A Leader in Environmental Sustainability
The Localer: How do you fight climate change in your community? Barrie’s Lisa Zhao is winning at pushing local environmental initiatives forward. | By Karen Eull
Barrie local Lisa Zhao has taken part in numerous eco-initiatives and continues to advocate for environmental causes. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF LISA ZHAO
(From top) The Trees for Bees team; the team at work on the Barrie waterfront pod installation; the finished pod — an ideal environment for pollinators. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF LISA ZHAO
Joining her local Rotary Club in Barrie, Ont., was just the thing Lisa Zhao needed, giving her a platform to speak about the need for environmental sustainability. “There’s lots of focus on the human needs in community, but for me, our environment, or the topic of eco-consciousness, sustainability and minimizing your carbon footprint — that doesn’t have a voice. Those causes don’t speak.”
More than just being vocal about these causes, Zhao has taken action. She has spearheaded several native planting projects for the Barrie-Huronia Rotary Club and teamed up with local non-profit organizations such as Living Green Barrie to raise money and awareness for environmental initiatives.
Zhao has also written and secured several Rotary International grants to fund naturalization projects and has partnered with other local organizations to bring support and stability to the natural environment in her community. In 2023 she partnered with Living Green to create “Trees for Bees.” With the support of Pollinate Barrie, Zhao’s team planted red maples, tulip trees and eastern redbuds in Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala Park to help create habitat for native pollinators, including birds, bats, butterflies, bees and other insects. Because the young trees were vulnerable to improper watering and compaction from foot traffic, the team built protective pods from recycled plastic lumber to border the trees and wildflowers.
In 2025 Zhao oversaw a larger pod project — planting pollinator-friendly trees to bring shade to the Rotary Fishing Platform in Heritage Park, earning her team a Healthy Community Award from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. The shade helps attract fish and the insects that the fish feed on. It also cools the shoreline, tempering the warming effects of climate change in Kempenfelt Bay. Zhao’s team of Rotary Club volunteers also built fish habitats under the platform to encourage spawning.
Zhao, who’s a resident of Barrie and a local real estate agent, donates a portion of all her commissions to Living Green. She encourages everyone to practise some environmental stewardship, such as planting native trees and plants in their gardens. CAA
Do you know someone who goes above and beyond?
We’d love to hear about them. Submit your nomination, and they could be our featured Localer in an upcoming issue.
Related stories
How CAA Helps to Prepare Homeowners with the Challenges of Extreme Weather
Food Security Advocate Inspires the Next Generation of Farmers
Meet the Teacher Behind the World’s Best School for Environmental Action
Barrie local Lisa Zhao has taken part in numerous eco-initiatives and continues to advocate for environmental causes. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF LISA ZHAO
A Leader in Environmental Sustainability
The Localer: How do you fight climate change in your community? Barrie’s Lisa Zhao is winning at pushing local environmental initiatives forward. | By Karen Eull
Joining her local Rotary Club in Barrie, Ont., was just the thing Lisa Zhao needed, giving her a platform to speak about the need for environmental sustainability. “There’s lots of focus on the human needs in community, but for me, our environment, or the topic of eco-consciousness, sustainability and minimizing your carbon footprint — that doesn’t have a voice. Those causes don’t speak.”
More than just being vocal about these causes, Zhao has taken action. She has spearheaded several native planting projects for the Barrie-Huronia Rotary Club and teamed up with local non-profit organizations such as Living Green Barrie to raise money and awareness for environmental initiatives.
Zhao has also written and secured several Rotary International grants to fund naturalization projects and has partnered with other local organizations to bring support and stability to the natural environment in her community. In 2023 she partnered with Living Green to create “Trees for Bees.” With the support of Pollinate Barrie, Zhao’s team planted red maples, tulip trees and eastern redbuds in Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala Park to help create habitat for native pollinators, including birds, bats, butterflies, bees and other insects. Because the young trees were vulnerable to improper watering and compaction from foot traffic, the team built protective pods from recycled plastic lumber to border the trees and wildflowers.
In 2025 Zhao oversaw a larger pod project — planting pollinator-friendly trees to bring shade to the Rotary Fishing Platform in Heritage Park, earning her team a Healthy Community Award from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. The shade helps attract fish and the insects that the fish feed on. It also cools the shoreline, tempering the warming effects of climate change in Kempenfelt Bay. Zhao’s team of Rotary Club volunteers also built fish habitats under the platform to encourage spawning.
Zhao, who’s a resident of Barrie and a local real estate agent, donates a portion of all her commissions to Living Green. She encourages everyone to practise some environmental stewardship, such as planting native trees and plants in their gardens. CAA
The Trees for Bees team; the team at work on the Barrie waterfront pod installation; the finished pod — an ideal environment for the pollinators. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF LISA ZHAO