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York University wins provincial award for environmental excellence

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The following appeared in the July 31st, 2013 edition of Y-File: 

As part of Ontario’s plan to build a stronger economy, create new jobs and promote innovative ways to protect the environment, the province has honoured six organizations  – including York University – with the 2012 Minister’s Award for Environmental Excellence, for making outstanding contributions to the environmental stewardship of the Great Lakes.

“Today we celebrate just a few of the most outstanding efforts of individuals, groups and companies in protecting the environment,” said Ontario Minister of the Environment Jim Bradley at the awards presentation Tuesday at Queen’s Park. “I hope the examples we see today will inspire others to be innovators in protecting the environment.”

EnvironmentAwardBack row, from left: Bryan Gilvesy, Y U Ranch; Mamdouh Shoukri and Pavel Graymason, York University. Middle row: Cathy Gilvesy, Y U Ranch; Cynthia Lee, Toronto Zoo; Geoff Peach and Pamela Scharfe, Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. Front row: Elizabeth Simpson and Adrienne Mason, Pine River Watershed Initiative Network; Minister Jim Bradley; Kim Timmer and Brian Friesen, CleanFARMS

York was recognized for its Res Race to Zero competition, in which students and faculty reduced their energy use in several student residence buildings by 30 per cent in the past three years. The program uses a number of approaches for getting students to participate, including social media, and a weekly web posting that charts energy use. What started as a friendly competition between the Keele and Glendon campus residences is now a way of life for students and faculty across the university – and it’s all part of the school’s five-year plan to reduce energy use across the board. The program raised awareness, saved money, reduced demand on Ontario’s power grid and helped reduce air pollution.

EnvironmentAward2

Mamdouh Shoukri and Pavel Graymason accepting the award from Minister Jim Bradley

“We at York are very proud to receive this award for environmental excellence from the Minister, which recognizes the University as a leader in sustainability,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “I would like to acknowledge our dedicated community of environmental ambassadors and innovators – the many York staff, students, faculty and alumni who are leading by example and driving our greening efforts across campus. The Res Race to Zero is an outstanding program that takes a community-driven approach to sustainability and exemplifies York’s mission to create local solutions with a global impact.”

The other recipients of this year’s award included CleanFARMS (Toronto), Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation (Goderich), Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (Ripley), Toronto Zoo and Y U Ranch (Tillsonburg).

To see more of York’s environmental initiatives, click here.

With files from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

Governor General medallist dedicated to sustainability and alleviating poverty

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The following appeared in the June 11th edition of YFile. Kevin McKague is a Core Faculty member of IRIS.

Kevin McKague (PhD ’12), a graduate of the Schulich School of Business, is this year’s recipient of a gold Governor General’s Academic Medal. He is dedicated to finding a way to alleviate global poverty and increase sustainability.

Kevin McKague

In his PhD thesis, Making Markets Work for the Poor, McKague investigated how low-income countries can maximize the objectives of all individuals in value chains, including improving the social and financial benefits for low-income participants and private sector organizations. His research site examined the work to strengthen the dairy value chain by CARE Bangladesh. It focused on improving incomes among 35,000 small and landless dairy producers in northwest Bangladesh.

McKague credits his family and growing up on a farm as being important in his focus on entrepreneurship, sustainability and alleviation of poverty. “My family have always be interested in public service,” says McKague. “I travelled to India and Africa in my early 20s to work in international development. I did my Masters of Business Administration at the Schulich School of Business and ever since then I have been putting entrepreneurship together with development.”

When he thinks about advice for future graduates, McKague is quick to quote the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation,” says McKague, “I think it is important to combine what it is that is needed with what it is you can do to overlap your skills and passion with the needs of he world.”

The Governor General’s gold medal is awarded for outstanding academic achievement at the graduate level of study. It is the most prestigious award that can be bestowed on a Canadian graduate student. McKague will be presented with the medal on behalf of the Governor General by York University. Accompanying the medal is a personalized certificate that is signed by Governor General David Johnston.

While at York University, McKague was active as an adjunct professor at the Schulich School of Business. He was a senior research fellow with the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability. He was also a research fellow with the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. He was a member of the Board of Governors at York University and was the founding board member and president of the Foundation for Sustainable Enterprise and Development.

McKague has more than 10 years of experience as a leader in managing innovative research, education and consulting projects involving sustainable enterprise and international development. Most recently, he worked on major projects with the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations Development Program’s Growing Inclusive Markets Initiative, the International Development Research Centre and the Canadian International Development Agency on issues of sustainable business approaches and pro-poor private sector development.

The co-author of Creating Sustainable Enterprise Networks and author of a number of award-winning MBA teaching cases as well as author or supervisor for the development of more than 70 case studies of inclusive and sustainable business models.

McKague has an undergraduate degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, which focused on international development, and an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business, with a specialization in Business and Sustainability. He has worked in Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and South Africa, as well as in India and Bangladesh.

Now a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Strategy Department in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, McKague is continuing his research and teaching with an emphasis on issues at the intersection of poverty alleviation, entrepreneurship, sustainability and international business.

Director Dawn Bazely Recipient of President’s University-Wide Teaching Award for Senior Full-Time Faculty

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This year’s recipients of the annual President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards (UWTA) are being honoured for their innovation and commitment, as well as for having significantly enhanced the quality of learning by York students.

“Teaching excellence is the foundation of York’s reputation as one of the leading Canadian universities,” said York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “These recipients are outstanding individuals who are to be commended for their commitment and dedication to creating a stimulating and rich learning environment for our students.”

The recipients are chosen from four categories: full-time faculty with 10 or more years of teaching experience, full-time faculty with less than 10 years of experience, contract and adjunct faculty, and teaching assistants. They are selected by the Senate Committee on Awards. The goal of the awards is to provide significant recognition for excellence in teaching, to encourage its pursuit, to publicize such excellence when achieved across the University and in the wider community, and to promote informed discussion of teaching and its improvement.

Each award winner will have their names engraved on the President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques in Vari Hall. They will also be recognized during Spring Convocation ceremonies.

The recipients of the 2013 awards are:

Dawn BazelyProfessor Dawn Bazely of the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science will receive the award in the Senior Full-Time Faculty category. The Senate Committee on Awards was impressed with the evident time and effort Bazely puts into thinking and writing about teaching, and making innovative changes to her courses. Students praised her ability to bring her research and life experience into the classroom, noting that she is a great mentor and wonderful role model whose passion inspires.

“It is a great honour to receive this award, especially because I have spent five of the last six years being the director of a research institute. To my mind, teaching and research go hand in hand and are completely intertwined,” says Bazely. “Those teachers who most inspired me during my undergraduate and graduate student times are (were) also outstanding and quite famous researchers. Not only were they my role models, but I also consider the wonderful students that I have had the privilege of teaching at York to be important role models for learning, teaching and research.”

PeterTsasisProfessor Peter Tsasis, jointly appointed to the School of Health Policy & Management in the Faculty of Health and the School of Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, will be awarded in the Full-Time Faculty category. Students clearly value Tsasis’ inclusive classroom environment where he uses multiple innovative and challenging learning strategies to engage all learners, wrote the Senate Committee on Awards. Letters in support of the nomination speak to his leadership in the use of diverse forms of experiential learning, as well as to his outstanding mentorship and commitment to students’ success.

“It is a tremendous honour that I am to receive this award,” says Tsasis. “I would like to thank my colleagues for their support, and the students, for whom I am given the privileged opportunity to help impact their learning journey.” In 2010, Tsasis received recognition for outstanding leadership as an undergraduate program director at the School of Health Policy & Management, and in 2011 he received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, in the Established Career Category, also at the Faculty of Health.

Louisebickford5055croppedAnnette Louise Bickford (PhD ’02) of the Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) will receive the award in the Contract and Adjunct Faculty category. The nomination notes Bickford’s integration of student experiences into her teaching to increase understanding of complex theoretical debates. Those writing in support of the nomination speak of Bickford’s knowledge and her passion for sharing it, as well as her ability to encourage and challenge students to re-examine their views. Committee members noted not only her success as a hard-working, caring and respectful teacher, but also her commitment to continual improvement and contributions to the scholarship of teaching.

“I’m inspired by critical pedagogy and convinced that education is politically charged around issues of power and identity. I strive to foster egalitarian, collaborative educational spaces that challenge us to analyze and act upon social injustices, and to envision alternative, transformative conditions. My goal is to support students in their intellectual growth as people who think for themselves,” says Bickford. “It is a great honour to receive this award, and a privilege to work with York University students and colleagues whose intellectual curiosity, courage, perseverance and willingness to consider new ideas and diverse perspectives – all hallmarks of critical consciousness – are exemplary.”

JanetMelo-ThaissJanet Melo-Thaiss of the Departments of English and Humanities in LA&PS won the award in the Teaching Assistant category. Melo-Thaiss brings a good deal of experience as a course director at other universities to her recent work at York as a teaching assistant. She has an impressive breadth and versatility in her teaching and shares her experience when mentoring other teaching assistants. Committee members noted that students appreciate her ability to help them see and achieve their potential; ensuring that they learn, but making it fun at the same time.

“My teaching practice is based upon my firm belief that while imparting knowledge is one of my roles, encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge and experience is as important. My goal is to help students to access ‘what they already know’ and build confidence in their own voices,” says Melo-Thaiss. “So, for me, the classroom is not just about teaching my students about literature or writing, it is also about raising their awareness and sensitivity towards knowledge and wisdom. By encouraging students to approach knowledge from multiple perspectives, they benefit because they begin to ‘think about thinking’. In my experience, the positive ripple effects of the latter are quite profound.”

York University named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers

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The following appeared in the April 22 edition of YFile.

York University has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in an announcement released today by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

The University was named along with 54 other organizations in a competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers project.

“This award recognizes the incredible efforts of York students, faculty and staff who take action every day to raise awareness and reduce our impact on the environment,” says York President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.  “We have made significant strides to date and will continue to lead by example in achieving results that make a meaningful difference.”

The green roofs on the Petrie Science & Engineering Building and the Lassonde Building are a big part of sustainability initiatives underway at York University

Employers were evaluated and ranked on their unique environmental initiatives and programs, success in reducing environmental footprints and employee involvement in sustainability efforts. The Canada’s Greenest Employers distinction specifically recognizes York University for creating the President’s Sustainability Council, its Green Office and Sustainability Ambassador programs, and the “Res Race to Zero” competition in which student residences across campus attempt to reduce energy consumption.

Other notable accomplishments include the following:

York University has invested $40 million in its Energy Management Program reducing energy usage by 25 per cent. In real terms, the energy savings over the course of the program equal 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity, which is enough energy to power the University’s Keele and Glendon campuses for almost an entire year.

York University’s ZeroWaste initiative has been successful in diverting 65 per cent of the University’s waste from landfill

The University’s ZeroWaste initiative provides a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to waste management that encourages faculty, staff and students to divert waste from landfills through recycling and composting. “‘Tri-bins”, with designated containers for recycling and garbage, are located across both campuses, along with organic digesters and several battery recycling bins. For 2012, the waste diversion rate surpassed 60 per cent, with the University achieving its target diversion rate of 65 per cent by 2013.

Staff in York’s Transportation Services department actively encourages commuting to the University through alternative transportation such as public transit, carpools, bicycling or walking. More than 75 per cent of York University students, faculty and staff use alternative means of transportation to campus according to a survey done in 2012 by Smart Commute North Toronto Vaughan. These results have been achieved through expanded and enhanced bus service (including the creation of the priority busway), improved cycling infrastructure such as bike lanes and secure lock-up areas, carpool programs (in cooperation with Smart Commute) and car share programs (in cooperation with Zipcar). The University also offers a shuttle service between the Glendon and Keele campuses, between the Keele campus and the GO Station, and from the Keele campus to the Village residential community south of the University.

On the academic front, the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) at York University was the first of its kind in North America. It was founded in 1968, and remains the largest environmental studies program on the continent with nearly 1,300 graduate and undergraduate students. Through FES and other Faculties, the University offers approximately 350 courses that focus on sustainability and the environment, including the Erivan K. Haub Program in Business and Sustainability at the Schulich School of Business (also one of the first programs of its kind in North America).

The University community uses tri-bins to sort recycling

The University actively encourages research into sustainability and environmental initiatives. The Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) was established by York University in 2004 to create an interdisciplinary University-wide research institute that is a focal point for the sustainability-related activities of all 10 Faculties at York. IRIS supports the sustainability related research of York faculty and brings academics together, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration.

Community involvement in the York University Sustainability Ambassadors Program empowers volunteer leaders (staff, faculty or students) to act as role models, change agents and committed friends of the environment. They assist with the Green Office program, Campus Clean-up Days and other outreach opportunities, and are champions of sustainability within their departments.

The Green Office program at York makes it easy for faculty, staff and students (with office space) to incorporate a wide variety of sustainable practices into the day-to-day operations of work spaces across the University.

Now in its seventh year, employers who make the Canada’s Greenest Employers list have developed exceptional, earth-friendly initiatives and are actively attracting people to their organizations because of their environmental leadership.

York U community members can now include the Canada’s Greenest Employer logo in their e-mail signatures. To do so, save the Canada’s Greenest Employers logo ( English left, French right) to your desktop and then in Lotus Notes, click “more” in the top navigation bar. Select “preferences”, click “signature” and place the computer cursor on the line immediately following your contact information. Click on the “T” icon at the end of your signature and choose “graphic”. Click again to select the image and then click “import”. Click “OK” to save and close the window.

To learn more about York University’s initiatives in sustainability, visit the Sustainability @ YorkU website.

York University releases SEI report on Electricity Conservation Policy in Ontario

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Ontario Must Turn Renewed Energy Conservation Commitment into Action:  York U SEI report
SEI
 

TORONTO, March 25, 2013 – Ontario has failed to prioritize and make a long-term commitment to energy conservation, according to a York University report released today. The report, Electricity Conservation Policy in Ontario: Assessing a System in Progress, part of the Sustainable Energy Initiative Studies in Ontario Electricity Policy Paper Series, is published in the context of the February Speech from the Throne’s acknowledgement that “conservation is the cheapest source of energy.” The report is available at http://sei.info.yorku.ca/files/2013/03/electricity-conservation-policy-ontario.pdf.

 “The paper provides a detailed roadmap for turning the province’s renewed focus on energy conservation into reality. By acting on its new commitment, Ontario has the potential to strengthen the sustainability of Ontario’s electricity system and to enhance the energy productivity of Ontario’s economy” said Professor Mark Winfield of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Co-chair of the Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI).

The paper  highlights overly rigid roles for electricity distribution companies in offering conservation programs; legislation that grants authority but not mandate conservation; and lack of attention and support to build a culture of conservation, as other major barriers to a successful energy conservation strategy.

Rebecca Mallinson, author of the paper and a graduate student in Environmental Studies, makes 20 recommendations, among them that the province’s long-term energy policy objectives, including the pursuit of all cost-effective opportunities for conservation, be set through legislation rather than ministerial directives.

“I hope my recommendations will help policymakers to renew Ontario's commitment to electricity conservation. It only makes sense that our energy policies make conservation a priority because conservation is the best-choice electricity option," said Mallinson.

The Faculty of Environmental Studies Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) has been established to build and strengthen the teaching, research and partnerships needed to create new green energy economies in Canada and around the world.

Further information on the initiative is available at http://sei.info.yorku.ca/

Work in a Warming World at York receives vast research archive on environment

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The following was published on March 27, 2013 by YFile. W3 is a project affiliated with IRIS.

Work in a Warming World (W3) at York will be one of the recipients of the vast archive of publications and consultants’ reports by the soon-to-be defunct National Round Table on the Environment & the Economy (NRTEE).  What Carla Lipsig-Mummé, director of the W3, calls a “treasure trove” of resources that will now survive the NRTEE’s demise.

The federal government is closing the NRTEE March 31 after 25 years of research on the environment and the economy. It was set up as an independent, non-partisan research body reporting to the federal minister of the environment, but also providing advice to the CarlaLipsigMummeprime minister. Its closure was announced in the spring of 2012.

Carla Lipsig-Mummé

The NRTEE conducted rigorous research and analysis on issues of sustainable development, convening opinion leaders and experts from across the country to share knowledge and diverse perspectives, stimulate debate, generate ideas and provide solutions.

Its more than 600 reports, policies and consultations will go to W3 – a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada-funded research program based at York – as well as to 12 universities, six libraries and government agencies.

“It’s an extraordinary donation,” says Lipsig-Mummé. “There’s no parallel with the work it’s done. It’s simply the best data in the REalityCheckcountry, and we are both proud and excited to receive it.”

The archive will provide W3 with a rich resource to further its work. It will allow researchers and grad students to track the changes in the government’s research concerns on climate change over more than two decades, analyze the changes in policy focus over the years, summarize the enduring priorities as well as the new priorities, and identify the silences in the archive.

In addition, the NRTEE’s reports over the past five years show a growing worry that Canada is not doing enough to slow the growth of greenhouse gases and that the country is relying on the United States when it is in strategic paralysis, says Lipsig-Mummé. NRTEE sees leadership for Canada within North America, and suggests how that can be made to happen.

The issues the NRTEE tackled had to do with climate, water, energy, biodiversity and governance, and its work included climate change plans, water sustainability and climate prosperity. Some of its most recent publications included “Framing the Future: ClimateProsperityEmbracing the Low-Carbon Economy”, “Reality Check: The State of Climate Progress in Canada”, “Canada’s Opportunity: Adopting Life Cycle Approaches for Sustainable Development”, and “Facing the Elements: Building Business Resilience in a Changing Climate”. All of these publications will be included in the data received by W3.

The data will also include information on environmental fiscal reform, the challenges to creating sustainable cities, greening brownfields in private hands, dealing responsibly with waste and pushing private enterprise to adapt production processes.

The changing importance of environment policy and climate policy in provinces and territories over the past two decades is detailed in the data. The reports point to questions about what young environmentalists are doing, how the government stimulates environmental responsibility and how to measure moving forward.

“It’s the richest data source in the country in terms of historical and present research,” says Lipsig-Mummé.

W3 will soon make the archive accessible for research. To find out more, visit the Work in a Warming World website.

Film Fest Explores Law and Activism Around Food

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MICHAEL LONG - The following was originally published in the Obiter Dicta.

In the second running of the Focus on Sustainability Film Festival, an event co-created by the Osgoode Environmental Law Society (ELS) and co-produced by the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival (PIF), the YorkU screenings welcomed not only the campus crowd, but attendees from the wider community.  The theme of the festival (food), as well as the afternoon discussion panel attracted foodies interested in both the impressive film selection and even more inspiring panel.

The panel, moderated by YorkU MES Candidate Jessica Reeve, included three notable figures in the Toronto food scene: lawyer Carly Dunster, Harmony Organic’s Lawrence Andres, and food activist and Chef Michael Stadtlander.  In the 90 minute panel, the audience was mesmerized to hear about the niche field of food law, the growth and success of the local organic milk industry, and the anti-GMO activism of a local hero Chef.  However, the panellists were not the only honored guests; following the screening of Sushi: The Global Catch, Director Mark Hall participated in a Q&A period via Skype.  The festival was further honored by the attendance of PIF Artistic Director Kathleen Mullen, who opened the festival and later raffled passes to PIF which returns this November.

An endless array of prizes were also raffled between the screening of the films, as well as before and after the panel, and at the beginning and close of the festival.  The gifts were donated by local markets and restaurants, which included a $100 gift basket from Front Door Organics, a $100 gift card to the Big Carrot, a $60 gift pack from Fresh Restaurant, a $120 gift card to Mama Earth Organics, and brunches for two at the Farmhouse Tavern and Free Times Café.

Of course, we cannot forget to mention the five films screened throughout the day, which covered a range of food/system issues.  Among the five was a short directed by award-winning Min Sook Lee, titled Teodoro in Toronto, which follows one of the featured workers from her film El Contrato as he speaks to locals in Toronto about poverty, food security, and labour rights.  The full length films were: Bitter Seeds, which explores the plight of farmers in India who are forcefully tied to genetically modified seeds; Love Meat Ender, which examines global meat consumption and the (in)ability to keep up with the demand; Urban Roots, which examines reclamation gardening projects in the inner city of Detroit, and Sushi: The Global Catch, which questions whether the growth rate of this popular food can be maintained ethically.

The festival, which will return in winter 2014, was organized by the Osgoode Environmental Law Society (ELS), the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS), and with help from the Centre for Human Rights (CHR).

Are YoU a water Zombie?

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The following is a YFile publication, from March 20th, 2013.

WaterZombieAre you aware of water issues? Do you want to talk about the phase out of the sale of bottled water? Are your actions hurting disenfranchised people worldwide? Do you want to take action and make a difference here at York and beyond? The third “unconference” in the Zombie series will explore everything to do with water at an open forum Monday.

“Are YoU a Water Zombie? How can we be water wise?” will take place March 25, from 10am to 3pm, at 280N York Lanes, Keele campus. Lunch will be provided and everyone is invited to drop in throughout the day and participate for as much or as little of the discussions as they can.

The purpose of this unconference is to create a forum for students, staff and faculty to have open conversations around social justice, human rights, sustainability and water issues. The end goal is to create opportunities to work together to take action both personally and here at York University.

An unconference uses open-space technology to allow participants to determine the agenda themselves at the start of the day, within the scope of a particular topic – so YoU set the agenda.

This unconference is brought to you by the joint efforts of the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS), the Centre for Human Rights and the President’s Sustainability Council.

The day will begin with registration, from 9:30 to 10am, followed by a collaborative planning session, from 10 to 11am, to determine the agenda for the day. Once discussion topics are chosen and opportunities for LewisMerlotcollaborative action are defined, the group will divide up into breakout sessions based on their interests and expertise, from 11am to 2pm.

Lewis Melot (left), a professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, will give a short presentation during the collaborative planning session to help get the ideas flowing. Melot studies photochemical formation of particulate organic carbon in lakes and iron control of cyanobacterial blooms in lakes.

The day will conclude with a summary of the breakout group discussion and the conclusions that can be drawn from the various experiences, from 2 to 3pm.

For more information on all the unconferences, visit the IRIS website.

Plenty to cheer about during York’s Earth Hour celebrations

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The following was first published in the Monday, March 18 edition of YFile.

York is celebrating Earth Hour 2013 and there is plenty to cheer about, including a reduction in energy use at the University.

The event will kick-off Wednesday, March 20, with opening ceremonies beginning at 2:30pm at Michelangelo’s, lower level of EarthHourAtkinson College, Keele campus. Talks, games, poetry, dinner, music and a lantern walk will follow, wrapping up with a closing ceremony at 9pm. Click here for the full schedule.

The good news? York has reduced its annual energy costs and greenhouse gases by more than 20 per cent, according to Brad Cochrane, director of energy management at Campus Services & Business Operations (CSBO). York approved an Energy Performance Contracting Program in 2006 to invest in plant and building system renewal and retrofit projects, which are almost complete, to reduce annual energy costs and greenhouse gases by 25 per cent.

“Results have been very positive, as weather-normalized savings have been calculated at 22 per cent,” says Cochrane. “The project is well along the path to reaching the 25 per cent goal, even with the five per cent campus growth in buildings, and a higher student population.”

For example, 51 buildings across both campuses have had new energy-efficient lighting installed, which has reduced demand by more than 2.3 mW or 2,300 kW.

In addition, York embarked on a pilot project that began January 2012 to save energy during off-times – summer, holidays, weekends EarthHourPosteretc. – with estimated savings of between $83,171 and $118,816 in electricity annually. The first test occurred on the Family Day weekend, targeting 127 building ventilation fans in 19 buildings.

So what did 2012 scheduling achieve? “Nothing less than amazing – absolute year-over-year savings of more than three per cent,” says Cochrane, who will speak at the Earth Hour event at 3pm to share much more about the University’s energy goals and results.

Rob Shirkey, executive director, Our Horizon, will speak at 3:30pm about his organization’s plan to get municipalities to require gasoline retailers to put warning labels on gas nozzles like those found on tobacco packages.

From 4 to 6pm, there will be games, provided by tabling clubs and organizations, or a poetry workshop – Poetic Energy: Writing in a Warming World – in which participants will be asked to reflect on the role of reading and writing poetry in environmental activism, particularly dealing with issues of climate change, social justice and sustainability.

All levels of interest and experience are welcome. There will be an opportunity to share writing at the Earth Hour dinner celebration after the workshop. The Poetry Workshop is run by grad students, under the direction of Faculty of Environmental Studies Professor Cate Sandilands. Click here to sign up.

The tabling groups will include:  Sustainability@YorkU/President’s Sustainability Council’s Student Sub-Committee, the Centre for Human Rights, Regenesis@York, BESSA – Bachelor of Environmental Studies Student Association, Undergraduate Political Science Council and Sustainability & Education Policy Network Project.

Dinner will take place from 6 to 7pm, followed by poetry readings. From 8 to 9pm, there will acoustic music, with a lantern walk led by Regenesis@York and closing ceremonies beginning at 9pm.The acoustic music acts will feature students and the Environmental Music Collective from the Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Earth Hour is sponsored by the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability, Centre for Human Rights, McLaughlin College and Professor Cate Sandilands.

Other Earth Hour events organized this year are:

  • March 22 – The York Earth Hour Show will be held from noon to 2pm in the Accolade East Fine Arts Lobby (across from the Starbucks). There will be businesses on hand to showcase the strides they are making towards sustainability. This event is organized by Professor Jose Etcheverry’s Business and Sustainability: Issues and Strategies course (ENVS 3505).
  • March 23 – Earth Hour Concert will be held from 7:30 to 10:30pm in Vari Hall. There will be bands and other musical performances. During Earth Hour, between 8:30 and 9:30pm, the lights will be turned off and everyone can listen to the acoustic talents of some of the performers. Because it’s such a big space, feel free to bring your own chair, blankets, pillows, towels and friends. The event is organized by Sustainability@YorkU.

For more information, visit the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability website.

IRIS research showcase focuses on Town of Churchill

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The following appeared in the March 8th edition of YFile.

The Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability’s (IRIS) second annual Research Showcase will focus on the Churchill Communities of Knowledge, an online resource of data and media about the Town of Churchill and its people, with a panel discussion.

The Research Showcase – Churchill Communities of Knowledge: Mobilizing Ecological Knowledge through Yorkspace, our Open Access Institutional Repository panel – will DawnBazleytake place Wednesday, March 13, from 11:30am to 1pm, at 519 York Research Tower, Keele campus.

Dawn Bazely

This Digital Archive, which also includes information about Wapusk National Park and the extensive research supported by the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, is hosted by the Yorkspace Institutional Repository at York. The first collection in the project celebrates the life and work of Professor Bob Jefferies, who carried out field research in ecology in and near Churchill, for 30 years.

York biology Professor Dawn Bazely, director of IRIS, will moderate the three-person AndreaKosavicpanel.

Andrea Kosavic

Andrea Kosavic, York digital initiatives librarian, Scott Library, will discuss, “What is an Institutional Repository?” Her research interests include open access, author rights, interoperability, digitization, metadata and the semantic web. Kosavic serves as a councillor for the Ontario Library & Information NettaUntershatsTechnology Association.

Netta Untershats

Netta Untershats, a Research at York student and collection convener, will talk about “Navigating Metadata and Creative Commons Licenses” and what is involved in creating the Jefferies and Cooke Digital Archives. Untershats is a fourth-FredCookeyear biology student who is creating a digital archive on York Space.

Fred Cooke

Professor Emeritus Fred Cooke, Canadian Wildlife Service chair of wildlife ecology at Simon Fraser University, will reflect on the Fred Cooke Digital Archive via Adobe connect from the United Kingdom. Cooke is co-author of The Snow Geese of La Perouse Bay, Natural Selection in the Wild (1995) and Avian Genetics: A Population and Ecological Approach (1987).

For more information about the Churchill Community of Knowledge, visit the York Space Institutional Repository website. To join the event electronically, click here.

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