Joshua Laughren

Josh grew up in Northern Ontario, Canada and spent his childhood lost in the creeks and swamps around his house, with countless hours spent chasing reptiles and all things that creep and crawl. He is still hard-wired to chase reptiles whenever he can, much to his son’s delight… and his wife’s dismay. Turning his boyhood passion into a career, Josh’s first job was as an educator at the regional science centre, and he then went on to pursue university studies in biology. All of this instilled in him a lifelong commitment to conservation.

Josh has spent nearly 20 years in various leadership positions in conservation, communications and climate change, including serving for ten years as National Marine Conservation Director for WWF-Canada. He has helped establish marine protected areas on all three of Canada’s coasts, secure better protection for endangered north Atlantic right whales, and pass new laws to crack down on illegal oil dumping from ships. He also led the first Earth Hour in Canada, which rallied more than ten million adult Canadians to voice support for action on climate change.