Hi, I’m Phillip Meintzer - a human being, currently living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with abiding interests in:

Science - as a process by which we learn and validate new information about our universe;

Education - for all people, regardless of age, race, gender, or wealth, as a means for addressing ignorance and superstition in our society;

Empathy - as a solution for many of the intersectional problems we currently face on our planet including climate change, wealth inequality, and racism;

Gratitude - as a deficient quality in today’s society, but which is integral to truly appreciating the world around us as well as our place within it; and

Democratic Socialism - as the only means by which we can liberate our finite time from the realm of labour and exploitation to the realm of freedom.

Marxism - the system of thought which asserts that our lived material existence (including the system of production) shapes our socioeconomic relations, which in turn shapes our thoughts and creates the sociopolitical reality of our time (i.e., dialectical materialism); and that history is a process dependent on class struggle (i.e., historical materialism);

Reconciliation - a process that all settlers and their descendents must commit towards advancing, to help atone for the mistakes and intentional harm of our ancestors, and to build a society that ensures justice, equality, and sustainability for all beings (both human and non-human), and the natural world we rely on.

I have a BSc in Zoology from the University of Calgary and an MSc in Marine Biology from Memorial University of Newfoundland, with my primary academic and professional focus being fisheries and wilderness conservation.

My hobbies include time spent with loved ones, photography, writing, reading, running, and my inspirations include Craig Mod, Michael Pollan, Kwame Ture, Ruth Ozeki, Martin Hägglund, Carl Sagan, Brett Favaro, Farley Mowat, two of my teachers – Mr. Patterson and Mr. Lederer, and last but not least my mom.