Environment & Diversity Project Intern Kasim Tirmizey Lauches "Rouge Stories" Blog

Wildlands League intern Kasim Tirmizey has launched an exciting new blog and facebook site called Rouge Stories which will support outreach efforts to engage diverse communities in wilderness conservation by talking about the Rouge Valley in east Toronto.

Join the blog e-mail list, become a facebook friend, join in the conversation, add your comments, submit a blog posting, and promote the sites with your friends and networks.


Check out the first post about Kasim's experience hiking in the Rouge here:
Congrats on the launch of your site Kasim!

Sustainability Network Partner Clean Air Partnership Hosts Webinar on First Nations and Environmental Work in Ontario

Sustainability Network is pleased to announce that Environment & Diversity Project collaborative partner Clean Air Partnership is hosting a two-hour webinar on First Nations and Environmental Work in Ontario on Wednesday, July 14th @ 1pm.

The webinar will feature:

Brent Kopperson, Executive Director of Windfall Ecology Centre

Brent will speak about Windfall's work with the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation to develop the first joint Aboriginal and Community owned wind project in Canada.

Dean M. Jacobs from Walpole Island First Nation

Walpole Island First Nation is one of the first native communities in Canada to take leadership in the field of environment and sustainable development. Walpole Island has influenced not only its own members, but also the policies of the Province of Ontario.

Register for the webinar

Sustainability Network Out and About: Climate Action Network's Launch of Canada's Climate Change Calendar

Spotted: Environment & Diversity Project intern Kasim Tirmizey from Wildlands League chatting with Cassie Barker (Environment & Diversity Project's social media facilitator) about Climate Action Network's Climate Change Calendar

The Climate Action Network launched Canada's Climate Change Calender at Hotshot Gallery in Kensington Market, Toronto. The calendar is an innovative way of showing just how much greenhouse gases an average Canadian produces per year compared to someone from another country. Taking a look at the calendar, we find out that the average Canadian will have surpassed the greenhouse gas production of an average citizen from over 40 countries in January alone!

From the website:

"...it takes only 15 days for the average Canadian to have as big an impact on fuelling global warming as the average Bangladeshi will have all year. Therefore, Bangladesh’s "Climate Impacts Day" is January 15 – 15 days into the year."

The calendar gives us a chance to reflect on our contributions to climate change compared to others and brings home the message that we should play a lead role in the finding the solutions as well. It provides a better perspective and understanding of the impacts of climate change on people around the world - and with Canada being such a diverse country, it also provides a key link between the environmental issues new Canadians faced back in their home countries versus their experiences here.

Check out the calendar on the website which charts out the comparison of greenhouse gases produced by the average Canadian to a person from 170 countries around the world.

Celebrate Canada's Diversity!

It's the first day of summer, which is definitely something to be happy about, but don't stop there - today also kicks off 11 days of celebration with the following key dates coming up:

June 21: National Aboriginal Day
June 24: St. Jean-Baptiste Day
June 27: Canadian Multiculturalism Day
July 1: Canada Day

So what are you waiting for? Celebrate our country's heritage and our diversity - plan your own event or check out all the events happening around the country, meet some new people and build new relationships.

Organizations: Sign Up for DiverseCity onBoard and Receive FREE Training

I recently met with folks from Maytree, who told me about a great new perk that's being offered under the DiverseCity onBoard program: register your organization and get access to FREE governance training for your current board members and management staff!

If you don't know what the program's all about, here's the lowdown:

Maytree's DiverseCity onBoard program connects qualified individuals from diverse communities to opportunities on governance boards in the non-profit and public sectors. Maytree helps boards find the right candidates, save time by pre-screening potential candidates, and give you access to our searchable database of over one thousand qualified candidates.


Sign up now, and you'll also be the first to know about FREE governance training available to organizations on the DiverseCity onBoard roster this upcoming fall - topics currently being planned include Strategic Planning, Not for Profit Law, Strategic Resource Development, Risk Management, Finance Fundamentals, Directors' Liabilities and Responsibilities. This training is aimed at current board members and management staff.

And when you’re ready to recruit new board members, you can sign in to your online profile, post a position and get connected with qualified individuals from diverse communities. Maytree helps boards find the right candidates, save time by pre-screening potential candidates, and give you access to our searchable database of over 1000 qualified candidates.

Take advantage of this free service and upcoming training opportunities by registering your organization on DiverseCity onBoard. For more information visit our website or contact Sheldon Mahabir at smahabir -at- maytree.com.

First Nations Awareness Training with Kathleen Padulo

Here's a little update on some recent activities! We had a successful First Nations Awareness training workshop with Kathleen Padulo and our Environment & Diversity Project interns yesterday. Kathleen provided a great overview of First Nations history, geography and culture in Ontario, the dynamics of First Nations and the environmental movement, as well as tips and resources for relationship-building and collaboration.

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Sustainability Network is planning on hosting another public First Nations Awareness training session in the fall; in the meantime, if you're looking for resources, check out our site for some great resources. Also check out these recent reports published by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Environics Institute.

The experience of watching an inspiring documentary: Living Downstream

I got this wonderful opportunity the other day to attend the screening of the documentary Living Downstream. It was truly an engaging and an inspiring experience. The reason for it being so I felt was because it went beyond the technical investigation about the connection between cancer and environmental toxins and rather raised the banner to an inspiring depiction of a scientific inquiry.

The documentary is based on the acclaimed book Living Downstream by ecologist and cancer survivor Dr. Sandra Steingraber. Her journey as depicted in the documentary was to break the silence about connections between cancer and environment which is not only inspiring but provokes one to question the endless stream of “developmental activities” outside us that may lead us to a point where one might end up paying more cost than reap any fleeting short term benefits. The documentary beyond the scientific inquiry into the relationship between cancer and environmental toxins was an exquisite blend of biology, science, poetry and the power of human spirit.

As someone really passionate about environment and its dynamic interaction with people I was really motivated with the theme as to how one person as a cancer survivor takes the bold step on the journey to bring home some of the very serious issues about relationship between living beings and the environment we live in that we can no longer afford to ignore. The documentary depicts various studies that reveal the existence and the extent to which so many chemicals and poisons have become so pervasive into our environment. One can no longer ignore these venomous chemicals that have the ability to spread their claws through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. So where does one locate the roots of the problem? Is it one terrible chemical being used here and there or rather is it the cycle of developmental activities and its impact on the environmental system that needs to be addressed?

The documentary mirrors the dynamic interaction of our genes and the environment we reside in. The genes that are not only triggered because of the genetic changes that might run in the family but also the changes that might get triggered as an effect to what is happening within the environmental system; slow but definite. Our endless reliance and increased usage of chemicals into the environment to reap short term benefits is actually leading us downstream, the path that leads to devastating effects on the environment and health of the species. Henceforth, the inquiry that needs to be dealt with is: If the Cost that might have to be paid with our well-being is it worth it?

As a newcomer to Toronto and indeed to Canada the documentary brought home to me once again an example of the environmental problems and its impact to the populace that live in the developed world. Beyond the larger debate my take from living Downstream was the power of human spirit, which moves beyond the misery of one’s personal experience and reaches out to many others out there through ones determination, effort and the spirit. The way Sandra Steingraber puts it: ‘What we love we must protect’ and that there will be a definite way where each one of us can contribute and make a difference in our own unique way. After the documentary I indeed asked myself can I do it? Yes indeed I can, finding my own niche and contributing in my own unique way to protect our environment, to protect what we love.