Author: nlened

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Teaching Assistants – Brother Brennan Environmental Education Centre

The Brother Brennan Environmental Education Centre is looking for enthusiastic and energetic teaching assistants to help deliver their primarily outdoors environmental programs between May 2 and June 22, 2011.

The successful candidates will be teaching school children about forest and freshwater ecology, climate change and wilderness survival etc as well as leading camp fires, hikes and outdoor games. They will also be required to help with supervision and other jobs related to a camp-like setting.

Experience working with children in an overnight wilderness setting is an advantage. A current standard first-aid certificate and certificate of conduct and an ability to be flexible with scheduling are all essential.

Pay is $12 an hour and there will usually be between 24 and 48 hours a week of work, with no week-end work. Own transportation is preferred.

Send applications to helenspencer@esdnl.ca by Friday March 25. For more information on The Brother Brennan Centre go to www.brotherbrennancentre.ca

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Webinar: Receipting Practices and Legal Compliance for Environmental Charities

 Tuesday, March 8, 2011
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM (Eastern Time)
Where: Your desktop

Please join the Sustainability Network and Capacity Builders of the Ontario Community Support Association for this special FREE webinar designed specifically for environmental charities.

Charity lawyer Mark Blumberg will focus on the “dos and don’ts” of charitable receipting. Did you know that 89% of registered charities were found to be improperly issuing official donation receipts when audited by Canada Revenue Agency? This is an interactive session, so you will have lots of opportunities to ask questions. Among the receipting topics Mark will cover:

– When is your charity allowed to issue official donation receipts and for how much?
– What is a gift?
– How do you determine “fair market value” for gifts-in-kind?
– What is split receipting and how does it affect your special events and other fundraisers?
– What are the top receipting mistakes and abuses and how do you avoid them?
– Can computer and email generated receipts be used?
– What are CRA’s top receipting concerns?
– What are the issues, problems, and consequences that can arise from improper receipting?

As a special feature, Mark will also discuss the top legal compliance issues registered charities need to understand to protect their charitable status.

This session is designed for executive directors, directors, staff, and volunteers of Canadian registered charities that are involved with either fundraising, issuing donation receipts or governance.

This session is sponsored by The Charity Law Information Program (CLIP), a project of Capacity Builders funded by the Canada Revenue Agency. You can learn more about the CLIP project, and all our other products and services, at http://www.capacitybuilders.ca/clip

To sign up for the webinar, visit: https://ocsa.webex.com/ocsa/k2/j.php?ED=142775162&UID=958851912&RT=NCMxMQ%3D%3D&FM=1

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Regional public transportation forum

As part of Memorial University’s Sustainability Week, the Regional Public Transportation Committee will be holding a forum at the Loft in the University Centre in UC-3013 at 12:30-1:30 on Wednesday, March the 9th. Speakers will include MUN’s Sustainability Coordinator Toby Rowe, and the Sierra Club’s Conservation Chair Dr. Fred Winsor. Help us create our public transportation wish list, come sign a petition, and join in on the discussion calling for regional public transportation in the Northeast Avalon region. Lunch will be provided. Everyone is welcome! Please contact Nicole at nicoler@sierraclub.ca for more details

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Sustainability Days (MUN campus, St. John's) Mar. 8-10, 2011 – ALL Events

Students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to attend Sustainability Days on the St. John’s campus from Mar. 8-10, 2011.

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011


Sustainability Fair

Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location:  UC, 3rd Floor

Description:  Visit displays by student and university groups, and community organizations that are concerned with the environment and related social issues. Stop by for knowledge sharing and to

see how people in your community are taking action.

Sponsor: Students for Sustainability Coalition

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Food Court Waste Audit

Time:  11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location:  UC, 3rd Floor in The Loft

Description: Memorial’s Sustainability Office and the Department of Geography are launching the St. John’s campus waste audit. Come have a look at the

sorting process and view the many streams of waste generated from the Food Court on a daily basis.

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Food Court Waste Audit Results and Waste Diversion in St. John’s

Time:  2 to 3 p.m.

Location:  UC, 3rd Floor in The Loft

Description:  Results of the waste audit will be announced and there will be a discussion about waste diversion in St. John’s. This will be presented jointly by

Department of Geography students, the Sustainability Office staff and Shelley Pardy of the City of St. John’s Waste Management Division. Come find out what

makes up the food court’s waste and learn about recycling in St. John’s.

Sponsor: Memorial’s Sustainability Office

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Fresh!  Documentary Screening

Time:  7 to 9:30 p.m.

Location:  Engineering building, EN-2006

Description:  Fresh! celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the

rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural

resources and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Among several main characters, Fresh! features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and

entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

Free admission, free popcorn (bring your own bowl), with a Q and A discussion to follow.
http://www.freshthemovie.com/

Sponsor: Project Green, BIOS and the Food Security Network (FSN)

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011


Regional Transportation Forum

Time: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Location: UC, 3rd floor in The Loft

Description: Come to a forum to discuss regional transportation issues and generate ideas for possible actions to encourage sustainable transportation. Also, get an

overview of the results of Memorial’s transportation survey.

Sponsor: Sierra Club Canada – Atlantic Canada Chapter

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Mountain Equipment Co-op – Leading the Way in Green Buildings

Time:  7 to 8:30 p.m.

Location:  Engineering building, EN-2006

Description: Mountain Equipment Co-Op’s CFO Sandy Treagus will share his experiences in the design and construction of MEC’s new stores and distribution centre,

and how green building fits into MEC’s business model. MEC is Canada’s largest retail co-operative and one of Canada’s leaders in green building. The challenge

is to create buildings that meet MEC’s specific uses, are built to the highest standards of green building possible, and are economical to construct and operate.

Sponsor: Canada Green Building Council and Memorial’s Sustainability Office

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

 

Memorial Farmers’ Market

Time:  11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location:  UC, 3rd Floor

Description: In a similar vein to the Ten Thousand Villages Sale and the International Bazaar, we will be having a market that showcases local and sustainable goods

to students. Vendors will have international food, crafts, local produce, local preserves and other food products.

Sponsor: Students for Sustainability Coalition

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Sustainability Days Keynote Speaker: Adria Vasil

Time:  7 to 8:30 p.m.

Location:  Engineering building, EN-2006

Description: Students for Sustainability will host special guest Adria Vasil, environmental columnist and author of the bestseller Ecoholic: The Most Environmentally-Friendly Products, Services and Lifestyle Choices.

Come out and learn how each of us as consumers and citizens have the power to affect change by making an effort to live greener, smarter and healthier lives.

Sponsor: Students for Sustainability Coalition

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Canada Green Building Council presents: Mountain Equipment Co-op – Leading the Way in Green Buildings

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011


Topic: Mountain Equipment Co-op – Leading the Way in Green Buildings

Presenter:          Sandy Treagus, CFO, MEC

Venue:                 MUN – Engineering Building Room EN2006

Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm


Sandy Treagus wears two hats. Under one hat he is Mountain Equipment Co-Op’s CFO and responsible for the financial stewardship of Canada’s largest retail co-operative and under the other he is responsible for all of MEC’s real estate development – where MEC is one of Canada’s leaders in building green. 

“The great challenge for me”, says Sandy, is not just to help create buildings that meet MEC’s specific uses and are built to the highest standards of green building possible, they also have to be economical both to construct and operate. True leadership for us, is to build buildings that others will want to replicate because they make business sense as well as being great to look at, to work within and have minimal environmental impact.”  

Sandy will be sharing some of the thinking and experiences in the design and construction of MEC’s new stores and Distribution Centre as well as the design of its planned new Head Office, and how it all works within MEC’s business model.


Free Parking is available in lots 16 and16A.  Also be reminded that Metrobus routes 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 23 service the St. John’s campus of Memorial.


Presented by the Canada Green Building Council with support of Memorial’s Sustainability Office


For more info:

Lara Ryan

Executive Director

CAGBC Atlantic Chapter

(902) 229-1580

lryan@atl.cagbc.org

http://www.cagbc.org/chapters/atlantic

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Outreach and Education for Hunting and Trapping

Outreach and Education for Hunting and Trapping
Date & Time: Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 7:30pm
Guest Speakers: Chris Baldwin, Manager Conservation Services-Wildlife Division

Location: Wildlife Division Building, Classroom

117 Riverside Drive

The Wildlife Division’s Stewardship and Education (Conservation Services) Section is responsible for administering programs for new and existing hunters and trappers. Safe, responsible and legal hunting and trapping are important and practical wildlife management tools used by government agencies to help sustain wildlife populations. Developing and administering programs that foster appropriate awareness and ethical behaviors towards wildlife harvest is essential in meeting key wildlife management objectives and is important to its overall mandate. We invite you to come out and hear about some of the programs and projects we are involved in.

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Talk and winter foray: "Nature in Winter"

Celebrate the International Year of the Forests with
Nature in Winter ….. Pasadena Ski and Nature Park Clubhouse

A Talk by Henry Mann Friday, Mar 11, 7:30 PM,
A walk & winter foray Sunday, March 13, 2011

Walk leaves the clubhouse on snowshoes at 10:00 AM sharp!
Interpreters/identifiers:
Henry Mann, Andrus Voitk, Gary Warren
Talk & Walk open to the public—no charge, no registration

Sponsored by: Pasadena Ski and Nature Park
Foray Newfoundland and Labrador
Humber Natural History Society

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Volunteer with the Suncor Energy Fluvarium: 6 volunteer positions open

1. Historical documentation assistant
Volunteer type position: Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium opened in 1990 as the Freshwater Resource Centre. The centre is an ongoing project of the Quidi Vidi Rennies River Development Foundation (QVRRDF) that started in the 1980s with the goal of cleaning up our watersheds and promoting stewardship of our wetlands. We are looking for volunteers with good writing and organizational skills to compile historical documents of the QVRRDF and the Suncor Energy Fluvarium. Volunteer duties may include:
* Creating digital scans of the Ripples Newsletter and historical documents.
* Researching and collecting newspaper articles regarding the foundation and the centre.
* Creating website content regarding the history of the foundation and the centre.

2. Update education program kit materials
Volunteer position type: Ongoing/Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium offers school programming aimed at students from pre-school to high school. Under the guidance of education staff, we are looking for volunteers to help update educational program materials. If you are a creative and or artistic individual this position will suit you! Volunteer duties may include:
* Working with education staff to identifying programs that require updated materials.
* Contacting vendors to determine cost of items.
* Creating props in-house for programs.
* Designing new props and materials to update in-house and travelling education kits.

3. Long Pond trail activity station
Volunteer position type: Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium is looking for volunteers to design activity stations along the Long Pond trail and Riparian Zone walk. An activity book for children would be designed with a set of self-guided environmental education activities. The volunteers would preferably be senior level university students with an education background and would be responsible for:
* Researching and designing environmental education activities for children.
* Identifying appropriate areas of the Long Pond trail or Riparian Zone walk for activities.
* Creating and implementing activities.

4. Seasonal exhibit collection, design and maintenance
Volunteer position type: Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium has a variety of exhibits relating to the properties of water, wetland habitats and monitoring wetland systems. To promote seasonal visitation, we are looking to add a seasonal theme to our exhibits and create a seasonal exhibit. Working closely with Education and Exhibit staff, the volunteer would be responsible for:
* Researching seasonal exhibits that could be implemented at the Fluvarium. (ie. Discovery centre station, Nature exchange, etc.)
* Creating a cost estimate and budget for implementing a seasonal exhibit.
*  Collecting materials and adding a seasonal theme for exhibits (ie. updated materials for the Microeye exhibit, insect collection exhibit).

5. Aquarium and terrarium maintenance
Volunteer position type: Bi-weekly/monthly
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium houses a variety of local amphibian and fish species in terrariums and aquariums. Each of these tanks requires maintenance to ensure healthy conditions for each species. This volunteer position requires a bi-weekly or monthly commitment to maintain and clean tanks. Duties for this position include: 
* Cleaning windows of the aquariums and terrariums.
* Cleaning the inside and outside stream windows of the fluvarium.
* Siphoning the bottoms of aquariums.
* Performing water quality tests.
* Replacing/renewing water in terrariums.
*  Arrangement of plants and decorations in terrariums

6. Research animals and naturalize terrariums/aquaria
Volunteer position type:Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium is interested in naturalizing the aquariums and terrariums that house our fish and amphibians. Besides being aesthetically pleasing, naturalized tanks provide a healthy habitat for the animals and helps create a better visitor experience. A volunteer working on this project would be responsible for:
* Researching amphibian of fish species and local plants.
* Making recommendations on how to sustainably naturalize the tanks based on our current aquarium setup (lighting and water conditions) and local ecology.
* Creating a cost estimate and budget for naturalizing each tank.
* Implementing the recommendations and naturalizing the terrariums and aquaria.
* Updating animal care sheets based on research.

For further information on the volunteer positions contact:
Justin So
info@fluvarium.ca

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Film screening: "Fresh"

The documentary film FRESH is brought to you by MUN Project Green, MUN Biology Society and the Food Security Network! 
 
DATE: Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
LOCATION: Lecture Theatre, Room 2006, Engineering Building, Memorial University
TIME: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
COST: FREE admission… and FREE popcorn!

This film is being shown as part of the MUN Sustainability Week events! Q & A, and discussion will follow.
 
FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy

For more information about the film, check out: www.freshthemovie.com
 

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NLEE Fundraising event: An Evening of Sustainable Food Education through the 'Great Meals for a Change' program

The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Educators (NLEE) invite you to join them for their first fundraising event: An Evening of Sustainable Food Education through the ‘Great Meals for a Change’ program.

Take part in an inspiring evening while supporting NLEE – a province wide network of environmental educators! Discover how eating local and sustainable food is accessible, delicious, healthy for us AND our environment!
 
Date: Thursday, March 24th, 2011
Location: Gower Street United Church, 99 Queen’s Road, St. John’s
Time: Appetizers and ‘meet and greet’ will begin at 6:00 pm, with live music from Dan Ficken. Event will begin at 6:30 pm.
Cost: $50.00 a seat (with 6 seats to a table). NLEE Members receive a 10% discount on ticket price.

Enjoy a delicious three course meal, learn fresh meal ideas, and explore the food choices we make every day!
 
* Both meat and vegetarian options are available. Other specific food requirements will be met, if possible. 
 
There are only 36 seats available for this event – space is limited, and you must book early!

To book your seat or table today, please contact us:
Email: info@nlee.ca
Phone: 709.690.0550
Mailing Address: NLEE, c/o The Suncor Energy Fluvarium, 5 Nagle’s Place, St. John’s, NL, A1B 2Z2 

*MMSB is sponsoring 6 tickets, for non-profit organizations to send staff or volunteers to this dinner. For more information about this opportunity, please contact info@nlee.ca, or phone: 690-0550.
 
 
Thank you for supporting the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Educators!