Envirofest is all about celebrating action within the environmental movement at the University of Toronto. How can one take action? Well, it's easy! You can do something as easy as watch a movie... or something as daring as attend a no-nukes teach-in. We think you should do both! Educate yourself, then educate those around you. Put your hand up, and say "I am an environmentalist!"
Watch out for the green hand prints you will see around campus. They were posted by other environmentalists like yourself!
Please look up the location of our events on this map.
Where: MaRS Auditorium
When: Thursday, March 12th, at 6pm.
Other: Free, RSVP required at www.fightfortheplanet.com
Where: Hart House Great Hall
When: Friday March 13th, at noon.
Other: Brought to you by UTERN, Hart House, The Centre for Environment, and The Cities Centre. Free, RSVP Required at www.harthouse.ca/majora
Did you know that a child living in the Bronx of NYC is 4x more likely to develop asthma thanks to their living environment? If you missed the Envirofest keynote, check out Majora's 2006 TED Talk online.
Battle of Chernobyl Movie Screening
Where: Earth Sciences Auditorium 1050
When: Friday, March 13th, at 7pm.
Other: Contact nuketeachin@yahoo.ca for more information.
Where: Koffler Centre 108
When: Sat. March 14, 9:30am to 4 p.m.
Other: Contact nuketeachin@yahoo.ca for more info.
Register at: http://nuketeachin.eventbrite.com/
Co-sponsored by: U of T Students Union, Students Against Climate Change, Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Greenpeace, Hiroshima Day Coalition, Physicians For Global Survival, Veterans Against Nuclear Arms
Where: Trin Buttery (Building Code LA on the campus map)
When: Monday, March 15th, 8:00pm to 9:30pm
Other: Reservation for party of four under Green! Come out to the Buttery for interactive and engaging discussion on hot environmental topics. Students will have an opportunity to debate with various experts on environmental issues like ethics, green business, and activism. Representatives from Greenpeace, Steam Whistle, and the University will be attending so be sure to bring any questions you have. And, of course, coffee and cookies will be provided!
Where: Hart House North Dining Room
When: Thursday, March 19th, 8pm to 10pm
Other: Come out for a fun night in support of Greenpower Canada during Envirofest 2009! This year we will be hosting a night of Green Bingo. It will be a night of excitement with prizes to be won! Refreshments will be served.
Hot Yam Hunger Awareness Lunch 'n' Learn
Where: The International Students' Centre
When: Wednesday, March 18th, from noon until 2pm.
Other: Other: Featuring Leslie German. Brought to you by the Hart House Social Justice Committee, the Hot Yam, and UTERN.
Trinity Envirofest Keynote Address
Where: The Rigby Room at St. Hilda's
When: Thursday, March 19th, at 7.30pm
Other: Given by Barbara Eastman, a founding member of the Probyn Group.
Where: The Cat's Eye in Wymilwood.
When: Friday, March 20th, at 10pm
Other: Doors and cash bar at 9:30. Show features clothing made student designers, local designers and ethically and environmentally friendly companies. $2 at the door, all funds to the Toronto Environmental Alliance.
Where: Riverdale Park, west side of Broadview about 5 minutes south of Broadview Station. If you need help finding your way, call Jordan at 647.406.9157.
When: Saturday, March 21st, at 2pm
Other: Due to Lack of FUNsnow, FUNboggoning will be replaced with a hike, some frisbee, some slacklining, and TONS of cookies.Brought to you by the U of T Outing Club (UTOC). Awesome.
Where: The International Student Centre
When: Wednesday, March 18th, 12pm to 2pm
Other: Bring your tupperware in case you don't get a seat, these lunches get busy! Delicious home-cooked vegan fare for $4. YUM!
Where: Innis Town Hall theatre, 2 Sussex Ave
When: Sunday March 22, 3:00pm
Other: Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute, in partnership with Rotary International and the Centre for Environment, are screening the award-winning film Blue Gold: World Water Wars, based on the groundbreaking book "Blue Gold" by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke. Visit the Project Blue site for details.
Where: Just outside Con Hall
When: Tuesday March 17th, 3.45pm to 4.15pm
Other:
OxfamUT is organizing the university's first ever flashmob, in support of World Water Day, and we're looking for people like You to participate!
Never heard of a flashmob? It's basically what it sounds like - a group of people assembling, doing somethign to attract attention, and then quickly dispersing. Take a look at this.
WHY?
Over one billion people in the world don't have enough clean water.
WHY?
Over one billion people in the world don't have enough clean water. Over 1.8 million children die each year from diseases caused by dirty water -- that's almost 5000 a day.
So on March 17, we will be gathering on the grass in front of Con Hall, and every 17 seconds, one of us will drop to the ground to represent these 1.8 million. We need volunteers to be flashmob-ers (you actually get to drop to the ground!), to hand out pamphlets, and to hold the banner. We'll be meeting outside Con Hall at 3:45 to organize ourselves, and we'll be done by about 4:15.
EVERYONE is invited to come out! Tell others and bring your friends!! The more people that participate, the more press coverage we can generate, and the more effective the event will be!
If you have any questions or comments, please contact oxfam.ut@utoronto.ca
Where: McLeod Theatre, Medical Sciences Building
When: Thursday March 19th, 7.30pm - 9.30pm
Other:
Peter Singer is a world-renowned philosopher, and often cited as one of the driving forces behind the animal rights movement. He is the author of the ground-breaking work Animal Liberation, as well as Practical Ethics, the President of Good and Evil and many other works.
Where: Medical Sciences Auditorium
When: Wednesday March 18th, 11am to 4pm
Other: Lunch served at noon, speakers at 1pm.
Brought to you by the CYCC (Canadian Youth Climate Coallition), and the UTSU Sustainability Commission. Bring your bike for a free tune-up brought to you by BikeChain!
Where: Saturday, March 21, 3pm
When: Innis Town Hall
Other: Brought to you by the Innis Environment Society. We will be showing the NFB documentary Toxic Trespass, which looks at toxic hotspots in Southwestern Ontario and their impacts on our bodies. Refreshments will be provided.
This is our first "official" event and marks Innis's entry into the campus environmental movement -- we know that it's a busy time of year, but we would really appreciate it if you guys could make it out to the screening. We are hoping to see as many people as possible. We haven't been a very active organization this year, but hopefully events like this will get the ball rolling for future activism!
Where:
When:
Other:
Monday, March 16th - 7:30 pm - Movie Night
Come on over to the Cat's Eye for our screening of Wall-E.
Tuesday, March 17th - 7pm - Talk n' Doc
This weeks Talk n' Doc will feature what many have called the best movie on climate change, The 11th Hour. Plus, it has Leonardo DiCaprio in it, and we all love him. Afterward, stick around and discuss the movie!
Wednesday, March 18th - 2 pm - 4 pm - Decorate your own organic bag!
Join us in the Wymilwood Cafe to decorate your own organic cotton bag! Cost is $2, but it goes to charity!
Wednesday, March 18th - 7pm - Organic Cooking With Tom Choi
Join Vic Celebrity Chef Tom Choi, of the No Reservations Cooking Club, as he takes you through the ins and outs of making great tasting meals, all while decreasing your impact on the environment! YUM! In RJ Suite 2700
Friday, March 20th - 930 pm - unEARTHed - Vic's 4th Annual Environmental Fashion Show
Show features clothing made by student designers, local designers and ethically and environmentally friendly companies. $2 at the door, all funds to the Toronto Environmental Alliance.
Sunday, March 15, 2009 to Saturday, March 21, 2009 - Sodexo Goes Green!
Did You Know: Most of our food requires more energy to produce, process and market than it yields when we eat it. Sodexo is joining our efforts for Envirofest! Throughout the week, meals will be provided in both Strauchan Hall and Melinda Seaman with a local and organic focus. Vegan and vegetarian options will also be encouraged. Remember to bring your TEC mugs for your coffee, as the paper cups will be removed for the week.
Sunday, March 15, 2009 - 8:00 to 12:00 - Movie Night in the JCR
We will be screening two movies on Sunday night to kick off Envirofest at Trin. Get cozy in the JCR for a double screening of Wall-E and The Eleventh Hour. Lots of popcorn and goodies will be provided. See you there!
Monday, March 16, 2009 - 8:00 to 9:30 - Green Cafe at the Buttery, Larkin Building
Reservation for party of four under Green! Come out to the Buttery for interactive and engaging discussion on hot environmental topics. Students will have an opportunity to debate with various experts on environmental issues like ethics, green business, and activism. Representatives from Greenpeace, Steam Whistle, and the University will be attending so be sure to bring any questions you have. And, of course, coffee and cookies will be provided!
Thursday, March 19, 2009 - Trinity Alumni Lecturer
A major reason why Earth Week 2009 is super special for Trinity College is because of an event that happens on Thursday, March 19th between 7:30 to 9:00 pm (in the Rigby Room! Please come!!) Not only will we hear from Ann Love, a published author who writes books about sustainability, but Provost Andy Orchard will be formally signing on to the Presidents Climate Change Initiative. By signing, we join forces with 616 American and 13 Canadian Colleges and Universities that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This is something we can be extremely proud of, since we're the first non-BC university to sign and thus are an example for other colleges and universities to follow, including the University of Toronto as a whole.
Saturday, March 21, 2009 - Geocaching!
There is no better way to wrap up Envirofest than some actual time spent outside! Part of a Trinity Club? Get a few of your club members involved and create a team for our geocaching adventure! Teams will be given a map of High Park with various stops that must be made. The first team to return to the JCR with all the tokens from the park will get first prize! Smores and hot chocolate will be waiting so everyone can warm up and kick back. Please speak to Vanessa Purdy if you are interested in forming a team!There is no better way to wrap up Envirofest than some actual time spent outside! Part of a Trinity Club? Get a few of your club members involved and create a team for our geocaching adventure! Teams will be given a map of High Park with various stops that must be made. The first team to return to the JCR with all the tokens from the park will get first prize! Smores and hot chocolate will be waiting so everyone can warm up and kick back. Please speak to Vanessa Purdy if you are interested in forming a team!
We are pleased to announce the launch of the President's Climate Initiative campaign in conjunction with Envirofest Week. The verdict is out: the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activity is destabilizing the many ecological systems on which human societies rely. As a result, Universities around the world are now committing themselves to the fight against climate change.
The University of Toronto has a crucial opportunity to join this global effort by signing the President's Climate Initiative. By signing, we join forces with 616 American and 13 Canadian Colleges and Universities that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Already at U of T, Trinity College has gone ahead to sign the PCI in an effort to lead in the environment. *Please sign the petition to show that you want U of T to sign the PCI! You can sign the PCI petition here.
We have also made an informative youtube video to explain more about the PCI and why U of T should sign on. Watch the PCI YouTube video.
As students, faculty and staff - we are proud of our school. We believe that the University of Toronto can be part of the solution to climate change. Please find more information about the PCI below and a copy of the actual commitment attached at this link.
Sincerely,
The PCI Team - Dave Scrivener, Joanna Dafoe, David Berliner, Effy Veroutas, Marissa Gold Ruvolo, Alix Gould, Zannah Matson, Leo Josephy, Areeba Jaiwad, and Naomi Jehlicka.
Background Information on the PCI
To read the official version of the President's Climate Initiative, as signed in Canada, please click here.
In signing the PCI, U of T commits itself to:
- Exercising leadership by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in collaboration with our communities
- Developing achievable and practical plans to achieve reduction targets
- Putting in place rigorous assessment and measurement procedures
- Disclosing and being accountable for our actions.
In pursuit of these actions, U of T will:
- Initiate a plan to reduce greenhouse gases by creating a committee that includes students, staff, faculty, researchers, administrators and other partners
- Complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions on campus within a year
- Set targets and develop a climate action plan that engages research, education and operations into a comprehensive strategy within 2 years
- Meanwhile, immediately implement certain actions to reduce emissions
- Make action plans, inventories and periodic progress reports publicly available for review and comment
- Work cooperatively with governments, civil society, the business community and other post-secondary education institutions.
Contact us by email at leojosephy#gmail;com (fix the # and ; if you're human)
