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.