Staff Spotlight: Hannah Fattor
Hannah works on the wood markets program as the new Wood Markets Program Manager.
“I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, with trees and flowers everywhere, and I want everyone to get to experience ubiquitous nature.”
How did your childhood influence your decision to work in sustainability?
I grew up in Portland! I was learning about reduce, reuse, recycle from an early age. I value reducing waste and recycling, but I see a lot of value in reuse. I like to fix things, mending them or repurposing materials for something new. It takes creativity to work with what's available to you, and I think that creativity is very powerful. It leads to some amazing ideas and solutions to common problems. I also think it changes how you see the world. There's greater interconnectedness than we realize, and seeing individual impact is an important part of understanding how the world's ecosystem works, where it needs help to sustain natural resources, what needs to change, and how humanity can support those changes through shifts in perspective and policy. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, with trees and flowers everywhere, and I want everyone to get to experience ubiquitous nature.
How did your educational and career path lead you to Sustainable Northwest?
I've worked in a lot of different fields: building sets for children's theater, hanging lights for stages throughout Portland, creating podcasts with friends, working for local and international nonprofits, and supporting emergency management with flood and fire data. I'm a curious person, and I love to learn new things, whether it's about the native birds of New Zealand or the chemistry of perfumes. Science communication has long been a constant interest of mine, and pursuing data-driven storytelling has led me to some really exciting places. I've had the opportunity to learn from people who are extremely engaged with their communities about how infrastructure intersects with nature and natural disasters. Their thoughtfulness about addressing ecosystems as well as city systems was really inspiring. I have also been able to engage with mapping and natural hazard data. I think the stories that data can tell are really interesting to explore, both in what data is available, how it's structured, and the visualizations you can build. I'm excited to engage with data and mapping projects to explore the timber market.
What do you like most about working at Sustainable Northwest?
I think the team at Sustainable Northwest is really creative, curious, and committed to innovative environmental ideas, which is awesome! I really appreciate how SNW approaches community engagement with the range of projects they support. Going forward in my career, I want to continue telling thoughtful stories with data and supporting compassionate environmental stewardship throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Passions outside of work: Writing stories, poems, and essays; spending time with friends; making zines; reading; sewing and knitting.
One thing you think is overrated: Hiking. I'll do it, I won't complain much, but I won't be happy till the hike's over or I'm sitting in a creek.
Favorite thing to do on a day off: Sleep in, go bouldering at the Circuit, walk around Mt. Tabor, and eat pastries.
Favorite place in the PNW: Hug Point
Book recommendation: The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Cats or dogs? Cats, forever and always.
