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Nino Lovell

Communications Coordinator

Nino is the Communications Coordinator at A Greener Future, leading all organizational communications. With a background in film and television and over a decade of experience in visual storytelling, she creates engaging content that inspires environmental action and supports AGF’s mission to eliminate waste.

In this reflective piece, we explore environmental awareness through art with Brigitte Gourdeau’s work, using mixed-media painting to reveal truths about waste, consumption, and sustainability that many of us overlook.

I first encountered Brigitte Gourdeau’s work at the ECOTalk event hosted by Art in Motion on November 1st, 2025.

In a room alive with conversations about climate and sustainability, her paintings immediately drew me in. At first glance, they depict animals in what appear to be their natural habitats. But as you look closer, the details begin to shift your perspective. Litter is woven into the landscapes, quietly disrupting the scenes.

Five vertical mixed-media paintings by Brigitte Goudreau displayed on a gallery wall, exploring themes of nature, waste, and transformation.

Derived from her morning walks, her art reflects what she sees. The light filtering through the trees. The forest breathing. Wildlife moving freely, deer passing through, owls perched high above.

And then you notice it. The oil barrels. The garbage. The things that don’t belong. They’re not exaggerated. They don’t dominate the canvas. They sit quietly, exactly as they do in real life. That choice is intentional.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Brigitte to talk about her creative process and her project Planet forgive them…, featured in the images in this blog post. The collection depicts animals in their natural habitats, where the quiet yet unsettling presence of garbage slowly emerges around them.

Brigitte shared that she often hears, “This isn’t what it really looks like.” But the uncomfortable truth is-it does. Her work doesn’t just create images; it sparks realization. You’re drawn in by nature first, and then reality gently taps you on the shoulder.

Another element of Brigitte’s work that immediately drew me in was her choice of canvas: long, narrow, horizontal formatting. Curious about that, I asked her why she chose it, and her answer stayed with me.

“It’s a door. A door to connect ourselves from our comfortable inside to the reality that is unfolding outside.”

Inside our homes, life feels cozy. We build spaces that are safe, warm, and familiar. We carefully curate what we see, what we hear, and even what we allow ourselves to think about. With technology, it has never been easier to shape an ideal version of life. One that feels controlled and comfortable, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But beyond that door is where reality lives. If you never open it, you never truly know what’s happening outside your walls.

At A Greener Future, we talk a lot about sustainability, but sustainability starts with awareness. With opening that door. With allowing ourselves to see what exists beyond the curated comfort of our daily lives.

Brigitte’s work doesn’t exaggerate. It simply witnesses. Her paintings remind us that nature is still here, still alive, still adapting, even when it shouldn’t have to. What I once described as animals in their “natural habitats” needs to be reframed: these paintings show how human waste intrudes into the lives of wildlife, becoming an unwelcome part of their homes. A reality that should never feel normal. But nature keeps going.

As Brigitte says, “You respect yourself when you take care of your environment.”

And sometimes all it takes is opening the door we don’t open enough.