Guelph’s Horeen Hassan is one of Starfish Canada’s top environmentalists of the year.
Hassan has been named as one of the top 25 under 25 environmentalists by the environmental organization The Starfish Canada for her work with Wellington Water Watchers while leading the local initiative to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) members and fight to bring collective action into the community.
“I really do think we should not forget taking on the climate crisis is a collective effort, and often times we have seen Black and brown communities that have been at the forefront of any progressive change that happens in our society, and I think that is what needs to be celebrated,” said Hassan.
“Movements for Indigenous sovereignty are paving the way for real climate justice to take place, and as settlers, we must all step up and respond to Indigenous calls for action.”
Hassan said that although it is important to highlight individual action, we as a society need to remember that collective action is the path we need to take as we look to mitigate the damaging effects of the climate crisis.
“We do have to remember it is collective action and collective movements that have led to big wins, and that’s what we need right now, we need massive climate action and that’s not going to happen alone, it’s going to take all of us to get there,” said Hassan.
According to The Starfish Canada, which was co-founded by David Suzuki, the Top 25 Program celebrates and rewards young leaders creating positive change in their communities by sharing their stories through a national platform.
Hassan's work has taken her on the road, logging over 100 kilometres this past summer while visiting and interacting with communities whose drinking water is being threatened by external factors.
"As part of my work with the Water Watchers, we did our Ear to the Groundwater Walking tour this past summer, where we visited communities throughout Southern Ontario that have been impacted by water bottling corporations, mining companies or developers to highlight the various issues,” said Hassan. "Often community members would join us on those walks and share their stories with us."
Hassan said she was nominated by Guelph MPP and Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner. Although she couldn’t say why he nominated her, the two have gotten to know each other over the years.
As a University of Guelph student, Horeen held the position of vice-president of external affairs on the student's union, allowing her to mobilize young people around environmental issues.
