National Park and many others being right at our backdoor was perfect. From a very young age we would spend our summers camping, hiking and backpacking and our winters consisted of going snowshoeing or skiing. We would also spend time at our cabin at Sylvan Lake, where my dad and grandfather would take me fishing. When I was young I loved learning about the places we would go, which included anything from the plants and animals to the ecosystem that we were in. Growing up this way formed my view of the outdoors and my passion for them. I attribute my choice to go into the Natural Resource Science degree at Thompson Rivers University as result of growing up experiencing nature the way that I did.
Once I started my natural resource science I really started to learn what sustainability meant and how many different ways it can be perceived. Taking a semester of classes in Haida Gwaii further broadened my understanding of how people view the land and how environmental sustainability needs to be at the forefront of future endeavours. As my knowledge and understanding grew I started exploring what I can do in order to both live a sustainable life and how to bring sustainability into future aspects of my life. Once I graduate I am hoping to work in fisheries or aquatic biology and focus on bringing those aspects of environmental sustainability I learned. I hope that everything I’ve learned and experienced will allow me to make a difference and ensure our natural world will always be there for future generations to enjoy. Using this eportfolio I hope to show you how I’ve learned to include environmental sustainability in my life and how I will continue to do so in my future aspirations.
