Amy Huva wanted to spend a season on the ski hills of British Columbia, and planned to visit Canada for only a few months. But everything changed when she landed a dream job she couldn’t pass up. The Australian native works as an executive assistant at North Growth Management, a boutique investment firm in Vancouver.
“I don’t have anything to do with the investment side of the firm. I manage Rudy North’s environmental projects. He was the lead Canadian donor for the Great Bear Rainforest Initiative and has been an environmental philanthropist for many years.”
A dream job, she says, because her boss gives her the freedom to take on any of her own projects that interest her in her spare time — as long as she clears it with him first. He’s delighted that she can extend herself and take on meaningful projects of her own.
One such project is writing a weekly blog for Carbon Talks, where she writes about issues related to climate change, water and the Alberta oilsands. While conducting her research, Amy studied reports published by the Pembina Institute.
“The Pembina reports were brilliant. Specifically, I used Pembina’s research on water use and the oilsands. They provided me with a wider knowledge on issues that affect Canadians — issues I didn’t know a lot about before. I respect the way Pembina provides practical ways to move forward on issues that often seem intractable.”
Her passion for the environment started in university, where she first learned about greenhouse gas emissions as a young chemistry student. Following her studies, she joined the Australian federal government.
“I thought I would be able to work to make organizations pay for their pollution. But government turned out to be very different from what I had thought. It requires a lot more patience and diplomacy than I possess.”
However, these days she says it’s short-term thinking that keeps her up at night.
“People don’t think beyond the next quarter or the next election cycle or the next 10 years, or even beyond their lifetime. I worry about those companies that want to make billions of dollars now without thinking through or caring about how to generate longer-term benefits. People just shrug and say it’s not my problem, I’m not going to be here.”
Amy’s motivation is to get people thinking and talking about the issues — so that climate change becomes part of the conversation. She believes creating “unusual alliances” will help us move forward and create change in adapting to what’s ahead.
“I like that Pembina works practically — by sitting down with companies and looking at solutions. I don’t think it’s effective to jump up and down and say no to everything — that’s just going to entrench positions. I really like the way Pembina works with industry and says OK, you’re doing this, this is your business, and it’s having this effect on the environment. How can we work with you to change some of your systems knowing that you’re going to keep doing your business? How can we make it better, or more efficient, or more environmentally friendly?”
Editor's note:
Our new "Clean energy champions" blog series tells the stories of people who support the Pembina Institute and the difference Pembina's work makes from their perspective.
Inspired? Find out how you can join the Pembina community in advancing sustainable energy solutions, or share your Pembina story.
Lori Johnston was the Pembina Institute's fund development manager in 2012.
