University of Calgary
ER-T2-6: Sustainability Events

For the last 3 years, the Centre for Community-Engaged Learning (CCEL) has offered a non-credit international service-learning program in rural Costa Rica that focuses on community-based rural tourism and ethical international engagement. In 2010, ten students participated, in 2011 10 students participated, in 2012 24 students participated, and in 2013 20 students will travel to Chira Island Costa Rica. Students stay with local host families and work on local volunteer projects with an elementary school as well as a women’s cooperative. Through the women’s cooperative, students learn about sustainable tourism, and the tensions between mass-tourism and eco-tourism. The Women’s Coop operates a small-scale eco-cabin, protects and patrols the mangrove forest (the largest remaining mangrove forest in all of Costa Rica), and advocates for sustainable, locally-owned tourism, in contrast to the large, commercial tourism program advocated by the provincial and federal government, as an alternative to dependence on fishing. Fishing has long been the way of life on Chira Island, but fish stocks are being depleted because of pollution and overfishing. For these students, this program provides students with an introduction to sustainable, locally-owned tourism operations, as well as to ethical international tourism. The Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) hosts several sustainability events series including the ISEEE Distinguished Speaker Series, the ISEEE Environment and Energy Seminar Series and the ISEEE Experts Series. The International Resource Industries & Sustainability Centre (IRIS) hosts the ConocoPhillips IRIS Public Seminar Series which hosts regular events throughout the year with the aim of making research on sustainability accessible to the general audience. ISEEESA (Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy Students' Association) holds an annual Networking Dinner, which features a keynote address on sustainability by a guest speaker. This Networking Dinner is an opportunity for students to meet with industry professionals and to learn. ISEEESA also holds the E3DP Program (Energy, Environment, and Economy Development Program). This is a four session seminar that provides students with the chance to learn about energy, the environment, and economy from industry experts and academia. The fourth session is a case study competition in which students apply the knowledge they have learned during the previous seminars to solve a given case. EVDS Design Matters speaker series examines issues in architechure, urban design, product design, and landscape ecology. Most topics are focussed on or are related to sustainability. The Sustainability Street Team often plans informational booths to educate the campus community on information relevant to current campaigns and challenges. Engineers Without Borders hosts events such as Development Documentary Nights and Fair Trade Fridays in order to incite discussion about global development issues. Movies that Matter, hosted by NUTV, screens documentaries on social or environmental sustainability topics.

http://haskayne.ucalgary.ca/haskaynefaculty/research/centres/iris/seminars http://www.iseeesa.com/programs http://evds.ucalgary.ca/content/design-matters-lecture-series