Sayo Nickerson

- Before moving to Vancouver in 2001, Sayo spent the earlier part of her years growing up in Ontario. “I grew up on a sheep farm where I spent most of my time chasing frogs, climbing trees, fishing, swimming and running around.” She later graduated from McGill in 1995 and traveled around Europe, Australia and South-East Asia.

Sayo works in real estate and decided to donate 10% of revenues on every sale she makes to three local environmental organizations. “I liked the science/solutions based approach promoted by the David Suzuki Foundation plus David Suzuki is a trusted name that my clients would feel comfortable supporting.”

Sayo first started donating to the Foundation when friends who were getting married asked guests make donations to the David Suzuki Foundation in lieu of gifts. “That was the first time I realized there was a whole organization behind David Suzuki working to further his vision.”

She believes that by being a supporter of the Foundation, she is part of something larger and that even if she is going about her daily business, she’s still making a difference. “I am very excited to be a part of what the Foundation is working on. I feel like part of a community of like-minded people and that’s awesome!”

Sayo believes in reducing her environmental footprint and includes driving a hybrid vehicle as one of the ways she is making a difference. She also educates her clients through her website on changes they can make to be more sustainable. And, she is busy working on a project that would allow for strata condo buildings to be able to compost their organic waste!

She is passionate about the conservation of old growth forests and a firm believer in having the cost of goods adjusted to reflect their true cost. Sayo expresses a great appreciation for species at risk. “After watching a salmon run up in Courtney, I feel this is something that needs to be preserved. I support the preservation of all life forms – we don’t have the right to be the cause of massive extinction. Many species at risk have been evolving for thousands, even millions of years and deserve to live just as much as we do. They are complex and highly evolved creatures.”

“Canada’s identity is totally tied to our wildlife and resources so we need to protect and value them – it’s at the core of who we are. We should be leading the world by example. We are a rich nation. We can afford to do the right thing.”