The Office of Sustainability is putting the Sustainability Spotlight on Nivedita Lane, Manager, Community and Partnership Development, with Community Outreach and Workforce Development.

“I’m an adult educator and a community developer, and the path that brought me here is interesting,” says Nivedita Lane.

Nivedita completed a double-degree concurrent program at York University with the intent to become an educator within the secondary school system. While also working part-time at local service agencies and volunteering in the community, Nivedita quickly internalized that education is more than just the things that happen within a classroom, “education is something that is experiential, greater than four walls, more than the clear-cut boxes and streams, and something that is truly lifelong.”  

Nivedita says that her career choices “formalized a commitment to breaking down silos in education, and creating alternative pathways for people to access education and training and decent work as they needed it. It also helped to me to fully appreciate that partnership building and collaboration are integral to bringing about systems-level change necessary for transformative social and economic development.” 

When asked what sustainability means to Nivedita, without hesitation Nivedita replied saying, “I think that I ultimately come back to the idea that sustainability is about balance and wellness. Sustainability is really about people being well, the earth being well and understanding the connections between all things.”  

To learn more about Community Outreach and Workforce Development's sustainability initiatives, read the feature story here.