Published November 6, 2008
by iris_author
To view our Carbon Report click here.
Posted in: IRIS News
The Sustainable Built Environment Speaker Series
Published October 23, 2008
by iris_author
IRIS Presents:
The Sustainable Built Environment Speaker Series at York U!
Bringing the GREEN into Buildings
Two visionaries, Andrew Bowerbank of the World Green Building Council and Gabriel Draven of Village Technologies, will discuss the current state of our built environment and the future of innovative design and technologies in the building sector.
When: Wednesday Oct. 29th, 2:30-4:30
Where: Vari Hall B, York University, Keele Campus
Posted in: Events
NetImpact
Published October 15, 2008
by iris_author
1. *Sustainability Speaker Series – Randy Sinukoff*
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 11:30-1:00 – N201 - FREE
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 11:30-1:00 – N201 - FREE
*Jacques Whitford environmental consultants provide environmental consulting services to clients throughout Canada and North America. Randy Sinukoff, Principal at Jacques Whitford, is coming to Schulich to speak about environment management system best practices. Come join us for closer look at the lessons learned by one of North America's largest firms of engineers, scientists and consultants focused on solving environmental issues.
Please email BSUS@schulich.yorku.ca to reserve your spot, or call 416 736-5268.
2. *Sustainability Speaker Series – Bob Willard, Author*
Please email BSUS@schulich.yorku.ca to reserve your spot, or call 416 736-5268.
2. *Sustainability Speaker Series – Bob Willard, Author*
Tuesday Nov. 4, 11:30-1:00 – N109 - FREE
Bob Willard, author of 'The Sustainability Advantage' will be at Schulich to speak about communicating the business case for sustainability. Mr. Willard is a leading expert on the business value of corporate sustainability strategies. In the last five years, he has given hundreds of keynote presentations to corporations, governments, academics, and NGOs. Come see this established author and former IBM executive as he quantifies potential bottom-line benefits from using sustainability strategies.
Please email BSUS@schulich.yorku.ca to reserve your spot, or call 416 736-5268.
3. *Nonprofit Governance and Leadership Workshop
Friday, Nov. 14, 1:00-5:30 – Executive Private Dining Room – $20-25
Are you interested in furthering your professional development and joining a nonprofit board? The NMA presents this ½ day workshop that will cover topics such as how to get on a nonprofit board, what board members do and
the leadership challenges of Leaders and Managers of nonprofits. This event will feature speakers from the Maytree Foundation and Altruvest Charitable Services/Boardmatch, two organizations committed to connecting business professionals with nonprofit boards. We are also pleased to announce that the keynote address will be given by Derek Ballantyne, CEO of Toronto Community Housing Corp. The keynote address and two workshops will be followed by a networking wine/cheese reception.
Tickets are $25, however a limited set of advance tickets bought prior to Oct 7th will be sold for $20. Entrance to the MBA without Borders event is included with an advanced ticket purchase.
We will be selling tickets for in the Marketplace on:
Thursday October 2 @ 11:30 am- 1pm
Monday October 6 @ 11:30am- 1pm
Posted in: Events
The Cup Is Greener on the Other Side
Published October 8, 2008
by iris_author
I've been doing some research on eco-friendly alternative packaging/cutlery/cups etc. to replace the paper and styrofoam we use here at York. My attention was directed to Bhumi Products.
On their website, they state, "Bhumi products is a Canadian company dedicated to promoting environmentally friendly products."
Now this sounds like we're on the right track right? a LOCAL company that provides nice biodegrable and compostable products. this is all good and well until you find out what their products are made of.
"Bhumi Products are made from 100% sugar cane fibers, which is a natural by product of the sugar refining industry."
After hearing this, Tony Morris pointed out to me that sugar cane is not something that can be grown in Canada, and furthermore, sugar cane production has a high energy cost to produce.
It is important to keep in mind where the material comes from. Canadian company or not - sugar cane is not a local source. Additionally we need to pay attention to where the products are manufactured. I found the answer to that under their NEWSFLASH: "The Bhumi Products team will be on their way to visit our manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, China. Watch for our documentary film coming to the website soon."
So this "Canadian" company (which I guess means they have their head office here) manufactures a product that, although IS biodegradable and compostable, (and a step above what we're using right now) uses outsourced materials and facilities, leading us to wonder, is this really a sustainable practice?
Just because something says "Green" on it, or is biodegradable, doesn't mean it was created in an eco-friendly manner. Just as in life, it is important to look not only at what you see in front of you, but where it came from - how it came to be.
Posted in: Blogs | Shopping the Talk
Quiz: How green is your food?
Published September 8, 2008
by iris_author
Source: BBC Nov 2004.
1. The energy used to import a kg of fresh spinach from California to the UK is equivalent to running a 100 watt light bulb for:
A: 1 year
B: 1 month
C: 2 weeks
D: 1 week
2. It takes 3.5 times as much of what to produce a litre of non-organic milk compared to a litre of organic milk?
A: Energy
B: Water
C: Fertilizer
D: Land
3. A typical British family of four emits 4.2 tonnes of C02 from their house each year and 4.4 tonnes from their car. How much is emitted from the production, packaging and distribution of the food they eat?
A: 1 tonne
B: 2 tonnes
C: 4 tonnes
D: 8 tonnes
Answers:
1. B
2. A – Organic milk comes from cows which are fed on pasture which is not treated with fertilizers and pesticides. Much of the extra energy used in the production of non-organic milk is energy used in the production of the fertilizer.
3. D
Posted in: Blogs
The Healthy Butcher
Published August 29, 2008
by iris_author
The Healthy Butcher are two Toronto based organic and local meat shops, one on Eglinton West and the other on Queen St. West. While, specializing in local certified organic meat they are expanding to produce as well. In light of recent issues with processed meat and the always present concern over the ecological impacts of meat consumption and industrial agriculture, the Healthy Butcher offers an alternative to becoming a vegetarian. They are fundamentally committed to healthy, organic, and most importantly local meat. They buy directly from farmers and have extensive information on what certified organic means to them. For this company, organic meat means;
- Livestock must be fed 100% organic food;
- No use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers in the growing of the animals’ feed;
- No use of genetically modified organisms;
- No use of growth hormones;
- No use of drugs (such as antibiotics);
- No use of animal by-products for feed;
- Treating animals humanely (i.e. they have outside access at all times);
- Inspections by an independent certification body occur on a regular basis;
- All certified products records are kept for 5 years;
- Strict Canadian and International standards are met.
In all they are making a commitment to healthy meat consumption, environmental and social sustainabililty by supporting local farmers. Organic meat is more humane as the animals are treated better and raised naturally without chemical hormones. The Healthy Butcher also makes the best effort to ensure that their prices are comparable to non-organic meats. Even if the prices are a little more, is it not worth it for a little piece of mind.
Posted in: Blogs | Shopping the Talk
Fridge Free for a Year
Published August 29, 2008
by iris_author
This article is a first person account of a Torontonian that made the leap to attempt a very unique project. As the article points out, Canadians are among the highest energy users in the world. There are so many modern conveniences that we take for granted regardless of their ecological cost or how they disconnect us from natures' cycles. This article decided that the fridge is one such convenience. Upon unplugging her fridge, the author decided to learn about how communities used to deal with food. She tells a story of how her father's community built a barn insulated with sawdust and used huge chunks of ice cut from a river in the winter that they stored in the barn keeping it cool throughout the summer months. This barn was used to maintain a community grocery store year round with no power other than human power and horses. She uses examples of how little of our food actually needs refrigeration. Most vegetables keep quite well at room temperature for at least a week. Gardens allow you to take food or herbs when you need to. Of course, those of us that have lived our entire lives with this modern convenience forget that food never knew the inside of a fridge till 50 years ago (Refrigeration was invented in the late 19th Century, but it was not until the 1950's that it was common). In the winter it is rather easy to keep things cool, but in the summer you have to be more creative. This person used a basement cellar, which is common in any older house. Other techniques involved just bowls of water. While, I do not expect people will be unplugging their fridge anytime soon this was an interesting article and reminds us of how we take for granted so many conveniences in our day to day life.
Posted in: Blogs
Olympian environmental challenges for Beijing
Published August 7, 2008
by iris_author
Cleaning up Beijing for the Olympics Games, one of the world's worst polluted cities, was always going to be a herculean effort. In the last week before the games, authorities have seen the particulate matter content of the city's air yo-yo back and forth, from an optimistic clear sky on the weekend, to a return of heavy haze by the time of the opening ceremonies.
The IOC has been monitoring the situation and has been impressed with the lengths that the Beijing authorities have gone to ensure a safe games. UNEP has also been working with the Beijing Olympic Committee as noted in this IPS article. On the whole, despite the pollution caused by the heavy construction ahead of the games, the Olympics will be a net positive for China's environment, focusing attention on a grave problem.
The Asia Society has put together a slide show to highlight the problem of China's worsening air situation, and how China may try to correct this through a call for "scientific" development that finally recognizes the environmental impact of the country's rapid economic development.
Posted in: Blogs
Patagonia
Published July 23, 2008
by iris_author
"Every one of us does things in the course of a day that adversely affect the health of the planet. We don't decide to, we just don't give it a thought." It's true, I see people doing it mindlessly every single day. Sometimes even I still do, out of habit or lack of other options. Most people don't notice because there are no immediate noticeable consequences of our actions. Patagonia Inc.'s dedication to awareness has launched an interactive mini-site, called ‘The Footprint Chronicles' which allows you to track the impact of ten specific Patagonia products (yes they're a store too) from design through delivery. They also have a ‘Footprint Library' of PDF files which describe their efforts and policies.
Their mission statement is to "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis." This almost seems like a bit of an understatement when you visit their website and see that the shop is only a very small part of what they do. They are a big organization, and their sole profits do not come from their store alone which is what makes it a good place to shop. They're not JUST in it for the money.
Their ‘What we do' list is quite impressive, and includes an environmental grant program, internships, and creating a national park!
All this is mainly the reason why I decided to post this in Shopping the Talk, because its' an eco-store that leads you to bigger action. It looks like a good site to mine for information, and to shop at. It's a nice alternative to just sitting there and moaning. 🙂
As for the clothes, they're really cute, with more fabric patterns than most other e-shops. The swimwear looks particularly awesome.
Posted in: Blogs | Shopping the Talk
City Walking
Published July 23, 2008
by iris_author
I am currently in Boston (well Cambridge really), my old residence of years past. Like my subsequent five year sojourn in Toronto, I never needed a car in what Prevention Magazine cited as the number one walkable city in America. Indeed, this fact is proclaimed quite proudly with a sign in front of Cambridge City Hall. Moreover, the fact that Boston's Logan Airport itself is connected to the subway system makes an even bigger regional difference when you realize that Pearson Airport in Toronto is one of the traffic epicentres of the entire country.
The Walk Score web site puts Boston as a whole at number three behind San Francisco and New York City on its walkability index. Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Seattle, Long Beach, Los Angeles (!), and Portland round out the top ten. Not surprisingly, these are also the top American cities that I could live in.
At HuffPo, the least walkable cities are also highlighted. Not surprisingly, these grotesque car dependent cities are almost all located in the South, where a culture of American individualism has metastized into a anti-social nightmare of unaccountable ecological choices. It is no wonder that the South is also trapped within a reactionary political culture which reinforces these trends, even as the built environment neutralizes collective action and community spirit.
Posted in: Blogs
