OUR TEAM
The DVSLC matches the expertise and the commitment of members to activities that contribute toward sustainable living.
Board of Directors
Chair
Larry Kapustka
Founding Member
Lawrence (Larry) A. Kapustka, Ph.D. has worked as a professor, government research scientist, and consultant in the areas of ecological risk assessment, ecosystem services, and sustainability. With 40 years of experience in basic and applied ecology, his work has extended across a wide range of topics involving natural sciences and environmental policy. His work earned international status as a Certified Emeritus Senior Ecologist and a SETAC Fellow.
He and Susan Kristoferson moved to Canada in 2005, and came to Turner Valley in 2014, and have been active in the community serving on the Board of the Turner Valley Oilfield Society from 2015 through 2019; was a founding member and served on the Board of the Foothills Energy Co-op; and is a founding member the private, non-profit organization, Diamond Valley Sustainable Living Centre. Beyond the technical fields in which he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and books, he authored Gifts for Santa: Collected Dreams and Confessions and co-produced Vistas of the West, a book of poetry and art.
kapustka@xplornet.com
M: 403.354.2468
Secretary
Susan Kristoferson
Founding Member
Susan Kristoferson, MFA, BFA, hand paints and dyes papers to create an extensive palette of papers for her unique collages and fine craft objects. Starting at the age 5 Susan has always been a maker with an early interest in sewing and textiles.She is skilled in textile arts and papermaking and has been an art teacher, art professor and head of a fiber arts program. She now works with specialty papers that often look like fabric. Shown in more than 200+ exhibits, her work is in collections across the USA, in Japan, China, and Canada.
She has lived in England, Denmark, the USA and now happily lives in southern Alberta with an inspirationsal view of the foothills and Rockies from her home and studio.
kristudio@xplornet.com
Past board members
Larry Ashmore
Founding Member
l_ashmore@yahoo.com
Jackie Blight
Records Keeper (past)
Jackie was born and raised in Calgary. Her first garage sale buy was canning jars when she was 12. Interested in gardening and food security from an early age, she planted gardens everywhere she went. Some fabulous, some not. Since moving to Black Diamond in the early 1990’s, she has been involved in community activities such as the Diamond Valley Christmas Concerts, Beneath the Arch music series and instrumental in the forming and upkeep of the Diamond Valley Community Garden. She’s also taught numerous folk art and faux finish art classes to the community.
She’s a Painter and Decorator by trade, artist, gardener, adventurer, explorer and dreamer by nature. Jackie has always been interested in energy, water and food security and is happy to lend a hand to the Diamond Valley Sustainable Living Society in whatever way she can.
jbnew1234@gmail.com
Rob McWilliam
Founding Member
Rob was brought up on a farm, which meant many hours in the garden, more picking rocks in the field, and even more staring at the night sky. All of these developed in him a love of Nature and a passion for our environment. He worked as a geologist for many years, then taught earth science at Sait in Calgary for even longer. Retired for over a decade, he took up writing, and has nearly two dozen books in print. He also has a large garden, and collects a lot of rainwater. Food and water security are his main goals within the group.
rob.mcwilliam707@gmail.com
Les Quinton
Treasurer (past)
Born and raised in Alberta, Les has lived around this area for most of his life with his wife and two kids. He has worked for the Town of Black Diamond since 1997 in Parks and Recreation, and has always had interest in working toward Sustainability at home and at work. He has help the Town work on energy efficiency and installing alternative energy on 3 municipal facilities.
In 2011 Les received the Sustainability Leadership award for the work he has done with the town of Black Diamond. He is also a member of the Sustainable Black Diamond Advisory Committee, and continues to work on energy efficiency and alternative energy. It is a lifestyle and lifelong commitment to strive for sustainability.
laq457@eastlink.ca
Dusty Williams
Founding Member
Born and raised in the heart of Toronto. Dusty spent most of his youth outdoors, beyond the city limits. In the 70’s he moved to Calgary. It was here that he met his wife and raised their daughter.
After moving out west, his interests and environmental concerns led him into the field of Solar Energy. Finally, the noise and every day stresses of city living became too much. Along with his wife and daughter, they moved to Black Diamond.
Being active in the community, he ran day to day operations of the local recycle centre for 11 years, and was a member of the Sustainable Black Diamond Advisory Committee for 12 years, a member of the team responsible for helping to create their Sustainability manual. He is a founding member of the Diamond Valley Sustainable Living Centre, a non-profit organization. A maker at heart, his spare time is spent in his woodshop making furniture and restoring older pieces.
His growing interests in sustainability led him into Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), becoming an accredited LEED GA, in particular home energy and water conservation. He envisioned the concept of a Sustainable Living Centre while working in the local recycle centre, reasoning that every community could be wholly self-sustaining and resilient without relying heavily on external resources; each community has the potential to provide for its own well-being.
itsasustainablelife@outlook.com