I interviewed Siila Watt-Cloutier last week, and she has made me think differently. For example, she believes that the trauma we are going through as a Planet and Human Species are the same, and so is the path to healing.
That had me thinking - If everything on this Planet is interconnected, does that mean we all feel the loss when a species goes extinct or a fire consumes a forest?
Siila Watt-Cloutier will open your mind about our planet by combining harsh reality with the prospect of possibility. Siila Watt-Cloutier has context. She is one of the world's leading thinkers and doers in preserving our planet and humanity, with a special focus on preserving the way of life of the Inuit. (Below, I have listed a partial list of her acknowledgments and awards.)
She is all of that and so much more.
I marked so many points of the journey she shares as remarkable. Siila's Indigenous values and lessons are also worth considering for how we live and manage our societies. One that stuck with me is to stop thinking about problems and instead feel them. To act, you must be emotionally vested.
So this is Siila Watt-Cloutier's remarkable story.
Don't just listen to her words....feel them.
Visit Amazon to purchase her book: The Right to Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet
A Partial List of Siila's Awards
2004
Global Environment Award, World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations - Washington, D.C., United States (on behalf of ICC Canada)
National Aboriginal Achievement Award (Environment), National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (now Indspire) - Ontario
2005
Sophie Prize, The Sophie Foundation - Oslo, Norway
Champion of the Earth Award, United Nations Environment Programme - Nairobi, Kenya
Governor General's Northern Medal - Ottawa, Ontario
2006
International Environmental Leadership Award, 10th Annual Green Cross Millennium Awards, hosted by Global Green USA - Los Angeles, California, United States
Honorary Doctor of Law, University of Winnipeg - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Citation of Lifetime Achievement, Canadian Environment Awards - Vancouver, British Columbia
International Environment Award, Gala 2006, Earth Day Canada - Toronto, Ontario
Order of Greenland, Inuit Circumpolar Conference General Assembly - Barrow (now Utqiagvik), Alaska, United States
Officer of the Order of Canada - Ottawa, Ontario
2007
On 2 February 2007, The Globe and Mail published a report that Watt-Cloutier and former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, had been nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson Prize - Stavanger, Norway
Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Award, United Nations Human Development Awards - New York City, New York, United States
2008
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Ottawa - Ottawa, Ontario
Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Guelph - Guelph, Ontario
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Windsor - Windsor, Ontario
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Royal Roads University - Victoria, British Columbia
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo, Ontario
Honorary Doctorate, 'National Institute of Scientific Research) - Quebec City, Quebec
Honorary Doctor of Laws, McMaster University - Hamilton, Ontario
Heroes of the Environment (2008), from Time under the "Leaders and visionaries" category
2009
9th Annual LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture - Iqaluit, Nunavut
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Western Ontario - London, Ontario
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Alberta - Edmonton, Alberta
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Queen's University - Kingston, Ontario
Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, Bowdoin College - Brunswick, Maine, United States
2010
Nation Builder of the Decade: Environment, The Globe and Mail
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Victoria - (November 2010) Victoria, British Columbia
2011
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Northern British Columbia - (May 2011) Prince George, British Columbia
2012
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Thompson Rivers University - Kamloops, British Columbia
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Mount Allison University - Sackville, New Brunswick
2015
Honorary Doctor of Laws, York University - Toronto, Ontario
The Right Livelihood Award "for her lifelong work to protect the Inuit of the Arctic and defend their right to maintain their livelihoods and culture, which are acutely threatened by climate change.
To learn more about RBC and their programs visit
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