Help us "fuel" transportation progress in the GTA

The Pembina Institute has been working on transportation solutions in the GTA for just over a year now and we’ve already been able to positively influence the public debate on this timely and topical issue.

In case you missed it, our survey of GTA drivers was featured recently in the Toronto Star.

Join us on May 30^th at The Foundery in Toronto for an evening of insight and lively discussion on how Pembina can be most effective in our work to cut pollution from cars and trucks in Ontario, solve congestion problems to get transit moving in the GTA, and reduce fuel consumption in a region entirely dependent on gasoline imports and vulnerable to rising gas prices.

Ed Whittingham, Executive Director, and Cherise Burda, Director of Transportation Policy, will provide a brief overview of Pembina’s transportation work from a GTA perspective. Then we’d like you to participate in a facilitated group discussion to help us think through the best role for Pembina in advancing transportation solutions.

Register Now

Tickets: $36.62 + fees and taxes (event proceeds will support Pembina’s transportation program)
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: The Foundery, 376 Bathurst Street, Toronto (northwest corner of Bathurst & Dundas)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

If you can't make it to this event but would like to help us continue this work, please consider supporting the Pembina Institute.

On April 25^th, 2012, activists, policy makers, and scholars from around the world will assemble for a global teach-in, commencing with a kick off event at 10AM Eastern Daylight Time and continuing until 4 pm EDT.  On April 25^th, the first day of the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, cities around the world will address concrete solutions to the economic, environmental and energy crises.

Seven months ago, on September 17, 2011 the Occupy Movement was launched in Zuccotti Park in Wall Street.  With a change in weather and a renewed cycle of activism around the corner, Occupy, environmental, labor, peace and other activists around the world will address the question: “What’s next for the Occupy Movement?”  They will do this through a live, interactive broadcast involving lectures, face-to-face discussion groups and action plans showcasing how to promote democracy movements, green jobs and planning, and  an alternative financial system.  The teach-in will also explore possibilities of North-South cooperation.  How, for example, can different regions cooperate on pressing issues like outsourcing of jobs, fighting austerity attacks on public sector trade unions, and solidarity on various environmental issues in common?

This event will showcase the alternative policies needed globally, nationally and locally to constitute a concrete plan of action.  Speakers will address the need for not only new tax and budgetary policies, but also the necessity to build new economic institutions from the ground up.  These include: alternative banks, utilities, cooperatives and other new economic forms to promote needed economic and ecological changes.

This event has a strong labour component with the Ontario Federation of Labour organzing the local teach in being held in Toronto and participation as well from Chris Townsend, the Washington, D.C. representative of the United Electrical Workers.

The world’s leading thinkers and activists will be involved in this event, including: Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org (US); Gar Alperovitz, founding Principal of The Democracy Collaborative (US); Colin Hines, Convenor of the Green new Deal (UK); Bruce Nixon, environmental author and activist (UK); Ellen Hodgson Brown, Chairman and President, Public Banking Institute (US); Alice Slater, noted peace and anti-nuclear activist (US); Robert Pollin, a leading economist on green economic transformations (US); Pamela Brown, a leader of the movement against student debt (US); Joel Rogers, a leading green activist (US); Oscar Kejllberg, Former President of Sweden’s leading cooperative bank (Sweden); and Dada Maheshvarananda, a leader of the PROUT movement for economic democracy (Venezuela).

Jonathan M. Feldman (Sweden), principal convenor, organized the televised national Green New Deal Conference in Sweden in March 2009 and was a principal organizer of the May 2, 1990 National Town Meeting on the Peace Dividend held in Washington, D.C.

Promotional video: http://vimeo.com/39371903;

Webpage:  http://www.globalteachin.com/

Toronto Event: http://www.globalteachin.com/global-teach-in-toronto

Contact information: globalteachin@gmail.com; Jonathan Feldman +46707981634

This year's Annual Morris Katz Memorial Lecture in Environmental Research will be held on

Monday, May 28, 2012
2:30 PM

Senate Chamber
N940 Ross Bldg.
York University

Prof. Warwick F. Vincent
Director, Centre for Northern Studies
(CEN: Centre d'Etudes Nordiques)
Professor & Canada Research Chair
Dept de Biologie
Laval University

He will present his work on Arctic ecology and its sensitivity to future environmental changes.  

More information will be distributed in due course.

Mark your calendar.  

1.    Employee Engagement for Sustainability (ON-LINE Interactive)

When: ON-Line, April 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2012

Where: ON-LINE , Sessions recorded so you can’t attend one – listen to the recording later.

Description:

In this live, ON-LINE interactive workshop you will understand the research and science behind successful principles and practices for employee engagement for sustainability.  Design a program for your company or Green Team and assess your current program against best practices while learning from peers.

Guest Speakers from: WWF-Canada, ThinkSustain Sustainability Marketing and Realized Worth on Employee Engagement for Social Sustainability.

TWEET:  Increase authentic engagement & reinvigorate Green Teams. Attend Employee Engagement for Sustainability Crs. Starts Apr5. http://ow.ly/9AHxe

Link:http://www.sustainabilitylearningcentre.com/Public-Sustainability-Courses/on-line-employee-engagement.html

 Students: $ 122. 5 plus tax (Early Registration), $157.50 plus tax (Late registration)

2.    Conducting your Green Office Gap Assessment (LUNCH & LEARN- 1 registration for the entire team)

When:  1.0  hours/week for 4 weeks (April 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2012 ). 12 – 1 pm EST. 

Where: ON-LINE (All sessions are recorded so you never miss a session).

Description:

In this program conduct a “green” office gap assessment by completing an energy, water, waste, healthy workspaces and transportation checklist. Learn about strategies for understanding your Office baseline. And examine the best practice steps for Green Office implementation.

Link: http://www.sustainabilitylearningcentre.com/Public-Sustainability-Courses/conducting-your-green-office-gap-assessment.html

Tweet: Green Teams reduce op costs of an average office building by as much as $ 40,000/yr through no-cost and low-cost actions. http://ow.ly/9AIwg

Students: $ 157.5 plus tax (Early Registration), $192.50 plus tax (Late registration)

3.      Facilitating Transformational Change toward Sustainability (Part II of II)

WHEN:  May 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31.

WHERE: ON-LINE (sessions recorded so you never miss a session)

"What is the interior condition of a successful facilitator in sustainability?" A Swedish research team studied over 33 internationally recognized change agents to find out.  They identified the 9 key leadership capacities are that were essential in their work and examined how to develop these capacities through practice.

In this session In this program, Facilitating Transformational Change towards Sustainability (Part II), we share the last 5 of these 9 personal capacities,  create a space for personal and collective practice and commence a dialogue on integrated and holistic practice.  These capacities include: Whole System Awareness, Whole Self Awareness, Compassion, Personal Power, and Sense of Humour.

LINK:  http://www.sustainabilitylearningcentre.com/Public-Sustainability-Courses/facilitating-transformational-change-partii.html

Tweet: What is the interior condition of a successful facilitator in sustainability?  http://ow.ly/9S48T

Students: $ 150 plus HST (until April 19, 2012) then $ 180 plus HST

4.    On-Demand ON-LINE Course Measuring & Reporting your Carbon (GHG) Footprint

WHEN:  Available Any Time ON-LINE

WHERE: ON-LINE

Description: 

In this previously recorded course you will:

•           Follow a 9 Step GHG Measurement and Reporting Process.

•           Understand the Definition of GHGs and sources of GHGs, GHG Inventory Boundaries, Scopes of Emissions and apply  GHG Standards and Protocols (ISO 14064-1 and GHG Protocol).

•           Apply direct GHG emission accounting to your operations and do GHG calculations using your electricity bill, relevant Emission Factors and understanding Sources of Error.

•           Understand exclusions, de-minimus, "base year" and recalculation concepts.

•           Discover elements of the GHG Report and Identify steps to ISO 14064 GHG verification and validation processes.

Link:  http://www.sustainabilitylearningcentre.com/Public-Courses/carbon-footprint-a-ghg-inventories-a-guided-tour-of-greenhouse-gas-planning-and-management.html

Students: Call for a student rate.

For questions please contact:

Kathryn A. Cooper, B.Sc., MBA, M.Ed. (Sustainability & Environment)

President & Chief Learning Officer

Tel: 519-855-9491

Cell: 905-586-0254

Web: www.sustainabilitylearningcentre.com

Check out our Blog

Facilitating Transformational Change toward Sustainability (Part I of II), Feb. 16 - March 15, 2012 (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EST

Life Cycle Assessment for Products, Processes and Services, March 28 & 29, 2012

New – Green Education ON-LINE E-Learning Modules (check it out!)

Centennial College Invites You to Take Part in the Second Annual

E3 Symposium: Education for a Sustainable Energy Economy

Connect - Converge - Mobilize

Centennial College and York University will bring together top educators and industry professionals to speak on today's relevant topics and future trends, including:

   Tom Rand - Clean Energy Guru

  Brian Kelly - Manager of Sustainability for the Region of Durham

 Joanne Butler - Vice President of Electricity Resources

 Peter Love - Adjunct Professor at York

 Join Us In Our Discussion!

 When: May 22 2012

Where: Markham Convergence Centre (MCC)
7271 Warden Avenue, Markham, ON

The first 25 people to register will receive a copy of Tom Rand's book - Kicking the Fossil Fuel Habit

  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

For more information please visit: http://www.centennialcollege.ca/e3symposium.

Click on the following link to stay up to date on all news for E3 Symposium!

Melinda DeNicola
Centennial College

mdenicole@centennialcollege.ca