SEDV student profile

Mona Enachescu is native to Calgary, Alberta. She grew up in a liberal family with an avid interest in documentaries to help appease her boundless curiosity. Her parents encouraged her passions, supported her ethical quandaries and ever-growing animal collection and actively participated in lifestyle shifts as they surfaced. Mona began making significant changes to her daily routines in her early twenties with a renewed commitment to a low waste lifestyle, even before it became mainstream.

Mona earned a double degree in biology and geology from Queens University before returning to work as a geologist in Calgary’s oil and gas industry in 2011. Her motivation to pursue a Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Development (SEDV) this past May considered the seamless link between her current role as a professional geologist (P.Geo), the expansion of her skillset in alignment with her ethics and future-proofing her career during the global transition to a low carbon future. Developing her knowledge base while applying the three pillars of sustainability will hopefully amplify her work in industry and allow Mona to make meaningful changes to future practices from within.

Mona works part-time while enrolled in the SEDV program as a full-time graduate student. For many, this gruelling schedule would be enough. However, Mona still generously dedicates time to passion projects that make a difference in local and regional communities, both human and animal. Inspired by her parent’s endless devotion to helping others, Mona’s commitments to these initiatives are palpable; logging 160 hours with the Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force as the Data Entry Team Lead and attending six of this year’s eight three-day clinics to provide low-cost veterinary care to animals in remote communities.

She also committed 50 hours with AARCS as an animal photographer, foster parent, and volunteer and 75 hours with the Ban the Bag YYC, an initiative she co-launched to curb single use plastics in Calgary. In May 2018, Mona joined the Woman for Humane Canada, an advocacy leadership circle focused on the link between domestic violence and violence against animals. She also volunteers with the ALICE Sanctuary, Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation and the CSPG as part of the University Outreach committee, helping improve the statistics of women in STEM and assisting students in retooling to utilize their skills within different industries.

Mona doesn’t just believe in sustainability practices at a theoretical level, she lives it and leads by example. She is an animal welfare activist, an environmentally conscious consumer of foodstuffs and products, and a devoted vegan; continuously promoting the most environmentally friendly diet while educating others on the unsustainable agricultural practices of consuming animal products. She focuses on the first two R’s (reduce and reuse) and has reduced single use plastics in her home. She is never seen without her thermos, water bottle, reusable containers for take-out, mesh produce and canvas grocery bags and mason jars for bulk purchases from local farmer’s markets, apothecaries or grocery stores.

It will come as no surprise that Mona’s hobbies are also low impact and leave minimal trace, including agility with one of her two dogs, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, hiking, backpacking, photography and traveling. She continues to be an inspiration both inside and outside of the classroom.

Follow @foxandfen, @banthebagyyc and @plasticfreeyyc on Instagram for simple changes to live more sustainably.