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Wear a sweater! Save the Planet!

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Wear a sweater. Save the Planet.

February 9th is National Sweater Day Turn down your thermostat by 2 degrees, put on your best (or funniest) sweater and you will be doing your part to save energy and combat climate change.
Win a Prize!
sustainability@york is running a competition for best sweater(s) so for a chance to win a prize.
email your photos or youtube video links to: sustainability@yorku.ca

Events on February 9th
·        Be sure to look out for our Vari Hall table from 10am-4pm
·        Visit the Absinthe pub in the evening for a sweater-themed pub night

In York Research Tower we will not be turning down the temperature centrally, but instead are asking participants to turn down their thermostats individually.  Why?  As a LEED Silver certified building, YRT operates very efficiently, and the process of turning the temperature down for one day could actually use more energy.  So we are instead asking participants to turn their individual thermostats (if they have one) from ‘warmer’ to ‘cooler’, which will slightly reduce the temperature in your immediate area, but won’t negatively impact the energy performance of the building.  If you would like to participate and you share a thermostat with others, please get their agreement before lowering the temperature.

Did you know?

York has 5 other buildings that have been built to LEED standards in recent years, including the Lassonde Building, which was one of the first green buildings built in Ontario.

Thank you for participating and helping to raise awareness on energy conservation and climate change. For more information on National Sweater Day and other sustainability initiatives, please visit www.yorku.ca/sustainability and http://wwf.ca/takeaction/sweater_day/.

IRIS Fellow Mark Winfield releases book on the environment and Ontario

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York Prof’s new book explores crucial link between Ontario’s environment and economy

TORONTO – A York University professor’s new book offers the first comprehensive study of Ontario’s environmental policy and what it may spell for our future.

Blue-Green Province, which launches Feb. 9, 2012, explores the relationship between the environment and Ontario’s society, politics and economy through the Progressive Conservative dynasty of premiers Drew, Frost, Robarts and Davis, the “quiet” and “common sense” revolutions of Peterson, Rae and Harris, through to the McGuinty era.

Authored by Mark Winfield, associate professor in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), the book includes examinations of the 2011 federal and provincial election outcomes and their implications for future environmental and energy policy in Ontario and Canada.

“The province is searching for a way to regain its pre-eminent status in Confederation, but its managerially-oriented government has seemed unable to articulate a compelling vision for the way forward,” says Winfield.

“Ontario is facing tests that will require vision and leadership, including the declining US market for our exports, difficulties for export-oriented industries posed by a rising Canadian dollar, the regional impacts of climate change, and the rural-urban split evident in the outcome of the 2011 election. We’re also facing challenges stemming from a federal government oriented towards the interests of western Canada, and the need to recover Toronto’s role as the anchor of the Greater Golden Horseshoe and as an emerging global city,” Winfield says.

The book focuses on the interplay between levels of public concern for environmental issues and the ideological orientation of the province’s Liberal, Progressive Conservative and NDP governments in understanding their approaches to environmental issues. Its findings have implications beyond Ontario, and help to explain for the recent behavior of the federal Conservative government towards the environment.

Despite the fact that environmental policy has become increasingly important in Ontario politics, very little scholarship has been devoted to exploring the development of that policy or the crucial relationship between the environment and the province’s wider political economy.

“I believe this book fills a significant gap in our understanding of factors that have shaped our environmental policy and will continue to inform it in future,” Winfield says.

Blue-Green Province: The Environment and Political Economy of Ontario is published by UBC Press. Winfield is co-chair of the FES Sustainable Energy Initiative and a Fellow of York’s Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS).

 

2012-13 OntarioGreenSpec.ca Home Sweet Home Challenge

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The 2012-13 OntarioGreenSpec.ca Home Sweet Home Student Challenge will launch on January 10, 2012 via the website www.hsh-competition.ca.  The challenge scenario will be posted on the website at that time, along with all guidelines and entry forms. Hint: this year's scenario involves designing a small, efficient residence for a famous comedian in a quirky location.

The Student Challenge is open to all full-time students at accredited post-secondary institutions in Ontario, and is particularly well suited to students of architecture, engineering, construction, environmental technologies, design, and related fields. Success in this competition demands rigorous product specification research and technical design considerations, as well as attention to marketability and aesthetics.

Team entries are encouraged (up to four members) and may be inter-disciplanary and/or inter-institutional.  The entry fee is $50 per team.

The Challenge will remain open for a full year to engage all semesters.  The closing date is March 1, 2013, with awards the following month. At the awards function, student finalists are recognized alongside their professional counterparts in the parallel Home Sweet Home Competition, and provided with other career-networking opportunities.
 http://hsh-competition.ca  [Look for the Student Challenge section]

Thank you!

Jill Thompson, B.A., B.E.S.
Project Manager, Home Sweet Home Competition and Student Challenge
OntarioGreenSpec.ca (c/o Mindscape Innovations)

P:   Ext 224. (647) 367-2938 / (613) 366-1922 / or toll-free (877) 394-6589
E:   jill@ontariogreenspec.ca
W:  www.ontariogreenspec.ca / www.hsh-competition.ca

Click here to go to the Home Sweet Home Competition Facebook page (no login required).

Office Hours: M-F / 1-5pm or by appointment.

Celebrate Research Month this February 8th

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The following appeared in the January 30th edition of YFile.

Research Month this February will celebrate the achievements and diversity of York University’s research community.

Every Wednesday throughout the month, Vari Hall Rotunda will play host to displays and demonstrations featuring the University’s faculty and graduate researchers. Drop by to learn what they are up to. IRIS will be on display February 8th!

"Research Month provides an opportunity for the York community to share knowledge and ideas as we celebrate excellence in research and scholarship at the University,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation. “We invite students, staff and faculty to drop by Vari Hall on Wednesdays in February to explore the many research projects and to learn more about the range of research activities at York.”

The Research Month index on York's Research website contains complete information about the researchers and research centres and institutes participating in the event.

Social sciences and humanities research – Feb. 1, from noon to 2pm.

Confirmed participants include:

Science and engineering research – Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 10am to 2pm.

Confirmed participants include:

Health research displays will be showcased Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 10am to 2pm, and fine and performing arts research will be featured Wednesday, Feb. 29, from 10am to 2pm. Check back often for more information by clicking here.

Want to participate?

Do you have completed works, prototypes, technology or works in progress that you could demonstrate? Do you have graduate or undergraduate students working with you who could assist and help talk about the work? If you have other ideas, VPRI would love to hear them.

Interested faculty members or research centres should contact Arielle Zomer in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at ext. 21069 or azomer@yorku.ca. Note that space is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

York rated greenest university in Canada

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York University has ranked first among Canadian universities in a global campus sustainability survey and 14th in the world. This is the second year in a row that York has ranked No. 1 in Canada.

The 2011 UI GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities rated participating universities in 42 countries based on criteria such as energy consumption, commuting practices, waste and water management, percentage of green space on campus, and the application of eco-sustainability policies and efforts.

“York University continues to strive to be at the forefront of sustainability strategies,” said York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Our first place ranking in Canada by the GreenMetric World University Ranking demonstrates that we are committed to enhancing our environmentally and socially responsible practices for the benefit of all members of our community."

The University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom placed first overall in the ranking, while Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut from the United States placed second and third.

From 2006 to 2011, York University has met or bettered its sustainability targets, all while increasing enrolment and adding new buildings to both the Keele and Glendon campuses.

“This is testament to the excellent work of students, faculty and staff on sustainability issues here at York”, said Professor Ilan Kapoor, chair of the President’s Sustainability Council. “This is only the beginning, and clearly demonstrates that we are on the right track.”

York’s recent achievements in the area of sustainability include:

  • The design and construction of seven campus buildings to green building standards in the last 10 years, including the Lassonde Building which was one of the first ‘green’ buildings constructed in Ontario. This, along with the Yorkwise program that has guided the retrofitting of lighting, heating, cooling and water fixtures in older buildings, has enabled the University to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in energy usage between 2007 and 2010, totaling over 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity over three years – enough energy to power both Keele and Glendon campuses for 240 days.
  • A 50 per cent reduction in single occupancy vehicle use by the York community over the past 10 years. Currently, approximately two thirds of York community members commute to campus by environmentally preferable means, including walking, cycling, public transit and carpooling. York also operates a free campus shuttle service, offers a discount on public transit passes and awards incentives to carpoolers. Cyclists can make use of bike racks, indoor monitored bike parking and shower facilities.
  • A 70 per cent increase in waste diversion rates between 2004 and 2010, resulting in more than 10 million kilograms of recyclable and compostable materials being diverted from landfills. Over the past year, York’s ZeroWaste program has increased food waste composting by approximately 20 per cent and significant increases were also found in the recycling of building materials and furnishings, with a 50 per cent increase in scrap wood and a 45 per cent increase in scrap metal recycling.

York University also offers a broad curriculum of sustainability programs, with over 350 undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on environment and sustainability across several Faculties including Environmental Studies, Education, Science & Engineering, the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School.

“Effective sustainable practices reduce University costs, and will result in the legacy of a better environment for current and future generations, so the University is committed to the principles of sustainability, both in the classroom and across all aspects of campus operations,” said Richard Francki, assistant vice-president of Campus Services & Business Operations. “We will continue to enhance our environmental management practices to ensure that York maintains its leadership in campus sustainability in Canada.”

In light of this commitment, the President’s Sustainability Council is advancing a number of new initiatives such as the Sustainability Ambassadors and Green Office programs, both of which will be launched in early 2012. These initiatives will actively engage the York community in further achieving the University’s sustainability goals through a number of activities and learning opportunities.

Content adapted from YFile

For the original article and video, please visit YFile

Climate change invites alien invaders: Is Canada ready?

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Press Release by York U Media Relations, also released by YFile.

TORONTO, January 19, 2012 – Invasive alien species are on the move in response to a warming climate but Canadian policies designed to manage the problem rarely consider how climate change is ratcheting up the risk, according to York University research published today in the journal Environmental Reviews.

“The interactive effects of climate change and invasive species are expected to have profound consequences for environments, economies and societies worldwide, says lead author Andrea Smith (pictured). “For example, many new infectious diseases will likely spread to theArctic, and coordinated circumpolar disease monitoring and targeted healthcare planning will be needed to handle this new pressure. Yet, these two drivers of global change are rarely considered jointly in policy and management initiatives.”

Smith, now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology atYorkUniversity, conducted the research review while a senior fellow atYork’s Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS). She and eightYorkUniversityco-authors in fields ranging from science to law and social science to business, reviewed published research on invasive species shifting distributions under climate change to identify gaps in knowledge and research inCanada. Their comprehensive, interdisciplinary review finds that research has tended to focus on predictions of how climate change will affect the distribution of existing invasive species in Canada (including mountain pine beetle, gypsy moth, smallmouth bass and Lyme Disease), rather than on potential invasive species that might expand their range into Canada. Existing research also tends to ignore the socio-economic dimensions of the problem, they found.

There are barriers to predicting changes in the invasive species’ range under climate change, including the complexity of the issue, lack of ecological data, and failure to address the interactions between climate change and invasive species in research and policy. However, scientific knowledge about the impact of climate change on invasive species is growing, Smith says, and can be used as the foundation for policy development.

“This is just another example of how climate change is a big threat multiplier,” notes John P. Smol, editor of Environmental Reviews and professor at Queen’s University where he also holds the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change. “We simply have not even begun to understand all the negative repercussions of this problem.” This synthesis is the first to characterize the current state of knowledge on this critical issue inCanada.

Smith is now conducting a legislative review of invasive species policy in Canada, for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network.

Co-authors on the Environmental Reviews article are Professor Nina Hewitt (IRIS Senior Fellow and York University Department of Geography), Nicole Klenk (IRIS Senior Fellow), Professor Dawn Bazely (IRIS Director and York Department of Biology), Professor Norman Yan (IRIS Core Faculty, York Department of Biology, and Dorset Environmental Science Centre), Professor Stepan Wood (IRIS Acting Director and Osgoode Hall Law School), Professor James MacLellan (IRIS Senior Fellow and York Faculty of Environmental Studies), Professor Carla Lipsig-Mummé (Director of IRIS?affiliated Work in a Warming World program and York Department of Social Science) and Professor Irene Henriques (IRIS Core Faculty member and Schulich School of Business).

The IRIS research team received funding from the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS — www.cfcas.ca), an independent funding body dedicated to supporting research that improves our understanding of climate change impacts on health, safety, economy and environment.

Environmental Reviews, published by NRC Research Press, is an electronic-only quarterly review journal that covers a wide range of important environmental issues, including climate change. www.nrcresearchpress.com/er (available Open Access on the www.nrcresearchpress.com website.)

Media Contact:
Lead author Andrea Smith, geckoals@yorku.ca
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca


IRIS (www.irisyorku.ca) is an interdisciplinary research centre at York University dedicated to pursuing multifaceted approaches to the contemporary challenges of sustainability. It is a focal point for sustainability-related research and action at all ten of York’s faculties. Through collaborative and interdisciplinary research, IRIS strives to push beyond traditional research methods to tackle real-world challenges with unique solutions. It supports sustainability-related research of York faculty members and students and is a leader in trans-disciplinary team-based research.

NRC Research Press, the publishing arm of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) since 1929, transitioned in September 2010 from NRC and the Federal Government of Canada into an independent not-for-profit organization operating under the new name Canadian Science Publishing. Canadian Science Publishing (which continues to operate under the brand NRC Research Press) is the foremost scientific publisher in Canada and one of the most advanced electronic publishing services in the world. With over 50 highly skilled experts and an editorial team comprising some of the world’s leading researchers, NRC Research Press communicates scientific discoveries to more than 175 countries.

Media about this Story:

 

IRIS Director speaks in McLaughlin talk on the human rights responsibilities of companies

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Should the human rights responsibilities of companies arise, in part, from their “leverage” – their ability to influence others’ actions through their relationships? Special Representative John Ruggie rejected this proposition in the United Nations Framework for business and human rights.

During the next instalment of the McLaughlin College Lunchtime Talks, taking place today at noon, Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Stepan Wood (left) will argue that leverage is a source of responsibility where there is a morally significant connection between the company and a rights-holder or rights-violator, the company is able to make a contribution to ameliorate the situation. Wood will argue that it can do so at modest cost and the threat to human rights is substantial.

In such circumstances, posits Wood, companies have a responsibility to exercise leverage even though they did nothing to contribute to the situation. He argues that such responsibility is qualified, not categorical; graduated, not binary; context-specific; practicable; consistent with the social role of business; and not merely a negative responsibility to avoid harm but a positive responsibility to do good.

Wood teaches climate change law, environmental law and property law. He is editor-in-chief of the Osgoode Hall Law Journal and acting director of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS). His research focuses on corporate social responsibility, sustainability, globalization, transnational private governance, voluntary standards, climate change and environmental law.

Wood is currently directing an interdisciplinary research project on the dynamics of interaction among transnational business governance initiatives in fields as diverse as accounting standards and sustainable forestry certification. He is co-author with Stephen Clarkson of A Perilous Imbalance: The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance (2010, shortlisted for the Donald Smiley award for best book on Canadian politics), co-editor of Climate Law and Developing Countries (2009) and co-editor of Environmental Law for Sustainability (2006). He is founder and co-chair of the Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot for Canadian law schools.

Wood’s talk is hosted by the McLaughlin College Master’s Office. It will take place today from noon to 1:30pm in the McLaughlin Senior Common Room, 140 McLaughlin College. All talks are free and open to the public.

York rated greenest university in Canada

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The following appeared in the Tuesday, January 10th 2012 edition of YFile.

York University has ranked first among Canadian universities in a global campus sustainability survey and 14th in the world. This is the second year in a row that York has ranked No. 1 in Canada.

The 2011 UI GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities rated participating universities in 42 countries based on criteria such as energy consumption, commuting practices, waste and water management, percentage of green space on campus, and the application of eco-sustainability policies and efforts.

“York University continues to strive to be at the forefront of sustainability strategies,” said York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Our first place ranking in Canada by the GreenMetric World University Ranking demonstrates that we are committed to enhancing our environmentally and socially responsible practices for the benefit of all members of our community."

The University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom placed first overall in the ranking, while Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut from the United States placed second and third.

From 2006 to 2011, York University has met or bettered its sustainability targets, all while increasing enrolment and adding new buildings to both the Keele and Glendon campuses.

“This is testament to the excellent work of students, faculty and staff on sustainability issues here at York”, said Professor Ilan Kapoor, chair of the President’s Sustainability Council. “This is only the beginning, and clearly demonstrates that we are on the right track.”

York’s recent achievements in the area of sustainability include:

  • The design and construction of seven campus buildings to green building standards in the last 10 years, including the Lassonde Building which was one of the first ‘green’ buildings constructed in Ontario. This, along with the Yorkwise program that has guided the retrofitting of lighting, heating, cooling and water fixtures in older buildings, has enabled the University to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in energy usage between 2007 and 2010, totaling over 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity over three years – enough energy to power both Keele and Glendon campuses for 240 days.
  • A 50 per cent reduction in single occupancy vehicle use by the York community over the past 10 years. Currently, approximately two thirds of York community members commute to campus by environmentally preferable means, including walking, cycling, public transit and carpooling. York also operates a free campus shuttle service, offers a discount on public transit passes and awards incentives to carpoolers. Cyclists can make use of bike racks, indoor monitored bike parking and shower facilities.
  • A 70 per cent increase in waste diversion rates between 2004 and 2010, resulting in more than 10 million kilograms of recyclable and compostable materials being diverted from landfills. Over the past year, York’s ZeroWaste program has increased food waste composting by approximately 20 per cent and significant increases were also found in the recycling of building materials and furnishings, with a 50 per cent increase in scrap wood and a 45 per cent increase in scrap metal recycling.

York University also offers a broad curriculum of sustainability programs, with over 350 undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on environment and sustainability across several Faculties including Environmental Studies, Education, Science & Engineering, the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School.

“Effective sustainable practices reduce University costs, and will result in the legacy of a better environment for current and future generations, so the University is committed to the principles of sustainability, both in the classroom and across all aspects of campus operations,” said Richard Francki, assistant vice-president of Campus Services & Business Operations. “We will continue to enhance our environmental management practices to ensure that York maintains its leadership in campus sustainability in Canada.”

In light of this commitment, the President’s Sustainability Council is advancing a number of new initiatives such as the Sustainability Ambassadors and Green Office programs, both of which will be launched in early 2012. These initiatives will actively engage the York community in further achieving the University’s sustainability goals through a number of activities and learning opportunities.  

For more information on sustainability initiatives at York, visit the President's Sustainability Council website, or send an email to sustainability@yorku.ca.

Submitted by Andrew Plunkett, sustainability project coordinator, and Pavel Graymason, sustainability engagement coordinator, in the Office of the President.

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