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Education Lifestyle

Melanie Mullen: I want to build livable spaces

Melanie Mullen, lead eco-imagineer at [re] cover inc.

Education: bachelor of engineering, University of Guelph consult.melaniemullen.com

I own my own company, [re]cover inc., where I’m the lead eco-imagineer. It started out as a green building consulting company, but it now offers a lot of other things as well, from speaking engagements to business consulting, from home renovations to rain barrel installation and more.

Engineering is historically viewed as a very technical and challenging profession, but I love the creativity and problem-solving. Artists excel at engineering. It’s hard to get through the technical part in school, but in the end it’s about thinking outside the box to come up with ingenious new ways of addressing problems.

I went to the University of Guelph and started out in environmental science, but I was leaning toward a program with a sustainable development or green lens and transferred to environmental engineering after the second year.

I never considered engineering before university. Environmental sciences is very problem-oriented, and I wanted to focus on solutions. That’s what engineering seeks to build: solutions for climate change and the environmental movement.

So I jumped into that and didn’t know what to expect. It was great, detailed and well-rounded. We discussed energy, water and politics – a little bit of everything. It gave me a bigger perspective and a solid head on my shoulders for moving into the real world.

I had done presentations at city council in high school on environmental issues, trying to protect water source initiatives and the like. The university was geared toward activism, encouraging and enriching that side of me.

I’m an eco-conscious entrepreneur. I keep up-to-date with the newest environmental or sustainable products and design ideas for sustainability or energy efficiency. That turns me on entirely.

I was green-ovating a house in Toronto that had a big backyard where we wanted to set up a garden to contribute to urban farming. But the owner didn’t have time to work in it. So we reached out to a garden-sharing initiative that’s happening in Toronto. I love it when you have an idea and there’s an organization that supports it.

Finding the common humanity behind the environmental movement is encouraging. You’re constantly reminded that you’re not alone, that a wealth of people are working toward the same goal with the same perspective who put 100 per cent of their heart and soul in it. You don’t get that everywhere.

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