In December 2019, we hosted our first-ever ECO Canada 12 Days Of Giveaways. We ran this contest on the exclusive EP LinkedIn group, “EP Community Connections”. Each day leading up to the holidays, participants were required to complete specific tasks to be entered into the daily prize draw and the Big Prize Draw. The winner of the Big Prize Draw, which happened on the last day of the contest, was a ticket to our Annual ECO Impact Awards Gala all-inclusive with a return flight, accommodation, and a one-day ski lift ticket to Sunshine Village, one of Banff’s most popular ski destinations. After 12 days of running the contest, there were 588 entries for the Big Prize Draw and EPt, Samantha Shulman from Toronto, Ontario won!
Introducing Samantha Shulman, An EPt From Toronto, Ontario
Samantha was ecstatic! As luck would have it, skiing has always been a passion of hers and she was thrilled for the opportunity to cross Sunshine Village off her bucket list. While a lover of skiing, Samantha expressed that she was “more thankful for the opportunity to meet and network with her fellow EPts and EPs and learn from many who have been in the environmental sector much longer than her four years”. As I sat down to interview Samantha just before the gala began, it was evident that she was not disappointed with her prize. If anything, it had only seemed to fuel her fire.
Passionate is a word that fully encompasses Samantha’s approach to life, and more specifically, her career. Currently working as Curbside Representative with the Waste Management Department of Peel Region, she is determined to make a lasting contribution by finding creative ways to teach and partner with hospitals, residences, businesses, airports and other institutions in waste reduction. Her excitement about educating the public and working within residential areas is self-evident.
“My biggest challenge,” Samantha smiles, “would be the Catch-22 of getting experience. Employers value experience but trying to get that experience in nearly impossible because the experience is required to get experience. This makes getting a coveted full-time permanent position difficult.”
Samantha’s challenges employers in the environmental sector to step out of the box and take a chance on someone who is qualified, with or without experience, because they have other skills to offer – life experience and a fresh perspective. As someone who views her work as more of a lifestyle than a job, she looks forward to establishing a successful career in an industry that will have a remarkable impact on Canada’s environmental workforce as a whole.
As an advocate for professional development and lifelong learning, Samantha sees value in events such as ECO Canada’s Learning Series, the Impact Awards and the various networking events and meet-ups we host across Canada. She notes that networking with like-minded professionals within the environmental
community exposes entry-level, junior and senior professionals to valuable knowledge and experiences they may not be exposed to otherwise. After experiencing her first Impact Awards Gala and meeting the team at ECO Canada, Samantha is ready to be in the running for next year’s EPt of the Year Award. She is definitely on her way to becoming one of ECO Canada’s EP Champions in more ways than one!
Helen Crawley
Junior Administrator, Certification
ECO Canada
