Profile: Sam Rye – Creating Positive Green Change
My name is Sam Rye, whilst I’m originally from England, I’m now a proud resident of Aotearoa.
I believe we’ve got the chance to use our working life for the power of positivity, and I’m really passionate about leaving the world a better place than when I got here. I’ve been working in the Green Sector for about 3.5 years now, just under two in New Zealand.
I began with some volunteering in Borneo, but soon found paid work with Conservation Volunteers in Australia and then New Zealand. I was involved in the Punakaiki Coastal Restoration Project (PCRP), but Conservation Volunteers also works around NZ. The PCRP is a project to return 80 hectares of degraded coastal farmland back to native forest – 100’000 trees in 5 years. It’s a really interesting project, as all the work is carried out by engaging the global community and getting them to volunteer on the site. My role was to lead the teams of volunteers, keeping them safe & sound, guiding them on how to carry out the activities, whilst also providing some education about the area and conservation.
I moved north to the windy city in August, and that has brought many exciting new opportunities for me! Juggling a few jobs isn’t easy, but the variety and experience make the note-taking and careful diary-maintenance worthwhile (my only way to deal with being in 3 different places on one day).
I’ve just finished assisting with the 350 Aotearoa 10/10/10 Global Climate Working Bee which proved to be a huge success with over 120 actions across NZ, we found the communities we spoke to were standing up to be counted despite the inaction of the World Leaders at Copenhagen last year. I was really assisting in any way I could – whether it was inviting community groups to get active, organising fundraising events, handling bits of media relations, or co-ordinating some of the amazing volunteers who wanted to help out this year. It has been a truly inspiring experience to be part of, and I think I will be involved with 350 well into the future.
At the same time, I have also been ensuring I get my forest-fix by working as an Educational Guide at Zealandia: The Karori Sanctuary Experience. I’ve brought my skills and knowledge from Conservation & Eco-tourism, and converted them to environmental education for under 18′s. They are the future after all. Two of my most amazing experiences this year were experiencing a Dawn Chorus at Zealandia, closely followed by my first wild Kiwi viewing on a night tour… all only 10 minutes from Wellington CBD!
I’m also a budding nature/landscape photographer – having a bit of spare time on my hands on the West Coast I decided to put myself through a Professional Photography course online. It’s my creative outlet to capture the beauties of the natural world and communicate them to people who may not so often see the inherent beauty in nature’s patterns, lights & textures.
From my own life, a great way to start out in any industry you haven’t had experience in, is to volunteer. I find volunteering an incredibly powerful experience both for personal growth, making contacts, and up-skilling. I will always find time in my life to volunteer. There’s many
organisations out there, but Conservation Volunteers is a great one to start out with, or your local environment centre – the power of Google should find you your closest! Essentially, get involved and get active, it’s the best way to learn and gain experience.
Mostly I’m self taught when it comes to the Green Sector – I originally studied Business at Uni in England, but I have now picked up a few ‘Green’ qualifications and Diploma modules along the way with work and independent study through the Polytec system. I’ve found it’s field experience that’s really vital in this industry along with a healthy dose of passion, but it depends what level you’re setting your sights on.
My favourite place(s) in the whole world – to live & breathe: my cabin in the hills above Punakaiki (West Coast, NZ), to experience: deep into Danum Valley Conservation Area (Sabah, Borneo), for the sheer wilderness: atop a sand dune at sunrise in the Namib-Naukluft National Park (Namibia, Africa).
My favourite food – I struggle to go past good quality ‘peasant food’ from most countries – perhaps roti chanai & goat curry might be up there though. I’m definitely someone that ‘lives to eat, not eats to live’.
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