Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: April 6, 2006
• Invested on: December 15, 2006

Estelle Lacoursière has helped to popularize the natural sciences and to defend the environmental cause in Quebec. The first woman in her province to earn a master's degree in forestry in 1969, she is known today as la Soeur verte, (the Green Sister). This extraordinary communicator and former professor at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières has enthusiastically striven to educate others about the biological diversity of the world around us and the need to preserve it. She is the author and co-author of a number of works on nature and has organized workshops and eco-classrooms for young people. She has also developed many teaching tools, including L'arbrier québécois and L'étang apprivoisé, which are still used in schools. Through her commitment and many achievements, this science popularizer will leave behind an important heritage for future generations.