OPIRG BROCK
WEEKLY EVENTS NEWSLETTER
November 8-14
People from all walks of life are invited to participate in the research, education, and action facilitated through OPIRG Brock – including not only students but interested community members. All events listed occur in St. Catharines unless indicated otherwise. For a map of the Brock Campus please see: http://www.brocku.ca/parking-services/campus-map. To learn more about OPIRG Brock please see our website at: www.opirgbrock.org.
Volunteer Opportunities!
OPIRG Bulletin Board
OPIRG-Brock is working on a bulletin board on campus to help let students know who we are and the many ways they can get involved in social justice and environmental issues. We are looking for volunteers willing to donate a couple hours to getting crafty, getting to know people interested in OPIRG, and creating a colourful bulletin board. If you are interested please contact: julie_878@msn.com
Go Green Challenge: Environmental Stewardship National Competition
The national competition for environmental stewardship outlined below is open to all Brock students and a successful application would afford an impressive amount of grant funding toward greening our campus! Members of environmental student groups have already begun generating ideas for a project proposal around the Founder’s Forest Initiative (details below). If you are interested in participating in a Founder’s Forest Proposal for the Go Green Challenge please contact Daniel at di09ix@brocku.ca. If you have another idea for the Go Green Challenge and are looking to find more people to jump on board please contact opirgbu@gmail.com.
Go Green Challenge:
Go Green Challenge is a national competition that invites Canadian post-secondary students to propose new ideas for environmental stewardship. Since the competition launched in 2008, nearly 400 teams from approximately 140 schools across the country have participated in the Go Green Challenge. The competition is open to all legal residents of Canada who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, full or part-time, at a Canadian college or university. The deadline for entries is January 21, 2011.
In a nutshell, here is what the program is all about:
Student Teams (comprised of 2-4 students from the same campus) are invited to submit a short video not exceeding 4 minutes in length that explains a sustainability challenge facing their University/College and how they would tackle it.
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of exciting judges (celebs and sustainability folk).
Prizing for this year's program is as follows:
FIRST:
$20,000 Cash Prize for the team + a paid summer internship for each member of the team with either TD FEF or a TD FEF partner organization
plus a $100,000 sustainability grant for their university
SECOND:
$15,000 Cash Prize for the team
+ $15,000 to support tree planting on campus
THIRD:
$10,000 Cash Prize for the team
+ $10,000 to support tree planting on campus
For more information visit: http://www.fef.td.com/gogreen/index.jsp
Founder’s Forest Proposal
Proposed by the Niagara Restoration Council: http://www.niagararestoration.org/
Brock University’s Landscape Offers Unusual Opportunities For Today
Brock University is one of the few institutions of higher education to be located within a United Nation’s World Biosphere Reserve, in this case, the Niagara Escarpment. Unlike other institutions, notably McMaster University surrounded blessedly by the Royal Botanical Gardens, and the Niagara Escarpment and Niagara College located immediately below the Woodend Conservation Area, Brock is actually an owner of ecologically significant Escarpment lands. This places it in the position to be a world leader in the transition to a more ecologically sustainable society, where humans meet their responsibilities to care for creation. Meeting this challenge would greatly increase Brock’s prestige as a university, and increase its attraction for talented students and faculty.
Location of Founders Memorial Forest
To honour the visionary founders of Brock University, and face today’s environmental challenges, a memorial forest should be planted on an ecologically strategic location. This is a 52 acre area in between a former landfill and the Niagara Escarpment. Having a forest here would strengthen the health of the adjacent woodlands of the Niagara Escarpment.
The future Founders Memorial Forest is isolated from the rest of campus properties, and traversed by the Bruce Trail. It crosses under a small forest patch immediately in the path of Tremont Drive. This road, which services a tract of single family homes and would face an inappropriate volume of traffic if these lands were developed, is the only possible road access to the property. Apart from this street, the entire property is surrounded by a well forested swath of the Niagara Escarpment, the park of the Glenridge Quarry Rehabilitation Site and the interchange for Highway 406.
The new forest would increase the ecological health and stability of the adjacent Niagara Escarpment and the Quarry Rehabilitation Site. It would increase for instance, the forest interior habitat needed for bird species that require larger blocks of forest cover, such as the Scarlet Tanager.
For more information specifically on the Founder’s Forest project please contact: pals@becon.org
Ontario Shorewalk Association Letter Writing Campaign
Please see information below regarding the Shorewalk Association’s letter writing campaign.
The Ontario Shorewalk Association “Shorewalk” is a public interest group dedicated to improving access to and along all our Great Lakes shorelines. We have enlisted the support of Brock's Ontario Public Interest Group (OPIRG) to further our efforts to get Premier McGuinty to take over the private members bill of Niagara MPP Kim Craitor. (Bill 32) Bill 32, if successful, will grant public walking rights to all of Ontario's Great Lakes shores. This means public Right of Passage with all obstacles including fences removed.
Below is a suggested format for a letter addressed to Premier McGuinty that you can use as a template. Completed letters can be dropped off in the OPIRG Brock office at Student-Alumni Hall (the room right next to Brock Press). The letters will be collected and passed on to the Premier's office.
Premier Dalton McGuinty Date________
Queen's Park
Toronto
Dear Sir: We urge your government to take over MPP Kim Craitor's Bill 32, The Great Lakes Right of Passage, and enact it on behalf of the citizens of Ontario.
We should all be able to walk the shores of our Great Lakes without encountering fences and other impediments to the public right of passage. Dozens of Ontario municipalities and organizations have endorsed this concept. The time for your government to act is now!
Please act in the public interest. Take over Bill 32.
Name____________________
Address___________________
Further help!
Join Shorewalk via our website, www.shorewalk.ca (or just google Shorewalk). It's a bargain. Free membership for life. We need you.
ALSO phone or email your MPP urging their support of Bill 32. (Find a link to Ontario MPP's on Shorewalk’s website’s home page).
OPIRG Brock is looking to identify volunteers willing to facilitate an information table at Brock on the Shorewalk initiative. Interested parties please contact opirgbu@gmail.com.
Kind Cycle Project
Thursdays, 1-6 pm, OPIRG Brock InfoShop, 10 Summer St.
The InfoShop hosts a project for anyone needing bike repairs (especially those who can't afford such things) on Thursdays from 1-6. The Kind Cycle project is free to those in need, and by donation if possible. If you are interested in learning about how to fix bikes, and want to help out with this project, please stop by at the InfoShop between 1-6 pm on Thursdays.
Events!
Free! Documentary Screening: How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?
Tuesday November 9, 8 pm, OPIRG Brock InfoShop, 10 Summer St.
Come down to the InfoShop for riveting film and delicious popcorn and refreshments. Film to be followed by discussion.
In a Horizon special, naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world is heading for a population crisis. In his lengthy career, Sir David has watched the human population more than double from 2.5 billion in 1950 to nearly seven billion. He reflects on the profound effects of this rapid growth, both on humans and the environment. While much of the projected growth in human population is likely to come from the developing world, it is the lifestyle enjoyed by many in the West that has the most impact on the planet. Sir David examines whether it is the duty of individuals to commit not only to smaller families, but to change the way they live for the sake of humanity and planet Earth.
Brock Amnesty International Presents: Burma Awareness Night
Tuesday November 9, 7-9 pm, Thistle 259, Brock University
Brock Amnesty International will be welcoming a number of prestigious speakers to this event:
Dr. Brian John - A.I. Canadian Country Coordinator for Myanmar
Dr. Brian John is the coordinator for Amnesty International Canada (Englishspeaking Branch) and is Professor Emeritus of English, McMaster University. He has been Myanmar coordinator since 1986 and, since retirement in 2001, has been able to devote his full time to human rights work on Myanmar.
Zaw Wai Kyaw - Spokesperson, Canadian Campaign for Free Burma
Zaw Wai Kyaw is actively involved in promoting human rights and democracy for Burma. This is evident through his involvment as spokesperson for the Canadian Campaign for Free Burma, as well as being on the Board of Directors, Burma Ethnic Nationalities Network and an advisor to the Burmese Students Democratic Organization.
Tin Maung Htoo - Executive Director of Canadian Friends of Burma
Tin Maung Htoo was a student activist in Burma during the 1988 democracy uprising and left to Burma’s liberated areas after the military cracked down on pro-democracy movement. He worked for All Burmese Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) for three years, and founded All Burma Student Basic Education Union in Bangkok. He was detained for three years for his political activities and was later exiled to Canada at the end of 1996; he continued his post-secondary study at University of Western Ontario (UWO), and obtained a double degree in Economics and Politics. He is also a founder of Burmese Students’ Democratic Organization in Canada and of Burma Forum Canada. Tin joined CFOB in 2005.
For more information please contact amnestyatbrock@gmail.com or call OPIRG at (905)-688-5550 ext. 3499
Our Word is Our Weapon, Part Dos
Wednesdays 5pm-6pm, OPIRG Brock CFBU Radio Show, 103.7 FM
OPIRG Brock’s very own Ryan Donnelly and Andrew Barclay host a roundtable discussion – around a table that is not round - of the week’s most controversial news stories on social justice and environmental issues.
Brock Centre for Women’s Studies Presents: Global Feminism and the Anti-Globalization Movement, a public talk by Dr. Angela Miles from OISE- University of Toronto
Thursday, November 11, 2-3pm, Welch Hall 207, Brock University
As part of the Ecofeminism and Global Feminism Speaker Series Dr. Angela Miles from OISE- University of Toronto will present “Global Feminism and the Anti-Globalization Movement."
WEEKLY EVENTS NEWSLETTER
November 8-14
People from all walks of life are invited to participate in the research, education, and action facilitated through OPIRG Brock – including not only students but interested community members. All events listed occur in St. Catharines unless indicated otherwise. For a map of the Brock Campus please see: http://www.brocku.ca/parking-services/campus-map. To learn more about OPIRG Brock please see our website at: www.opirgbrock.org.
Volunteer Opportunities!
OPIRG Bulletin Board
OPIRG-Brock is working on a bulletin board on campus to help let students know who we are and the many ways they can get involved in social justice and environmental issues. We are looking for volunteers willing to donate a couple hours to getting crafty, getting to know people interested in OPIRG, and creating a colourful bulletin board. If you are interested please contact: julie_878@msn.com
Go Green Challenge: Environmental Stewardship National Competition
The national competition for environmental stewardship outlined below is open to all Brock students and a successful application would afford an impressive amount of grant funding toward greening our campus! Members of environmental student groups have already begun generating ideas for a project proposal around the Founder’s Forest Initiative (details below). If you are interested in participating in a Founder’s Forest Proposal for the Go Green Challenge please contact Daniel at di09ix@brocku.ca. If you have another idea for the Go Green Challenge and are looking to find more people to jump on board please contact opirgbu@gmail.com.
Go Green Challenge:
Go Green Challenge is a national competition that invites Canadian post-secondary students to propose new ideas for environmental stewardship. Since the competition launched in 2008, nearly 400 teams from approximately 140 schools across the country have participated in the Go Green Challenge. The competition is open to all legal residents of Canada who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, full or part-time, at a Canadian college or university. The deadline for entries is January 21, 2011.
In a nutshell, here is what the program is all about:
Student Teams (comprised of 2-4 students from the same campus) are invited to submit a short video not exceeding 4 minutes in length that explains a sustainability challenge facing their University/College and how they would tackle it.
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of exciting judges (celebs and sustainability folk).
Prizing for this year's program is as follows:
FIRST:
$20,000 Cash Prize for the team + a paid summer internship for each member of the team with either TD FEF or a TD FEF partner organization
plus a $100,000 sustainability grant for their university
SECOND:
$15,000 Cash Prize for the team
+ $15,000 to support tree planting on campus
THIRD:
$10,000 Cash Prize for the team
+ $10,000 to support tree planting on campus
For more information visit: http://www.fef.td.com/gogreen/index.jsp
Founder’s Forest Proposal
Proposed by the Niagara Restoration Council: http://www.niagararestoration.org/
Brock University’s Landscape Offers Unusual Opportunities For Today
Brock University is one of the few institutions of higher education to be located within a United Nation’s World Biosphere Reserve, in this case, the Niagara Escarpment. Unlike other institutions, notably McMaster University surrounded blessedly by the Royal Botanical Gardens, and the Niagara Escarpment and Niagara College located immediately below the Woodend Conservation Area, Brock is actually an owner of ecologically significant Escarpment lands. This places it in the position to be a world leader in the transition to a more ecologically sustainable society, where humans meet their responsibilities to care for creation. Meeting this challenge would greatly increase Brock’s prestige as a university, and increase its attraction for talented students and faculty.
Location of Founders Memorial Forest
To honour the visionary founders of Brock University, and face today’s environmental challenges, a memorial forest should be planted on an ecologically strategic location. This is a 52 acre area in between a former landfill and the Niagara Escarpment. Having a forest here would strengthen the health of the adjacent woodlands of the Niagara Escarpment.
The future Founders Memorial Forest is isolated from the rest of campus properties, and traversed by the Bruce Trail. It crosses under a small forest patch immediately in the path of Tremont Drive. This road, which services a tract of single family homes and would face an inappropriate volume of traffic if these lands were developed, is the only possible road access to the property. Apart from this street, the entire property is surrounded by a well forested swath of the Niagara Escarpment, the park of the Glenridge Quarry Rehabilitation Site and the interchange for Highway 406.
The new forest would increase the ecological health and stability of the adjacent Niagara Escarpment and the Quarry Rehabilitation Site. It would increase for instance, the forest interior habitat needed for bird species that require larger blocks of forest cover, such as the Scarlet Tanager.
For more information specifically on the Founder’s Forest project please contact: pals@becon.org
Ontario Shorewalk Association Letter Writing Campaign
Please see information below regarding the Shorewalk Association’s letter writing campaign.
The Ontario Shorewalk Association “Shorewalk” is a public interest group dedicated to improving access to and along all our Great Lakes shorelines. We have enlisted the support of Brock's Ontario Public Interest Group (OPIRG) to further our efforts to get Premier McGuinty to take over the private members bill of Niagara MPP Kim Craitor. (Bill 32) Bill 32, if successful, will grant public walking rights to all of Ontario's Great Lakes shores. This means public Right of Passage with all obstacles including fences removed.
Below is a suggested format for a letter addressed to Premier McGuinty that you can use as a template. Completed letters can be dropped off in the OPIRG Brock office at Student-Alumni Hall (the room right next to Brock Press). The letters will be collected and passed on to the Premier's office.
Premier Dalton McGuinty Date________
Queen's Park
Toronto
Dear Sir: We urge your government to take over MPP Kim Craitor's Bill 32, The Great Lakes Right of Passage, and enact it on behalf of the citizens of Ontario.
We should all be able to walk the shores of our Great Lakes without encountering fences and other impediments to the public right of passage. Dozens of Ontario municipalities and organizations have endorsed this concept. The time for your government to act is now!
Please act in the public interest. Take over Bill 32.
Name____________________
Address___________________
Further help!
Join Shorewalk via our website, www.shorewalk.ca (or just google Shorewalk). It's a bargain. Free membership for life. We need you.
ALSO phone or email your MPP urging their support of Bill 32. (Find a link to Ontario MPP's on Shorewalk’s website’s home page).
OPIRG Brock is looking to identify volunteers willing to facilitate an information table at Brock on the Shorewalk initiative. Interested parties please contact opirgbu@gmail.com.
Kind Cycle Project
Thursdays, 1-6 pm, OPIRG Brock InfoShop, 10 Summer St.
The InfoShop hosts a project for anyone needing bike repairs (especially those who can't afford such things) on Thursdays from 1-6. The Kind Cycle project is free to those in need, and by donation if possible. If you are interested in learning about how to fix bikes, and want to help out with this project, please stop by at the InfoShop between 1-6 pm on Thursdays.
Events!
Free! Documentary Screening: How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?
Tuesday November 9, 8 pm, OPIRG Brock InfoShop, 10 Summer St.
Come down to the InfoShop for riveting film and delicious popcorn and refreshments. Film to be followed by discussion.
In a Horizon special, naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world is heading for a population crisis. In his lengthy career, Sir David has watched the human population more than double from 2.5 billion in 1950 to nearly seven billion. He reflects on the profound effects of this rapid growth, both on humans and the environment. While much of the projected growth in human population is likely to come from the developing world, it is the lifestyle enjoyed by many in the West that has the most impact on the planet. Sir David examines whether it is the duty of individuals to commit not only to smaller families, but to change the way they live for the sake of humanity and planet Earth.
Brock Amnesty International Presents: Burma Awareness Night
Tuesday November 9, 7-9 pm, Thistle 259, Brock University
Brock Amnesty International will be welcoming a number of prestigious speakers to this event:
Dr. Brian John - A.I. Canadian Country Coordinator for Myanmar
Dr. Brian John is the coordinator for Amnesty International Canada (Englishspeaking Branch) and is Professor Emeritus of English, McMaster University. He has been Myanmar coordinator since 1986 and, since retirement in 2001, has been able to devote his full time to human rights work on Myanmar.
Zaw Wai Kyaw - Spokesperson, Canadian Campaign for Free Burma
Zaw Wai Kyaw is actively involved in promoting human rights and democracy for Burma. This is evident through his involvment as spokesperson for the Canadian Campaign for Free Burma, as well as being on the Board of Directors, Burma Ethnic Nationalities Network and an advisor to the Burmese Students Democratic Organization.
Tin Maung Htoo - Executive Director of Canadian Friends of Burma
Tin Maung Htoo was a student activist in Burma during the 1988 democracy uprising and left to Burma’s liberated areas after the military cracked down on pro-democracy movement. He worked for All Burmese Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) for three years, and founded All Burma Student Basic Education Union in Bangkok. He was detained for three years for his political activities and was later exiled to Canada at the end of 1996; he continued his post-secondary study at University of Western Ontario (UWO), and obtained a double degree in Economics and Politics. He is also a founder of Burmese Students’ Democratic Organization in Canada and of Burma Forum Canada. Tin joined CFOB in 2005.
For more information please contact amnestyatbrock@gmail.com or call OPIRG at (905)-688-5550 ext. 3499
Our Word is Our Weapon, Part Dos
Wednesdays 5pm-6pm, OPIRG Brock CFBU Radio Show, 103.7 FM
OPIRG Brock’s very own Ryan Donnelly and Andrew Barclay host a roundtable discussion – around a table that is not round - of the week’s most controversial news stories on social justice and environmental issues.
Brock Centre for Women’s Studies Presents: Global Feminism and the Anti-Globalization Movement, a public talk by Dr. Angela Miles from OISE- University of Toronto
Thursday, November 11, 2-3pm, Welch Hall 207, Brock University
As part of the Ecofeminism and Global Feminism Speaker Series Dr. Angela Miles from OISE- University of Toronto will present “Global Feminism and the Anti-Globalization Movement."
