The following appeared in the Monday, November 7th edition of YFile.

Prominent Canadian primatologist and Glendon psychology Professor Anne Russon will talk about the Borneo Orangutan Society of Canada (BOS Canada) and their research projects in Kutai National Park this Thursday as part of the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability Speaker Series.

The talk, “Orangutans: Research & Rainforest Protection in Borneo”, will take place Nov. 10, from noon to 1:30pm, at 305 York Lanes, Keele campus. There will also be a panel discussion with representatives of BOS Canada. Light refreshments will be served.

The event is designed to help spread the message about the work Russon is doing in Kutai National Park, about the work of BOS Canada and about the many potential opportunities for research available in this incredibly unique and threatened wilderness.

Russon specializes in research on wild orangutan intelligence and has recently taken over Camp Kriu in Kutai National Park in Indonesian Borneo, where she studies a large population of wild orangutans.

The following appeared in the Thursday, October 27th edition of YFile.

The sixth annual Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) Awards Gala marked an evening of firsts as FES Dean Barbara Rahder welcomed award recipients, presenters and friends to a packed Gladstone Hotel ballroom last Thursday night, Oct. 20.

A new certificate program and several inaugural awards were just some of the items on the evening’s agenda. Rob Tiffin, vice-president students, extended his congratulations to all of the award recipients, saying he was happy to have the opportunity to recognize and honour “some of the best and brightest students in FES, and…some of Canada’s future leaders.”

Tiffin applauded the Faculty in its efforts to position itself as a major centre for teaching and research, specifically recognizing FES’ recent developments in sustainable energy education. He said he was excited about the upcoming Certificate in Sustainable Energy, to which he remarked, “It will be a unique qualification for York graduates, in a very high-demand field.”

Left: From left, councillor Mike Layton, Ian Rice, who received the Jack Layton Prize for Environmental Research & Action, and Barbara Rahder

The first of the evening’s new awards was the Charles Caccia Award in Sustainable Development, spearheaded by Caccia’s wife Iva and friend Jim MacNeill.

The following appeared in the Wednesday, October 26, 2011 edition of YFile.

Glendon has a rich history, including a forest containing some rare trees – one of which was brought over from China and once thought to be extinct. Professor Stuart Schoenfeld and Helen Psathas, senior manager, Environmental Design & Sustainability, will talk campus sustainability tomorrow at the launch of the Glendon Campus Project website.

“Environmental History of the Glendon Campus & Forest: Challenges of Conservation & Sustainability in the 21st Century,” part of the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) Speaker Series, will take place Oct. 27, from noon to 1pm, in the Senate Chamber, Glendon campus. Light refreshments will be served.

Right: A path through the Glendon campus forest

Schoenfeld will provide an overview of the website, while Psathas, a senior fellow at IRIS, will provide an update on the forest.

“The project was designed with two goals. First, to share the knowledge about our campus more widely.

The following appeared in the Monday, October 24, 2011 edition of Y-File:

A growing number of people are experiencing the effects of climate change in their daily lives, but those effects are not distributed equally. An workshop at York on Wednesday will discuss the issue of climate change and who it affects and how, the role of governments and what should be done.

The Climate Justice and Politics Workshop is part of the Climate Justice II Workshop Series, “Bringing a Democratic Canadian Perspective to the Climate Change Conference in South Africa: Taking Action on Climate Change.” The event will take place Oct. 26, from 1 to 4pm, 305 York Lanes, Keele campus. It is hosted by York’s Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) and Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), and co-ordinated by Mihae Ahn, a student in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), and JP Sapinski, a PhD student at the University of Victoria.

Published in Ylifeand posted on

September 20th, 2011 in Old Feature

Vari Hall will become an oasis of sustainability for the next two days.

The President’s Sustainability Council in conjunction with Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is bringing the SGI Seeds of Hope poster exhibit to the Keele campus today and tomorrow. The exhibit will be displayed in the Vari Hall rotunda from 10:30am to 4:30pm on both days.

The Seeds of Hope poster exhibit is a joint initiative of SGI and the Earth Charter Initiative. Based on a simple premise – “it starts with one” – the exhibit conveys the importance of individual action for community sustainability. Through a series of 24 panels, it focuses on the themes of interconnectedness, social justice and peace to show how one idea can inspire and transform an entire community towards sustainable living.

The exhibit also features global examples of how individuals and small groups have taken simple actions inspired by the Earth Charter to create more sustainable communities. The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a sustainable and peaceful global society, and has been endorsed by over 4,500 international organizations.