Yan Levasseur
École de technologie supérieure

Everyday Actions for the Greater Health of the Planet

When Yan Levasseur talks about his studies and innumerable projects, he does so with great modesty. But if you listen to his teachers, you begin to realise that he is simply an exceptional individual, dedicated to others and to the planet and motivated by a desire to contribute in many different ways to the greater well-being of all.

“I have rarely met anyone with so much talent, who can still remain honest, humble and sincere. He is not afraid to take on challenges,” said his director of graduate studies at the École de technologie supérieure, Jacques-André Landry. “I am impressed by his ability to take on so much at so many different levels without it having a negative effect on his research,” he went on to say.

“Yan is exceptional in every respect. The studies he has undertaken and his qualities and skills make him an excellent candidate for becoming one of the eminent researchers that Québec will need in the years to come,” stated Jean-Christophe Demers, Yan’s former teacher and research assistant.

Obviously, this is quite a claim. From an academic standpoint, Yan has obtained all the prestigious scholarships available in his field of interest and he has thus been able to pursue a master’s degree in automated production engineering. However, “his academic achievements are but a pale reflection of his skills and thirst for knowledge,” according to Mr. Landry.

Indeed, while pursuing his studies, Yan relentlessly travels to all four corners of the world, gives of his time to numerous community organizations and attends all kinds of courses in order to satisfy his need for learning. He easily switches from French to English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin and Esperanto.

It was above all his travels to Asia and Costa Rica that “fuelled his passion for mutual aid, and also kindled his desire for the overall well-being of the planet, be it in the area of the environment, health or social organization.” To this end, in 2005, with two partners he founded the non-profit organization The Earth Being, “an all-in-one for the well-being of all,” as he so aptly describes it.

Public awareness workshops and training courses (on recycling and conversion, composting, ethical consumption, healthy eating, etc.), visits to organic farms, projects for preparing salvaged food and the promotion of active transportation are just some of the increasingly popular activities offered in Montréal.

“His commitment is not limited to the theoretical creation of an organization, it permeates his whole way of life: he puts into practice in an exemplary fashion the actions that go hand in hand with a philosophy of voluntary simplicity,” pointed out Mr. Demers.

“My goal is not to try and persuade people directly or tell them how to live their lives. I want to give them the tools they need to embrace this way of thinking and come to their own conclusions,” Yan says simply. He is in fact about to launch an extensive virtual resource centre that will be accessible to Internauts all around the world thanks to the Earth Being website at www.lateresto.org.

Yan Levasseur
École de technologie supérieure