Kelsey Porter

I believe that sustainability extends beyond the environment. Sustainability is a lens. It is a perspective. Developing this perspective is a daily, life-long practice.

In a world where everything is fast: fast fashion, fast food, fast money, it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind. This is called consumerism. We are constantly encouraged by ads, marketing, and society to grow our businesses, grow our wealth, to eat more, buy more, exercise more, study more, socialise more. More. More. More. Exponential growth is forced upon us.

This is where the practice of sustainability comes in. It is an active effort to chose products and lifestyles that are long-lasting, rather than short-lived. It is the pursuit of avoiding burnout. It is an effort to find balance in all aspects of life.

This website is compilation of what makes me, “me”. It is descriptive of all my passions and motivations. The knowledge that I will be sharing was either taught to me directly or indirectly by nature, books, art, and humans; often for free. It seems only fair to pay it forward. I hope this site is a space where everyone can feel safe and happy, no matter where you are starting your sustainability journey. We all start somewhere.

Passions and Occupations.

Glacier Guide

For the last five years, I have worked as a glacier guide. First, in Alaska, then in New Zealand. This is my current occupation. In 2018, I obtained my Hard Ice Guide Certification (HIG) from the New Zealand Mountain Guide Association (NZMGA) in order to have my skills recognised internationally. The thing I love most about my job is the time that I get to spend outdoors. The sun on my face, fresh air in my lungs, and the beautiful nature around me, is exactly where I am meant to be working.

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Long- Trail Thru-Hiker

I completed the Long Trail in October 2019. The trail runs from the Canadian border to the Massachusetts border, through the state of Vermont. The 272 mile-long trail hits all of Vermont’s highest peaks, and doing it in fall lent me amazing foliage views.

My greatest accomplishment was not completing the trail itself, but it was the fact that I was able to do it in a “low-waste” way. By dehydrating half of my own meals and snacks, and using silicone reusable packaging and compostable packaging, my personal waste was very low. I hope to lead and inspire people to partake in more zero waste backpacking, so we can protect the nature and environments we are out enjoying!

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Community Organiser and Volunteer

In March of 2019, a large rain storm hit my local community in Fox Glacier, New Zealand. We are a tiny town on the West Coast of New Zealand, and a three-hour drive from any major city. The storm lasted two days and it poured down one meter of rain, which is more rain than most places in the world across several years. This heavy rainfall caused the local Fox River to swell, erode, and scour the riverbanks. Large, rooted trees were easily pulled into the raging waters. The river eroded so far inland, that it reached an old, buried landfill. More than half the buried landfill was swept away by the flood waters. Rubbish (mostly plastic) was strewn down the river and out to sea. Rubbish was deposited along the 24-km-long riverbed and was spewed out into the ocean, which also happens to be a Marine Reserve for dolphins and penguins.

In response, myself and another individual, Mike Bilodeaou, worked hard to rally volunteers and attract media attention. The people of New Zealand heard our outcry and came to help in large numbers. Over the course of six months, almost one thousand volunteers helped to clean-up 200,000 tonnes of rubbish from the riverbed and coastline. Throughout the process I had the honour of being both a leader and a volunteer rubbish-picker-upper, which was arduous work. The most significant take-away and lesson from the clean-up was that a large number of individuals with a common goal, can have a large and positive impact. This lesson is one of the reasons I am so passionate about individuals partaking in zero waste and plant-based eating, because I know those individual acts really do matter and really do add up.

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Public Speaker

Following the Fox River Clean-Up, I began speaking at schools about the importance of sustainability. MY talks range from the history and life cycle of plastic, to my personal experience with trying to live a low waste life style, to how I use my interactions with nature as inspiration for protecting it.

I value story-telling and believe that it is effective in creating connection and change. It starts a conversation and creates a support network for anyone who is open to trying new things.

Please feel free to get in touch if you want to work together on a speaking or video project.

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