Biodiversity through Diversity: a Fireside Chat
Jul 15, 2020 19:00 - 20:00
Event URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/biodiversity-through-diversity-a-fireside-chat-tickets-113032894430
Cost: Free
Join us for a fireside chat led by inspiring panelists working in green careers.
Meet the Panelists:
Melina Damian is a part-time professor at Centennial College for the graduate course Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development. She's also the communications coordinator at Ontario Nature. She has a Masters in environmental studies from York University and a graduate diploma in environmental education. Her main interests in the field are plastic pollution and biodiversity conservation.
Jason Robinson is a graduate of the Master in Environmental Studies program at York University. In his master's, Jason specializes in ecological economics with a focus on sustainability analytics, where he researched what extent can sustainability metrics improve flaws in a GDP-based policy framework in Ontario for a successful transition to a green economy. Recently, Jason worked for the Ecological Footprint Initiative as a Data Analyst researching Ontario's ecological footprint for the past 15 years and developed policy recommendations for the Ontario government. Jason volunteers for Venture Out, an LGBTQ+ organization helping young professionals in tech, as Logistics Associate, where he is currently creating virtual events that discuss the intersections with tech, social justice, and sustainability.
Janelle Richards is an environmental educator in the Toronto area. With her 8 years of experience, she's worked in a butterfly sanctuary in Costa Rica, been a beekeeper, spoken at national and international conferences, and was Toronto Public Library's first Environmentalist in Residence. For the past 4 years, she's been working to help residents animate underused public parks in the city's Jane and Finch neighbourhood.
Joseph Pitawanakwat is Ojibway from Wiikwemkoong, he is married with one daughter. He is the Founder & Director of Creators Garden, an Indigenous outdoor, and now online, education based business, focused on plant identification, beyond-sustainable harvesting, and teaching every one of their linguistic, historical, cultural, edible, ecological and medicinal significance through experiences. His lectures and intensive programming are easily adaptable to make appropriate and successfully delivered to a variety of organizations. Including over 100 first nations communities, 20 Universities and 12 colleges and dozens of various institutions throughout Canada and the United States and beyond. Joseph is currently a Masters Student in the MES program at York University, but have learned from hundreds of traditional knowledge holders and uniquely blending and reinforcing it with and array of western sciences.