Michelle Gardner-Quinn life’s goal was to build a healthy and sustainable habitat on earth for generations to come—and her motto was “small actions=big change.” Even as a young child, Michelle intuitively knew that her love for nature would lead her to fruitful journeys at home and overseas: studying giant otters in the jungles of Brazil, working on invasive plant removal in Arlington, living with a Costa Rican family and studying the devastating effects of monocropping, and working as forester in Prince William Forest Park— just to name a few of adventures. As she wrote in her University of Vermont diary:
As a child, I found joy digging in the dirt, examining the miracle of life…This was where I felt a strong connection to the natural cycles of creation. This connection has inspired me to this day. It is a feeling deep within me that has inspired my passions and pursuits as an environmentalist.