BCIT

Centre for Ecocities

Helping build socially just cities in balance with nature

World Rivers Day 2021

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Written by Mariya Chugay

World Rivers Day is an annual celebration of the world’s waterways.

Having celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2020, this day highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world.

Image of Mark Angelo and Grandson.

Mark Angelo releases juvenile chum salmon into Guichon Creek with his grandson.

Initially founded as BC Rivers Day in the 1980s by the BCIT Rivers Institute’s own Mark Angelo, Rivers Day has since expanded to be recognized and celebrated all around the world. In support of the United Nations Water for Life Decade, World Rivers Day was established to create awareness surrounding water resources and the need to protect them. Since then, the world has been celebrating our waterways on the fourth Sunday of every September.

In the words of Angelo, “rivers are the arteries of our planet; they are lifelines in the truest sense.”

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Meet Cora Hallsworth

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The Centre for Ecocities would not have its many successes without the hard work, dedication, and vision of its team. Driving our core work with municipalities and other stakeholders is Cora Hallsworth, Manager of Ecocity Initiatives and Municipal Programs. Cora brings more than 20 years of experience advancing community and organizational sustainability to the Centre for Ecocities team.

Cora’s career began with the Recycling Council of Ontario where she coordinated Waste Reduction Week and launched the Ontario EcoSchools Program – which has now evolved into EcoSchools Canada.  She went on to work with consulting firms in Toronto and Vancouver, and in 2002, while living in Vancouver, launched Connecting Environmental Professionals (CEP). CEP is still active today, providing capacity building and networking opportunities to environmental and sustainability professionals in Vancouver.

At the Centre, Cora leads the application and pilot testing of the ecoCity Footprint Tool; helps municipalities understand and act on their ecological footprints and ‘consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions; leads the Ecocity Peer Network; and speaks widely at conferences and other events.

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Global Goals Week 2021

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In 2015, 17 defined and interconnected global goals were set as a blueprint to build a prosperous and peaceful world living in harmony with the environment. Since their initiation, undeniable progress has been made in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The COVID-19 pandemic has posed its own challenges to sustainable development, and created setbacks in achieving these multifaceted targets. Nevertheless, the conversation continues stronger than ever, and so must we.

Shortly after the announcement of this 2030 Agenda, came Global Goals Week. Global Goals Week is an annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the SDGs. The purpose of this week-long series of events is to engage people around the world in conversation and action in support of the Global Goals – from engaging in solution-identifying dialogues, to building partnerships and sharing success stories.

This year’s Global Goals Week takes place from September 17 – 26, 2021. Each year, the United Nations Foundation organizes a series of activities towards this shared commitment. Educational resources and events represent just some of the few ways to get involved. The 2020 rendition of this Global Goals initiative saw 63 million individuals joining online, with another 17,500 people engaging in in-person activities. This year, communities around the world will come together virtually and in-person “to solve a wide range of complex global problems from poverty and gender to climate change and inequality”.

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International Literacy Day 2021

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International Literacy Day is a reminder that 773 million non-literate young people and adults do not have access to an education and learning opportunities. Until education is an inherent right for everyone, it will remain a privilege for those fortunate to have it. BCIT is committed to providing quality education based on the UN’s fourth Sustainable Development Goal. In honour of International Literacy Day, the Centre for Ecocities would like to highlight a few of the BCIT students who have contributed their knowledge and skills in communications to the work of the Centre this year.

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World Water Week 2021

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“Water is a finite and non-substitutable resource. As the foundation of life, societies and economies, it carries multiple values and benefits.”  – UN Water

August 23 kicked off this year’s World Water Week. World Water Week, organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), aims to link scientific understanding with policy and decision-making, concrete solutions to water, and environmental and development challenges.

SIWI suggests one solution is to build blue-green infrastructure (BGI). BGI is defined as a “strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem service” which would help manage water quantity and water quality as well as contribute to the Centre for Ecocities’ mission to build socially just and ecologically sustainable cities.

The UN World Water Development Report states that “better measurement, monitoring and understanding of the values of water, and their incorporation into improved decision-making frameworks … are essential for achieving sustainable water resources management.”

The Centre for Ecocities is building toward a sustainable future by evaluating how we as humans interact with the environment through our consumption. Water is one of the components evaluated in the ecoCity Footprint Tool. Through the Tool we can explore the ecological footprint and greenhouse gas emissions impact of a community’s water consumption.

The Centre is also academic lead for the Ecocity Standards, which help clarify what is required to achieve social just cities in balance with nature. ‘Clean and safe water’ is one of the 17 Ecocity Standards, given that water is essential for life and cities cannot be sustained without access to safe potable water.

 

Youth Climate Leaders Prepare to Make Change for our Collective Future

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The BCIT Centre for Ecocities, in collaboration with UN-Habitat, delivered its first international Climate Changemakers Youth Leadership Training on August 12th, 2021.

Based on the positive feedback from the pilot workshop, the invitation was extended to youths in other countries who were interested in making an impact in mitigating the global climate crisis. Out of the 94 registrants from Canada, United States, India, Iceland, Mozambique, Venezuela and beyond, we were joined by 55 participants in real-time while others accessed the workshop online at a later date due to the time difference.

The workshop included many passionate activists. One participant remarked, “the [problem] is that we think that we live in an unlimited resourced world, when we are surpassing the biocapacity, the biophysical limits of the planet.”

The Climate Changemakers Youth Leadership Training workshop is an opportunity to engage youth and help them network with each other on a global scale to discuss their ideas and work together to help their local communities. [Read more…]

Climate Changemakers Youth Leadership Training Aug 12

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Free workshop

Climate action for cities should start with the most engaged climate emergency demographic: youth! Young people have demonstrated their ability to organize the Fridays for Future movement and undertake climate action globally with great impact. It is important to move beyond supporting the strikes and engage youths as emissaries to their communities.

After conducting a very successful pilot training with Canadian youth in April 2021, BCIT Centre for Ecocities, UN-Habitat and UNEP, are advancing their engagement with young climate leaders, through a curriculum designed to increase their capacity and knowledge of climate change issues and how to organize and combat it, in both developed and developing world contexts.

This training session is open to young people anywhere in the world who want to gain more knowledge and skills on: climate change, leadership, communications, governance, and actions they can take in their community. No experience necessary aside from an interest in making positive change on sustainability challenges like climate change. This training is designed in a way that will allow youth to adapt these new skills to any field or area of interest.

In honour of International Youth Day, the free online training workshop will be held on August 12th, 2021 from 9:00am-12:30pm Pacific time by Zoom. Pre-registration is required. Register here.

If you are having trouble registering, here is a direct link to the online zoom training workshop.

Earth Overshoot Day 2021: Humans use as much ecological resources as if we lived on 1.7 Earths

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Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services by individuals, governments, and businesses in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.

This year’s Earth Overshoot Day lands on Thursday, July 29. A solemn defeat from last year’s August 22 date, which was possible largely due to the pandemic induced lockdowns that contracted our environmental footprint by three weeks. [Read more…]

Ryan Mackie Speaks to Global News About What Canadian Cities Can do to Prepare for Future Extreme Weather Events

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To shed some light on the recent heat dome that caused dangerous record breaking temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, Global News reached out to our very own Ryan Mackie to ask an important question:

“How will Canada prepare for more heat waves and other extreme weather events?”

With nearly 20 years of experience developing technology, working with organizations on sustainable solutions, and pilot testing the ecoCity Footprint Tool to analyze and act on findings, Ryan weighs in on the matter.

“Cities and communities [are] going to have to take a look at their vulnerabilities and address those specifically.” Says Ryan. “We want to kind of mimic what’s normally done in nature as well.”

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June 21st marks National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada

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This day, as part of National Indigenous Peoples Month, is a day to commemorate and celebrate the histories, cultures, traditions and contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada. National Indigenous Peoples Day falls on the summer solstice – the longest day of the year and one of historical and cultural value to Indigenous peoples. Beyond the celebration, this day is also to serve as a reminder of the contemporary issues faced by Indigenous communities in Canada, and the need of working towards building a future through reconciliation.

Indigeneity is founded on truth and lessons of the past. It holds a deep appreciation for the land and environment, rooted in traditional knowledge on how to sustain it. Indigenization requires making decisions for generations to come, rather than seeking immediate benefits related to economic growth.

Similarly, sustainability is founded on the principle of meeting the needs of future generations in a way that does not compromise justice and our environment. It encompasses bringing all voices to light and leaving no one behind. To achieve this balance between people and planet, there are many lessons that may be taken from Indigenous culture. Today is just one of the many days that we can honour that privilege.

Historically, Indigenous peoples in Canada have been marginalized and faced with systemic barriers – blocking access to basic needs such as public services and education, to name a few. We acknowledge the role we have to play in altering this reality by means of honouring Indigenous people while preparing learners for success in a complex world.

Join the Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships team at BCIT to honour Indigenous stories, voices and lived experiences.