Vancouver recently celebrated its fourth Women4Climate Mentorship cohort, where 22 women completed a 10-month program designed to uplift emerging climate leaders and enhance climate action in the city. The program supports Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan by connecting mentees with established leaders to advance local climate initiatives through sustainability and innovation. Since its 2019 launch, in partnership with C40 Cities and the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre, the program has supported 43 mentees whose projects align with the city’s climate and equity goals. Highlighted projects include Melissa Hamer’s work on Net Zero Energy and Carbon design training at BCIT’s Zero Energy/Emissions Buildings Learning Centre, which involves partnerships with Indigenous communities. Arushi Raina focuses on climate adaptation for people with spinal cord injuries, distributing cooling devices to enhance safety during heatwaves. Darla Simpson leads a project to decarbonize multi-family residential buildings through retrofits. The Women4Climate program, active in 21 cities globally, pairs emerging professionals with established climate leaders to foster innovation and climate action, emphasizing safe, equal, and accessible cities.
