The following appeared in the Wednesday, May 16, 2012 edition of YFile.

Offices across York University are turning green.

The Green Office Program is a new initiative that is designed to help offices at York incorporate a variety of sustainable practices into day-to-day operations and recognize those offices already doing so.

“I am proud that offices at York University are adopting the Green Office Program,” says York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.  “This commitment will help us maintain our high standard as responsible stewards of the environment for future generations.”

The program focuses on dozens of actions in key areas such as waste, energy, transportation, purchasing and “change”, and provides guidance on how to make sustainable choices that contribute to achieving York’s overall sustainability goals. The checklist also allows offices to gauge how they are doing on sustainability, and to determine what areas they can improve upon.

“The Green Office Program is a natural extension of sustainability programs like ZeroWaste,” said Helen Psathas, York’s senior manager of environmental design and sustainability.  “There are many ways for the community to contribute to sustainability at York by doing simple things each and every day, and we hope that many offices participate in this program to help us meet our sustainability targets.”

Office tri-bins are used to separate items that can be recycled from garbage

The interactive checklist includes many links with tips and resources on energy conservation, instructions on recycling and composting, green purchasing suggestions and a wide variety of other information that will enable faculty, staff and students to learn more about how they can contribute to York’s success as a leader on sustainability in Canada.

Participating in the Green Office Program is easy. Simply visit the Sustainability website and click on the Green Office button to download a copy of the checklist. Complete the checklist with other members of your office and submit for review. All offices that receive a minimum score will be certified and recognized as a Green Office.

“What we like about the Green Office Program is that many resources on sustainability can be found in one place,” said Glenn Craney, executive director, Office of Institutional Research & Analysis, and one of the first offices to sign up for the program.  “Sustainability can be a complex issue, and it can also seem like someone else’s responsibility. We appreciate the way that this program makes it easier for us to do our part.”

For more information on the Green Office Program and other sustainability initiatives at York, visit the Sustainability website, or contact Andrew Plunkett, sustainability project coordinator, at aplunket@yorku.ca, or Pavel Graymason, sustainability engagement coordinator, at pavel@york.ca.

Paul Rowland

Paul Rowland became the Executive Director of AASHE on August 1, 2009. Paul was one of the founders of the Ponderosa Project at Northern Arizona University where he served in a variety of capacities including Director of the Center for Environmental Sciences and Education, Coordinator of Environmental Education, and Director of Academic Assessment. More recently he has served as Dean of the School of Education at The University of Montana and Dean of the College of Education at the University of Idaho. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University and an M.S. in Ecology and a B.A. in Biology from Rutgers University.

Links:

• Campus Services and Business Operations
• UNESCO Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability: 7th Biennial Meeting of the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions

My comments on Michael Spence Sustainability Mindset
David V. J. Bell

Hi Mike – thanks for sending this along. It is beautifully written, and succinctly lands some very important points.

Your emphasis on education and values is spot on – though I agree that they are necessary but not sufficient underpinnings of sustainability.  I used precisely the same formulation in the conclusion to my book chapter (see p. 21ff.) entitled “Education for Sustainable Development:  Cure or Placebo?”. Ultimately we require a global “culture of sustainability” in order to provide the foundation for sustainability-based wise choices, decisions and policies in the economy, political system, and society generally.

I am reminded of the scenario exercise conducted a number of years ago by the World Business Council on Sustainable Development. (WBCSD)  They outlined three main scenarios, each of which was premised on the increasing environmental toll of economic activity.

The first scenario (“FROG”) led to environmental disaster.  Business As Usual continued under the banner “Forever Recognize Our Growth”. The double entendre of the title referred to the idea that a frog placed in lukewarm water that is gradually heated to the boiling point will fail to “pick up the signals” and instead of jumping our of the pot, will eventually die.  By analogy, the global environment in this scenario deteriorates beyond critical thresholds because governments, businesses, and society in general fail to “pick up the signals” in time to avert tragedy.  (Cf. the last sentence of your piece!).

In the second scenario, GEO, the signals are picked up in time and draconian action is taken under the aegis of a Global Environmental Organization that is given sufficient authority and power to regulate and legislate the world’s businesses, governments and individuals to behave more sustainably.  Disaster is averted.

The third scenario was much preferred.  Entitled JAZZ, it entailed a transformation of behaviour achieved through the influence of education and value change rather than through the power and authority of an all powerful global regulatory body. (I’m using these terms as defined in my book Power, Influence and Authority: An Essay in Political Linguistics.)  Jazz in this case is not an acronym but a metaphor. Jazz musicians are able to co-create music spontaneously and collaboratively by improvising on a structure outlined in a shared “chart” that shows the melody and chord changes.  By analogy, in the JAZZ scenario businesses, governments and citizens/consumers/householders would all be “on the same page” because they would all understand sustainability imperatives and would share the values needed to coordinate actions to achieve sustainable outcomes.  Pretty far fetched to be sure, but an intriguing idea.  What strikes me as useful in this scenario is the notion that a culture shift toward sustainability would make it a lot easier for both businesses and governments to adopt appropriate policies and decisions.

Another key point you raise is the challenge of developing a more sustainable alternative to the growth model.  Basically I think we have somehow to effect a transition from 20^th century capitalism to 21^st century sustainable enterprise.  But what does this entail?  I’m sure you are correct that this transition will require plenty of invention and innovation (or what I referred to in an earlier comment as “sustainability ingenuity”.)  As you pointed out in your comments back to me, lots of the requisite ingenuity appears to be going on.  But how much more is needed?  How can we hasten it along? And what will a sustainable economy look like?

I think we have a fair idea of the “design specs” for a sustainable economy.  At minimum I think a sustainable economy must:

• Create sustainable livelihoods for (most of) the world’s 1 billion unemployed
• Provide products and services that meet basic needs (food, shelter, water, energy) for a population of over 7 billion rapidly growing toward 9 billion
• Drastically reduce waste  (According to Paul Hawken et al.’s book Natural Capitalism, 99% of everything produced in the USA is in the waste stream within 6 months!!)
• Reduce throughputs of energy and materials by factor of 10 (or more likely a factor of 20)
• Operate on a low carbon basis that will allow us to reduce GHG’s approx 80% by 2050
• Reduce environmental impacts and contribute to environmental conservation/restoration
• Reduce transportation impacts (for workers, inputs, and products)
• Encourage sustainable consumption
• Ensure that all companies and businesses are socially and environmentally responsible
• Achieve “smart” effective regulation.

For me the most hopeful point you make in The Sustainability Mindset is about the growing attention to sustainability in Asia and throughout the developing world.  No doubt you are doing what you can to encourage this.

Thanks again Mike!

David
David VJ Bell
Chair of LSF

Public Transit: take the 116 eastbound bus from Kennedy station to Guildwood Park entrance

Cost: FREE

Join us on a trip back through time, to a day and age when boulevard trees were nothing but an idea. Explore the deep rooted reasons why we need trees in our cities and what we need to be able to plant them properly. Learn where, who and why trees were first planted in cities and the challenges of planting them today.

Accessible entrance, reserved accessible parking, Green P Public Parking, TTC accessible.

Council Chambers, North York Civic Center, 5100 Yonge St.

Public transit: subway to North York Centre Station.

Registration at www.yourleaf.org recommended.

Thursday, May 17, 2012 – 7:00p.m. – 8:30p.m.

Cost: FREE

The Pembina Institute has been working on transportation solutions in the GTA for just over a year now and we’ve already been able to positively influence the public debate on this timely and topical issue.

In case you missed it, our survey of GTA drivers was featured recently in the Toronto Star.

Join us on May 30^th at The Foundery in Toronto for an evening of insight and lively discussion on how Pembina can be most effective in our work to cut pollution from cars and trucks in Ontario, solve congestion problems to get transit moving in the GTA, and reduce fuel consumption in a region entirely dependent on gasoline imports and vulnerable to rising gas prices.

Ed Whittingham, Executive Director, and Cherise Burda, Director of Transportation Policy, will provide a brief overview of Pembina’s transportation work from a GTA perspective. Then we’d like you to participate in a facilitated group discussion to help us think through the best role for Pembina in advancing transportation solutions.

Register Now

Tickets: $36.62 + fees and taxes (event proceeds will support Pembina’s transportation program)
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: The Foundery, 376 Bathurst Street, Toronto (northwest corner of Bathurst & Dundas)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

If you can’t make it to this event but would like to help us continue this work, please consider supporting the Pembina Institute.

York University is phasing out the sale of bottled water.

The move to phase out the sale of bottled water on the Keele and Glendon campuses by September 2015 was announced Tuesday. As part of the announcement, York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Vanessa Hunt, president of the York Federation of Students (YFS), signed a pledge to phase out sales of bottled water on both campuses and improve free access to clean, safe drinking water.

“York University was built on a strong commitment to social responsibility,” said Shoukri. “One of the aspects of this commitment to social responsibility is to ensure that the University continues to be a leader in sustainability and protecting the environment. I am here today to announce York University’s pledge to phase out the sale of bottled water by September 2015.”

Mamdouh Shoukri and Vanessa Hunt sign the pledge on behalf of the University community to phase out the sale of bottled water

Ilan Kapoor, professor of environment studies and the chair of the President’s Sustainability Council, said the move to phase out the sale of bottled water was a significant symbolic act in favour of sustainability. “We really should not be paying for water, which is a basic component of our lives,” he said. “This campus is an autonomous community – we have reasonable control over our ecological footprint and this is a significant step in that direction.”

Kapoor said that while other universities and colleges have banned the sale of disposable bottles of water, the bans have been difficult to implement.

“There needs to be alternatives to bottled water ” he said. “People often turn to sugary, unhealthy drinks and we want to avoid that at York. A phase out will give the University time to install more water refill stations and engage and educate the community so that we are all part of the campaign.”

“In other words, it’s not what you do to be sustainable, it’s how you do it that must be sustainable and that is the approach we have taken,” he said.

York’s president tries out one of the hydration stations

The University has already made significant progress in improving free access to drinking water with the installation of 25 water bottle refill stations on its Keele and Glendon campuses. Another five water fountains have also been converted to all for refill of reusable water bottles. Among the many departments and administrative offices on campus, the Office of the President and the Faculty of Environmental Studies has already voluntarily phased out the purchase of bottled water.

“This campaign is not only about phasing out the sale of bottled water, it also acknowledges that water is a basic human right,” said Hunt. “We need to be sustainable in our practices across this University.”

To mark this occasion, the York University Bookstore is taking 50 per cent off all reusable water bottles until the end of the business day on Friday.

The President’s Sustainability Council and its Campus Operations & Development working group had a number of discussions about phasing out disposable bottles of water on campus with several campus stakeholders, including the YFS, York Food Services, Campus Services & Business Operations, the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice-President Finance & Administration, the Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability.

To view photographs of the announcement, click here.

SPECIES AT RISK. The Massasauga rattlesnake is just one of the 34 species at risk found in Muskoka that participants will learn about at the 2012 Muskoka Stewardship Conference on April 28. Photo by Jan McDonnell

BRACEBRIDGE – Parry Sound-Muskoka is home to 34 species at risk, some of which, while plentiful here, are found nowhere else in the world. That is why stewardship of these imperilled species is critical to their survival.

Would you know if one of these species was on your property? Do you know what to do if you find one?

Species at risk will feature prominently at the 2012 Muskoka Stewardship Conference in April with a number of speakers scheduled to provide information about many of the turtles, snakes, and birds found in our area.

Species at Risk was one of four stewardship guides developed by the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) and Muskoka Heritage Foundation (MHF) over the past year and a half. All four stewardship guides provide the inspiration for presentations at the 2012 conference, also including living with beavers, building a trail in your woodlands and restoring your shoreline.

The Muskoka Stewardship Conference is organized by Muskoka Watershed Council, Muskoka Heritage Foundation and the District Municipality of Muskoka as a way to bring together local land and water stewards to learn and network.

In addition to the stewardship guide topics, the conference will feature keynote speaker Andrew Watson, a York University PhD candidate from the department of history and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability.

Watson will be discussing the ways in which the human footprint along the shoreline has changed over the last 100 years by focussing on what the pressures and concerns were a century ago. His presentation will illustrate the importance of the past in making responsible choices for the present and future.

The 2012 Muskoka Stewardship Conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28 at Nipissing University, Muskoka Campus, 125 Wellington Street in Bracebridge. The cost is $30.

To register visit muskokaheritage.org/mwc.