Nika Zondag Leads Climate Awareness for the Down Syndrome Community
Contributed by: Glen Hoos, Down Syndrome Resource Foundation
Nika Zondag, a 22-year-old Vancouverite, serves as the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation’s Sustainability Ambassador. Thanks to a Climate and Disability Community Action Grant awarded to DSRF by Eviance, Nika is raising awareness across Canada about the growing impact of climate change on disabled people.
As part of her expanded role, Nika co-hosted an Earth Day webinar on Climate Resilience for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The webinar, co-hosted by DSRF’s Director of Communication + Sustainability Glen Hoos, featured a presentation by Dr. Sébastien Jodoin, Associate Dean (Research) and Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Health and the Environment at McGill University.
This summer Nika appeared on the cover of 3.21: Canada’s Down Syndrome Magazine, which featured an interview in which the eco-activist shared her experience in the 2021 BC Heat Dome, when temperatures in the Lower Mainland reached 45C. “During the heat dome, I fainted three times due to the extremely hot temperatures. I was really dehydrated and tired. Lots of exhaustion. It was really hot! It was quite scary. I don’t want to have other people deal with that in the future.” Nika has since been interviewed for a forthcoming book about the Heat Dome.
Nika has also participated in DSRF’s Community Club, in which adults with Down syndrome engage in community volunteer activities for important social and environmental causes including park cleanups, invasive species pulling, and emergency food distribution. With support from Eviance, the Club assembled 50 cooling kits designed for people with Down syndrome and distributed them before the summer heat set in. All 50 kits were snapped up within days.
In September, Nika and Glen will co-present on Disability in the Era of Climate Change at Vancouver Climate Day – the first time that disability has been a topic at this annual event.
The City of Burnaby recently recognized Nika’s important work by awarding DSRF an Environmental Star. The city praised DSRF for “making climate communication more inclusive by ensuring people with developmental disabilities are part of the conversation.”
We at DSRF are deeply grateful to Eviance for supercharging our efforts to center people with Down syndrome and other disabilities in climate discussions and planning. We look forward to advancing this work together in the coming years.