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May 7, 2008
Tasha Peters and members of the Western Canada High School Environmental Club will be telling us about some of the environmental initiatives they are working on this year, and Elaine Rude, of Paintbrush Garden Design and Consulting, will be sharing some gardening tips with us, in preparation for the spring gardening season. As The City of Calgary, Council, and its Environmental Advisory Committee (of which we are a member) are currently working on a proposed phase-out of pesticides for cosmetic use, we may have time for a brief discussion on that as well.
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Wednesday, April 2
The topic: In his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore described how people move directly from denial to despair as they become aware of global warming. How do we assist people to become more ecologically literate and to feel empowered to take action as environmental citizens?
Two American environmental movements have faced this issue, and are developing some intriguing answers. Step It Up ( www.stepitup2007.org/ and www.stepitupalberta.ca/ ) has facilitated citizens to organize waves of creative demonstrations across the US, more than 1,400 in total in the last event in November 2007.
Focus the Nation ( www.focusthenation.org ) is a university-based movement that held teach-ins on global warming at over 1,900 universities, colleges, organizations, and schools at the end of January. A similar Teach-in on global warming was organized at the University of Calgary in February.
What can environmental groups like Sierra Club learn from these models as we build a movement here in Calgary and Alberta? Come to the next Sierra Club presentation and find out!
Mishka Lysack is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary teaching social work practice, environmental issues, and family therapy. He organized the first Teach-In on Global Warming at the University of Calgary, and is the co-chair of the Curriculum and Research Portfolio of the university's Sustainability Stewardship Working Group. Mishka's current teaching and research interests include exploring the links between social work practice, ecological grief, healing patterns in sustainable lifestyles, and environmental social action.
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Wednesday, March 5
The topic: Best selling author of A Thousand Barrels a Second, published by McGraw-Hill, Peter Tertzakian is the Chief Energy Economist of ARC Financial Corporation, one of the world's leading energy investment firms.
Peter's background in geophysics, economics and finance, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit, helped him rise from the trenches of hands-on oil exploration fieldwork to become an internationally recognized, top ranked expert in energy matters.Often seen and heard through media outlets around the world, Peter has been a featured guest on many high-profile radio and television shows including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In print, Peter has been featured in US News and World Report and has contributed editorials to widely read publications like the Globe and Mail and Forbes.com. He also writes a weekly column, ARC Energy Charts, and is a sought after public speaker.
Peter has an undergraduate degree in Geophysics from the University of Alberta, and a graduate degree in Econometrics from the University of Southampton, UK. He also holds a Master of Science in Management of Technology from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
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Wednesday, November 7
The topic: Screening of the documentary A Hard Rain by award-winning Australian filmmaker David Bradbury. A Hard Rain is a look at the global nuclear power industry and exposes the agendas behind the push in many countries to expand nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels.
By looking at the experience of countries overseas that have gone nuclear, A Hard Rain debunks some of the myths of the nuclear industry: that nuclear is safe, cheap, health and green with little chance of another Chernobyl happening.
More info. about the film is available here: http://www.frontlinefilms.com.au/video s/hardrain.htm
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| September 5, 2007 - CAUSE
- Nuclear Power and Alberta |
| The Next Industrial Revolution -
William McDonough and Michael Braungart |
| Alberta
Institute for Wildlife Conservation |
| Dr.
Andrea Kenny, ND - Naturopathic Medicine |
| Matt
Jackson _ Canadians and the Environment |
| Casey
Eaglespeaker |
| Danielle Droitsch - Riverkeeping
& the Bow River Issues |
| Dianne Pachal - Two Hotspots in the
Yellowstone to Yukon |
| Samantha Orthlieb - Master
Herbalist |
| Geoff Dyer - The
Ecology of the City |
| Bill Phipps - Faith
& the Common Good |
| Heather Hastie - Commercial Composting
Facilities: What are They and What are the Issues |
| Dr. Brian Horejsi - Bears and the Politics
and Science of Conservation |
| Byron Bromberger - Socially
Responsible Investing |
| George Reid, Leader of the Alberta Greens -
The Green Party in Alberta
and Canada |
| Blair Cosgrove - River Valleys
Committee of the Parks Foundation
in Calgary |
| Don Pike from Trout Unlimited: Bow
River's Needed Protection or Canada's
Endangered Rivers project |
| Dr. Tim Lambert: Sydney Tar Ponds
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| Ken Wright: Bow Point Nursery |
|
Andrew Nikiforuk: Governor General Award winning author of
Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig's War Against Big Oil |
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John Johnson: Soltek Solar Energy Ltd. |
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Danelle Turner: Socially Responsible Investing |
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Hugh Magill: Paskapoo Slopes Preservation Society |
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CPAWS & CCWC on the Castle - Crown
Wilderness Coalition
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| Carolyn Callaghan:
The Central Rockies Wolf Project |
| Nancy Dalton: The Northlands Farmers' Market |
