Environment & Diversity Blog

Welcome to Sustainability Network's Environment & Diversity Blog!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

New Series of Bus Tours to Explore Indigenous History and Knowledge

The Native Canadian Centre is running a series called The Great Indian Bus Tours, which will offer people with a chance to learn about Toronto's indigenous history, aboriginal wars, lifestyles, medicines, and forms of government.

For more information and to find out how you can participate, check out this article from this week's Yonge Street magazine.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

HR Council launches new project to increase cultural diversity in Canadian nonprofits

The HR Council recently launched a new project to increase the cultural diversity of Canadian nonprofits.

The project aims to:
  • identify key issues preventing nonprofits from accessing the talents of visible minorities
  • deliver practical and realistic outcomes to help the sector develop a more inclusive labour force
This is an important project because cultural diversity in the nonprofit sector is very low - take a look at the following statistics from the HR Council’s 2008 survey of nonprofit employers and employees:
  • 6% identified themselves as a visible minority (compared to16.2% visible minority across Canada)
  • 88.9% of respondents were born in Canada
  • 8.6% born outside of Canada (compared to 19.8% foreign-born across Canada)
  • 1.8% considered as landed immigrants
The HR Council is introducing the project and seeking questions, thoughts and perspectives during an interactive, live conversation today at 1pm EST. Sustainability Network will be joining the discussion because we are working to improve the diversity of environmental nonprofits.

Will you be joining the conversation?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Sustainability Network at Roadmap: 2030!

I'll be speaking at Roadmap: 2030 tomorrow afternoon at the Toronto Reference Library. What is Roadmap: 2030?

"Roadmap: 2030 will be a thought-provoking two days of innovative ideas and best practices. With an eye to Canada’s future, Roadmap: 2030 will answer a crucial question: how can the public sector better engage with, and reflect, cultural minority, Aboriginal and disability communities in the development of public and political policy?"

I'll be on the Citizen 2.0 panel, which will explore whether social media and new communications technologies have offered benefits to Canada’s diverse populations and whether these tools have increased their ability to engage with their governments and communities. We'll also talk about how new technologies be used to promote representation, engagement, integration and prosperity.

Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Be part of Car Free Day@ Queen's Park 22nd Sept.2010

Join us for Toronto's 10th Annual Car Free Day
@ Queen’s Park, Wednesday, Sept. 22nd from 10am - 2pm

Toronto's biggest Car Free Day is at Queen's Park North this year. Car Free Days aim to be fun, free events encouraging people to get out of their cars and run, walk, cycle or take public transit. We are partnering with U of T for their Environment Week festivities and including space for community groups. Contact us to reserve a free tables for your non-profit group: email Emma Cane (emmac@sierraclub.ca) or call 416-960-9606.

Are you available to help out at the event?
The event will take place from 10am to 2pm and we need volunteers and supporters en masse. Join us for the volunteer orientation session at Sierra Club headquarters, 24 Mercer St. (near King St. and John St.) on Wednesday September 15th @ 6:30 - 8pm.
Or give us a call/email and we can arrange your volunteering at the day of the event. Contact Emma Cane (emmac@sierraclub.ca) or call 416-960-9606.

We are able to provide documentation for community service hours for high school students. Volunteers can earn up to 20 hours for Car Free Day. And, of course, you get the warm, fuzzy feeling of doing something good for the community!

Please support the event using your networks if you can't participate.
All the best,
Your friends at Sierra Club
http://www.facebook.com/l/0f80eI_QNag3CFpruDlPkRlnzBg;www.ontario.sierraclub.ca/en/car-free-day