Kevin Lindsay, Chair
Kevin is a tech industry analyst and leadership coach. His climate work began in 2020 as a moderator with Pachamama Alliance’s Game Changer Intensive, and later through Climate Reality Project’s Climate Leader training. He joined the NCAH board in 2023, and previously held board positions at WildCare in the SF Bay Area, and the Calgary Waldorf School.
“I believe that deliberate and coordinated individual actions form the foundation for community-level impact — and systems-level change.”
Heather Baitz, Vice-Chair
Heather is a founding member of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub, and has been a climate activist since 2018. She works as a Clinical Psychologist, and has a passion for food forest gardening. Ask Heather about the role of local governments in climate action.
"It's not easy to do this work when we are facing such enormous barriers, but every kilogram of emissions we avoid means the outlook for our future is a little less dire."
Bethany Ricker, Secretary and Strategic Initiatives Lead
Bethany moved to Nanaimo with her husband in 2021. She is a Family Doctor and has a passion for maternal health. She is a member of the BC chapter of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). She has been invested in planetary health activism since learning in medical school that climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century, and adverse health effects are disproportionately felt by marginalized populations. Ask Bethany about the health benefits of spending time in nature!
"This is the only home we have - let's try to make it the best place it can be for everyone we share it with."
Zack Simon, Treasurer
Zack has spent the last decade learning about regenerative land management practices, with another four years experience in carbon accounting and business sustainability consulting before that. He is the founder of Patchwork Ecosystem Consulting, which aims to bring permaculture-informed design to urban spaces, prioritizing native biodiversity. A newcomer to Nanaimo (though born and raised on Vancouver Island,) he has a deep love and respect for the land on which he's grown, and aims to help prepare his community for the oncoming effects of climate change. Ask Zack about climate resilience in our own backyards.
Reghan Anderson, Director and High School Liaison
Reghan is a youth environmentalist currently attending Nanaimo District Secondary School. She has been a keen climate activist for the last several years, working as the president of her school's environmental club to give youth a voice in the climate change movement. Passionate about the role youth have to play in shaping a sustainable future, Reghan believes that local action can drive global change. Ask Reghan about what the younger generation can do to support climate solutions.
“As the next generation, youth have both the power and the responsibility to advocate for a sustainable future.”
Sharon Darby Lindsay, Director and Working Group Lead, Community Engagement
Sharon is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Somatic Therapist. After hearing Al Gore speak in 2008, Sharon awakened to the dire realities of a warming planet and committed to caring for the planet at home and beyond. She is an active member of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. Ask Sharon about ways to channel climate emotions into action.
“Positive change is rooted in our ability to embrace our deep connection to and interdependence on the natural world and to each other.”
Deanna Fourt, Director and Working Group Lead, Policy & Advocacy
Deanna is a Climate Action Leadership graduate student who previously held senior sustainability roles over a 15-year career with Island Health. Deanna is interested in how climate change affects nature and how nature can help mitigate its effects and protect us from its impacts. Ask Deanna about community & citizen climate action.
"I am excited to talk to people about the ways they can reduce their environmental impact and increase their resilience to extreme climatic events.”
Laurie Friskie, Director and Working Group Lead, Campaigns & Organizing
Laurie is a retired Student Advisor, a keen gardener and climate activist. Frustrated by laggard politicians who ignore our rising emissions, she finds joy in working with other Nanaimo Climate Action Hub members to influence and support real climate action at the local level. Ask Laurie about the Sue Big Oil campaign.
“I believe a group of likeminded people with the common goal of supporting concrete action can make a difference.”
Don Giberson, Director and Working Group Lead, Fundraising & Development
Don is a professional business coach and founder of Transition Nanaimo Society. In 2023, he started Van Isle Vertical Farms which provides fresh, local, aeroponically-grown produce to area customers. Don also hosts Climate911, a weekly radio show on Nanaimo’s CHLY which explores solutions to the climate emergency. Ask Don about emerging, innovative climate solutions.
“The first step to building a better world is to believe that it is possible.”
Kathryn Jane (K.J.) Hazel, Director and Working Group Lead, Marketing & Communications
K.J. has been an environmental campaigner for five decades. But, as she says, “the personal is political, so I try to live sustainably, too." Her first environmental campaign was in 1974 – to save a stand of old-growth forest at Sproat Lake. She’s participated in several others since then, lobbying all three levels of government to take action on the climate. Kathryn’s background is in communications, so ask her about greenwashing.
“Action feels better than anxiety.” (Dr. Courtney Howard)
Leah Vaisanen, Director
Leah is a Nanaimo-based advocate and recent graduate of Vancouver Island University in Political Studies and Indigenous Studies. As a new member of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub board, she is committed to bringing an Indigenous lens to climate conversations and supporting community-driven climate solutions.
“Climate action must be rooted in community, care for the land, and the knowledge that our futures are connected.”