Samantha Medeiros

Samm is passionate about increasing human relationships with the land. She believes that when we develop deep respect and care for non-human organisms, a responsibility to steward the land becomes part of all that we do—informing our actions and decision making. Her focus in environmental stewardship began by creating mixed media art from waste materials, eventually leading to the study of Indigenous Environmental perspectives and practices, public education, community-building, and looking at behavioural change. Informed and guided by these foundations, Samm found herself working to support pollinators through habitat creation and stewardship when realizing that limited perspectives of "waste/d space" needed a change. Nothing is wasted in nature. Spaces that humans deem underutilized are used by other living things. Samm has done work in various types of garden spaces for several years. She uses outreach, education, and when possible, art/play to share sustainable perspectives on working with the Earth, not against. Using found materials and what is on hand to be creative, and celebrating the unnoticed and unseen elements of urban natural spaces are some of her favourite past times.