Laure Waridel
Encyclopedia
Laure Waridel is a social activist, a writer
, an environmentalist
, and a radio and TV commentator.
, in the village of Chesalles-sur-Oron
just north of Lake Geneva
in the Canton of Vaud. She has three sisters and a brother. When she was two, their new home was a dairy farm in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
, in the Montérégie
region. It was not long before Laure became aware of the shift towards industrial farming methods and the vulnerability of farm producers. As a young girl, she worked at a local organic farm, the Cadet Roussel farm in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
.
. She completed her university studies with a communications certificate from the Université du Québec à Montréal
and a Master's degree in law and environmental studies from the University of Victoria
in British Columbia
. Waridel currently pursues a doctorate degree at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
.
, a non-profit organisation based in Montreal
and dedicated to promoting ecological and socially responsible choices through action, education and research. It focuses on four issues: fair trade
, ecological agriculture, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, energy conservation
, and ecological
and socially just choices.
Laure Waridel was the president of Équiterre
. Her collaborators are quick to say that Waridel's considerable charm and communication skills were instrumental in getting Equiterre
off the ground and in the success of the fair trade. Waridel is no longer an employee of Equiterre, but continues as president of the organization's board of directors and as its most public representative. She remains with the non-profit organization today as a consultant.
In 2002, she was named by Maclean's Magazine as one of 25 Canadian personalities who are making a difference.
Waridel defended Gil Courtemanche
's novel
Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali
in the French
version of Canada Reads, broadcast on Radio-Canada
in 2004. This novel eventually won the competition.
Waridel is a supporter of Québec solidaire
Party.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, an environmentalist
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, and a radio and TV commentator.
Early years
Laure Waridel was born in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, in the village of Chesalles-sur-Oron
Chesalles-sur-Oron
Chesalles-sur-Oron is a municipality in the district of Lavaux-Oron in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Geography:Chesalles-sur-Oron has an area, , of . Of this area, or 73.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 18.0% is forested...
just north of Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
in the Canton of Vaud. She has three sisters and a brother. When she was two, their new home was a dairy farm in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
Mont-Saint-Grégoire is a municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, located in the Regional County Municipality of Le Haut-Richelieu. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,922...
, in the Montérégie
Montérégie
Montérégie is an administrative region in southwest Québec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Granby, Longueuil, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Hyacinthe, Sorel-Tracy, and Vaudreuil-Dorion....
region. It was not long before Laure became aware of the shift towards industrial farming methods and the vulnerability of farm producers. As a young girl, she worked at a local organic farm, the Cadet Roussel farm in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
Mont-Saint-Grégoire is a municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, located in the Regional County Municipality of Le Haut-Richelieu. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,922...
.
Education
From 1990 to 1992, Waridel studied social sciences at the Cégep Lionel-Groulx. Subsequently, she earned a degree in sociology and international development from McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. She completed her university studies with a communications certificate from the Université du Québec à Montréal
Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Basic facts:The UQAM is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec , a public university system with other branches in Gatineau , Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and...
and a Master's degree in law and environmental studies from the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Waridel currently pursues a doctorate degree at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is a highly selective postgraduate educational and research institute situated in Geneva, Switzerland...
.
Social activist
After the Earth Summit (1992) in Rio, Waridel became one of the founders of ÉquiterreÉquiterre
Based in Montreal , Équiterre is a non-profit and non-governmental organization. Équiterre's mission is to contribute to the construction of a citizens' movement by advocating individual and collective choices that are both ecologically and socially fair...
, a non-profit organisation based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and dedicated to promoting ecological and socially responsible choices through action, education and research. It focuses on four issues: fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
, ecological agriculture, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, energy conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
, and ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and socially just choices.
Laure Waridel was the president of Équiterre
Équiterre
Based in Montreal , Équiterre is a non-profit and non-governmental organization. Équiterre's mission is to contribute to the construction of a citizens' movement by advocating individual and collective choices that are both ecologically and socially fair...
. Her collaborators are quick to say that Waridel's considerable charm and communication skills were instrumental in getting Equiterre
Équiterre
Based in Montreal , Équiterre is a non-profit and non-governmental organization. Équiterre's mission is to contribute to the construction of a citizens' movement by advocating individual and collective choices that are both ecologically and socially fair...
off the ground and in the success of the fair trade. Waridel is no longer an employee of Equiterre, but continues as president of the organization's board of directors and as its most public representative. She remains with the non-profit organization today as a consultant.
In 2002, she was named by Maclean's Magazine as one of 25 Canadian personalities who are making a difference.
Waridel defended Gil Courtemanche
Gil Courtemanche
Gil Courtemanche was a Canadian progressive journalist and novelist in third-world and international politics. He wrote for the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir.Courtemanche was born in Montreal, Quebec...
's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali
Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali is the first novel by Montreal author Gil Courtemanche, originally published in 2000....
in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version of Canada Reads, broadcast on Radio-Canada
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
in 2004. This novel eventually won the competition.
Waridel is a supporter of Québec solidaire
Québec Solidaire
Québec solidaire is a democratic socialist and sovereigntist political party in Quebec, Canada, that was created on 4 February 2006 in Montreal. It was formed by the merger of the left-wing party Union des forces progressistes and the alter-globalization political movement Option Citoyenne, led...
Party.
Works
- L'envers de l'assiette (1998, 2003)
- Une cause café (1997)
- Coffee with Pleasure (2001)
- Acheter c'est voter (2005)
External links
- Laure Waridel at Maclean's Magazine (from September 9, 2002)
- http://www.lagrandeepoque.com/LGE/content/view/3750/43/
- http://www.equiterre.org/
- http://www.tolerance.ca/Article.aspx?ID=99&L=en
- http://www.polisproject.org/node/93