Deadline next Wednesday! Apply to be a coordinator with The Campus Food Systems Project, and help your campus join the national movement!

Are you passionate about food? How about local and sustainably-produced food? Want to get more of it into your campus cafeterias? The Campus Food Systems Project is here to help you. We’re looking for five new campuses to work with, and that means we need TEN more coordinators.

What’s a coordinator do? You work with students from across the country, all leading changes on their own campuses. You work with two national coordinators whose full-time job is to help you make change on your campus and support you however they can. You get connected to the very best resources, the most recent news, and the best techniques. And you get paid for it.

This is an awesome opportunity.

So far, we’ve got applications from Camosun College, University of Manitoba, and University of Calgary. We know there are a lot of other applications on the way. But is yours one of them?

This may be the LAST chance to join the Campus Food Systems Project as a coordinator. Currently, our project is only funded to run until 2014, we’ve only got space to work with ten campuses, and we already chose five of them last year. So if any of this sounds interesting to you, now’s the time to act!

Check out the 2012-2013 coordinator application / le 2012-2013 forumlaire de demande pour le Campus Food Systems Project for more details. Applications will be accepted until April 11th. Pour les écoles affecter par les protestent contre les hausse de frais scolarité, les demandes seront acceptées jusqu’au 23 avril 2012. If you know somebody who you think would be interested, please pass this on to them!

Calling all 12-21 year olds! Environmental Defence is on a quest to find Canada’s top youth environmental journalists in film, photography and writing. Got what it takes to be Canada’s Next Green Journalist?

Canada’s Next Green Journalist is more than about shining a spotlight on Canadian youth journalistic talent; it’s also about enhancing it. For the second year in a row, Environmental Defence is sweetening the deal with career-launching prizes for each contest and age category: a digital SLR camera, a waterproof pocket camcorder, and a laptop. And a little motivation for teachers? Winners are provided with funds to create a sustainability initiative at their school.

For four years now, Environmental Defence has been blown away by the journalistic integrity put forth by youth from across Canadathrough the Young Reporters for the Environment competitions, part of an international project by the Foundation for Environmental Education which pits budding reporters against one another for top prizes. They tackle issues and bring us inspiring local stories on issues from climate change, coastlines, energy and water, to agriculture, cities, waste and biodiversity, and they never disappoint. 

The deadline for Canada’s Next Green Journalist is April 30, 2012. Top entries will shine on Environmental Defence’s website and will then battle for international recognition and an award against competitors from at least 15 countries.

So, are you a teacher? A proud parent? An ecstatically bright-minded 12-21 year old with big dreams of becoming an internationally acclaimed journalist? Do you have what it takes to be Canada’s Next Green Journalist?  Then prove it.

For questions, information and tips, visit the website at youngreporters.ca.

Guest Post from Aviva Friedman, Communications Coordinator at Environmental Defence

Momentum and movement for bottled water free campuses continues to grow this year, with the number of universities and colleges officially banning the bottle climbing to 23, joined by 86 municipalities and 8 school boards across the country! The 3rd Annual Bottled Water Free Day was celebrated on March 15^th, with 29 campuses participating with activities and actions of various kinds.

At Polytechnique and McGill Universities in Montreal, students tabled with interactive activities. Students at McGill were invited to take a tap vs. bottle taste test and then spin the wheel to win a prize, including some beautiful BPA-free stainless steel bottles. At Polytechnique, information was distributed, such as how much material and energy is required to produce a single plastic

bottle. Both campuses screened the documentary `Tapped`. At Concordia, connections were made between the privatization of water and education, coinciding with the massive student demonstrations against tuition hikes currently proposed in Quebec. People were invited to share a message in a bottle about what water means to them, and the bottles were strong up around campus. Up at Laval in Quebec City, the campus sustainability group Univert launched their awesome new contest, Decoration des Fontaines. Meanwhile at Bishop’s, fountains were actually decorated and celebrated for the simple but essential things they are.

Out in Edmonton earlier in March, students at the University of Alberta protested against the awarding of an honorary Ph. D. to the CEO of Nestle Corporation, where shady ten million dollar ties between an international water institute supposedly focused on sustainable development (ha ha), a new water initiative at U of A, and Nestle, which is a major proponent of water privatization, were revealed. On March 22, much loved superstar activist and renowned water advocate Maude Barlowe provided some insight on the arrangement.

In Halifax, students in the Halifax Regional School Board rallied to ban the bottle throughout the district, inspired by an amazing slam poem from grade 12 student Grace Hamilton-Burge.  Over at UPEI in Charlottetown, CUPE local 1870 joined with the city, Oxfam PEI, and several campus groups to promote the day of action. The documentary `Flow`was screened on World Water Day. At St. Mary’s University in Halifax they created and shared a wonderful Blue Map with facts and figures relating to water and the location of fountains on campus.

Out in BC, Camosun Students for Environmental Awareness rocked out their campus in Victoria with an awesome array of activities promoting a bottled-free planet, while at Langara College in Vancouver students were invited to do the tap test taste and inform themselves about the bottled debate. Up in Prince George, students at University of Northern British Columbia were invited to learn more and signt the petition to end the sale of bottled water next year when their beverage contract comes to an end. Vancouver Community College announced their intention to go Bottled Water Free on World Water Day (March 22), led by the student association. And The City of Port Moody voted to go bottled water free, joined by Grande Prairie in Saskatchewan.

In Toronto, students at the U of T organized a ‘Celebration of Water’, screening a series of short documentaries about water issues and holding a discussion afterwords. High school students at David Suzuki Public School in Markham signed pledges to back the tap the week before the day, as it fell during their March Break.

Nationally, CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi polled listeners on their preference for the tap or the bottle, with the majority coming down on the side of the sink! Looks like we may be winning

The whole team at SYC is excited by the momentum, energy and diversity of student organizers working to Back the Tap on campuses across the country and is working to secure funding so that we can better support the movement. If you would like to be part of future initiatives such as training and networking events, drop Cameron a line at campaigns@syc-cjs.org, visit us at http://backthetap.ca and check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

–Version fraçaise suit–

The Campus Food Systems Project is looking for five new campuses to join the movement!

Le Campus Food Systems Project cherche cinq nouveaux campus à joindre le projet!

It’s an important question for us all to be thinking about, and we’re happy to share that the Canadian Museum of Nature is helping to get some conversations started on the topic in Ottawa.

On February 24th, the Museum’s monthly Café Scientifique event was organized around the question “When Does Ecological Activism Cross the Line from Helpful to Counterproductive?”. Supported by the Sierra Youth Coalition, the evening featured presentations, a screening of the documentary Eco-Pirate, on the life and work of Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace and leader of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society, and a closing group discussion.

The turnout was impressive, considering the blustery weather that Friday evening. The room filled slowly, but it did fill, and everyone who braved the snowstorm was welcomed into the classy, intimate Salon room of the Museum and treated with hot drinks and delicious deserts, before moving to the Museum’s deluxe downstairs movie-theater.

The documentary was excellent, and we recommend it for anyone interested in ocean conservation, the history of environmental activism, or the process of social change as a whole. It chronicles Paul Watson’s journey from a young activist in the 60’s, known for being up for anything to the leader of one of the most notorious environmental organizations. Featuring intense scenes of the Sea Shepard’s characteristic boat-ramming interventions on illegal whalers, and candid insights into Watson’s character, the film brought up blood pressure, and a lot of questions. It was a great jumping off point for the evening’s discussion.

The presenters shared their thoughts on the film, and insights from their own work. Kevin Donaghy, an active community organizer who is involved on many local issues including the Occupy Ottawa movement, suggested that in view of the serious problems our society faces, doing something is always better than doing nothing. He also reminded us that getting involved doesn’t need to be difficult because every bit helps, and taking the step to do something in our own lives, even if its small, can make us feel a lot more hopeful, and effective.

Aaron Doyle, a professor from Carleton University’s department of Sociology and Anthropology whose research and teaching focuses on social movements, proposed that whether or not we agreed with the specific actions like those of Paul Watson, it is important to look at their wider impact. Though more “radical” tactics like Watson’s may not win the support of the majority of the public or government, they certainly get people talking, not only contributing to the momentum needed to make change, but also making sure this momentum isn’t only “feel good” but also remains critical and aware of the many different perspectives existing on the issue.

The conversation at Café Scientifique following these presentations was dynamic. While opinions ranged, the energy was warm and positive, and every table had insights to contribute. The Museum of Nature deserves credit: they created an open, inviting space for discussion about some important issues, and an easy way for everyone to get involved — exactly what the evening’s presenters and participants concluded we need more of.

Visit the Museum’s blog for full notes from the discussions, and some reflections by the staff at the Museum of Nature on the event (to be posted shortly). If you’re in the area, we highly recommend going to one of these evenings in the future. Check out the schedule for the Museum’s upcoming Café Scientifique events. The next one will be held on Friday, March 30th, and will be focused on the question “Can We Protect the Web of Life in Our Oceans?”.