Innovative Partnership

Experiential Education in a Virtual Year

Tuesday, December 15, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributor: Shannon Ruzgys

In an academic year quite unlike any other, the first year Master of Sustainability students experienced experiential education in a very different form, the virtual kind. Three virtual experiential education components took place in SSAS 5P01 (Foundations of Sustainability Science and Society), focusing on sustainability at Brock, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and the ESRC’s innovative partnerships.

Sustainability at Brock usually would have involved a tour of Brock’s Central Utilities Building, but instead involved Mary Quintana (Director, Asset Management & Utilities) and Amanda Smits (ESRC Centre Administrator) virtually joining the class to discuss how Brock is committed to sustainability through management of facilities. The students were virtually walked through Brock’s District Energy Efficiency Project (DEEP), which involved replacing old co-generation engines with state-of-the-art energy efficient units. The students were walked through how this project had increased energy efficiency and lowered Brock’s carbon emissions, helping the university stay on track with their sustainability targets. The students were also introduced to the sustainability initiatives on campus through BU Sustainable, including the @busustainableInstagram and other social media platforms. Even though the students couldn’t walk the underground tunnels of Brock instead, they still got to learn and experience all of the ways in which Brock is currently enacting sustainability every single day through a virtual presentation.

The second experiential education component focused on UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, including the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, a reserve in which Brock University is situated. The students were virtually joined by Dr. Liette Vasseur who is a faculty member at Brock University and Lisa Grbinicek, a Senior Strategic Advisor at the Niagara Escarpment Commission. Through their presentations we were taught about the Ontario’s Greenbelt, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and natures contributions to people. The discussion was kicked off by highlighting the vast expanse that is the Greenbelt, which is 1.8 million acres of protected land spread across Ontario, including the Niagara Escarpment. The unique biodiversity within the Niagara Escarpment was discussed, including thousand-year-old trees, rare flora, and multitudes of mammals, birds, and reptiles. The students learned about the early plans put in place to protect the greenbelt and its designation as a biosphere reserve in 1990. From there, new developments in UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves were discussed, including the ongoing conversation around the colonial implications of the term and the aim to change the term to Biosphere Region. The students also got to learn about ongoing developments in the field of biodiversity, including the differences between ecosystem services and natures contribution to people. Overall, the students got to hear from two professionals who have spent years in the field, protecting and researching biodiversity, and got to learn about the natural wonders that surround Brock.

The final educational component highlighted the innovative community partnerships in the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC). While in any other year this would have involved the students visiting these partnerships in person through an interactive field trip, instead this course component took place virtually this year. The students were joined by Ryan Plummer (Director of the ESRC), Amanda Smits (ESRC Centre Administrator) and Erica Harper (a second year SASS student and ESRC co-op student). The students were walked through each of these partnerships and learned how the ESRC is actively integrating transdisciplinary research into the surrounding community. The ESRC is currently involved in 8 community partnerships, including the Brock Lincoln Living Lab, Niagara Adapts, Trail Assets and Tourism, and a new Living Planet @ Campus partnership with WWF. As transdisciplinary research is a pillar of the SASS program and the ESRC, it was very important for the students to experience how the centre is integrating the transdisciplinary approach into their own partnerships. So, while the students did not get to visit these partnerships, they were still able to experience and learn about all of the work that the ESRC is doing within the community and learn about these partnerships.

In a virtual year, experiential education can be a difficult thing to accomplish but the SASS students were still able to learn about and experience all of the ways in which sustainability is lived out at Brock, including through the facilities management, Brock’s place in a Biosphere Reserve, and the ESRC’s innovative partnerships.

Categories: Blog, Experiential Education, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Program, SSAS Student Contributor, Sustainability at Brock
2020 Innovative Partnership Year-in-Reviews

Monday, December 14, 2020 | By Erin Daly

As 2020 comes to an end, we are reflecting on the accomplishments that have been made and important goals that have been achieved through our innovative partnerships. This year was full of ups and downs for the global community and the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock was not immune to these turbulent times.

However, we are proud that we were still able to launch three innovative partnerships to assist in moving forward issues of global importance. We worked with our existing partners to achieve important goals in order to showcase the importance of sustainability in our constantly changing world. We believe that the work put in by our partners this year is a true testament to their resilience and willingness to persevere through the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on each partnership year-in-review below to learn more about what we’ve all been up to this past year!

Brock-Lincoln Living Lab

Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Initiative

Charter with Facilities Management

Niagara Adapts

Trails, Assets, and Tourism Initiative

Partnership for Freshwater Resilience

The Prudhommes Project

Categories: Blog, Brock Lincoln Living Lab, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Innovative Partnership, Niagara Adapts, Prudhommes Project, Sustainability at Brock
Engaging Community Stakeholders: Survey on Draft Vision and Goals

Tuesday, December 08, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributor: Michaela Jennings

Brock University and Niagara Adapts are inviting the public in the Niagara Region to participate in a survey regarding their respective municipalities. This survey will be used to help municipal partners in creating their Climate Change Adaptation Plans, in partnership with Niagara Adapts. Throughout the partnership, each participating municipality has been working through steps in creating their plan. The steps include reviewing best-practices in adaptation planning, in order to have a well-researched and context-specific plan. One of the important steps in creating an adaptation plan is through stakeholder engagement. Stakeholder engagement is an opportunity for the public, and staff in municipalities, to be part of the decision-making process. This will assist in creating a Climate Change Adaptation Plan with community feedback and participation.

In the fall of 2019, with the completion of a vulnerability assessment, each municipality was able to use the data collected from their residents to inform the creation of their vision and goals for their adaptation plan. The results were presented in the form of a Vulnerability Fact Sheet. The results from the survey this fall are intended to advise the decision-making process in the municipality. Additionally, it will help inform the creation of detailed action items. These actions items, aligning with the intention of creating more resilient communities in the Niagara Region, will help in deciding which actions should be taken, the timelines, costs, and focus of the action.

The survey focuses on the draft vision and goals that were created by each participating municipality. The survey begins with informed consent, requiring participants to be over the age of 18 to participate. The survey then lists the suggested vision and goals allowing participants to indicate on a scale from strongly disapprove to strongly support their level of support for each item. Each question is then paired with an opportunity for participants to provide feedback and comments on each of the goals and the vision.

The information collected from the survey will be used to inform and improve the vision and goals for the final adaptation plan for each municipality. This is a best-practice approach in municipal planning and will further improve the plan for the municipality by providing different perspectives and insights. The responses will also help in creating detailed action items for each of the goals.

The following are the participating municipalities: Town of Lincoln, City of Welland, City of St. Catharines, City of Niagara Falls, Town of Pelham.

To participate in the survey, click here.

Categories: Blog, Innovative Partnership, Niagara Adapts
Workshop 7: Monitoring and Evaluation

Wednesday, November 18, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributor: Michaela Jennings

On November 16th, 2020, Niagara Adapts held their 7th workshop in a 9-workshop series. The workshop was held for the 7 municipal partners of Niagara Adapts to add to the progress being made in the creation of their Climate Change Adaptation Plans.

Dr. Jessica Blythe began the workshop with an introduction to the facilitators of the event from Savanta Consulting. The consulting firm has experience working with local municipalities in Ontario to create their adaptation plans by utilizing the best practices. They provided a new perspective on the adaptation planning process, which allowed the partners, and the Brock Team to examine how monitoring and evaluation play a significant role in adaptation planning.

The workshop then progressed with a presentation on “Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL).” The presentation covered the “what, why, and when” of MEL, and the benefits of outlining a MEL process before implementing an adaptation plan. So far, Niagara Adapts has assisted in creating the municipal partners’ vision, goals, and completing a vulnerability assessment. Monitoring and evaluation are an important aspect as they outline how a plan will be implemented, monitored, and improved in the future. The presentation provided insight into the use of the “specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound” (SMART) framework when approaching MEL. Allowing the partners to learn how to approach MEL in their adaptation plan with some guidance.

The workshop continued with an introduction to a case study example. The case study was of one municipality’s experience in their monitoring and evaluation approach. This aspect of the workshop provided concrete examples and suggestions for the partners. Additionally, the presentation went into how monitoring and evaluation are done in bigger cities within Canada, showing a different approach to effective MEL in adaptation planning.

An activity was then used to engage the participants in creating indicators using SMART. By creating indicators, it allows for progress to be monitored after the implementation of the adaptation plan. Measurable indicators that can show progress and success are an important aspect of MEL. This was beneficial for the participants to apply what had been discussed in the workshop to their own adaptation plan.

The workshop provided an opportunity for the municipal partners to learn and apply the lessons learnt in the material. The workshop concluded with a valuable discussion with the facilitators, providing an opportunity for questions to be answered about adaptation planning. Overall, the workshop was beneficial in outlining the importance of monitoring and evaluation, as well as some helpful insights into adaptation planning.

Categories: Blog, Innovative Partnership, Niagara Adapts
NPC Speaker Series Wrap Up

Wednesday, November 04, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributors: Allison Clark & Savannah Stuart

Dr. Adam Shoalts was the last guest in the NPC Stewardship Speaker Series, and what an adventurous note to end on! Adam is well known for his novels and storytelling, detailing his incredible solo adventures through the Northern Canadian Wilderness. He brings with him a rare understanding and view of the vast landscape of the Arctic – one of the largest untouched wilderness areas left in the entire world. With a PhD in history from McMaster University and extensive experience orienteering and navigating wilderness settings, Adam has a keen sense of natural history and geography. Through his humorous and compelling talk, Adam translated knowledge and experiences to the viewers in a tangible way.

Adam’s most recent exploration was a solo adventure through the Canadian Artic, from East to West. He began this trip by foot in the spring, as rivers were still ice covered. His canoe was shipped to the Mackenzie River Delta and by then, the ice had melted and he was able to continue his journey by paddling and portaging. Near the end, he was racing to arrive at his destination before the Arctic winter took hold of the land again. Many questions were brought forth from viewers at home, such as food inquiries, how he was able to spend so much time in solitude, preparation, and lots of gear questions. Specific details of the trip are found in his novel, “Beyond the Trees”, which can be purchased on the Niagara Parks website. Judging by the captivity and engagement of the crowd, we can only assume that the novel will keep you on the edge of your seat!

With this last presentation, we are saddened to wrap up our speaker series. It has been a joy to come together (virtually) and learn about different aspects of the environment, stewardship, and sustainability. Our diverse selection of speakers brought an array of teachings to us and visited topics such as: Traditional ecological knowledge, adaptive capacity of communities, the current state of fresh water in Ontario, and the importance of wild spaces and connecting with nature. We feel that this series captured the transdisciplinary nature of environmental stewardship and sustainability and are hopeful that our audience took away inspiration and new ideas. Thank you to all who were able to join us!

Categories: Blog, Collaborations, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Event, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor
Elizabeth Hendriks’ Presentation and an Introduction to our Next Speaker, Adam Shoalts

Thursday, October 22, 2020 | By Amanda Smits

Blog Contributor: Savannah Stuart

The Niagara Parks Commission and Brock University’s ESRC were thrilled to have Elizabeth Hendriks join us on October 21^st to discuss connecting the land and water to regional climate change impact. Elizabeth is the Vice President of the WWF Canada’s freshwater program and led the release of the 2017 Watershed Reports. These reports were the first national assessment of the health and stressors of Canada’s freshwater. During her talk, Elizabeth highlighted that the reports do not include 100% of our freshwater systems, as we do not have data to report on all our freshwater resources and there is still much to be investigated within our freshwater systems. You can view the Great Lakes watershed reports on the WWF website to check in with different watersheds’ health and threats. Lake Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula currently have “fair” health, but also have very high levels of threat.

Overall, Elizabeth said the watershed reports gave evidence of moderately healthy systems. This can give us hope for the future, but she also stated that we need to do better. She encouraged us to become involved in local initiatives to protect our freshwater systems. With the dual crisis of climate and biodiversity loss, freshwater highly impacts life on land, above water, and below water. Freshwater systems do not have the same level of protection and conservation that some land masses do, which could be a prominent issue in ensuring their health in the future. Additionally, freshwater systems are inextricably connected with ecosystem health and the ecosystem services that the land graciously provides

Our next speaker in the series will bring with him a great sense of adventure! Named one of the “greatest living explorers” by CBC and Canadian Geographic, Adam Shoalts will speak about incredible adventures in the great Canadian wilderness. A previous student at Brock University, Adam went on to complete his master’s and PhD at McMaster University, focusing on history, natural history, geography, and archeology. Adam is now an accomplished author with multiple books that have reached best-seller lists. Adam will share with us the value of the wild places he has explored and how important they are to our future. We hope you can join us on October 28^th at 7pm for this online session.

To learn more about this speaker series, and Brock’s partnership with the Niagara Parks Commission, please click here.

Categories: Blog, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Event, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor
Dr. Jessica Blythe’s presentation and an introduction to our next speaker, Elizabeth Hendriks

Monday, October 19, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributor: Allison Clark

Niagara Parks and Brock University were delighted to have Dr. Jessica Blythe lead the second session of October’s Speaker Series. Dr. Blythe is an Assistant Professor at Brock University and her research is centered around transformations in sustainability, equitable ocean governance, and climate change adaptation. Dr. Blythe’s talk encouraged the audience to think critically about resilience and climate change at a local and global scale. Dr. Blythe explained that transformations towards a more sustainable future will require focus on both environmental systems and social systems. For example, the costs of environmental change are distributed unevenly across geographic location, race, income, class, and age. Therefore, resilience to climate change will require social and environmental action.

Dr. Blythe explained how transformation towards a more sustainable and equitable future occurs in three phases: diagnose, imagine, and action. The diagnose phase includes identifying the root causes of climate change, for example, increased greenhouse gas emissions. The imagine phase includes imagining a more just, fair, inclusive world, where people can work together towards an environmentally sustainable future. The action phase includes the actions needed to address climate change from a sustainable lens. Action will require people from every sector and every part of society and will involve both bottom up and top down interventions. The key take-away from Dr. Blythe’s talk was that a transformation – towards a more sustainable and equitable future – is already underway. Dr. Blythe concluded by stating that we each have a role to play in creating a more sustainable future and that while doing so, we must engage with compassion, care, and collaboration.

The next session in this speaker series will be led by Elizabeth Hendriks, and is titled: Connecting the Land, Water and Climate Impact to the Region. Ms. Hendriks is the Vice President of WWF Canada’s freshwater program, where she works in water policy. In 2017, Ms. Hendriks led the release of the Watershed Reports, which is a program assessing freshwater ecosystem health. Additionally, Ms. Hendrik’s leads Canada’s Freshwater team, working to address declines in freshwater ecosystems through innovative remediation techniques. In Ms. Hendrik’s talk, she will discuss impacts and threats to Canada’s freshwater resources. This talk will highlight some of the ways we, as citizens of Canada and the Niagara region, can help address and fight biodiversity loss and climate change across Canada, and in the Great Lakes. We hope you can join us on October 21st at 7pm for this online session.

To learn more about this speaker series, and Brock’s partnership with the Niagara Parks Commission, please click here.

Categories: Blog, Collaborations, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor
NPC Stewardship Series: Teachings from Brian Kon, and an Introduction to Dr. Jessica Blythe

Tuesday, October 13, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributor: Savannah Stuart

The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre was thrilled to have our fall speaker series commence with Brian Kon, the chair of the Niagara Region Métis Council, renowned artist, and storyteller, among many other things. Brian offered the audience a change to engage with a different perspective of understanding and knowing the earth. He shared teachings and stories from his culture and explained how the translation of many words within the Métis language beautifully illustrate a deep connection with the earth. For example, “dancing” could be translated to “the Northern Lights”.

Brian also reminded us of the recent history of residential schools within Canada, the last one closing in 1996. He shared some of his journey in reconnecting with his culture- one that was taken away from many. Brian highlighted that it is important to educate on this history, as we can learn from the past to ensure a better future. Resources to further educate yourself on the discussed history include “Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada” by Chelsea Vowel and the “Indigenous Canada”- a free course available through the University of Alberta.

The evening ended with a call to action right in our very own backyards and neighbourhoods. Brian introduced us to different plants that are commonly found in our region and invited us to research further into the uses and characteristics of these plants. Having an awareness and understanding of the different organisms around us can have an impact on the way we relate to place and further, care for it.

The next speaker in the series is Dr. Jessica Blythe, a professor and researcher here at Brock University in the ESRC. Her background spans through disciplines as she connects social and ecological issues within her work. She is interested in resilience within communities and how resilience may relate to adaptation and transformation. Pulling from the grassroots film “Resilience: transforming our community”, Dr. Blythe will discuss resilience and climate change here in the Niagara Region. Click here to register for the event!

Categories: Blog, Collaborations, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor
Introduction to the NPC Stewardship Speaker Series

Friday, October 02, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Blog Contributor: Allison Clark

  Brock University and the Niagara Parks Commission are pleased to announce the upcoming Environmental Speaker Series, happening this October. This series will be entirely free and will take place online, every Wednesday at 7pm. Throughout this series, four speakers will discuss topics such as: traditional ecological knowledge, sustainability, climate change, and anthropogenic impacts on the natural environment. To register, please click here. You will be taken to the Niagara Parks Speaker Series website, where you can enter your name and email to receive your weekly links for the live stream sessions.

The first speaker of this series will be Brian Kon. Mr. Kon is a leader within the Indigenous Community, acting as the Chair of the Niagara Region Métis Council and sitting on the Niagara Indigenous Community Advisory Board, focused on reducing homelessness of Indigenous people. Mr. Kon is an ambassador for the St. Catharines annual Celebration of Nations and is the owner of a diversity management consulting company (Sterling Frazer Associates), dedicated to helping organizations better understand disabled and minority populations. Currently, Mr. Kon is a member of the organizing committee for the Landscape of Nations, dedicated to re-writing the history of the War of 1812 through an Indigenous lens to be incorporated in Canadian school curriculums. Furthermore, Mr. Kon volunteers his time in local schools, helping to educate students and staff on Métis culture and heritage. Mr. Kon is also a visual artist, internationally recognized for his Dot Art, which is a modern version of traditional  artwork created by Métis people.

On Wednesday, October 7th, Mr. Kon will lead his talk titled: Mother Earth – We Need Her, She Doesn’t Need Us. Here, Mr. Kon will explain how, for thousands of years, the Indigenous people of Turtle Island followed the notion of respecting and caring for Mother Earth. As modern day people grow aware of environmental and climatic changes, many are looking back on traditional knowledge and ways of life. We hope you can join Mr. Kon as he discusses this topic next week.

To learn more about the partnership with the Niagara Parks Commission, please click here.

Categories: Blog, Collaborations, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor
Meet the Post-Docs: Janani Sivarajah

Monday, September 14, 2020 | By Erin Daly

Dr. Janani Sivarajah joined the ESRC in July as a post-doctoral fellow with the Prudhommes Project working with Dr. Ryan Plummer. Janani’s transdisciplinary research explores the ecosystem services of urban trees and public green spaces, and finds greening solutions to improve the socio-ecological resilience of cities.

What are your research areas of focus, and what was your journey like in getting to that area of focus?

My research focus is based on urban ecology and finding greening solutions to improve the socio-ecological resilience of cities. I am particularly interested in building multifunctional landscapes and proposing nature-based solutions to global environmental and urban challenges. My journey here is a long road. I started in Forestry and completed my Master of Forest Conservation at UofT and then went on to do a Ph.D. in Forestry at UofT. My Ph. D. dissertation paved my way into transdisciplinary research to understand urban trees’ environmental services for human well-being. While completing my Ph.D., I worked in non-profits and urban forest consulting, and these experiences further shaped my research focus.

As a sustainability scientist, how do you view the world?

As a sustainability scientist, I believe we have a unique ability to use a transdisciplinary lens to see the future and find solutions to evolving and challenging problems. We also have a responsibility to communicate science with the broader community and work together with other stakeholders to solve problems.

What excites you the most about working with the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre?

The most exciting aspect is the people at ESRC. Even during unprecedented times, I felt welcomed and greeted warmly by all faculty and staff. I am excited to build friendships, foster a supportive environment, and collaborate on exciting projects. They are all superstars in their fields, and I’m eager to learn from their expertise and share my experiences.

Categories: Applied Research, Blog, Innovative Partnership