Canada Day, then the Fourth of July. I am attending a world class sustainability leadership class, July 4-8, at UBC-Vancouver. But not much else is well in the Maple Leaf state, where my mom hailed from -- Powell River, BC.
Here's a little on the leadership course --
Summer Institute in Sustainability Leadership
JULY 4-8, 2011 VANCOUVER, CANADA
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE
The Summer Institute in Sustainability Leadership is an intensive one-week professional development program designed for those taking a leadership role in developing policy, creating plans and implementing sustainability projects in businesses, colleges, universities, and across all levels of government.
This award-winning program provides you the opportunity to engage in creative thinking about your role as a sustainability leader and the actions your organization can take to move the sustainability agenda forward.
The Summer Institute in Sustainability Leadership offers a wide variety of perspectives and practical tools needed to integrate sustainability as a core value in your organization.
Participants learn to develop strategies, plans and procedures that are mindful of public policy, stakeholder interest, and the triple-bottom-line.
2011 Institute Highlights
The 2011 Summer Institute in Sustainability Leadership will feature:
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Keynote talks by innovative leaders in the sustainability field, including Dr. Brian Nattrass, author and sustainability advisor to major corporations and government, and Dr. Bill Rees, creator of the 'ecological footprint' framework
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Inspiring session speakers from industry, academia, government, and non-profit sectors
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Interactive format providing opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing
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Applied case studies and guided field excursions showcasing real-life examples of Sustainability initiatives
Reviews --
"This institute exceeded expectations on every level. The program offers integrated, interdisciplinary strategies and understandings that provide a baseline for the individual and organizational journeys toward a sustainable vision and experience.”
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"I’ve been involved in sustainability education and environmental citizenship for 6 years and this week has been amazingly valuable! If I could summarize the week, it’s been all about connecting the dots.”
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"The Institute has re-confirmed my commitment to sustainability. I gained some very practical ideas for advancing sustainability in my organization.”
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"I came hoping for some ideas on writing an energy policy and achieving organizational efficiency. I am leaving with a comprehensive arsenal of frameworks, strategies, principles and vision.”
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"An engaging, educational, inspiring course with excellent content and second to none speakers. A must for all involved in the sustainability field – and for those who are not!”
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Published on Saturday, July 2, 2011 by CommonDreams.org
Canada Day In The Petro-Stateby Chris Genovali
Just in time for Canada Day, Alberta Finance and Enterprise Minister Lloyd Snelgrove chose to exhibit why Canadian democracy is devolving into something akin to corporate rule ("Ottawa urged to get behind Enbridge pipeline," Edmonton Journal, June 23). This particularly appears to be the case in the province of Alberta where, more often than not, it is government of the oil industry, by the oil industry, for the oil industry.
Despite vast opposition, Enbridge continues its relentless campaign to convince the leaders of BC communities that the proposed Northern Gateway Pipelines, which would carry oil from the Alberta tar sands to the Great Bear Rainforest in northern British Columbia, are in the best interests of the people of BC.In an interview with Postmedia News, Snelgrove called on the federal government to essentially undermine the National Energy Board's assessment process and endorse the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline post-haste before the NEB's Joint Review Panel hearings on the highly controversial project have even commenced. Enbridge is proposing to build a twinned pipeline from Alberta's tar sands to British Columbia and then transport what many have called the world's dirtiest oil by supertanker from BC's north coast to offshore markets.
Snelgrove's childish temper tantrum directed at federal and provincial governments, which to his dismay are not out cheerleading for Northern Gateway at the same volume as the budding petro-state of Alberta, contained several ironic elements. A few of them are explored here:
Snelgrove contends that Northern Gateway is "of national economic significance." Like Enbridge CEO Patrick Daniel before him, Snelgrove reflexively conflates the interests of Enbridge's shareholders and unnamed $100 million investors with the interests of the Canadian people, but the incongruence of his assertion goes far beyond that.
In contradiction to Snelgrove, Enbridge has actually indicated in its own Environmental Assessment that Northern Gateway is not of national or provincial economic significance: "Despite the magnitude and duration of project effects on GDP and employment, the effects on the provincial and national economies are considered not significant relative to the overall size of these economies."
More:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/07/02-4
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