Edmonton Eco Debate: Expert Panel Discussion on Environmental Challenges and Ideas for Action Plan

Eco Experts debate path for Edmonton

Should Edmonton make drastic changes to water consumption practices or pursue local food security? Is urban sprawl or air quality the top issue for Edmonton’s future? Do we need to prepare for depleting oil resources or preserve biodiversity? And what role do Edmontonians have in setting policies to ensure a sustainable community beyond 30 years?

Local, national and international leaders in environmental science, research, and policy development will tackle these questions and present their ideas for Edmonton’s long-term sustainability plan in a public panel discussion on June 16 over the noon hour in the Ledcor Theatre in the Art Gallery of Alberta. For those who cannot attend in person, tune in to the live Fusedlogic video web-cast.

Moderated by Ed Struzik – Edmonton Journal editor/writer, climate change authority and renown author – this expert panel will discuss the issues most important for Edmonton’s environmental strategic plan. The Way We Green project is gathering expert and public input through 2010 to develop a new plan that will guide city decisions and chart a course to a sustainable community for generations of Edmontonians.

Event: The Way We Green Expert Panel Discussion

Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Time: Noon to 1 p.m.

Location: Ledcor Theatre, Art Gallery of Alberta

Cost: Free

Online: live webcast or video archive linked from www.TheWayWeGreen.ca

More info and public input: www.TheWayWeGreen.ca

Expert Panel:            

Debra Davidson is Associate Professor of Environmental Sociology at the University of Alberta.  Dr. Davidson’s work focuses on social responses to climate change, particularly community-level vulnerability and adaptation

David Schindler holds the Killam Memorial Chair and is Professor of Ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta. His internationally renown work on water ecosystems has been widely used in formulating policy around the world.

Daniel Smith is an emeritus Professor of the Environmental Engineering and Science Program at the University of Alberta Dr. Smith is one of three Principal Investigators of the Forest Watershed and Riparian Disturbance, a project studying the impact of forest management practices on water quality.

Guy Swinnerton is an emeritus professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta. He has spent 40 years working with parks and protected areas focusing on the protection of biodiversity and cultural heritage within lived-in and working landscapes.

Pong Leung is the Principal Advisor to The Natural Step Canada.  In his role as Principal Advisory, Pong supports communities, businesses and other organizations with integrated sustainability planning and education.

Moderator:

Ed Struzik, Edmonton Journal Sunday Reader editor and contributor; author of The Big Thaw: Travels in the Melting North; a fellow at the School of Public Policy Studies, Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen’s University; and commentator on the affect of climate change in Canada’s arctic.