Bio: Angela Bischoff

February 26, 2015 Angela Bio: Angela Bischoff 0

After receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta (sociology) in the mid-eighties, Angela jumped into the environmental trenches.

Alongside her life partner Tooker Gomberg, Angela developed her activist skills and her commitment to the bicycle as Director of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters. She also worked for World Food Day, coordinating the development of school materials and public educational activities based on local and global food security issues.

In 1990 she and Tooker co-founded The EcoCity Society, an Edmonton based urban environmental advocacy organization that took on an array of issues including waste, climate change, ozone depletion, pesticides, transportation and energy.

They worked out of offices in the heart of downtown, paying the rent by facilitating the Rumpus Room, a multi-purpose alternative and progressive hub for the activist and artistic scenes. Many bands got their start there, and many campaigns were spawned.

As Executive Director of EcoCity from 1992-96, Angela supervised dozens of staff and volunteers, published regular newspapers called ‘EcoCity Report’, and coordinated numerous enviro advocacy campaigns.

With Tooker working from the inside at City Hall, and Angela building public support for his initiatives through EcoCity, they successfully changed the face of the city by shifting public and political awareness and even winning the odd campaign.

After losing his Council seat in ’95, she and Tooker launched the Greenspiration Odyssey, traveling the globe with their bicycles and documenting inspiring ecological initiatives.

In 1999 the pair moved to Toronto where Angela became Project Manager with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and the Clean Air Partnership, agencies of the City of Toronto that aim to reduce climate change and smog emissions. She organized the annual Smog Summit conferences, and managed the educational funding program Cool Schools.

After cycling through India for 6 months, Angela worked as a sustainable transportation manager with the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax. There she coordinated advocacy campaigns and events such as Car Free Day, building public and political profile for local sustainable transportation projects.

After the tragic passing of her partner Tooker due to pharma-induced suicide, Angela immersed herself in issues of mental health, sustainable activism, big-pharma, and the dangers of antidepressant drugs. She published a newspaper called Depression Expression (20-page PDF) and made 24 presentations across the country on the Healthy Mind Body Planet Tour.

Now back in Toronto, Angela has taken on the nuclear industry as Outreach Director of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. She continues her educational work through her Greenspiration email lists, and also publishes an email newsletter called No Nukes News.

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