Anjana Viswanatha
Financing Change Manager
Prior to joining Canopy, Anjana was a freelance writer in the wine and hospitality sectors and a teacher at George Brown College in Toronto. Anjana has an MA in English from the University of Waterloo and ¾ of a PhD from the University Sussex.
More about me
I have been a writer for 25 years and for the first 15, I had the privilege to write about some fascinating and important topics across the arts and social services sectors. 10 years ago, I decided to follow my other passions – wine and food – and trained as a sommelier, after which I spent a few years in a few great restaurants before going back to my writing roots to write about wine.
In this third movement of my work symphony, I am picking up my pen (or rather opening my laptop) to play a part in positive change on the topic I care most about: safeguarding our planet against the real and present threat of environmental degradation and climate change. Grant writing for Canopy to support the preservation of Ancient & Endangered Forests feels like the most important writing I can do.
Why are forests important to me
Forests do all sorts of incredible things: they support tremendous biodiversity and act as carbon sinks and clean our water and the air we breathe. There are so many practical reasons to value and love forests. But I love forests not for their utility but for just being forests. I love them for the natural perfume and ethereal music and light dappled art they create just by being. I love the intangible magic that happens when I walk into a forest and am instantly calmed and comforted for no other reason than it is a forest. I believe forests need protection because they are essential to our very existence; more importantly, however, I believe forests deserve protection simply because they exist.
Why Canopy
Canopy speaks to me of the two things we need embrace to tackle the climate crisis: the aspirational and the practical. The organization has ambitious goals that need to be so because we need to act now and act big if we are going to stop the disaster on our doorstep. But this aspiration is accompanied by a profound understanding of the practicalities of affecting change on this massive scale, along with the ideas, tools and people to do it. It is an utterly unique approach and I believe it is a winning one. I am honoured to be part of this team.
Ask me about
Wine and books. I love both, most often together. I read a lot of fiction and a lot of nonfiction about things that fascinate me: trees, fungi, dinosaurs, ecology, astronomy, astrophysics and very cold places. You can also ask me about recycling jewellery, nature documentaries, science podcasts and walking in the woods.
What ruffles my feathers
Indifference. Ignorance can be educated. Self-centredness can be mitigated. Even greed can be redirected. But indifference is just a crime.
