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Dawn Bazely Named Hotshot Prof by Globe and Mail

Published by

Published October 26, 2013

by hdrdla

The Globe and Mail‘s annual Canadian University Report was released earlier this week. The report highlights York’s highly rated programs in business, social work, fine arts, psychology and criminology, where students enjoy a vibrant, politically engaged culture and a strong commitment to social justice. This year’s report announced IRIS director Dawn Bazely as a Hotshot Prof. A “hotshot prof” is listed for each school in Canada – Dawn Bazely, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is identified as York’s. Professor Bazely continues to make innovative changes to her courses, bringing her research and life experience into the classroom, and serving as a great and passionate mentor. A winner of York’s 2013 President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards, Bazely also spearheads research at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability.

York professors who are global thought leaders in their fields, as well as our accomplished alumni who are making a positive impact in the world. To formulate the report, information is gathered from professors, alumni and the universities themselves, as well as through interviews with current and former students about their university experiences. York University is described as an “intellectual oasis in the suburbs” also pointing out that the Lassonde School of Engineering’s new building, how the University has demonstrated exceptional dedication to sustainability and the “dynamic, comprehensive university York has become”. The report is used as a tool by prospective university students and their parents, and it plays an important role in creating an understanding of what each university offers. The report also recognized Janice Fukakusa, chief financial officer at Royal Bank of Canada, who was inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame in 2007, as one of the York’s notable alumni.

Read more about the report here.

Posted in: IRIS News | News

Professor Gabrielle Slowey presents “Fracking in the Free World? Resource Extraction and Implications for Indigenous Peoples”

Published by

Published October 25, 2013

by hdrdla

As part of the Csillag Seminar Series, Dr. Gabrielle Slowey, Professor of the Department of Political Science at York University will be presenting her paper on social justice in the fracking industry. Join her at The University of Toronto Mississauga on Wednesday October 30th from 12 to 1pm.  “Fracking in the Free World? Resource Extraction and Implications for Indigenous Peoples” discusses the controversial politics of fracking- the differences between provinces and states in and between Canada and the United States. This paper seeks to understand the reasons for support or opposition of fracking in different regions. It also addresses how citizens are engaged, their responses and what the implications for relations between the state and First Nations? This paper builds on the path-breaking work of Simona Perry’s “Playing for Keeps along the Susquehanna: A Community-Integrated GIS of Land and Water Uses and Rights in Rural Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play”, to represent a preliminary (and collaborative) effort to map out the terrain of fracking politics. 

Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga
Csillag Seminar Series
Where: DV 3130 Council Chambers
When: Wednesday, 30 October 2013, 12-1pm
Speaker: Dr. Gabrielle Slowey
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science York University (Toronto, ON) Title: Fracking in the Free World? Resource Extraction and Implications for Indigenous Peoples

For more of the Csillag Seminar Series see here.

Posted in: IRIS News | News

Creating Energy Justice

Published by

Published October 23, 2013

by hdrdla

This past Saturday, an oil-bearring train derailed and crashed in Gainford, Alberta, a village near near Edmonton; luckily no one was hurt. The event took me back to July when another oil-bearring train derailment in Lac Megantic killed 47 people and the town was left a mess, and is still continuing to recover. Canada has had several derailment spills in 2013 that are largely ignored. This most recent crash came on the same day of the Line 9 rally in Toronto. The rally opposed Enbridge's plan to reverse the flow-direction of the existing Line 9 pipeline, which would require using an additive to the oil that makes the pipes more likely to burst and spill. Line 9 passes through some of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Ontario, , 99 cities and towns and 18 Aboriginal communities also alongside the pipe. 

Rail transport of oil has rapidly expanded in recent years due to the claim of lacking pipeline infrastructure. Rail transport is extremely dangerous in that it is a direct cause of human death in addition to the devastating affects left on the environment by spilling. Some might say that the derailing is one more reason to go forward with the pipeline. That being said, we should not forget the history of pipeline spills, in their frequency, enormous magnitude and most importantly the action (or inaction) following these spills.  The continuing development of oil infrastructure, and the amount of spillage incurring has continued to displace people from their homes while failing to adequately consult community stakeholders and destroy lands and waters required for basic human needs. The environmental destruction caused has harmed people, wildlife and the environment beyond repair. The spills occurring from these pipelines often take an unreasonable amount of time just to cap the spill and even longer for site remediation and clean up. Often this cleanup results in "recovered" areas are made to look like a healthy environment, when in reality they are planted with species that can thrive in oil ridden environments and when you physically dig just below the surface, oil would leach right out of the ground. Seemingly nothing positive can come out of this discussion, and more can be said about the environmental effects of extraction, processing and use of oil. 

Today the Canadian government's main economic objective is to expand the oil industry. The largest inhibiter of growth of the oil industry is lack of infrastructure to transport. It makes no sense to me that oil companies are making billions of dollars a year while we, the people living practically on top of the pipelines,  are suffering the consequences of their mistakes and paying a premium while we watch our oil sold to other countries. These accidents have not slowed and will continue to occur. The Line 9 rally speakers exposed the the public that Enbridge's own data showing that Line 9 would burst after a short time in operation,  and further, that none of the Aboriginal communities had been consulted on the line built next to their homes.

I encourage people to educate themselves on the decisions that are being made in their communities so they can have a voice in the outcome. The pipeline is running just south of York University's Keele campus. At the rally, community voices were heard louder than ever and hearings from the National Energy Board and Enbridge were postponed indefinitely. Be a voice in your community because you are a stakeholder! Without people speaking out, decisions will be made with no consultation and the consequences will be paid by the public. Making change is never convenient but well worth it when it means saving lives and biodiversity. We have seen change in Ontario, when we capped sulphur dioxide emissions to stop acid rain and we became leaders by closing and phasing out our coal-fired power plants.

 Ontario could be at the turning point of its energy supply. Ontario's Nuclear facilities are reaching their age of closure, Premier Kathleen Wynne has just rejected the new build of the Darlington power plant, coal-fired power plants are closing and renewable technologies are expanding. Ontario has the chance to make a shift into clean and renewable energy. Just last week the World Health Organization reported that air pollution is the main cause for cancer. Know what is happening in Ontario and help make decisions that benefit communities. 

You can read more about what happened at the rally this past Saturday here.

Posted in: Blogs | Sustainable Energy

Call for Abstracts: CBERN PhD Winter Research Meeting 2014

Published by

Published October 17, 2013

by asma0805

Friday, March 21 - Sunday, March 24, 2014

York University, Toronto, ON

Website 

Download the Call for Papers (PDF 120KB)

Abstract Submission Deadline: Sunday, November 10, 2013

Results Announced: Thursday, November 14, 2013  

Paper Submission Deadline: Monday, February 24, 2014 

This is a call for abstracts for the 5th Annual Canadian Business Ethics Research Network (CBERN) PhD Winter Research Meeting in Toronto from

Friday, March 21 - Sunday, March 23, 2014.

The PhD Winter Research Meeting will bring members of the PhD Cluster working in different disciplines together at York University, along with faculty and non-faculty discussants, to develop works-in-progress. CBERN aims to promote knowledge-sharing and partnerships within the field of business ethics and across private, governmental, voluntary and academic sectors. An important aim of CBERN is to support the next generation of researchers and practitioner-scholars from across Canada. This annual meeting features professional development workshops, networking, and opportunities for research development post event. Accommodations will be provided at the Executive Learning Centre Hotel at the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Eligibility

Participants must be registered in a PhD program at a Canadian institution, and working on a dissertation or substantial research project in business ethics, broadly defined*.

Membership in the Cluster is free, and requires only that students join the Network. If you are not yet a member, please join here.

Workshop Format

All participants will present and discuss a work-in-progress, which could include a paper they intend to send for publication, a paper they are preparing for a conference, or a chapter of their PhD dissertation.

Papers will be made available to all participants for comment and pre-event discussion three weeks before the workshop, in a secure area on the CBERN website.

During the weekend meeting, each paper will be discussed during a one-hour session. This will include a 10 minute review of the paper, followed by a 40 minute critical discussion aimed at exploring and developing this work from different disciplinary and cross-sector perspectives, leading off with responses from senior faculty and professionals working in sectors relevant to the topic. To focus time on discussion, presenters are encouraged to limit PowerPoint presentations (if used) to 5 slides.

 

Each discussion session will involve at least one faculty and one government, industry or NGO advisor. Advisors will review papers in advance and provide critical feedback to the students at the workshop. In past meetings, we have involved up to 12 faculty and over 20 non-faculty advisors in this meeting, providing a valuable range of expertise in discussing and developing PhD research questions and projects.

  

Submission Details
  • Abstracts from PhDs at all stages of the degree process are welcomed.
  • The deadline for submitting an abstract is Sunday, November 10, 2013.
  • Abstracts should be no more than 400 words.
  • Please include author, title, overview of argument or approach to the research problem, and potential contribution to theory and practice.
  • You will also need to provide the following information with your abstract. This information will be used for a CBERN application to the SSHRC Connection grant program (see submission form for details):
    • Information from your academic CV
    • A shortened version of your abstract (150 words)
    • A paragraph explaining how you will contribute value to the meeting through your presentation and participation in this cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral program.  
  • The deadline for submitting a complete paper is Monday, February 24, 2014. 
  • Complete papers should be no more than 20 pages double-spaced.

We aim to include as many participants as possible. However, space will be limited to 14-16 participants. Those accepted to present at the Winter Research Meeting will be contacted by Thursday, November 14, 2013, and asked to submit a full paper, at which time you must confirm your registration for the meeting.

 

Registration is a condition for travel subsidization, meals and accommodations during the event.   Confirming registration for the meeting includes agreeing to substantial participation in online discussion of the papers to be presented (your own and those of other students) in advance of the event.

 

Please submit your abstract online at:

www.cbern.ca/research/clusters/phd_cluster/winter2014/abstracts/   

 
Reimbursement

CBERN will reimburse the cost of travel based on a rate card indexed to the most economical fares to Toronto by region, and will arrange and pay for all meals and accommodations during the workshop.

 

Please note that adherence to the submission guidelines is a condition of eligibility for reimbursement from CBERN. This includes submitting your completed paper to the PhD Research Meeting workspace by the deadline of Monday, February 24, 2014, and online discussion in advance of the event.

 

To confirm your eligibility for reimbursement and for complete travel reimbursement policies, please contact Judy Patla, Project Coordinator: info@cbern.ca.

 

Knowledge Mobilization & Networking

Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR) will host a series of followup webinars featuring selected papers. This unique opportunity will facilitate discussion of works in progress by participants with the CBSR membership and wider community online. Information about the 2013 Research Directions Webinar series is available here: www.cbern.ca/researchdirections  

 

Canadian Centre for Ethics & Corporate Policy (ethicscentre.ca) will help to identify advisors in the public, non-profit and private sectors for PhD works-in-progress.

 

*Research in Business Ethics

CBERN's mandate is to support and raise the profile of Canadian multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral research in business and economic ethics, broadly defined. This includes, but is not limited to, research in business (management, leadership, finance, governance, public administration, entrepreneurship, consumer behaviour), economics, law, philosophy, geography, environmental studies, political science, sociology, religious studies, history, and organizational psychology. Some broad themes include corporate social responsibility, socially responsible investing, stakeholder engagement, accountability, corporate governance, community economic development, meaningful work and sustainability.

 

For more information, please contact Hilary Martin, PhD Program Coordinator hmartin@cbern.ca.  

   

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Posted in: Opportunities | Outreach

Call for Expressions of Interest The World Guide to Sustainable Enterprise: A country-by-country analysis of responsible business and social entrepreneurship

Published by

Published October 15, 2013

by asma0805

Background
Sustainable enterprise – including social responsibility, environmental management,
corporate citizenship, business ethics, social enterprise and green entrepreneurship – has, over the past decade, moved from the fringes to the mainstream. Sustainable enterprise has also evolved from being a largely Western, developed country phenomenon to being a diverse, ‘glocal’ practice, with rapid take-up and many exciting innovations coming from developing countries and economies in transition.Building on the foundation that was laid by The World Guide to CSR (2010), this new edited collection will bring together powerful summaries of the best academic research and practical
cases on sustainable enterprise from countries around the world. However, unlike The World Guide to CSR, the emphasis of the new volume will be on sustainable business and social entrepreneurship, rather than traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) and
philanthropic approaches. There will also be a stronger focus on case studies.

Structure
The book will select up to 100 country chapters (2,000 words each) and also have chapters for
8 regions (4,000 words each), including:
• Central, Eastern & Southern Asia
• Eastern & Southern Europe
• Northern & Central America & Caribbean
• Northern & Western Europe
• Northern Africa & Western Asia (Middle East)
• Oceania & South-Eastern Asia
• South America
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Each chapter of the book will include the following sections:

Section Description Word count
(region)
Word count
(country)
Regional or national context Introductory facts to provide an
overview
500 250
Priority issues Data on economic, social and
environmental challenges
500 250
State and trends Research on sustainable
enterprise in the region/country
750 250
Policies Relevant regional or national
legislation and voluntary codes
750 250
Case studies or projects Up to five best practice cases
(national) or projects (regional)
1,000 750
Further resources Up to five business associations
active in sustainable enterprise
300 150
References Up to five recommended reports
or articles
200 100

The full timetable is as follows:
• Autumn 2013 – Submission of expressions of interest (by 31 October 2013)
• Winter 2013 – Selection of contributors (by 15 December 2013)
• Spring 2014 – Submission of first draft chapters (by 31 April 2014)
• Summer 2014 – Editors comments and requested revisions (by 31 August 2014)
• Autumn 2014 – Submission of revised chapters (by 31 October 2014)
• Winter 2014 – Finalisation of manuscript (by 15 December 2014)
• Spring 2015 – Publication and launch of book (by 31 April 2015)

Next Steps
If you believe that you are well placed to write a 4,000 word regional chapter or a 2,000 word country chapter, please send a short motivation statement (max. 250 words), one sample of your writing (chapter or article) and a CV (including a list of publications) to:
waynevisser1@gmail.com.

Posted in: Opportunities | Outreach

President to host a town hall on Oct. 2

Published by

Published September 30, 2013

by afdubreu

The following appeared in the September 25th, 2013 edition of YFile.

Do you have an opinion about online education or experiential learning? A burning question about differentiation or credit transfer? This year's town hall is an opportunity to bring together York University faculty, staff, and students to discuss the rapidly changing post-secondary education sector and its impact on the University.

How do we drive innovation and strengthen the quality of education in an increasingly budget-constrained environment? How can we remain Headshot for bio and letterhead 2012competitive in a globalized context? Join York University's President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and members of the senior executive team for this interactive dialogue.

York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri

The town hall will take place Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 11am into the noon hour, in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, main floor, Accolade East Building, Keele campus. All students, faculty and staff are welcome.

This year's town hall derives its focus from the five topics put forward in the summer working group roundtables hosted by the Province of Ontario, which are graduate placement, online education, differentiation, graduate education and credit transfer.

Joining the president for the town hall will be Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration, and Rhonda Lenton, vice-president academic & provost.

Can’t attend in person? There is more than one way to participate. The town hall will be available to watch via webcast at The President’s Town Hall website and questions can be sent in advance to the website. You can also submit your questions via Twitter using the hashtag #YUTownHall.

Posted in: News | Sustainability News

Inclusion Day Conference

Published by

Published September 26, 2013

by asavatti

Inclusion Day Conference 
  EVERY_BODY: Rethinking the Bodies that Belong 
January 23, 2014, York University - Keele Campus

York University’s Centre for Human Rights is hosting its 5th annual Inclusion Day Conference. This one-day conference will include sessions where participants will have the opportunity to explore the concepts of inclusion and belonging through a human rights lens. 

Keynote speakers, session presenters and workshop facilitators will have the opportunity to engage attendees in critically analyzing notions of space and the bodies that are/are not included. We are inviting submissions that focus on human rights related areas, including but not limited to: 

·        Indigenous knowledge 
·        Intersectional identities 
·        Race and racialization 
·        Gender expression/expectations/performance 
·        (dis)Abilities		 ·        Religion/Spirituality 
·        Knowledge production and pedagogy 
·        Athletics as a culture 
·        Politics of Space 
·        Sexual orientation

 

Presenters may submit proposals for a 60 minute session in one of the following formats:  

·        Roundtable discussion 
·        Do-it-Yourself  (DIY) workshop 
·        Individual or panel presentation 
·        Interactive workshop 
·        Dialogue process 
·        Artistic/Creative presentation & discussion 

Proposals must be submitted no later than Thursday, November 29, 2013, either by: 
online submission: http://www.yorku.ca/rights/forms/view.php?id=24 or email submission to: jtcheng@yorku.ca or jglean@yorku.ca  as a .doc or .pdf 

For more information or to request the proposal in an alternate format contact: 

Josephine Tcheng (jtcheng@yorku.ca) Advisor, Education & Communications, Centre for Human Rights | S327 Ross Building | York University | T: 416-736-5682 | TTY: 416-650-8023www.yorku.ca/rights 

 

Please see file below for registration. 

Call for Proposals 2014

Posted in: Opportunities | Outreach | Research

Call for Papers: Environmental Conservation Themed Issue on Tradable Rights in Conservation

Published by

Published September 25, 2013

by asavatti

Call for Papers

Environmental Conservation Themed Issue on

Tradable Rights in Conservation

Market-based mechanisms such as biodiversity credits, offsets, tradable harvest quotas and environmental water traders, are increasingly being applied in conservation policy. Designing, implementing and evaluating such markets requires insights from across a range of disciplines, such as ecology, geography, economics and the social sciences. There is a clear need for interdisciplinary research to support such markets, but most of the academic literature remains within disciplinary boundaries. There are also opportunities to share insights between domains, such as between terrestrial biodiversity offset schemes and tradable fishery quotas.

The aim of this thematic issue is to provide a forum for papers which can inform the design of conservation trading policy mechanisms. The focus is on markets in which conservation-related rights (e.g. harvest quotas, biodiversity offsets, etc., but not carbon, pollution, etc.) are traded among different users, rather than purchased by a single buyer (as is the case in most “payment for ecosystem service”-type schemes). Papers drawing lessons from past and present schemes which are relevant to other issues and regions are of particular interest, as are papers which cross disciplinary boundaries.

Potential topics include, but are certainly not limited to:

  • What evidence is there on the effectiveness of offset schemes – do they conserve biodiversity or simply streamline development?
  • How can equivalence be established in offset schemes? How to deal with time lags, uncertainty and spatial interdependencies? How is the baseline, above which offsets are awarded, determined?
  • How can multiple species be incorporated? What are the pros and cons of broad vs narrow coverage?
  • How can conservation requirements be addressed in existing markets? For example, how effective are ‘environmental water’ traders within irrigation water markets?
  • How can harvest quota markets work across jurisdictional boundaries? Can other environmental impacts be incorporated?
  • What evidence is there of the applicability of tradable quotas beyond fisheries?
  • How do resource users view tradable rights? What proves necessary to secure the support of users? What are the similarities, and differences, between users of different resources?
  • How can conservation markets incorporate new scientific information or social preferences, and respond to environmental disturbances?

Priority for the special issue will be given to empirical papers, but theoretical work will also be considered. Environmental Conservation always welcomes the submission of novel and rigorous science relevant to environmental policy issues, so any submissions which do not fit within the special issue will (with the authors’ permission) be considered for publication in a regular issue.

Managing Editor: Andrew Reeson, CSIRO, Australia (Andrew.Reeson@csiro.au )

 

Submission Guidelines

Only original and unpublished high-quality papers are considered and manuscripts must be in English. Instructions for Authors can be found at http://tiny.cc/iv6kg and papers must be submitted via the journal web submission route (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/envcon). You must provide a cover letter to indicate that the submission is for the “Tradable Rights in Conservation” theme. If this is not supplied, the submission is late, or if too many/insufficient papers are accepted for a particular theme, they may be published by the journal as regular submissions. All papers will be submitted to a rigorous peer-review process and the fact that they submitted to a themed issue (solicited or not) does not guarantee acceptance.

 

Important Dates

Manuscript submission deadline: 31st January 2014, Publication of themed issue: Late 2014 (TBC)

Posted in: Opportunities | Research

Students help inform design of eight sustainable housing models

Published by

Published September 25, 2013

by asavatti

The following appeared in the July 22nd, 2013 edition of YFile. IRIS was one of the partners that created the course back in 2009.

What will the highly sustainable features of eight prototype homes at the Kortright Centre’s Living City Campus look like? That’s what about 41 students, mostly from York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies, were exploring during a recent Design for Sustainability Workshop course.

The three-week intensive course wrapped up with a one-day Building Research Establishment (BRE) Innovation Park Design Charrette in which students worked with experts to develop recommendations based on five themes: First Nations housing, affordable sustainability, assisted living and health and the aging population, passive house and sustainable retrofits.DesignCharretteGroup

Students and experts come together to discuss recommendations

“We’re training the champions and decision makers of sustainability,” says Arlene Gould, who has taught the course for the past five years and is a part-time faculty member. “The charrette is a great teaching tool. The students love it and often tell me they found it transformative.”

About 20 experts – architects, landscape designers, Toronto & Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) staff – joined the charrette. Toronto is an important design hub, one of the biggest next to New York and Boston. “We’re also a hub for green building, but we’re ArleneGouldnot really using the talents of designers at a high level,” says Gould. She hopes to change that by helping students to become more aware of the sustainable design possibilities.

Arlene Gould

Each year, the design charrette looks at something different. It’s one of the design tools explored in the course to get students thinking about sustainable solutions and opportunities that will change people’s lives.

This year, it was the BRE Innovation Park Canada. BRE, a U.K. organization that does research on the built environment, joined with the TRCA to create the park to promote sustainable construction, bridge trial concepts to large-scale implementation, field test new and advanced technologies and get industry involved in more sustainability research.

DesignCharretteGroup2The park will test and showcase best practices, new methods and materials suited to the Canadian built environment.

The various groups discussed five themes to inform the future design briefs for the housing prototypes

Participants had a first glimpse at the site plan and engaged in a series of breakout sessions. It was in those sessions that the students helped to develop the themes and outline the performance standards and targets that will inform the future design briefs. BRE has done similar projects in other parts of the world, including China and Scotland.

Industry will be asked to step forward and build the houses to showcase what’s new in design sustainability and green innovations. The park will then be open to industry and the public to see what’s possible.

In another course project, the students worked in groups to conduct a design audit of the Keele campus construction sites. They developed ideas for how to improve the currentDesignCharretteIdeawalking experience on campus and how to tell stories in public space about the transformation that each construction project will bring about.

A model by environmental studies student Jonathan Tavone illustrating one student group’s idea for telling the construction story on campus, part of the course design audit

The hands-on course takes students on several field trips. This year, those included a trip to the Kortright Centre to see first-hand where the eight houses for the BRE Innovation Park would be built and a guided tour and talk by the architect at St. Gabriel’s Passionist Parish – the first church in Canada to be awarded a gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Posted in: IRIS News | News

York University wins provincial award for environmental excellence

Published by

Published September 25, 2013

by asavatti

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.

Posted in: News | Sustainability News

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