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The theme of the conference was Biodiversity in honour of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity & featured an opening multimedia presentation introducing the topic followed by 9 distinct workshops participants were able to choose from. The day concluded with a closing presentation with an eco-raffle and local program speakers sharing opportunities for youth and the envirornment. Conference highlights and more information... We have had a lot of requests for information about the conference & hope to have captured most of it below. Questions? Comments? Please submit your comments in the form at the bottom of the page or you can direct them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
What is Biodiversity? Created by Riley Schnurr with creative direction by the BurlingtonGreen Youth Network (opening animation by Melissa Johns), the event's opening presentation was designed to help participants understand what biodiveristy is all about and why it is so important that we all take action locally to protect and restore nature and the cycle of life. You can check the presentation on our BurlingtonGreen YouTube channel, the video is in three parts so make sure to watch them all for the complete experience. (You can watch our opening video playlist) Conference Workshops: The BGYN planning team wanted to offer a variety of workshops to support the theme of the day. We asked each workshop leader to try to ensure each workshop was interactive, linked to biodiversity and included an action idea on how Youth can support the topic. Below are the workshop descriptions along with some additional information. Woodland Wonders: Part hike, part game, part skills development, this workshop invites you to explore Ontario's native ecosystems, complete a short series of biodiversity challenges and games, and create your own woodscraft from native plant materials too! Led by Dianne Watkins , an outdoor educator, ambassador of local stewardship action and the BurlingtonGreen Director of Biodiversity programs with help from Bochen Han & Taginder Clair, BGYN members from the Robert Bateman High School Eco-club. Greenwashing 101:Don’t get duped into thinking you’re doing something good for the environment from a company who’s just trying to get you to buy their product. Learn how to spot greenwashing with ease, dispel startling common eco-myths and take part in an eco – game show and recycling challenge where you can even win some eco-prizes! Workshop content developed by Barbara Frensch along with BGYN members Emma Fisher-Cobb & Riley Schnurr from the Assumption High School Ecosaders! (Led by Emma & Riley) Healing our H20: "We forget that the water cycle& the life cycle are one” Jacques Cousteau. Watch a brief, compelling video about the world's water crisis and then take a hike through RBG woodlands to learn more about the importance of protecting our local watershed. The workshop will include a message about bottled water along with a creative take action activity too! . Healthy water, Healthy Humans! Led by Elizabeth Wren & Kent Rundle from Conservation Halton: the community based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources in our watershed, with BGYN members Mike Wang & Dennis Wong from the Nelson Environment Club Check out these awesome resources & tools about bottled water & a few different ideas on what YOU can do to protect water: Protecting our Planet's most Valuable Resource, 13 Reasons to Ban Bottled Water, Bottled Water Fact Sheet, & this awesome Ban the Bottle tool-kit Species at Risk: A look at Ontario Native Species with live Birds of prey! Learn about species at risk in Southern Ontario, how they link to biodiversity & what you can do to help protect them! Led by Lara Butt from the Mountsberg Wildlife Centre where unique opportunities are offered to explore the wonders of the natural world through interactive educational programs. Check out this informative sheet about Species at Risk, visit their website here! Back to Basics: Enjoy an inspiring presentation on First Nations teachings by returning workshop presenter Joe Paquette. Listen to traditional drumming & learn how we are all connected and a part of the circle of life. Led by Joe Paquette: a Métis Storyteller, facilitator and entertainer who with great respect and enthusiasm shares with audiences the valuable insight of the First Narions and Metis people Find out more about Joe & his workshop here! Web of Life: Learn how we are connected to all elements of nature through the beautiful art of making your very own dream-catcher! Feel free to bring a special stone, feather, bead, etc. to include in the making of your creation. "For we did not weave the web of life. We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves” (alleged First Nation’s verse)Led by Lorraine Bannerman, an artistan and educator of Natural and First Nations History who will be sharing what she has learned through both her academic and traditional teachings. Protecting our Global Forests: Forests are a vital part of life on earth, but unfortunately, the world’s forests are under increasing pressure from humans and the rate at which we are losing forests is unsustainable. Learn about global forests, Canada’s forests, and why forests are so important to all living things. Then take action with Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program, which will provide you with ideas and resources to take action on restoring our green spaces, defending forest wildlife, and promoting awareness of forest issues to your community. Led by Sara & Tara from Roots & Shoots: a global network that connects youth of all ages who share a desire to help make our world a better place with the help of Eugene Kovelenko, BGYN member & President of the Robert Bateman High School Eco-club. Check out their presentation & their Planet ReLeaf program, more information about Roots & Shoots available on their website EcoMentors: Learn about the amazing Earth Day Canada EcoMentors program and enjoy some hands-on interactive games, activities & group discussions about what you can do as a young leader to help others to help the planet locally. EcoMentors provides the opportunity, training & resources for youth across Canada to be active leaders in raising awareness & encouraging positive actions in support of a healthier environment. Led by Roman Jakubowski (Corpus Christi) and his team of BGYN EcoMentors, William Barretto (Aldershot), Helena Struthers (Aldershot), Erika Ibrajev (Notre Dame) & Eric Dorio (Notre Dame). Check out the EcoMentors website here & our webpage article about our upcoming EcoMentors training session here! Happy Habitat: Native vs. Invasive plant species, why does it matter? This outdoor workshop is designed to teach you why by getting your hands dirty!Work with the Royal Botanical Gardens restoration staff to remove Buckthorn & other Invasive Species, helping to restore the health of Grindstone Creek! Led by Lindsay Burtenshaw, terrestial ecologist for the RBG with help from BGYN member Tom Nagy. Lindsay Burtenshaw, terrestial ecologist for the RBG put together this document for everyone about Invasive Species, check it out here! The Mid- day "MIX": All participants were provided with the opportunity to rotate through three areas during Green Lunch Challenge – We challenged all of our guests to pack litter-less, eco-friendly lunches (local foods, vegetarian, etc) & we found that our guests did remarkably well! We thought it would be nice to include some information on proper waste diversion though as the waste sorting wasn’t as green as the lunches! Check out this poster courtesy of Halton Region & feel free to print it (on recycled paper of course) & post it at your school! The Lorax – As part of our lunch hour rotation, all attending students had the opportunity to watch the environmental classic, the Lorax. We selected this film because we believe that everyone of any age can benefit from the key environmental messages it includes. The full video can be found online here, the DVD is available at our Burlington Public Library as well. Exhibitors –We had the privilege of having some of the best organizations & groups attend our event to share what they have to offer when it comes to environmental awareness, products and programs. We asked Exhibitors to answer the question “Why should Youth care about Biodiversity?" and you can see their answers here: Earth Day Canada EcoMentors-Taking action to protect biodiversity is a very important part of achieving a healthy environment both locally and globally. This means that we need to ensure that the variety of ecosystems and plant and animal species in Canada are protected, and that we’re using our natural resources sustainably. Youth have an important role to play in encouraging positive environmental awareness and actions among their friends, peers and family. By joining Earth Day Canada’s EcoMentors program, youth can learn to facilitate peer-led environmental workshops that will engage and inspire other young people in their communities to respect nature and live in more sustainable ways. Burlington Hydro -Supporting a culture of Biodiversity is critical to everyone's future. At Burlington Hydro we promote conservation programs and endorse clean energy initiatives to do our part. It is all about the choices we make - making cleaner, greener choices can make a change. By taking simple actions like installing a clothes line to dry your clothes, using compact Flourescent light bulbs and reducing phantom power you can make a difference. Burlington Public Library -Biodiversity matters, regardless of age. But youth especially need to be concerned because their generation, and the generations that come after them, will face ever greater consequences as biodiversity declines. Youth need to be empowered to take action to protect and increase global ecosystems, and that power comes with knowledge White Oaks School –Recycled Art - One of the classes at White Oaks Secondary School specializes in making art of recycled paper. You can literally make whatever you can imagine, from faux-fruit to plates, bowls & jewellry boxes! Contact Kale if you are interested in learning more about their program Aldershot Eco-studies/Bronte Creek Project - <----See links for more info City of Burlington -Biodiversity is important because everything is connected to everything else. If we begin to lose certain species, this can cause weaknesses in the connections and have a detrimental impact on other species. Human activities can have a very negative impact on our local biodiversity. Poorly designed urban development, pouring hazardous waste down storm drains which ends up in our creeks and streams, and using pesticides and over fertilizing are just a few examples. What can we do to protect and enhance local biodiversity? Plant a variety of native species in your garden. Reduce waste and dispose of hazardous waste properly. Buy sustainably made products. Reduce your use of chemicals. If you have to print a document, print double-sided. Remember, it’s cool to be green. Andrews Arctic Expedition -BGYN member & recent Nelson graduate Andrew Wong received a scholarship to attend the 2010 Students on Ice Artic Expedition & although he couldn't be present during the conference because he is away at school, he made sure to creat a booth staffed by his family & friends. Check out Andrew's awesome Blog here! Burlington Transit -We all need to make decisions when it comes to our daily lifestyles and learn to make smart choices to benefit the future of the planet. Youth are the catalysts for creating that change and maintaining it into their adult lives. They can lead by example by choosing and increasing the use of public transit because it reduces emissions of carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming and the greenhouse effect. One car wouldn’t be a problem but in Canada there are 12 million cars! We all have the power to choose our ride Bay Area Restoration Council -Every species has a role to play in the environment, and loss of species results in an unsustainable ecosystem. Different species depend on each other in many ways and the loss of one species affects the whole food chain. BARC is committed to the restoration of Hamilton Harbour/Burlington Bay and this can only be achieved through a high diversity of native species. Halton Environment Network -Young people are the future, and biodiversity holds the key to solving some of the most complex problems that exist today. By maintaining and increasing biodiversity, we are increasing a resource which yields solutions to very complex problems. Medicines derived from newly discovered species, materials technology from superior genetics, and mimicking mother nature’s awesome range of abilities supplies us with a constant stream of innovation and the tangible solutions to real problems. Allowing biodiversity to diminish reduces our greatest resource and ally for dealing with our most prominent problems. Roots & Shoots -This generation of youth should care about biodiversity because people, animals and the environment are intimately connected. As such, the positive actions you take to protect biodiversity will affect all living things. Mountain Equipment Co-op - <---See link for more info! Conservation Halton- <---See link for more info! Closing Presentation - opportunities for ACTION ! To close the day we wanted to provide all of our guests with some different opportunities for action. Three representatives from different organizations shared their program information: Josh Stevenson, the program manager for Earth Day Canada EcoMentors highlighted the program and promoted an upcoming training session in partnership with the BGYN that will be taking place on Dec 11th at the New Street Education Centre (Gary Allan School, 3250 New street), click here for more details! His associate Jo Ann Tacorda spoke about the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship program. Last year the BGYN’s own Andrew Wong won not just a scholarship, but was actually selected as the national winner from every applicant in Canada! Jason Blair, the program co-ordinator for the Aldershot Eco-studies program gave a presentation about the different opportunities to achieve your Environmental High Skills Major while in High school!
New – You can now get on your normal school bus anywhere in Burlington & be taken to your program! Kale Black the Youth Program Representative for BurlingtonGreen Environmental Association spoke about different opportunities to volunteer with the BGYN & the community partners they work with.
Thank you from the BGYN... The BurlingtonGreen Youth Network would like to offer a huge thank you to all of our sponsors (Burlington Community Foundation's Mayor's Pride in Our Community Fund, The Ontario Trillium Foundation via BurlingtonGreen, Burlington Transit, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Burlington Hydro, The Halton District School Board, The Halton Learning Foundation , Nelson High School Greenhouse Horticulture Society & Bullfrog Power), and the volunteers, exhibitors & workshop leaders that all helped to make this event such a great success. *A special thank you to Zofia Smeja, Joanna Lynsdale and Andrew Wong from the BGYN who helped with this event planning before heading off to University! We hope everyone who attended had some fun and learned a lot. Although our conference was focused on Biodiversity & how we are all connected, there are a lot of environmental challenges facing our generation of youth. We hope the workshop experiences we provided helped you to feel empowered to do your part to help the planet. There IS alot you as an individual can do. Remember ~ Think Global, Act Local ~ Change starts with YOU! The BurlingtonGreen Youth Network
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More News... BG Events Imprints 2010 Burlington Youth Eco-Conference
More News... BG Events Imprints 2010 Burlington Youth Eco-Conference
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On Oct 28th 2010, the BurlingtonGreen Youth Network hosted Burlington’s 2nd Environmental Youth Conference. Held at the Royal Botanical Gardens, it was a terrific success with 300 students in attendance from 23 schools!