Graduate Assistants (GAs)
Alexis Esseltine is IRIS's Campus Sustainability Action Agenda GA focusing on campus waste issues. In addition to her work with IRIS Alexis is completing her MES with a joint Diploma in Business and the Environment at York University. Her research interests include: urban agriculture, the Canadian food system, product life-cycles, waste management systems, and corporate social responsibility. Alexis worked in the magazine publishing industry for four years before coming to York. She has Bachelor of Technology from Ryerson University.
Hazel Sutton is a student in the Master’s of Environmental Studies program at York University where she will be following the Business and the Environment diploma stream. Her main research interests concern the development of the green economy and the incorporation of entrepreneurial sustainability within corporate and industrial frameworks. She is passionate on the topic of waste elimination from a product’s life cycle via the incorporation of ecologically intelligent product design into the production process.
Currently she is involved in activities related to the funding and organisation of an IRIS and ECOAR hosted side-event on climate justice at the COP15, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Denmark in December 2009.
Research at York (RAY) Students
Granaz Ghalehvand is a fourth year undergraduate Biomedical Science student. She is currently participating in the RAY program. The Research at York (RAY) program was created to enhance both the research culture of the University and the undergraduate student academic experience. Through the RAY program, eligible undergraduate students will have the opportunity to participate in research projects with faculty members and/or fellow students, while receiving compensation at a competitive rate. As part of the team at IRIS, she is also helping with updating the IRIS website.
Campus Sustainability Action Research Fellows
Meagan Heath is completing her Master’s in Environmental Studies and the Business and the Environment diploma, with a research focus on how individuals and institutions relate toward solid waste. Meagan has been involved in IRIS’s Campus Sustainability Projects since 2008, and has complimented her research with hands-on work experience in York University’s waste management unit of Campus Services and Business Operations. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and International Development, which led her to a variety of professional experiences, including two years of bi-lateral trade promotion in Ecuador. After completing her MES, Meagan plans to continue promoting institutional sustainability through waste prevention, reduction and diversion.
Climate Justice Fellows
Jacqueline Medalye is a PhD Candidate at York University at the department of Political Science. Her research interests are in international environmental policy and development. Specifically, her work focuses on the interface between climate change adaptation and international development. Jacqueline has an MA from York University that focused on International Environmental Political Economy and an undergraduate degree from the Schulich School of Business which focused on Business and Sustainability. Jacqueline has worked as a researcher for the Network for Business and Sustainability, the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, the International Finance Corporation, the International Development Research Centre, and the Canadian International Development Agency. Jacqueline is the co-author of several academic publications including, ‘Climate Warming and Natural Disasters an Exploration of the Issues’ (Global Environmental Change, under review), ‘Human Development and Climate Change’ (Encyclopedia of Earth, 2007) ‘Neoclassical, institutional, and Marxist approaches to the environment-economic relationship’, (Encyclopedia of Earth, 2007) and ‘Self-reliance through Sustainable Enterprise Networks’ (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2005). Her research publications include A Systematic Literature Review of Business Adaptation to Climate Change (RNBS, 2009), Securing Canada’s Future in a Climate Changing World (NRTEE, 2008), and The Private Sector and Development (IDRC, 2004). Jacqueline’s IRIS projects include The Role of the Private Sector in Development, Business and Sustainable Livelihoods, and Sustainable Canada. Currently she is involved in activities through IRIS related to climate justice at the COP15, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Denmark in December 2009.
