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York University » York Research » Centres » IRIS » Events » IRIS Speaker Series
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IRIS Speaker Series

The Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) has developed a Speaker Series as one of its strategies to reach out to the student body, share knowledge, spread awareness and create networking opportunities for students and faculty.

2011/12

  • Inuit Film Festival - On September 27, 2011, IRIS privided students with an opportunity to learn more about the Inuit knowledge and climate change. The event was followed by a life video Q&A with ommunity of Arviat and filmmaker Ian Mauro. Students were able to was serveral videos through online resources.
  • Climate Justice and Politics Workshop – On October 26, 2011, IRIS hosted a discussion panel on several topics including: climate change and hybrid ethics, capitalism, climate change, the discourse of ecological modernization, and much more. It provided an opportunity for participants to meet and share ideas with like-minded climate justice activists and academics.
  • Glendon Campus Project Website Launch – On October 26, 2011, IRIS hosted the Glendon website launch. The website was designed to share the knowledge about Glendon campus more widely and to document the history and current state of environmentalism at Glendon.
  • Dr. Anne Russon: Orangutan Research and Rainforest Protection in Borneo  – On November 10, 2011, IRIS hosted Dr. Anne Russon and the Borneo Orangutan Society of Canada (BOS Canada). This event provided interested students and faculty with an excellent opportunity to learn about the work of BOS Canada in Kutai National Park and the many potential opportunities for research, available in this incredibly unique and threatened wilderness.
  • Peter Sale: Our Dying Plant – On November 22, 2011, IRIS hosted Peter Sale’s book tour at York University. This event provided students and faculties a chance to engage in a discussion of the current environmental crises. Our Dying Planet is about how and why our planet is dying and this does not have to happen.
  • COP-17 Debrief – On January 12, 2012, IRIS hosted a debriefing of COP-17 with the delegation from York University and the youth delegation from Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project to share their experiences at this year’s COP talks in Durban, South Africa.
  • Climate Justice Workshop – On February 13, 2012, IRIS hosted a Climate Justice workshop for interested students and staff. The participants included COP-17 delegates as well as previous Climate Justice workshop participants and interested staff, faculty and students.
  • Mari Kira: Sustainable Work Organizations and Sustainable Work – On Feb 16, 2012, IRIS hosted Dr. Mari Kira and she presented her research on two interconnected topics: sustainable work organizations and sustainable work. Her research on relating organizational change and development for sustainability, and the design and development of work for sustainability.
  • IRIS Research Showcase event – On Thursday, March 8, 2012, IRIS hosted the annual research showcase event. This year’s theme was Transcending Interdisciplinary Research Barriers: Best Practices for Mobilizing Knowledge.
  • Environmental Cooperation and Israel-Palestinian Peace – On March 15, 2012, IRIS hosted Professor Stuart Schoenfeld from Glendon and Eric Abitbol from the University of Bradford (UK) for their presentation and discussion on Environmental Cooperation and Israel-Palestinian Peace. Download Eric Abitbol’s presentation.

2010/11

  • Sandbergs’ Book Launch / Open House – On October 2010 – IRIS proudly welcomed the public to its York Lanes office. This followed a book launch for Climate Change – Who’s Carrying the Burden, co-edited by York Faculty of Environment Professor Anders Sandberg and former York student Tor Sandberg.
  • Book Launch and Talk-Back with Bob Willard – The Sustainability Campion’s Guidebook & Talk Back with Bob Willard – On November 23, IRIS in conjunction with Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) and Working in a Warming World (W3)hosted a book launch and talk back with author Bob Willard on his latest publication, The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook.
  • York International Internship Panel – On November 23, 2010 IRIS and the York International Internship Program (YIIP) co-hosted this collaborative campus panel event which highlighted the international internship opportunities available for work in sustainability and the environment. The panel event will consisted of five speakers, each of whom have participated in a unique internship.
  • Let’s Get Wasted – On January 11, 2011 IRIS hosted the Let’s Get Wasted event where the 2010 IRIS Campus Sustainability Survey: Waste on Campus Report was released.
  • COP16 De-Brief event – On Monday, January 17 2011, IRIS hosted a COP16 de-brief event where themes from this year’s 16th Conference of the Parties in Cancun Mexico were discussed by a panel including COP 16 attendee Jacqueline Medalye, a Political Science PhD Candidate at York University.
  • A Case For Diversity – On February 8, 2011 IRIS, in collaboration with Learning for a Sustainable Future and the Education Alliance for a Sustainable Ontario, hosted a discussion with Sonia Dong, the Diversity Project Manager at the Sustainability Network.
  • Leduc’s Book Launch – On March 3, 2011 IRIS held a book launch for Timothy B. Leduc’s new book “Climate, Culture, Change: Western and Inuit Dialogues with a Warming North.”
  • Sustainable Purchasing: Student Perspectives and Experiences – On March 15, 2011 the York centre for Practical Ethics presented a panel on sustainable purchasing. The panel was followed by a short information session on student-run businesses and how the York community can move forward.
  • Earth Hour – On March 16, 2011 IRIS, in collaboration with ECO and Net Impact, hosted their second annual Earth Hour event on campus. The event included a fashion show and a speech from keynote speaker Andrew Bowerbank.

2009/10

The 2009/10 Speaker Series has the following speakers lined up — most dates and locations still to be determined. Check back soon!

2008/09

The 2008/09 Speaker Series focus surrounds ‘The Sustainable Built Environment’. Our built environment is responsible for 40% of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and, with the current building stock composed of very inefficient and wasteful buildings, holds the greatest potential for GHG abatement strategies. This year’s topics include speaker events addressing:

2007/08

The 2007/08 Speaker Series included topics around the social and environmental implications of common sewage disposal methods, hydrogen fuel as an energy source and the extractive industries in the global south. These speaker sessions involved leading representatives from industry and academia, receiving lots of interest from across faculties and departments.

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