As the year comes to an end, we at the Greenpeace Canada Education Fund are delighted to showcase a recent gift that we received in memory of Melanie Joanne Moffat. It was sent from her mother, Jeanne, a former Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada.
Our hearts were warmed to receive this gift and the following touching story from Jeanne. It is our proud responsibility to honour Melanie’s legacy by continuing to fund and support innovative climate research and education in Canada. Here is Melanie’s story, as told by Jeanne.
This gift is in memory of my daughter, Melanie Joanne Moffat (1969-2022). During the years I served as Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada (1993-1999), Melanie became very intrigued by Greenpeace’s work and participated in several actions resulting from her growing understanding of critical planetary issues.
In the spring of 2004, Melanie joined Bob Fugere, my partner, and me on a trip to New Orleans to help Greenpeace and Habitat for Humanity build the first plastic-free house! It was an engaging project, and Melanie loved working with people from Greenpeace USA and Habitat for Humanity. It was a real education for her.
In the fall of 2004, Melanie joined the crew and volunteers from all over the world onboard the Greenpeace ship, “Esperanza”, to research the ocean and fisheries around the Grand Banks off the East Coast of Canada. During three weeks on this mission, her experience ignited many things inside her that gave her a stronger sense of purpose than she had had previously. This trip was truly a “life-changing event for Melanie”, as her sister, Katherine, had predicted it would be.
Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and the surrounding area in 2005, destroying many homes. Melanie returned to New Orleans as a volunteer with the Red Cross after receiving emergency training in Nova Scotia, where she then lived. Her commitment to this project continued into 2005-2007: she returned three more times to work as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
Melanie began her own business, “Lakewinds Property Management”, in 2008 in Muskoka as a landscaper and advocate for environmentally sustainable care of the land and the lakes. She taught many of her clients how to “green” their properties and to plan gardens carefully to enrich the land and support the wildlife that depends on it.
The Greenpeace Canada Education Fund is a perfect place to support the research so vital to saving this planet. Through this gift, I wish to honour my daughter Melanie’s life, lived so fully in care of the earth. I am sure her spirit will be present in that work!
