Rae Landriau
2025 ECO-Award winner
Rae Landriau (they/them) is a climate communicator, community leader, environmental scientist and Arctic researcher working at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, scientific inquiry, and environmental justice. A passionate advocate for accessible science and climate education, Rae is the founder of the Create Change Collective, a community-based initiative that mobilizes art as a tool for environmental action and climate literacy across Canada.
Rae holds a Master’s degree in Geography from Carleton University and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Ottawa. Their graduate research, conducted in partnership with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Inuvialuit Land Administration, and NSERC PermafrostNet, focused on legacy drilling waste sumps in the western Canadian Arctic. Grounded in a Two-Eyed Seeing approach, Rae’s work prioritizes community leadership and capacity-building —particularly through training and supporting local environmental monitors to advance self-determined research and land stewardship.
They are the author of two nationally distributed colouring and activity books—Running Water (2022) and Colouring for Conservation (2024)—designed to make environmental education more accessible. Rae has led over 28 grassroots education and engagement projects, forging collaborations with leading environmental organizations including Youth Climate Lab, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Ocean Wise, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, and the United Nations Association in Canada, among others.
Named to the North American Association for Environmental Education’s (NAAEE) 30 Under 30, and recognized as an Outstanding Youth Leader by EECOM and Outstanding Youth Volunteer by Volunteer Ottawa, Rae is a respected voice in Canada’s environmental education and youth engagement landscape. They continue to champion creative, inclusive, and community-rooted approaches to climate action—empowering a new generation of changemakers through their unwavering commitment to equity, environmental protection, and collective empowerment.
“I have the honour of working, living, playing, and learning on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. I’ve lived near the Kichi Sibi and the Greenbelt my whole life. It’s such a privilege to have the time, ability, and opportunity to access these lands—to learn from them, to ground myself within them, and to connect with them daily.
As a settler and uninvited guest on this land, I am deeply grateful to be able to work in advocacy for the protection and conservation of Turtle Island. I aim to amplify the work of Indigenous peoples, who continue to lead these efforts across the country. I’ve had the immense privilege and fortune of learning from so many communities—from Indigenous kin in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Their kindness and generosity in sharing their knowledge and stories continue to shape me and transform how I think about and engage in environmental work. Miigwetch, Tshinashkumitin, Nato’kssin, Múy̓a, Màhsi cho, Quyanainni. I am forever changed by you.”