Stewardship - Elise Pullar
The Strathcona Circle is made up of six core values: More with less, Environmental Stewardship, Challenge by Choice, Living on the Edge, Generosity of Spirit and Happy Warrior. Today, we celebrate an environmental steward…
Words by Lynsey Burke
If Elise Pullar were to write a book on environmental stewardship, I told her I’d buy a copy to read.
When entering this interview I thought it would most certainly be a reminder of how to be a good environmentalist. But rather, it was a refreshing viewpoint that did not preach nor overstate. Former SPL Instructor Elise was humble and enlightening in her philosophies.
Let me share…
Elise Pullar is an eloquent 28-year-old, who works as the Resilient Habitat Specialist at World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Canada). She works on area-based protections at the organization, with a priority of supporting Indigenous communities in their visions for stewardship of their lands and waters.
In trying to touch on her personal values and her past victories, she gave a mere glance into her accolades. I had to nudge her for details … oh yes, right, I was nominated for Top 30 under 30 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation Magazine. No biggie.
Uh huh, yes … I did create and run a youth mentorship program in Arctic policy, which supported Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in remote communities in Canada. Small potatoes.
The wisdom that this young soul imparts is impressive.
Elise Pullar discusses the bigger picture on environmental issues
Growing up in Calgary, Elise was responsible for advocating for the installation of solar panels on her high-school roof, the implementation of a composting program as well as a community garden.
“I think a little bit differently about those actions now,” she says of her past accomplishments. “Some of those initiatives were focused on individual actions, but I think we exist within a society that makes it really hard to regularly live in line with our environmental values. It can feel challenging to make a true difference as an individual, in a society where consumerism and economic gain are often prioritized over well-being.”
Where bigger change comes, she says, lies in questioning the systems in which we live, through policy influence and community engagement.
Elise encourages people to live in line with their environmental values
Supporting Indigenous communities
A driving force in Elise’s career path is her motivation to do meaningful work.
“I feel that the most impactful work I can do is to be a good ally, to bring Indigenous voices to the forefront, to listen deeply,” she says. “Indigenous people have been stewards and guardians of this water, land and ice since time immemorial. We should let them lead and provide guidance on stewardship.”
With a growing number of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in Canada, she is inspired by all the work already being done by Indigenous communities and is excited for a future with self-determination and co-management at the forefront of protected areas implementation.
“To centre our work in reciprocal, meaningful relationships is everything,” she explains. Elise says she’s always learning, unlearning and notes that there is still so much to discover in regards to how she can most respectfully work as a non-Indigenous person alongside Indigenous leaders.
Be a good steward of the places we get to call home
To be a good steward of the place we call home, Elise suggests we stay in tune with nature to notice the changes, whether they’re negative or positive
“We do not need to envision a completely new way forward,” says Elise.”We need to think about how we relate to nature, pay attention to habitats and wildlife, listen and learn through immersion- if we are more in-tune with nature we will notice the drastic changes that are taking place.”
“With more awareness of the changes and threats, we can better advocate for those places or species that don’t have human voices,” says Elise. “Stand up to harmful activities and over-exploitation impacting the places we care about, and share your concerns with your local government and community members.”
Grounding in place is something that she feels many of us have lost along the way. There is a disconnect, and that severing she feels is in seeing nature as separate from us – when really, we as human beings are a part of nature and we rely on it for the land we live on, the air we breath and the water we drink.
Elise says it’s also important to learn the history of the places we visit and call home.
“It’s important to learn the Indigenous and colonial history of these places to better be able to reconcile past harms and understand how to be good stewards moving forward,” she says.
Choosing your path, a message for youth
We are a part of nature, and we rely on nature – so we must also care for nature in return
Her career began in outdoor education at SPL as an instructor, a starting point that she refers to as a launch pad into the types of work that followed.
“It showed me the impact that a week in nature could have on children,” she says.
In one week, these children were more connected to the plants, animals, land and water and felt more comfortable outside. The takeaway being that when you connect to a place or learn more about that place, what follows is the desire to care more about it.
“I feel like it’s important when we are deciding what we want to do with our careers to really think about what we feel is important in our world and how our careers can help influence that,” she says. “Even within our careers we can live within our values. The work that we do 40 hours per week for decades of our lives is where we can have a huge impact.”
If we can’t be in a career that is fully aligned with the way we would love to see the world, Elise suggests we support those organizations and Indigenous community initiatives that align with what we support, be it through your time, donations or politically.
Take care of your relationships to create a better world
Togetherness and community allow us to work together towards a cleaner and safer world
How we can influence the world around us isn’t a singular effort, but rather, it’s a united effort.
“It’s never about the individual career path or personal connection to nature,” explains Elise. “It’s in the collective [action]. It’s always important to bring people along with us on our journey; we have to work together towards a healthier, cleaner, safer world.”
Whether that means bringing a young person with you through something that you’re learning, bringing a friend to an event they know nothing about, or bringing in an elder who has more life experience- togetherness in community, Elise feels, makes our actions more sustainable because no one can tackle complex changes alone.
The widely loved children’s singer Raffi says it best because “the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.” And so will the world [and the natural spaces] around you.
* * *
