The Green Review

University communities are essential in the effort to build a more sustainable future. As UNB works towards its climate action and sustainability goals, UNB Sustainability is happy to highlight UNB community members who are making a difference on campus as “Green Champions”.

Our Green Champion this month is Victoria Patterson

Like many, my love for nature really started at home. Growing up on the beautiful Wabanakik, I remember a childhood filled with exploration and admiration of these amazing coastal lands and lush forests. These were certainly the roots of my interest in the environment. But when I was in my first year of university, I went to Guatemala and stayed at the Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture. I was amazed by the preservation of their traditional Mayan wisdom and practices by which they stewarded their land and fought for food sovereignty for the Maya and all Guatemalan people. This inspired me to continue learning about permaculture, the value of traditional foods, and the need to promote and protect Indigenous ways of living in relation to the land.

From here, I continued to travel and learn about different ways of farming and living in balance with nature. I had known for a long time by now that I wanted to study Social Work, but I began finding ways to incorporate my growing passion for environmental justice into my educational and professional path. In 2024, I transferred to UNB to be part of their first cohort of Bachelor of Social Work students, and moved to my partner's off-grid organic farm on the Kingston peninsula. Here, we live as sustainably as we can using renewable energies and growing spray-free mushrooms, vegetables, and trees. This way of living has taught me so much about stewardship, gratitude, and living in balance with nature. I've felt incredibly privileged to have this experience and eager to share this learning with others in my personal and professional life.

Last fall, I was supported by the UNBSJ Student Educational Opportunity Fund to attend an international conference on Eco Social Work in Oslo, Norway. I had the chance to meet and learn from Social Work scholars from around the world who are focused on practice at the Intersection of environmental and social justice. There, I attended workshops centered on land-based learning and healing, and was so inspired by all I learned about incorporating Indigenous knowledge and decolonized methods into my future learning, living, and career. I am immensely grateful for the opportunities I've had to explore this passion and share it with others throughout my undergraduate degree, and I look forward to carrying this with me after graduating from UNB this spring!

Know someone who deserves to be a Green Champion? Nominate them through our nomination form!