The afternoon Keynote Presentation for Sound Waters University 2023 will be interactive, informative, and inspiring.
We Are Puget Sound: Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea is a campaign, book, and multimedia touring exhibit amplifying the voices and actions needed to protect and restore Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. We live, work, and play in a remarkable part of the world, surrounded by mountains, forests, and shorelines that support an abundance of people and wildlife. Orcas swim by downtown skyscrapers. Salmon return after years in the Pacific Ocean to find their home streams so they can spawn the next generation. And people have called this place home for millennia.
We are at a pivotal time for the health of the Salish Sea, and our decisions today will determine what future generations experience. Critically endangered orcas and salmon have shown us in recent years that in the face of pollution, population growth, and climate change, it will take all of us to create a future with healthy land, water, wildlife, and people!
This interactive session will share stunning images of our extraordinary ecosystem, stories of inspiring people working to leave this place better than they found it, and co-developed actions we can all take in our everyday lives.
Bio: Mindy Roberts
Mindy Roberts leads the People for Puget Sound Program at Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters, advocating for clean water, healthy habitat, and renewed leadership to protect and recover Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. Mindy is a registered professional engineer with over 30 years of experience cleaning up pollution and restoring habitats all over the world. She is driven by a passion for environmental justice and ensuring that future generations experience salmon, orcas, and healthy communities. Mindy spends her free time climbing mountains, exploring the Salish Sea, and more recently crabbing off Whidbey Island on a stand-up paddleboard.
Washington Environmental Council (WEC) is a statewide non-profit organization founded in 1967, and we represent over 20,000 members and supporters. For over 50 years, WEC has worked to pass, defend, and enforce environmental laws like the State Environmental Policy Act, Shoreline Management Act, and Growth Management Act that will ensure that Washington remains a vibrant place to live, work, and enjoy for future generations. Our mission is to develop, advocate, and defend policies that ensure environmental progress and justice by centering and amplifying the voices of the most impacted communities.
