November - Yves Tuyishime

Yves Tuyishime - Rwanda

1/ Date of Birth, Place of Birth, where did you grow up (if different), what do you study and where?

I was born on March 05, 1986 in Southern Province of Rwanda and it is where I grew up. I have seven siblings, 4 girls and 3 boys, I am the fourth born in my family. Currently I am studying masters of Science in economics, option of agriculture economics at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) in Kigali.

2/ What is your field of expertise? Please tell us a bit about what you work on (even if not related to climate change directly)?

I hold a bachelor of economics and I specialized in international economics. Since December, 2010, I am working for Rwanda Designated National Authority for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), I work as the Carbon Market and CDM Investment Promotion Officer. My work is about assessment of documents submitted by potential CDM Projects developers to see if they meet Rwanda’s sustainable development criteria before we give them a CDM letter of approval, raising awareness on CDM and carbon market in general, link project developers and carbon credits buyers, follow up on implementation of CDM projects in Rwanda and I advise decision makers in matters related to CDM and carbon market in general. I also assist other projects related to climate change or ecosystem rehabilitation that are based in Rwanda Environment Management Authority

3/ When and why did you join CliMates? What are your delegation's objectives? How do you work (Skype, meetings on campus, in a café)?

I joined climates in March 2012. I got to know about climates through facebook, one of my friends posted a link, I clicked, read and I got interested. I decide to join because I have a passion for environmental issues and it is my honor to be part of motivated students who want to make change and provide solutions to climate change. Currently Rwanda delegation is made of two students. We have met physically only once because I am studying in Rwanda and the other member is studying in United Kingdom. We communicate using internet. As you can see Rwanda delegation is still small, and this is why I am going to spread the word among other students who share the passion with climates.

4/ Are you a member of other organizations? Do you have any major hobbies?

I am a member of AIESEC Rwanda and an alumni of Digital Opportunity Trust (Dot), Rwanda. My major hobbies are football (Watching and playing) and watching movies.

5/ Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What do you hope the world will be like?

Well, it is not easy to picture what one’s future is going to be like, but I can see myself as an environmental economist, advising my country in matters related to environment, economics of climate change, etc... I can also picture myself as a high ranking official for one of international organizations (UN for instance). In 20 years I see a world with fewer wars, economically sustainable, people using earth’s resources efficiently and I hope that many countries will have reached a green economy.

6/ Do you have a favourite quote or motto?

My favourite quote is Mahatma Ghandi‘s: A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. It gives me strength to continue working hard and to follow my dreams.

7/ Name an influential person/place/moment/book/movie/song.

Person: Nelson Mandela/Books: Rich Dad Poor Dad, The secret/Movies: All jimmy carrey’s movies, shawshank redemption, how I met your mother/Inspirational Song: I believe I can fly

8/ Do you have a favourite dish, to cook or to eat?

My favourite food is probably rice with sombe (green leathes of cassava)

9/ What is your favourite place to visit? Or place you would very much like to visit?

My favourite place to visit is Switzerland. When I was a child one of my brothers came to visit Switzerland and he brought many pictures. Having seen those pictures made me wanna visit Switzerland some day. The second place is probably New York.

10/ If you had to choose just one moment from the international summit, which one would be your favourite?

I’ve enjoyed every moment during climates international summit, but if I had to choose one moment, it would be the welcome party when I met for the first time people that I have been exchanging emails with since the time I joined climates.

November - Jose Crespo

Jose Crespo - Argentina

1/ Date of Birth, Place of Birth:

11/06/1982, Buenos Aires, Argentina  

2/ What is your field of expertise? Please tell us a bit about what you work on (even if not related to climate change directly)? What do you study and where?

Biological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires. I am currently a postdoc working on insects that have different impacts on our lives. First, I work with an apiculture pest in Buenos Aires, and also i have started working with blood-sucking bugs (they are disease vectors of Chagas disease) at the Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte at Tours, France. Mainly, i am trying to understand how do these insects gather information from its environment and what is the influence of changes in the environment over them.

3/ When and why did you join CliMates? What are your delegation's objectives? How do you work (Skype, meetings on campus, in a café)?

I joined Climates almost 1 year ago after Emma Castel invited me. I joined mainly because I am concerned about trying to change things regarding climate change and I wanted to learn about different points of view of other people. Since I have a scientific background I found it really interesting the way things are discussed from a more political point of view.

As for my delegation, sadly I was the only participant so my delegation's objective was the same as my objective, I hope that after the first summit I will be able to increase my delegation crew.

Most of my work I do it in the laboratory, but also I go to the field to make experiments. But, the more important part of my work is to use my brain, that's what the have taught me to do after all, so I don't have a specific place or time for that.

4/ Are you a member of other organisations?

Not really, I am supporting the work that a NGO does called "Un Techo para mi Pais" that is deeply involved in social injustice and tries to alleviate the fact that many families in Argentina still don't have a house on their own and with a lot of volunteers work they go to humble places and constructs houses for them. This is the first step of a more ambitious plan for, in time, help families to study and to reinsert themselves in a productive society.

Do you have any major hobbies?

Mainly they are related to biology, so it wouldn't be fair to call them hobbies!

5/ Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

Hopefully, I would be alive, having raised children and still happily married. Regarding mi work, I hope to have been able to achieve enough knowledge as to be able to add my tiny part to help improve things.

What do you hope the world will be like?

I hope that decision makers had realised that there is no such thing as tomorrow we can still fix things regarding the welfare of the planet. Human beings are too arrogant and believe that we aren't animals living in a world with rules that apply to us all. I hoped we had realised that in order to survive as species, things have to change, but in a real sense.

7/ Name an influential person/place/moment/book/movie/song.

My dad/home/ 12/10/12 at Paris /the odyssey-homer/Forrest Gump/hey jude.the beatles.

8/ Do you have a favourite dish, to cook or to eat?

yes, to eat ASADO!

9/ What is your favourite place to visit? Or place you would very much like to visit?

Patagonia!

10/ If you had to choose just one moment from the international summit, which one would be your favourite?

Thursday night!

October bis - Sean Lemon

Sean Lemon - Canada

1. Date of Birth, Place of Birth, where did you grow up (if different), what do you study and where?

I was born on September 20, 1989 in Mississauga (a 700,000-person suburb just outside of Toronto). Other than moving to the city of Hamilton (forty minutes west of Mississauga) for my undergrad, I've never lived outside of the Greater Toronto Area. In 2011 I completed my undergraduate studies in the Arts and Science program at McMaster University. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, I was able to pair my degree in arts and science with an honours degree in economics and a minor in geography. In the fall of 2011, I began a two-year masters degree in Planning at the University of Toronto. I am currently in the environmental planning stream and also pursuing a collaborative degree in environmental studies from U of T's School of the Environment.

2. What is your field of expertise? Please tell us a bit about what you work on (even if not related to climate change directly)?

Through my research as an undergrad and grad student, I've spent considerable time focusing on electric vehicle adoption, sustainable cities, bio mimicry, economic policy instruments for addressing climate change (cap-and-trade vs. carbon tax) and domestic energy policy. I am also interested in how we conceptualize wicked problems such as climate change and how our conceptualization affects the type of policy solutions we pursue. For my current issues paper (equivalent to a thesis in my program) I will be evaluating the way a particular regulatory charge in Ontario is allocated to provincial electricity customers. The allocation methodology was modified at the beginning of 2011 to encourage large industrial customers to reduce their electricity consumption during hours of peak demand. I will be analyzing consumption data and interviewing these large "Class A" customers in order to assess the extent to which this regulatory amendment has achieved the government's stated policy objectives.

3. When and why did you join CliMates? What are your delegation's objectives? How do you work (Skype, meetings on campus, in a cafe)?

I joined CliMates in the fall of 2011. As a grad student, I thought it was time to start taking the skills and knowledge I had acquired over the past four years and begin applying them to try and "solve" real world issues such as climate change. CliMates provided the perfect opportunity to collaborate with a set of diverse individuals who share my goal and passion. The Canadian delegation is rather small and has been in flux over the last year. With members located across the country, our primary mode of communication has been email (safe to say we are all looking forward to putting faces to names at the upcoming CliMates Summit). As a delegation, I'd say our mains goal are to (1) provide an informed perspective of climate change policy in Canada, (2) learn from the knowledge and experiences of our fellow CliMates; and (3) work collaboratively in the hopes of developing a set of well-founded, feasible and persuasive recommendations to be presented at the UNFCCC COP 2012 in Qatar.

4. Are you a member of other organisations? Do you have any major hobbies?

Beginning in November, I will be participating in IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training. This two-day training workshop brings together students who are passionate about the fate of the planet and its people to help them (1) realize their leadership potential and (2) develop a sustainability project that can be carried out in their community. My project will make use of census data and GIS software to identify neighbourhoods and regions that are most conducive to the establishment of electric vehicle charging networks. The objective of the project is to help target provincial funding and infrastructure investment in order to meet Ontario's "1 in 20, by 2020" electric vehicle adoption policy.
My major hobby is definitely sports. I've played competitive baseball for most of my life and have been fortunate enough to compete in tournaments across Canada and the U.S. Although my baseball days are now over, I still spend a lot of time playing basketball and volleyball on university intramural teams. When I'm not playing sports, I enjoy spending time at my cottage and writing stories. My first novel 'The Ambassadors' is available online through the Blurb bookstore.

5. Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What do you hope the world will be like?

It's hard to picture where I'll be next year, let alone 20 years from now. I can see myself in the public sector working as an analyst for the federal or provincial government, developing, evaluating and monitoring different types of environmental plans, policies and programs. I can also see myself in the private sector working as a consultant, helping firms identify their exposure to different types of environmental risk and improve the sustainability of their business practices (moving towards the ever elusive triple bottom line). Either way, when I'm not working I see myself writing novels and spending time with my family and friends. By that time I will hopefully have a family of my own!
As for the world, I'm hoping that 20 years down the line we'll see a paradigm shift in the way society views the environment. Instead of trying to force sustainability onto businesses as a moral imperative, I'm hoping we'll reach the point where sustainability will be profitable and a necessity for businesses to stay competitive. I hope the idea of bio mimicry takes off, and engineers come to model physical structures and industrial processes on Nature's efficient, time-tested designs. Most importantly, I hope that technology doesn't get away from us. In two decades there is no telling what will be possible, I just hope that we will be using technology to unite rather than divide.

6. Do you have a favourite quote or motto?

"Material progress creates problems that are - or seem to be - soluble only by further progress...the devil here is in the scale: a good bang can be useful; a better bang can end the world" - Ronald Wright (discussing the concept of progress traps in his 2004 book, A Short History of Progress).

7. Name an influential person/place/moment/book/movie/song.

Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. 9/11. Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah. Hotel Rwanda. Obama's coronation. Finding Forester. Keane's Somewhere Only We Know. Steve Jobs. Michael Phelps. Harry Potter. The Backstreet Boys. Christian Bale and Michael Caine; both in The Prestige and The Dark Knight.

8. Do you have a favourite dish, to cook or to eat?

Is it sad that I find this the hardest question to answer? When you eat as much as I do, you have too many "favourite dishes". Some of my favourites include: pizza, steak, peanut chicken, turkey (with stuffing and mashed potatoes, of course), grilled cheese, tacos, pulled pork, chocolate chip pancakes, apple pie, chicken caesar salad, crab legs....starting to get the picture?

9. What is your favourite place to visit? Or place you would very much like to visit?

I haven't done a whole lot of travelling in my life, but to date, the most memorable place I've visited has to be Ireland. Whether its the rolling hills, the beautiful coastline, the charming people or the lively pubs, Ireland definitely gets my trip advisor recommendation. Some other places I'm looking forward to visiting in the future include: New Zealand, Australia, Easter Island, California and Sweden.

10. Would you rather watch sunsets or sunrises?

As a university student who's pulled his fair share of all-nighters, I can't say I have the fondest memories of sunrises. So for me, it would have to be sunsets. There's nothing quite like being on a beach and watching a sunset over the lake.

October - Melissa Low

Melissa Low - Singapore

1/ Date of Birth, Place of Birth, where did you grow up (if different), what do you study and where?

13/03/1987, Singapore, Master of Science in Environmental Management at the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore

2/ What is your field of expertise? Please tell us a bit about what you work on (even if not related to climate change directly)? 

In my line of work, I focus on the inter-relationships between climate change and energy policy. As an Energy Analyst with a policy think-tank, I work closely with Government agencies to understand Singapore’s energy landscape in the context of global developments in environmental agreements and policy such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The work requires me to study the technical and policy implications of decisions made at these high-level international negotiations and also to translate the developments for education and outreach to the general public.

3/ When and why did you join CliMates? What are your delegation's objectives? How do you work (Skype, meetings on campus, in a café)?

CliMates was introduced to me by a classmate who’d come across the group and suggested I join because of my interest in climate change. As I am currently the only one from my delegation, it’s easy as I do the work on my own.

4/ Are you a member of other organisations? Do you have any major hobbies?

Yes, I am Singapore Coordinator for a renewable energy social enterprise/network called Global Sunrise. We endeavor to bring renewable forms of energy to disadvantaged communities (particularly schools) who are energy-poor and ensure that those systems can become self-sustaining and self-run.
I play tennis, take part occasionally in 10k races and enjoy organizing book exchanges to have steady stream of pre-loved books to read.

5/ Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What do you hope the world will be like?

I’d like to be some one of influence in 20 years. This may come in the form of being a policy maker, academic or maybe running an influential environmental NGO. Either way, I want to make change in my community and inspire others to take baby-steps, and aspire to change the way they do things. I hope that there will be more equality in the world, and that justice will come through in all aspects of the word.

6/ Do you have a favourite quote or motto?

Mahatma Ghandi’s “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

7/ Name an influential person/place/moment/book/movie/song.

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State.

8/ Do you have a favourite dish, to cook or to eat?

The famous Singaporean dish – Hainanese Chicken Rice.

9/ What is your favourite place to visit? Or place you would very much like to visit?

London, England. I’d very much like to visit the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Terracotta Army) in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China.

10/ Would you rather watch sunsets or sunrises?

Sunrises. They remind me that everyday is a new day, for overcoming new challenges; and that if things don't go well - there'll always be tomorrow...

September - Marine Portera

Marine Portera

1/ When and where were you born? Where did you grow up (if different)?

I was born on April 12, 1990 in Sallanches(French Alps) and I grew up in a small village located between Chamonix and Geneva. I completed my International Law Bachelor's degree in Grenoble. Last year I did  my first year of Master's degree in Budapest and I'm currently finishing my Master degree in Aix en Provence (south of France) with a special focus on International Environmental Law.

2/ What is your field of expertise? Please tell us a bit about what you work on (even if not related to climate change directly)?

I'm not sure I can pretend that I have a 'field of expertise' but I've been studying international and public law for 4 years now and I guess I have learnt useful knowledge in this field. I'm also very interested in geopolitics and politics in general. I am really looking forward to this coming year because time has finally come for me  to learn more deeply about something I really care about. I hope that by the end of the year I will be able to claim that my field of expertise is environmental law!

3/ When and why did you join CliMates? What are your delegation's objectives? How do you work (Skype, meetings on campus, in a café)?

I decided to join CliMates last year when I was doing my Erasmus year in Budapest. I had a lot of spare time and wanted to do something useful and interesting. My objective within the delegation is to share my knowledge with the other members and to learn from them as much as I can. I haven't met people from the French delegation yet but I already have the feeling to know them. We are trying to exchange emails as much as possible and we already had a Skype session when we were working on session 2.

4/ Are you a member of other organisations? Do you have any major hobbies?

No, not anymore. I was part of a student association when I was studying in Grenoble. We were sharing on environmental issues, trying to raise awareness among students by organizing events such as conferences, film projections and exhibitions. I'm going to try to find something similar in Aix en Provence because unfortunately in Hungary people didn't feel very involve in environmental issues.

5/ Where would you like to live and/or work in 20 years? What do you hope the world will be like?

In 20 years I would like to be in France. I love travelling and it's important for me to discover other ways of life but i want to come back to my home country to build my family, not too far from my parents and my friends. I feel really close to my country and would love to see changes happening in France. I would love to see people respecting more the planet on which they live. In 20 years, I'm picturing a world in which old traditions such as gardening, growing our own food, bartering, having a lively neighbourhood life would help people understand better each other and feeling closer to the nature surrounding them.

6/ What has been, recently or in your life, a major source of hope, wonder, anger or frustration for you?

I was in Berlin last week and I really fell in love with this city. I was amazed by all this creativity, and all this positive energy that came out of this city. People there have managed to overcome this heavy past to build something unique and it gave me hope for the future. I'm very often frustrated about the situation of the planet (because of course I care a lot about the environment and all the challenges we are facing) but I really think people can do great things when they want that's why we should not give up and still hope things are going to change.

7/ Name a favourite movie/song/book. Do you have a favourite quote or motto?

Match Point of Woody Allen and generally speaking all the movies he directed. I love the way he analyzes relationships between human beings and the way he has to emphasize the beauty of little things and the importance of chance (in the same stream I'm also a big fan of AméliePoulain). The first album of the XX for the beauty and the depth of their voices. ”The Alchemist” from Paulo Coelho, for the philosophy of life it conveys. One of my favourite quote is "happiness only real when shared" from the movie “Into the Wild”.

8/ What is your favourite place to visit? Or place you would very much like to visit?

I would like to visit New Zealand.  Some of my friends went there and told me that people are much closer to the nature and adopt more environmentally responsible lifestyles. I think I would love to discover and learn more about their ways of living. I am sure I would be also captivated by the landscapes they have.

9/ Do you prefer chocolate or ice-cream?

I prefer chocolate, without any hesitation!!

10/ Nickname

My friends call me Narco(for narcoleptic) because I can sleep everywhere without any problem. We travelled a lot together and I was always the only one able to sleep in the public transportation, in the plane, in the airport that's why they call me like this.

August - Angela Maria Quiroga Manrique

Angela Maria Quiroga Manrique

1/ When and where were you born? Where did you grow up (if different)?

I was born on March 15, 1991 in Bogotá, Colombia, and I have been living here all my life. I lived for 3 months in New York.

2/ Nickname people give you

My family has called me bones all my life, because I’m the only slim person in the family, but the nickname started thanks to my father.

3/ What do you study and where?

I’m finishing my undergraduate studies in Chemical engineering and environmental engineering at Universidad de los Andes. Since I was little, I had an interest in industrial processes and the problems associated with the pollution. When I started college, I chose Chemical engineering as main program, but I found that it did not cover all my expectations. I wanted to know how to fix all the problems that are happening now, as lack of clean energy, air pollution and the excess of hazardous waste. That was the reason I am complementing my professional life with environmental engineering.

4/ What is your field of expertise? Please tell us a bit about what you work on (even if not related to climate change directly)?

I specialized in bioengineering; I would like to solve environmental problems with the basis of our world, the microorganisms. At present, I’m writing my thesis on the evaluation of the degradation rate of phenol and toluene through a consortium algae-bacterium.

5/ When and why did you join CliMates? What are your delegation's objectives? How do you work (Skype, meetings on campus, in a café)?

I joined CliMates a year ago. As I said previously, I am interested in all the problems associated with industries, and I found one way to solve them in CliMates. Nowadays, I’m part of the Colombian delegation and we want to learn, be heard, and innovate in our country and throughout the world. Due to the fact that most of the delegates study at the same university we try to organize meetings on campus. Sometimes, we look for a different place like a restaurant or a café.

6/ Where would you like to live and/or work in 20 years? What do you hope the world will be like?

I’m a lover of French culture, and I would like to live and work somewhere in France. On the other hand, I imagine a clean world, without political fights and discrimination, and all countries at the same economical status.

7/ What has been, recently or in your life, a major source of hope, wonder, anger or frustration for you?

Well, I’m finishing my undergraduate program so I feel delighted because in 3 months, I will be graduated and perhaps I will be working in France. However the thesis development has been a little frustrating to me. The things has not been as I expected, I have had some troubles.

8/ Name an influential person/place/moment.

My parents are my influential persons. They advise me every time they can and I learn from their life experience. Also, I try to share and enjoy every moment with them. My friends and teachers have played an important role in my life, too.

9/ Name a favorite movie/song/book.

My favorite song is “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield, and I don’t have a favorite movie because I like all types and genres.

10/ What is your favorite place to visit? Or place you would very much like to visit?

As I said before, somewhere in France, but Paris would be wonderful.  I hope to enjoy the opportunity to see Paris for first time, during the summit.

11/ Do you prefer chocolate or ice-cream?

Ice-cream, without a doubt. It is one of my favorite weekend pleasures, when I’m tired and want to get away for my daily routine.  I love eating ice cream while I talk with my friends.

July - Camille Parrod

Camille Parrod