n this talk, Mark Jaccard, professor of sustainable energy in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, speaks on how climate-concerned citizens can overcome myths that hinder us from acting in time to prevent extreme climate impacts. Their actions can involve personal consumption choices (electric vehicles, heat pumps) but these only have an effect if citizens are also engaged in the political process and civil society to elect and support climate-sincere politicians. You can register here.

What does clinical psychology have to add to the climate movement and environmental decision making? More than you may think. In this session, climate psychologist and activist Margaret Klein Salamon, PhD will discuss how to face the hard truths of our climate & ecological emergency, enter "emergency mode," and help protect humanity and all life. You can register here.

George Ignatieff Theatre | 15 Devonshire Place

Can our biggest banks and institutional investors attain carbon neutral balance sheets by the end of this decade? How do we measure carbon? What are the best policy tools? What milestones should we set along the way? Who are the leaders and laggards? What does the current carbon balance sheet look like? Join us for an exploration of the leading edge of financial decarbonization, hosted by the University of Toronto's School of the Environment, and the School's Environmental Finance Advisory Committee (EFAC).

Register for the Willis and White Memorial Lecture

Lash Miller Chemical Labs, Room 161 | 80 St. George Street

Mark Jaccard, professor of sustainable energy in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, speaks on how climate-concerned citizens can overcome myths that hinder us from acting in time to prevent extreme climate impacts. Their actions can involve personal consumption choices (electric vehicles, heat pumps) but these only have an effect if citizens are also engaged in the political process and civil society to elect and support climate-sincere politicians. These personal and collective efforts must align with and foster a global strategy of decarbonization, especially in developing countries. Come to the talk to find out what is required on a simple path to climate success and what you can contribute.

Register for the Krause Lecture.

Robert Gill Theatre, 214 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2Z9

In Sarnia, Ontario, an Indigenous community of 800 residents, is smothered by the Canadian petrochemical industry. Two siblings from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Vanessa Gray and Beze Gray, have dedicated themselves to fighting environmental racism and to protecting their community’s land, air and water.

A breathtaking blend of documentary-theatre, innovative projection design, a charismatic script and playful

solo-performance engage and implicate audiences in The Chemical Valley Project. This urgent production delves gracefully into difficult conversations on Indigenous treaty rights, the nature of contemporary Canadian identity and values, and Canada’s notorious “Chemical Valley”.

You can register here.

“Faith in the Commons: Becoming Neighbours includes the Personal and the Political”

 Thursday, February 13, 2020

Lecture: 7:00 pm

Reception—8:30 pm

Location: Regis College, St Joseph’s Chapel, 100 Wellesley Street W, Toronto.

One of the most exciting developments in political theology is the renewed awareness that the “neighbour” creates a new space “in-between” the personal and the political.  Professor Leddy will illustrate and explore how becoming neighbours summons new forms of spirituality and politics and provides common ground for interfaith and cross-cultural relationships.

Jackman Humanities Institute |
170 Bloor Street, Room 100

Professor Tanhum Yoreh traces the development of bal tashḥit, the Jewish prohibition against wastefulness and destruction, from its biblical origins to the contemporary environmental movement.  Waste Not provides a comprehensive intellectual history of this concept, charting its evolution from the Bible through classical rabbinic literature, commentaries, codes of law, responsa, and the works of modern environmentalists. 

This book supports conversations about faith, consumption and waste, and provides a foundation for understanding the prohibition as an environmental ethic for today and tomorrow.

Rm 2007D Wilson Hall, 40 Willcocks St, Toronto, ON M5S 1C6 @ UofT, St. George Campus

Nicole Latulippe is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Human Geography and Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She has also worked for the Anishinabek Nation on Ipperwash implementation and as a community-based researcher. Her research and teaching interests include the treaty relationship; Indigenous, cross-cultural, and place-based research methodologies; Indigenous geographies; and environmental knowledge, governance, justice and law. Nicole is a treaty person. Her family is French-Canadian from Nipissing and unceded Algonquin territories and she has Anishinaabe ancestry from the Ottawa and Mattagami River areas.

In this talk, Nicole will discuss her community-based research with Nipissing First Nation (NFN); specifically, the responsibilities underpinning community members’ sovereign fishing practices and how NFN has managed to maintain relations with Lake Nipissing, a hotly contested ‘resource’.

“All Our Relations” is a winter talk series which shares stories and insights about water and decolonial water governance from the perspectives of other water beings.

These events are co-sponsored by the Indigenous Environmental Justice Project at York and Water Allies.

The 2nd annual Rotman Sustainability Conference will provide students with the opportunity to learn about careers with meaningful social and environmental impact. Students will have the opportunity to learn from and network with diverse professionals working on key issues in social innovation, sustainable finance, clean tech, and transitioning Canada to a low-carbon economy.

Problems like climate change and income inequality require action from all sectors of our society. In a keynote address and four panels, we will discuss the role of businesses and organizations in addressing urgent, complex issues including climate change, income inequality, and social justice. Through challenging questions and difficult discussions, we hope to provoke meaningful conversation and inspire action.

It is our particular goal to prioritize the voices of BIPOC, women, and non-binary individuals, and to introduce conversations about how we at Rotman can/should be more ambitious in our definition of and quest for impact.

Lunch and coffee will be provided. The conference will be followed by a networking reception, where snacks and drinks will be provided for all attendees.

Sponsored by RBC and the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship

Tickets here

Event Schedule

8:30 - 9:00: Registration

9:00 – 9:10: Introductions

9:10 – 9:45: Keynote by Tabatha Bull, COO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business

10:00 – 10:45: Clean Tech Panel

Moderated by Professor Richard Blundell

11:00 - 11:45: Social Innovation Panel

Moderated by Professor Laura Doering

12:00 -1:00: Lunch and Networking

1:00 - 1:45: Sustainable Finance Panel

Moderated by Professor Jan Mahrt-Smith

2:00 – 2:45: Transitioning Canada to a Low-Carbon Economy

Moderated by Professor Sarah Kaplan

2:45 – 3:00: Concluding Remarks

3:00 – 5:00: Networking Reception

Seeley Hall, Trinity College |
6 Hoskin Avenue

Joan Kuyek, co-founder of MiningWatch Canada, will speak on the realities of Canada's mining industry revealed in her book Unearthing Justice: How to Protect Your Community from the Mining Industry

Room UC 140 University College Building, 15 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto

With the planet facing a climate emergency, global recycling infrastructure collapsing and the oceans choking on plastic, the need for environmental journalism is more acute than ever. And yet, fewer media outlets have dedicated environmental journalists. Having worked in the field for over 15 years, Adria Vasil will be discussing the trials and tribulations of covering environmental issues in Canada and the evolving role of solutions journalism in informing environmental decision-making.

Adria Vasil is a Canadian environmental journalist and the author of the bestselling Ecoholic book series. She started writing the Ecoholic column for NOW Magazine in 2004 and now writes regularly on sustainable business issues for The Toronto Star and Corporate Knights magazine, where she’s currently the managing digital editor. Prior to her career in journalism, Adria worked as a researcher in the nonprofit world tracking corporate abuses in the apparel industry. Adria earned her BA in political science from the University of Toronto and has a postgraduate degree in magazine journalism from Ryerson. She has also been a lecturer at Ryerson University’s School of Journalism.

Professor Stephen Scharper speaks to students to help them recover from nature deficit disorder!

Here is the latest event from Fridays for Future

November 25, 2019 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs | 1 Devonshire Place
Without artists and humanists, science is frequently lost in translation, while artistic work that disregards science risks irrelevancy. Strange Weather: The Science and Art of Climate Change – a one day symposium – will bring together climate scientists, humanists, and artists to bridge this disciplinary gap. In partnership with co-sponsors the Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) and and the Centre for the Study of the United States (CSUS), the event will welcome guest scholars and artists who are committed to – and practiced in – the current paradigm shift to less siloed climate change thinking.

General Admission $20 | Students and Unwaged $10.00

Register for Strange Weather

Room UC 140, University College, Kings College Circle Toronto

Dr. Sheila Colla, Assistant Professor of the environmant, York Universit, will talk about where we’ve gone wrong in our attempts to save bees despite intense political and public will, and she will explain how we can move forward to conserve them and the ecosystem services they provide.

Insights from the Third Industrial Revolution

at Innis Town Hall 2 Sussex Avenue Toronto

The invitation says

Please join us for special public lecture with Jeremy Rifkin, renowned economic and social theorist, who is ranked among the top 10 most influential economic thinkers in the WorldPost / HuffingtonPost 2015 global survey of “The World’s Most Influential Voices.” On the evening of November 19, Mr. Rifkin will visit Innis College to introduce a “Green New Deal” for Canada to address climate change and set the agenda for a bold political movement with the potential to revolutionize society.

The lecture also features a book launch and is free.Find out more and register here.

Ram in the Rye

63 Gould St

Toronto, ON M5B 1E9

Join the Canadian Water Network’s Student & Young Professional Committee for a casual evening to meet other people who are passionate about learning, discussing and establishing a foundation of clean and drinkable water for all. This event is free to attend, plus they’ll be giving away some CWN swag! All are welcome. You can register here

Wendy Schmidt, President of The Schmidt Family Foundation and co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, brings an optimistic approach to addressing critical ocean issues and provides a framework for viewing the ocean as part of an interactive living system, crucial to life on land. Join us on November 13 as Wendy Schmidt describes how her investment in innovative solutions and support for scientific and technological breakthroughs is creating momentum for ocean health leading to the restoration of this vital planetary resource. To understand the ocean is to know with certainty why we need to care about it, no matter where we live.

*This event is free, but registration is required.

Register for the Schmidt Lecture

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto

Rising Tides - A new book featuring a climate conversation

With intimate stories and thoughtful attention, Rising Tides addresses the past, present and future of climate justice through fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry.

Join editor Catriona Sandilands with contributors Christopher Campbell Durufl é, Laurie Graham, Peter Hobbs, Tim Leduc, Lisa Szabo Jones, and others for readings, discussion, and refreshments. Presented in partnership with Another Story Bookshop.

St Gabrial’s Church, 670 Sheppard Ave. East, Toronto

“In the Amazon rainforest, which is of vital importance for the planet, a deep crisis has been triggered by prolonged human intervention, in which a “culture of waste” (LS 16) and an extractivist mentality prevail. The Amazon is a region with rich biodiversity; it is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-religious; it is a mirror of all humanity which, in defense of life, requires structural and personal changes by all human beings, by nations, and by the Church.”

On the first Sunday of each month, the Passionist Centre for Ecology and Spirituality with the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology & Ecology facilitates a 45-minute reflection and discussion prompted by the readings for that Sunday's liturgy.  Using prose, poetry, and/or video clips, the guided reflection brings an ecological perspective to the scripture readings, using the cosmological vision of Thomas Berry in dialogue with social and ecological commentators.  All are welcome. 

The EcoSabbath gathering will be held in the large meeting room (the Gabriel Room). 

Canadian botanist, biochemist and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger's startling insights into the hidden life of trees have already sparked a quiet revolution in how we understand our relationship to forests. Now, in a captivating account of how her life led her to these illuminating and crucial ideas, she shows us how forests can not only heal us but save the planet. Find out more and register here.

The singular second feature from Toronto filmmaker Brett Story is an arresting mirror of our moment—a film about climate change in a clandestine guise. Shot in New York City throughout August 2017, Story’s slyly dystopic documentary at first exhibits no specific concern. Roving the city’s five boroughs with her camera in tow, she pauses to quiz passersby on their feelings about the future. Being New Yorkers, their responses are frank, funny, and reliably engaging: racism, rising rents, and Trump are just a few of the topics occupying their minds. Only rarely do Story’s subjects explicitly address the climate crisis. But, tellingly, they don’t have to. Their testimonies are a multi-voiced articulation of a shared sense of foreboding, as familiar to us in the audience as to those who appear screen.. You can purchase tickets here.

The Festival continues until October 20 and you can find the full schedule of events here.

Presented by University of Toronto School of the Environment:

Location: Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy: 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON M5S 3K7

On the second day of this event, join scholars, activists, journalists and policy practitioners to discuss a Green New Deal for Canada. The panels will examine a variety of topics about climate change and the economy:

1. What are the current federal and provincial climate change policies?

2. What can Canada learn from climate policy in other countries?

3. What can labor, business, and activists do to help speed up decarbonization?

4. What key policies are needed?

You can register here. There is a modest charge which includes breakfast and lunch

Schedule:

DAY 2 - OCTOBER 3, 2019 / 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
8:30 / REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST
9:00 / OPENING REMARKS
Jessica Green - Associate Professor, Political Science and School of the Environment, University of Toronto
9:30 / PANEL 1: The State of Play of Canadian Policy: Do we need a Green New Deal?

What is the current landscape of Canadian Climate Policy? How would a GND compare to the status quo?
Speakers: Matthew Hoffman, Professor, Political Science, University of Toronto; Jahangir Bhatti, Director, CleanTech, Development Bank of Canada; Isabelle Turcotte, Director, Federal Policy, Pembina Institute.
11:00 / BREAK

11:30 / PANEL 2: Transnational Approaches: A Global Green New Deal?
What are the politics and policy of GND discussions elsewhere? What can Canada learn from climate policy in other countries?
Speakers: Jonas Nahm, Assistant Professor, Energy, Resources, & Environment, Johns Hopkins University; Julian Brave Noisecat, Director, Green New Deal Strategy, Data for Progress; Paasha Mahdavi, Assistant Professor, Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara.
1:00 / LUNCH BREAK

1:45 / PANEL 3: Role of activists, business, labor, civil society, and First Nations
How can we build broad political support for a GND? What policies might form the basis of a coalition for a GND?
Speakers: Katherine Foster, Chief Intelligence Officer, Sustainable Digital Finance Alliance; Emmay Mah, Executive Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance; Joanna Robinson, Professor, Sociology, York University.
3:15 / BREAK

3:30 / PANEL 4: From ideas to policy
What policies are needed to implement a Green New Deal?
Speakers: Kate Aronoff, The Guardian; Christopher Wilson, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Campaign Director, Indigenous Climate Action.

Presented by University of Toronto School of the Environment:

Location: Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy: 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON M5S 3K7

Join us for a two-day event with scholars, activists, journalists and policy practitioners to discuss a Green New Deal for Canada. The panels will examine a variety of topics about climate change and the economy:

1. What are the current federal and provincial climate change policies?

2. What can Canada learn from climate policy in other countries?

3. What can labor, business, and activists do to help speed up decarbonization?

4. What key policies are needed?

You can register here. This opening event is free, but registration is required.

Event Schedule:

DAY 1 - OCTOBER 2, 2019 / 5:00-7:00 PM
5:00 PM / OPENING REMARKS
Steve Easterbrook - Director, School of the Environment and Professor, Computer Science, University of Toronto
5:15 PM / Keynote - The Politics of Climate Change in Canada: A conversation with: Hon. Peter Bevan-Baker, Green Party Leader, Prince Edward Island; Glen Murray, Former MPP, Liberal Party.
Moderated by Shawn McCarthy, Sussex Strategy Group.

Here’s a chance to learn more about the informative and enetertaing Drawdown Challenge. The event is free but you need to register here.

Project Drawdown s the most comprehensive answer to the question, “What should we do?” In fact, the 100 solutions investigated by a coalition of researchers are sufficient to ensure that humanity turns back from the brink of disaster, and begins lowering the concentration of greenhouse gases by 2050 (that’s the “drawdown point.”)

So, as the finale to a week of extraordinary action events, Drawdown Toronto will be hosting a “Solutions Summit” on Saturday September 28th from 10am until 6pm at OCAD University. You are welcome to attend all or part of the day.

OCAD University, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1W1

Toronto Event: Queen’s Park : Details here.

Bill McKbbon of 350.ORG has sent this message:

Dear friends,

This was the hottest summer ever recorded. June was the hottest June, and July was the hottest month ever. Countries from Cuba to France to Togo and Vietnam experienced their hottest days to date.

The news can be almost as sapping as the heat. But, it’s more important than ever to remain hopeful, especially with less than 2 months until your critical federal election in Canada. That’s why today, I’m inviting you to join the world’s first all ages climate strike this September. Check out our map to find an event near you. 

Over the last year, I have been immeasurably grateful for the leadership coming from some of the youngest activists on the planet, who’ve mobilized in historic numbers over the last year to walk out of their schools and strike for the climate.

Now, after a year, they’ve done something new — they’ve asked adults to join them.

The September strike will demonstrate two invaluable principles. Firstly, that solving the climate crisis will involve disrupting business as usual. We should consider joining this walkout as a statement that we’re committed to disruptive, transformative change.

Second, that we elders need to act like elders. On what kind of world do we expect 15-year-olds to tackle our biggest problems by themselves? The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) and it is our collective responsibility, across generations, to respond.

This is already shaping up to be the largest and boldest climate mobilization on the planet. Imagine the message to politicians everywhere when millions of people in every corner of the planet walk out of their jobs and classes to demand climate action. Find an action near you on September 20th or 27th.

Organized b University of Toronto Environmental Action Group (UTEA), this event brings together panelists from the journalism, NGO, political, and academic fields to provide an integrated and holistic understanding of the various moving parts in mobilizing and addressing the climate crisis in federal politics.

33 Willcocks Street, Earth Sciences Centre, Room 1042A, Toronto

Here’s your chance to make a Climate change poster. University of Toronto Environmental Action (UTEA) will transform the Environmental Students Union (ENSU) Lounge into a drop in studio for art and advocacy. Supplies provided! Supplies provided.

At 5 Bancroft Avenue - Earth Sciences Centre.