Community members are invited to satisfy their curiosity \u2014 and their thirst \u2014 at a new event series aimed at sparking conversations about sustainability.<\/p>\n
Hosted by Brock University\u2019s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) in partnership with Bench Brewing Co. in Lincoln, Ont, the public series brings together people who share an interest in sustainability topics and draws attention to all the ways in which they can enact their commitments to a greener future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many researchers affiliated with our centre who are doing research on critical topics that matter right now and that are going to matter even more into the future,\u201d says ESRC Director Julia Baird. \u201cSeeing that there\u2019s a lot of public interest in learning more and engaging in dialogue from other places that have run these types of events, we developed this series to be at a great community location where anyone can take part in sessions that are interactive, fun and very accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baird first connected with Bench Brewing Co. founder Matt Giffen when he spoke about his craft brewery\u2019s sustainable practices on a panel at last winter\u2019s Art in Action: Climate festival<\/a>, for which Baird served as Scientific Director.<\/p>\n The idea of an ESRC event series in the brewery\u2019s taproom grew from there, with the first lively session on forests and energy hosted in June. The inaugural event featured the ESRC\u2019s Associate Professor Marilyne Carrey and community scientist and healer Heather of the Forest.<\/p>\n The next event takes place Monday, Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Associate Professor Jessica Blythe, the trivia-style session is entitled, \u201cSink or Swim: Can We Save Our Oceans?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Blythe says the interactive event is intended to be family friendly and will tackle two big questions when it comes to ocean sustainability.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first topic is marine carbon dioxide removal, a new climate solution that is so urgently needed that we\u2019re skipping a lot of the environmental impact assessments and social safeguards that normally ensure we don\u2019t create unintended consequences with a new technology,\u201d says Blythe. \u201cThe other is the huge push to protect 30 per cent of our land and water by 2030. Can we do that without violating the rights of Indigenous communities and coastal communities, and even in ways that are ecologically representative?\u201d<\/p>\n Upcoming Science on Tap events at Bench will feature ESRC Affiliate Lina Taing co-hosting a tabletop game-based session with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to explore water security, as well as ESRC Affiliate and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Kiyoko Gotanda sharing research on urban development and biodiversity.<\/p>\n In October, Baird and Giffen will appear at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre for a broader Science on Tap talk about what sustainability looks like in a working brewery<\/a>.<\/p>\n