Imagine That: The Power of Experimenting & The 2012 Western Sustainable Campuses Conference

Sustainability is in many ways at its deepest core an idea: the possibility of a civilization that lives in harmony with the world, that flourishes, restores, and sustains life. Learning how to experiment, to imagine some new idea, some possibility, and then testing out your idea, bringing it into being, is then essential to innovating towards this imagined state.

The 2012 Western Canada Sustainable Campuses Conference proposes to do just that: to bring together inspired and inspiring students, faculty, administrators, staff and community members at Simon Fraser University in beautiful Burnaby, BC for four days of exploration, questioning, connecting and imagining just what a sustainable campus really looks and feels like, and the projects and ideas that are transforming Canadian campuses and challenging Canadian society. Presentations and panel discussions will compliment facilitated dialogue and skill building sessions and inspiring keynotes. Delicious food and open space technology will fuel us and help us connect and share our thoughts, hopes and dreams. If you’ve got an amazing project you’re excited to share, sign up for the Thursday night Pecha Kucha session, or a speaker you’d like to hear, contact the conference team at scc-info@sustainablesfu.org.

Best of all, registration is only $60 and SYC can help you get there in comfort on VIA Rail, our trusted transportation partner. Visit the conference website for full details and to register, and we’ll see you in Vancouver next month!

The conference is presented in partnership with Sustainable SFU and Go Beyond.

RCEN cuts: not just about jobs

Our Canada World Youth intern, Justin Chisholm, analyzes the recent cuts to the Canadian Environmental Network.  

Minister of Environment Hon. Peter Kent and the federal government have severed a thirty-four year relationship with the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN), an institution structured around strong democracy, advocating for the interests of all Canadians and 640 environmental groups. Environment Canada gave no indication that they would cut funding and refuse to renew RCEN’s $547,000 budget for 2011-2012 until the network received a letter last Thursday.

The announced termination of all federal funding comes as the government stated that it wants to “review its spending to make sure it’s getting value for money.” The Minister is making a losing trade-off, saving $547 000 annually in exchange for an institution that helped give us the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

The RCEN is being replaced by an online consultation service run through the simplicity that is the federal government’s website. The service will aim to represent the environmental concerns of all Canadians and 640 environmental groups through online discussion and comments. Responding to the plan, Maggie Paquet, Member of the Board for RCEN, posed legitimate concerns: Who is going to collate all of the comments? Who will sift through the submissions to determine which are viable? Hopefully Environment Canada, using its newly found savings, plans to hire Mark Zuckerberg to reinforce the servers because in the times that we’re facing, with the Harper dubbed “no brainer” that’s more of an environmental dagger XL Keystone Pipeline and various other environmental movements, a web based consultation system just won’t do when dealing with the web traffic of millions of Canadians who are moving toward a greener future.

Funding cuts have crippled the national RCEN and have created serious challenges for its many regional networks. With the national network closing its doors it’s not just jobs that have been sacrificed. The scope of democratic approach to environmental policymaking and the ability to hold the government accountable has been refined to nothing more than a kaleidoscope of colourful pictures of the tar sands. Hopeful that Environment Canada understands the gravity of this decision, we are standing firm that the Government of Canada has made a mistake.

Calling all campus-based public water advocates and anti-bottled water activists!

***FRANCAIS CI-DESSOUS***

The Coalition for Bottled Water Free Communities is holding a set of conference calls in late October to connect campus water advocates across the country to share information, update each other on initiatives, share resources and discuss strategy. If you are a water advocate or know someone who is, please pass the information along and join us on the call – details below.

These calls will kick off organizing towards this year’s Bottled Water Free Day on March  15, 2012, as well as helping build an movement that backs the tap each and every day.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Cameron Stiff, National Campaigns Coordinator for the Sierra Youth Coalition, at water@syc-cjs.org.

Cheers to the tap!

English Call (note there is a separate French call earlier in the day)
Date: Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Time: 1pm Newfoundland – 1:30pm Atlantic – 2:30pm Eastern – 3:30pm Central – 4:30 Mountain – 5:30 Pacific.
Call in #: 

1-866-906-9888
Participation Code: 1647450

The Coalition for Bottled Water Free Communities is a Partnership between The Polaris Institute, The Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Sierra Youth Coalition and the Canadian Federation of Students with the intertwining goals of  ending the sale of bottled water and protecting the public water system.

http://bottledwaterfreeday.ca/

Nous invitons tous les militants pour une eau publique de qualité qui travaillent à éliminer l’eau embouteillée sur les campuses à assister à un appel conférence! 

La coalition pour des collectivités libres d’eau embouteillée va tenir un  appel conférence en Octobre qui permettra à tous les militants actifs des différents campus et collèges de se mettre en contact, partager des informations et discuter d’idées de campagnes pour l’année en cours! Si vous êtes actifs sur vos campus ou si vous connaissez quelqu’un, s’il-vous-plaît transférez l’information et joignez vous à l’appel! Les détails se trouvent ci-bas.

Ces appels lanceront les efforts d’organisation en vue de la prochaine Journée sans eau embouteillée du 15 mars 2012, et aideront à construire un mouvement qui soutient le robinet à tous les jours.

Pour plus d’information ou pour confirmer votre présence, s’il-vous-plaît contactez Cameron Stiff, le coordinateur des campagnes de la Coalition Jeunesse Sierra, au water@syc-cjfs.org

À bientôt!

Appel Francais (notez il y a un appel en anglais plu tard dans la journée)
Date: Jeudi, 27 octobre 2011
Heure: Terreneuve 11h30  –  atlantique 12h –  l’est 13h –  centrale 14h — montagne 15h – l’ouest 16h

Numéro: 1-866-906-9888
Code de participation: 1647450

La Coalition pour des collectivités libres d’eau embouteillée est un partenariat entre l’Institut Polaris, le Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique, la Coalition jeunesse Sierra et la Fédération canadienne des étudiantes et étudiants, ayant des objectifs inter-reliés de mettre fin à la vente d’eau embouteillée et la protection des systèmes publiques d’eau.

http://journeesansbouteilles.ca

SYC letter to Minister Kent re: RCEN funding cuts

The following is a letter that our National Director has sent to environment minister Peter Kent regarding cuts to the Canadian Environmental Network. 

 

Hon. Peter Kent

Minister of the Environment

401 Confederation Building

House of Commons

Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6

 

Dear Minister Kent:

The Sierra Youth Coalition (SYC) is frustrated and disappointed that the federal government has terminated its thirty-four year old contribution agreement with the Canadian Environmental Network. SYC, as a member of the network, urges a reversal of this decision, without delay, in order to restore this vital link between those concerned about the environment and our policymakers.

The Canadian Environmental Network, a coalition of over 640 diverse organizations from across Canada, is an effective medium through which concerned individuals and organizations have provided key input into the environmental policies and legislation of the Government of Canada. The loss of the Network represents a loss of democratic inclusion, accessibility and process. The notion that web-based consultations available across the thousands of diverse government web pages can replace the Network is ill-conceived. It will do nothing more than ensure that that information is no longer accessible and will become lost in the shuffle.

The Sierra Youth Coalition, serving as the youth arm of the Sierra Club Canada, is a proud member of the Canadian Environmental Network. We stand with fellow members in supporting the work of the network and the federal government’s continued funding of this important Canadian institution. We urge you, Minister Kent, to reverse your decision and restore funding to the Canadian Environmental Network and to utilize the feedback and input of the thousands of Canadians represented by member organizations in order to establish effective environmental policies in Canada.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Mark Hanlon

National Director, Sierra Youth Coalition

 

Cc:

Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

Honourable Nycole Turmel, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition

Honourable Bob Rae, Interim Leader, Liberal Party of Canada

Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada

Megan Leslie, Environment Critic, NDP Party of Canada

Kirsty Duncan, Environment Critic, Liberal Party of Canada

The Green Energy and Economy Act – vote today to save it!

Today’s election in Ontario could mean the difference between saving and killing the Green Energy and Economy Act. If you haven’t voted just yet, our Canada World Youth Intern Justin Chisholm fills us in on the Act from a youth perspective.

When Ontario’s Liberal majority government passed Bill 150, the Green Energy and   Economy Act (GEGEA), on May 14, 2009, it received praise from environmental figures for its ambitious targets for renewable energy creation in Canada’s most populated province: “Ontario’s Green Energy Act represents North America’s most ambitious and far reaching enabling legislation and will place Ontario as a world leader in renewable energy development, industrial innovation and climate protection,” words of praise from Dr. Hermann Scheer, Chairman of the Renewable Energy Council.Tapping into the Earth’s natural resources couldn’t be a better way to gain the support of those who are going to be inheriting the Earth in a few generations, todays youth. After all, our basic needs are to eat and procreate and we need a habitable planet for both of those.

The first question that comes to mind when looking at the GEGEA as a youth is simply, will it last? Is this bill sustainable enough to lay the groundwork to be built upon by future energy policies? The simple answer to both questions is yes. But if we were here to just get the answers and run then we could just memorize Wikipedia and rule the world. On a more serious note, the GEGEA has built-in reevaluation plans that promise i) (according to Ontario’s Building Code) to review any given building’s energy efficiency every 5 years and ii) to continuously raise the governmental efficiency standards for appliances and equipment such that inefficiency is systematically eliminated from the marketplace. Both of these plans, although on different avenues, show clearly the GEGEA’s direction in increasing efficiency and consequently decreasing dirty energy consumption as we move forward.

Whether you’re just starting high school, getting ready to graduate (either high school, university or college) or somewhere in between, everyone is finding themselves. Many youth are on a tight budget for a variety of reasons, whether it’s because of student loans, bills or that rusty Subaru sitting in your garage. The GEGEA does two things to help out upstart youth trying to break through. The bill stands for the creation of 50 000 jobs in all sectors, from lawyers to steel workers, over a three year period and provides affordable energy for those concerned about the myth of higher energy costs when switching to renewables. The cost of infrastructure required to set-up personal renewable energy generators (solar panels, wind turbines) has been minimized by low/no interest governmental loans. An unmentioned benefit from this is increased household efficiency, leaving more pennies in the travel fund.

       If only the ladies and gentlemen at Parliament would take notes from Ontario’s energy policy, who took notes from Germany’s revolutionary energy plan, directed by Dr. Hermann Scheer. Then maybe! Just maybe, we could work in cooperation with Obama and the White House to direct the planet in a direction away from something that resembles the The Day After Tomorrow, hyperbole intended.

Interesting Links on The Green Energy and Green Economy Act (Bill 150):
http://www.greenenergyact.ca/Page.asp?PageID=861&SiteNodeID=202
http://www.ecoissues.ca/index.php/Multi-Fuel_Conservation:_The_GEGEA

Goodbye Jack, we’ll miss you.

It was with great sadness that we heard the news today that Jack Layton, leader of the Federal NDP passed away earlier today. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends, our thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Jack Layton was not your average politician. He was a great man, genuinely committed to making Canada a better place. He was respectful, a strong leader, and had a personality and charm that could win just about anyone over. Even his fiercest opponents speak of him with great respect. He has had a huge impact on our country, and I believe he will be remembered well into the future for his tireless commitment to Canadian ideals. We, as young Canadians, will honour his memory by answering his call to put our energy and passion to work to create a better country.

I had the honour of first meeting Mr. Layton long before he made the jump to Federal politics, back when he was a city councillor in Toronto. I was a high school student, working with other high school students to help improve our schools through the TDSB’s Student Environment Network. We held a retreat on the Toronto Islands, and Jack Layton came out to join us. He rode his bike there, and spent an evening with us talking about how we could make a difference. None of us lived in his ward. None of us were old enough to vote. I still measure the other politicians I meet against his solid handshake that night… So far none have measured up.

Gabriela

National Food Summit – Last Day to Register!

There’s a food revolution happening on university campuses, and we want you to be part of it.

SYC is partnering with Meal Exchange, a national student food security organization, to present Esurio 2011: A National Student Food Summit, this August 5th to 7th in Toronto.

$100 tuition reduction for all delegates! The Summit will be held at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With the theme of the Summit being, “Food Connects Us All”. Students concerned about issues related to food, poverty, health and the environment are invited to be one of five representatives from their campus to share their expertise and perspective in the creation of a Campus Food Charter.

Students from across Canada will gather at the University of Toronto to share their struggles, solutions, and inspiration and together craft a Campus Food Charter to guide our work in creating a national student movement for a sustainable, equitable and just food system. During the summit we will learn from leaders in the Canadian sustainable food movement, tour some of Toronto’s most innovative food projects, and generally have a great time.

The registration deadline is July 29th and the summit starts on Friday August 5th at 9am. Full Registration details are available here.

If you can’t make it but want to share what you’ve got going on and get involved with the upcoming food campaign, please drop us a line to food@syc-cjs.org and tell us what’s up!

Yours for sustainability,

The Sustainable Campuses Team!

Change the World. Save the Planet. Have fun!

This is my personal mantra and what’s top of mind as I start my new job with SYC. I’m super excited to be working with this amazingorganization and group of people on what is to me the most important thing to do right now: reverse the destruction of our world and bring justice to those being oppressed by the ol’ powers-that-be. That Carl Sagan quote comes to mind: “Nothing else is going

 to matter if you can’t breathe the air or drink the water. Don’t just sit this one out. Do something!” That’s right – it’s gotta be a priority for us, now – all Canadians, and everyone around the world – changing key practices to reduce our carbon emissions, our air and water pollution, unsustainable agriculture, a broken justice system, a giant hole where our democracy should be, kids feeling left out and pissed off, and on and on. Sounds like lots of different problems, but for me, they’re all interrelated, and that’s what I love about the concept of sustainability: it covers everything.

Some of the ideas I’ve got in my head now:

- A national engine retrofit program, to get hybrid engines into cars and drastically reduce our transportation-related carbon emissions and improve city air quality;
- A national food and farmer campaign, to get people growing and knowing what a sustainable food system is all about;
- Some awesome skill building and sharing workshops and activities;
- Getting people thinking and talking about ecological economics and responsible investments; and
- Making awesome media and revamping the SYC website to be beautiful, useful and inspiring.

If you’ve got campaign or conference ideas, please drop me a line at campaigns@syc-cjs.org and let me know what you are thinking. I can’t wait to start working with the awesome SYC network to revolutionize our sleepy little country!

Peas and love-

Cameron

How much does our community know?

English version….down bellow!

Petit voyage à Petit-Rocher, rien de mieux pour commencer l’été. Une petite tournée des écoles Néo-Brunswickoises pour parler un peu de l’importance de nos actions sur l’environnement et la justice sociale. Oh….voyons voyons….

Je suis moi-même originaire d’un village de plus ou moins 2 milles habitants. La première fois que j’ai vu, touché, ou entendu parler de produits certifiés équitable, j’étais arrivé à Ottawa depuis déjà quelques années. Depuis ce jour, on dirait que j’ai pris pour acquis l’existence de ces produits. C’est ma visite dans une école au Nord du N-B qui m’a remise à l’ordre.

Dans une ville où il y a deux épiceries, le seul article équitable que j’ai réussi à trouver était une petite boite de thé. C’est plate…. Comment voulez-vous bien que les jeunes connaissent l’importance d’acheter équitable quand ils ne savent même pas que ca existe. Ca me pousse à me poser plusieurs questions.

Qui devrait être responsable de voir à ce que les Canadiens achètent équitablement et de façon responsable? Est-ce que c’est aux écoles de l’enseigner? Est-ce que c’est aux organismes comme la Coalition jeunesse sierra? Est-ce que c’est aux gouvernent de passer des lois sur la consommation?

Qu’est-ce que TU peux faire? Lit, informes-toi! Parles, informes les autres!

Ce n’est pas tout le monde qui connait les enjeux sociaux et environnementaux qui nous touchent. C’est important de contribuer à informer les gens!

-le sujet t’intéresses, visite nos RJA -

Yes, here it starts!

Little trip back home, great way to start summer don’t you think? Mix that up with a little tour of New-Brunswick’s high schools, just to talk a little about social and environmental justice. Let’s just see what will come out of this!

I come from a small village with a population of no more than 2 thousand people. The first time I even heard about Fair trade, I had been in Ottawa for already a couple of years. Since that day, I think I became used to the fact that I could buy fair trade all the time. My little quest around N-B high schools brought me back to earth.

At the Second school I visited, no one knew that fair trade even existed. I decided I would go down to the grocery store and find something certified Fair trade just so I could show them what the logo looked like. Nothing, not a single item was certified Fair trade in the entire store. I went to a second grocery store to find nothing more than a little box of tea bags that was certified Fair trade. How were the students supposed to know of the importance of buying fairly traded goods if they did not even knew it existed? That whole scenario brings so many questions to me.

Really, who should be in charge of insuring Canadians buy Fair trade goods? Is it the school system? Are organizations like Sierra Youth Coalition supposed to fill that role? Is it the government’s job to make new consumer laws?

What can YOU do? Read, get informed! Talk, inform others!

Not everyone knows about the social and environmental issues that touch our society. It is important to have a positive impact by informing these people.

Are you curios to learn more? Maybe a Youth Action Gathering would be perfect for you…

Sierra Youth Coalition Partners with Meal Exchange

Sierra Youth Coalition (SYC) is pleased to announce its partnership with Meal Exchange. We are partnering on the National Food Summit in August and on the exciting National Food Systems Project that will follow from the Summit`s findings.

SYC’s Sustainable Campuses network has been working with students and engaged staff towards campuses that demonstrate sustainability for 13 years. A major focus of our work has been empowering students to conduct sustainability assessments of their schools; this project was an important success and most Canadian post-secondary institutes now have a commitment to assessing their schools for sustainability or are taking conscious measures to shift towards sustainability.

We have seen changes to building standards and infrastructure, we have seen the introduction of ethical purchasing policies and we are starting to see a critical shift in campus food procurement towards more local, sustainably farmed produce. As the campus community is beginning to act on their knowledge of the connection that our food production has to energy consumption, soil quality, and the overall health of our ecosystems, overlapping issues associated with food culture and access cannot help remind us of the meaning of this word ‘sustainability’.

Meal Exchange (MX) has been working with students towards food security since 1993. They have supported the work and activities of campus food banks through their programs and help in building awareness amongst students about hunger in their community. They bring a deep understanding of the issues surrounding access to food and will help students engage in a renewal of their community’s food systems with a commitment to food security.

Together MX and SYC have the capacity to see an important development happen in campuses across the country. Not only will we help students work with their food and dining services to shift practices but through the creation of on-campus food strategy groups and food charters, we aim to include elements which can contribute to more food secure environments such as enabling community gardens, campus farmer’s markets, access to affordable healthy food services and ways that students can participate in poverty reduction strategies. Through this collaboration both organizations and the students and staff that we work with will embody our belief that the capacity for making good ‘green’ choices requires and therefore includes healthy human communities and economic systems.