Environmentalist in Residence
Toronto Public Library's Environmentalist in Residence serves as an industry expert in the area of conservation and sustainability, offering programs, workshops and community consultations as part of the Our Fragile Planet program series.
Find current Our Fragile Planet programs here.
Please check back in Spring 2026 for the next session of the Environmentalist in Residence.
Past Residents
2025
Carly Davenport is an avid naturalist whose curiosity about the natural world drives her work at the intersection of science, advocacy, and community engagement. She contributes to diverse research and monitoring efforts and takes on issues like bird-window collisions, rodenticide impacts, and habitat loss. Recognized nationally for her conservation advocacy, Carly is committed to inspiring others to value and protect biodiversity. Carly co-founded Birdsafe UofT, currently volunteers with Nature Canada's Bird Friendly City program (Toronto chapter), and FLAP Canada.
2023
Jenny Davis is a passionate outdoor educator with over a decade of experience connecting adults and children with nature, themselves and community through thoughtful and inclusive program design. Jenny is co-founder of Turtle Protectors, an Indigenous-guided stewardship program that advocates, supports, and protects turtles living in High Park, Etienne Brule, King's Mill and Rennie Park. Currently Jenny is looking for turtles and their hatchlings and is an Outdoor Educator at The Linden School.
In her role at High Park Nature Centre, Jenny developed unique community programs like Branching Out, a mentorship program for people interested in creating a meaningful nature experience for their community in the language linked to their culture.
Jenny's approach is to ask questions to help people uncover how much they already know about plants, animals, and basic ecology while cultivating joy and a shared wonder of the natural world.
Photo by: Katherine KY Cheng.
2022
Shamily Shanmuganathan is the co-founder of Corals and Bees, an online platform dedicated to promoting intersectional environmentalism and advocating for climate justice.
Watch replays of programs hosted by Shamily.
Generously supported by Friends of Toronto Public Library, South Chapter