DID YOU KNOW? The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
Join us in celebrating Environment Week 2012: Sustaining Our Future! With an exciting lineup from different groups across campus, this week promises to be an eventful one. Whether you're into politics, engineering, beekeeping, food, or others, there's sure to be an event that interests you. Most of the events are free and will be serving refreshments, so come on out!
Environment Week 2012 is hosted by the University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network (UTERN). It will be taking place next week, Monday March 12th to Friday March 16th, at locations all over campus. See the complete schedule below, or visit
http://utern.org.
Invite your friends!
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MONDAY MARCH 12, 2012
• Kick Off Environment Week with UNDP and UTERN!: Keynote Speech and Meet-and-Greet
12:00-3:00 PM | Hart House Debates Room
http://www.facebook.com/events/171458919632893
The University of Toronto United Nations Development Program (U of T UNDP), in collaboration with University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network (UTERN) is holding the KICK OFF! Event for Environment Week on Monday March 12. Join us to meet a panel some of the most accomplished Sustainability Leaders and Senior Advisors, including TOM RAND, Advisor at Cleantech MaRS and Board Member at Environmental Defence, DR. JAMES GRAY-DONALD, Associate Vice-President and Sustainability Leader at Sears Canada, and ANDREW BOWERBANK, chair of the Energy, Climate, Communication and Collaboration (EC3) Initiative, in sharing their expertise on the most current issues in the sphere of Environment and Sustainability. All are welcome. This is a free event, and lunch is on us! To register, go to
http://undpenvironmentandsustainabilityevent.eventbrite.com.
• BEES Movie Night: "Queen of the Sun"
6:30-8:30 PM | UC Commuter Lounge
Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, director of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Taking us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, this engaging and ultimately uplifting film weaves an unusual and dramatic story of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk and Vandana Shiva. Together they reveal both the problems and the solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature. The UofT Beekeeping Education Enthusiast Society (BEES) hopes that by having this movie night, we can host discussions about bees and urban beekeeping, as well as our club and what we do. Don't forget to join us tomorrow for a beehive tour!
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TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2012
• BEES Hive Visit
12:30-1:30 PM | Henderson Tower, Trinity College
This will be an exciting and interactive introduction to BEES as well as to urban beekeeping. The hive is located on top of Henderson Tower at Trinity College (6 Hoskin Avenue). We will meet in the lobby area at 12:30 PM, then go up to the rooftop where the hives are located together.
• What You Need to Know to Grow: Lessons in Permaculture
2:00-4:00 PM | Hart House South Dining Room
http://campusagriculture.wordpress.com
Dig In! Campus Agriculture and the Hart House Farm Committee present Lessons in Permaculture, the last session in our wild winter event series What You Need to Know to Grow. Learn more about the holistic practice of permaculture, a sustainable land use practice and concept whereby communities and agricultural systems are based on the inter‐relationships found in natural ecosystems. Find out what’s happening at other universities through a screening of a short documentary from the UMass Permaculture project, then learn more about what’s being done locally with TOYIN COKER, founder of The Permaculture Project GTA. Discussion to follow. Free event, light snacks provided! Join us for a perma-awesome time (awesomeness will resonate well past event end-time). Please RSVP to campusagriculture@gmail.com and invite your friends on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/225879880842308!
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WEDNESDAY MARCH 14, 2012
• Hot Yam! Lunch
12:00-2:00 PM | Centre for International Experience
http://hotyam.ca
Since January 2007, the Hot Yam! has successfully functioned as a not-for-profit and entirely volunteer-run food service group, preparing and serving a fresh, “home”-cooked, inexpensive, mostly local, mostly organic and entirely vegan meal once a week to the public during the regular school year.
• Trinity Environment Club Conference
6:30-9:00 PM | Cartwright Hall, St. Hilda's College
https://www.facebook.com/events/356533014379092
The Trinity Environment Club is a student-run organization that encourages, promotes and facilitates student-driven environmental activities at Trinity College and in the U of T community. This spring we are hosting a conference on Local Innovations in Urban Sustainability. The event will showcase individuals and organizations from the GTA who are helping to build a more conscientious and sustainable world. The night will be a trade-show style so feel free to drop in at any point and visit with our esteemed participants! There will also be two exciting keynote speeches throughout the evening delivered by DR. BETH SAVAN, Sustainability Director at U of T and by SEAN MARTINDALE, interdisciplinary artist and designer focused on ecological and social issues. There will be FREE FOOD, a RAFFLE for a gift basket of earth-friendly products from Green Cricket, and GIVEAWAYS, so come on out!
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THURSDAY MARCH 15, 2012
• Sustainability Office Open House and Meet-and-Greet
2:00-4:00 PM | Sustainability Office (Rm. 208, South Borden Building)
http://sustainability.utoronto.ca/Page4.aspx
The University of Toronto Sustainability Office works to embed sustainability into the fabric of the St. George campus by linking research, teaching and institutional practice. We are holding an open house reception (with coffee, tea, and snacks!) on Thursday March 15th, from 2-4 PM. Come and chat about campus sustainability, discuss our programs, and voice your concerns with Sustainability Director DR. BETH SAVAN and the rest of the staff!
• Model UN: Climate Change and Sustainable Development
5:00-9:00 PM | UC Croft Chapter House
Concerned about climate change? Have a passion for sustainable development? Interested in international policy? Then participate in the second annual Sustainable Engineers Association (SEA) Model Climate Conference! It will be happening Thursday March 15th from 5-9 PM, at the University College Croft Chapter House. Please see the following link if you're not familiar with the building:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snuffy/323232639. Refreshments will be served at the event, provided by Subway. Present your ideas on curbing climate change and promoting sustainable development through policies and politics by taking on the role of a national leader in this Model UN-styled conference. Use your debate and negotiation skills to reach compromises and draft resolutions. This conference is open to students in ANY year and program. Please RSVP or send questions to karl.qin@sea.skule.ca. Hurry! The deadline for registration is March 12th!
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FRIDAY MARCH 16, 2012
• Sustainable Energy Fair
10:30 AM-4:30 PM | Bahen Atrium
http://uoftsef.com
The Sustainable Energy Fair 2012 will showcase ideas about our first steps towards a sustainable energy future through interactive and exciting exhibits from student groups, community organizations, companies, and researchers. Participants will be educated on the consequences of today's energy use patterns, the challenges posed by the coming transition, and the impact of their individual choices.
FEATURING: trash nothing! (http://trashnothing.com/)
trash nothing! makes it easy to give away your old stuff and find free things that other people at UofT are giving away. The goal of the site is to find new homes and uses for usable items that might otherwise end up in the landfill. It's easy to use, simply post what you have to give away and request things that you want. There will be an information table at the fair to help spread the word about freecycling.
• The Green Majority Live Broadcast
11:00 AM-12:00 PM | Hart House Map Room
http://besustainable.com/greenmajority
The Green Majority is a radio program produced at CIUT in Toronto, Canada. We feature weekly news headlines and environmental features in arts, politics, philosophy, law, and more. We are Canada’s first – and only – dedicated environmental newshour. We'd love to invite you to come watch a live broadcast of The Green Majority in Hart House, and stick around after to talk with the hosts/guests/producers and enjoy some snacks and coffee!
• Sustainability Field Trip
5:00-5:45 PM (Group 1), 6:00-6:45 PM (Group 2) | The Planet Traveler (357 College St., Toronto ON) Please sign up and you will be notified of where we will be meeting beforehand.
http://www.facebook.com/events/259668900780886
Your Sustainable Engineers Association (SEA) will be taking a trip to The Planet Traveler – the greatest North American Hostel that runs on solar, geothermal, and heat recovery systems. This hostel allows a 75% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and is a very successful business while doing so (providing hotel rooms that are green in design). This successful business will be a great illustration of how new ideas in green building design come into practice. This goes beyond the LEED building designs and steps into a new level of thinking green that is also profitable at the same time. For more information you can visit their website at
http://theplanettraveler.com. We look forward to taking you along on the trip on March 16th to explore this sustainability jewel that we have here right in our own UofT backyard. RSVP or Questions: Armin, Field Trip Co-Director at armin.h@sea.skule.ca.
• Hart House Farm Retreat
TIME TBC | Hart House Farm (15911 Creditview Rd., Caledon ON)
http://harthouse.ca/farmcommittee
To cap off an exciting Environment Week, the Hart House Farm Committee is partnering with UTERN to invite you to take a relaxing break at the scenic Hart House Farm. We will be having outdoor activities such as hiking and team-building games, as well as a vegan baking workshop and farm tour, and finish the day off with an invigorating sauna session. If you play a musical instrument, feel free to bring it along! This one-day event is open to all interested members of the community; however, space is limited. There is a minimal fee of $10 to cover transportation costs. Food is provided. Tickets will be available soon through UofT Tix. Join the Facebook event to keep updated:
http://www.facebook.com/events/334626909912210. See you there!
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