Women4Climate Mentorship Program

My mentor helped me make connections, navigate partnerships, improve my project management skills, along with personal support.

2021 program participant

The Women4Climate (W4C) program aims to advance bold, local climate action in alignment with Vancouver's Climate Emergency Action Plan and Climate Change Adaption Strategy.

This program contributes to the next generation of climate leaders through a mentorship program dedicated to women working in climate to create a healthier, greener, more resilient, and economically prosperous urban future. In 2019, Vancouver became the eighth city to launch a local C40 Women4Climate Mentorship Program .

Each year, we match leaders from international and community businesses and organizations with emerging women leaders. Over the 10-month mentorship period, mentors share their knowledge, experiences, and support the mentees to develop their leadership skills while advancing their climate initiatives. Mentees are also able to access leadership training and participate in international networking events with other women working in climate.

What's happeningWomen4Climate applications closed

Our fourth call for applications for the Women4Climate Program has now closed.

We are currently reviewing applications and completing the selection process. All applicants will be contacted on or before September 9.

Check back in October to meet the next cohort of Women4Climate mentors and mentees.

Past participants

2021
Gaby Baasch
- Gabby is developing Vancouver CityPlan GIS support: walkability, access, and growth modelling.
- Mentored by Josephine Clark, Park Planner II, Planning and Resource Management, Regional Parks Parks and Environment - Metro Vancouver.
Renee Proulx
- Renee is developing Vancouver CityPlan GIS support: walkability, access, and growth modelling.
- Mentored by Josephine Clark, Park Planner II, Planning and Resource Management, Regional Parks Parks and Environment - Metro Vancouver.
Anna Bohn
- Anna is developing the Lighter Footprint App.
- Mentored by Sandra Phillips, Shared Mobility Architect, CEO and Founder - movmi.
Nidah Dara
- Nidah is developing Gender Inclusions in Rapid Transit Facility Design.
- Mentored by Michelle Babiuk, Senior Manager of Transit Planning, TransLink.
Sarah Drewery
- Sarah is working with The Sharing Farm.
- Mentored by Shauna MacKinnon, Coordinator, Farm Adaptation Innovator Program - Climate & Agriculture BC (CAI).
Isabel Garcia
- Isabel is developing Living Streets.
- Mentored by Marion Town, Director, Climate and Environment - Vancouver Airport Authority.
Kate Hosford
- Kate is connecting transport and climate justice.
- Mentored by Cara Pike, Executive Director - Climate Access and Amber Bennett, Canadian Associate - Climate Outreach.
Naomi Leung
- Naomi is working with Climate Education Reform BC.
- Mentored by Irene Lanzinger, Secretary Treasurer - BC Federation of Labour.
Inger Miller
- Inger is developing the CleanBC Go Electric EV Charger Rebate Programme.
- Mentored by Megan Lohmann, Director of Strategic Initiatives - Community Energy Association.
Kate Shen
- Kate is working on Bike to Work Week.
- Mentored by Selena McLachlan, Director, Marketing and Communications - Modo.
Rita Steele
- Rita is working with The BIPOC Sustainability Collective.
- Mentored by Anthonia Ogundele, Founder - Ethos Lab and Meaghan Beck, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility – Sysco Canada.
Sara Turner
- Sara is developing Destruct the City.
- Mentored by Robyn Wark, Team Lead - BC Hydro Sustainable Community Program.
2020
Coral Buitenhuis
- Coral is developing a climate mitigation and adaptation plan.
- Mentored by Sarah Buckle, Director, Enterprise Risk and Sustainability at Translink.
Holly Alyea
- Holly works to engage, educate, and empower citizens on climate action through community centre associations.
- Mentored by Christianne Wilhelmson, Executive Director at Georgia Strait Alliance.
Jenna McNeil
- Jenna is developing a tool to help visualize the demand for high performance building products and technologies.
- Mentored by Sue Paish, CEO at Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster.
Julie Strilesky
- Julie is working to convert plastic waste from Canada's shorelines to energy.
- Mentored by Susan Koch, COO and VP of Accounting at Carbon Engineering.
Laurel Hart
- Laurel supports young families as they advocate for collective climate action.
- Mentored by Sherry Yano, Manager, Community Renewable Energy at David Suzuki Foundation.
Marina Timmins
- Marina is working on building energy benchmarking.
- Mentored by Sophie Mercier, Vice President, Building Science West at Morrison Hershfield.
Michelle Austin
- Michelle is developing a sustainable school lunch program.
- Mentored by Brianne Miller, CEO and Founder at Nada Grocery.
Rowena Farr
- Rowena is working to expand various workplaces’ cycle to work initiatives.
- Mentored by Marion Town, Director, Environment at Vancouver Airport Authority.
Sara Blenkhorn
- Sara is addressing the issue of apparel waste.
- Mentored by Jeanette Jackson, CEO at Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre.
Sarah Lusina
- Sarah works to engage, educate, and empower citizens on climate action through community centre associations.
- Mentored by Christianne Wilhelmson, Executive Director at Georgia Strait Alliance.
Yasmin Abraham
- Yasmin is working to ensure energy initiatives are accessible to newcomers, immigrants, lower income, and indigenous families.
- Mentored by Karen Tam Wu, Managing Director, British Columbia at Pembina Institute.
2019
Dawn-Marie Barreira
- Dawn-Marie is running a capturing carbon pilot project at LUSH .
- Mentored by Karen Tam Wu, Regional Director of BC for Pembina Institute.
Sylvia Grace Borda
- Sylvia wants to use climate arts to build resilient environments .
- Mentored by Andrea Curtis, Director of Operations, Vancouver Mural Festival.
Uli Chorny
- Uli is working on a low income passive house pilot .
- Mentored by Jill Atkey, Chief Executive Officer, BC Non-Profit Housing Association.
Clara George
- Clara wants to bring sustainability to Hollywood North .
- Mentored by Adriane Carr, City Councillor, City of Vancouver.
Deepti Mathew Iype
- Deepti is working on mobilizing youth and residents on climate action .
- Mentored by Joanna Ashworth, Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Environment at SFU.
Jennifer Johnson
- Jennifer is growing her solar energy business .
- Mentored by Meera Dhalwala, Chef and Co-Owner, Vij’s Restaurant.
Sophie MacNeill
- Sophie is working to manage the climate impacts from landscape architecture .
- Mentored by Kathy Wardle, Associate Principal and Director of Research at Perkins and Will.
Anitra Paris
- Anitra is advancing progress on electric heat pumps .
- Mentored by Robyn Wark, Team Lead, Sustainable Communities Program, BC Hydro.
Maia Tarassoff
- Maia educates kids on Passive House .
- Mentored by Wilma Leung, Senior Manager, Technical Research and Education, BC Housing