Paula was raised on a farm in Northern Saskatchewan, learning about conservation early due to scarce groundwater, home-grown food, and inspiring parents. She then left her home town at the age of 17 and began studying and working across Canada and abroad. She was a biology field worker in the monsoon forests of Tanzania, co-creator and manager of a youth hostel in Zambia, an assistant Engineer in Turkey and a student at the University of Saskatchewan. After completing a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering, she performed environmental consulting as well as humanitarian work as a water and sanitation engineer in the conflict area of Gulu, Uganda. After two years there she returned to Canada and worked on a variety of projects in Toronto, Churchill, Manitoba and St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Paula’s last international stint was in Guatemala where she work as an outdoor adventure guide. While she loved the variety and travel her life had provided so far, nothing quite satisfied her personal values for environment and conservation .Eventually she began thinking it was time to find more sustainable ways to live and work, preferably back in her home country. She discovered Nelson in January 2007 and the decision to stay was an easy one.

“I believe so completely in the idea of a improving the way we build and live that instead of trying to buy a home, I put my money where my mouth was – into my own business that that encourages better construction practices and proves the economic case of living green,” she says.

“Now I want to take the ideals that I learned and nurtured in the small business world and apply them to city planning.”