Author: nlened

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Northeast Avalon ACAP Employment/Internship

Northeast Avalon ACAP is looking for a person ( on a short term basis) to assist in completing some project work.  The work is to take place during February and March and will end on March 31st, 2011.  The primary task involves compilation of watershed boundaries of the Northeast Avalon onto one dataset. Secondary tasks will include determining what other information is available to be placed on this dataset  and  compiling of a list of information available from government agencies and municipalities in GIS format.

Some of the work is expected to be carried out at the  NAACAP office in St. Johns. Total hours available equal 200. The rate of pay is $14 per hour.


This post requires someone with a working knowledge of Global Information Systems and good communication skills. Deadline for applications is February 12th. Please apply with letter and resume to naacapnl@gmail.com.

For more information please contact Don Quigley  at 709 726 9673 or at naacapnl@gmail.com

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Candidates Forum on Environmental Issues

Note: For those who were not able to attend the Forum it will be broadcast in its entirety by Rogers TV Cable 9 at the following times: 
Fri, Feb 11th   – 10pm and 11pm
Sun, Feb 13th – 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 4:30pm
Mon, Feb 14th – in the evening, immediately following broadcast of City Council meeting

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ACAP Humber Arm is pleased to announce we will be hosting a Candidates Forum on Environmental Issues, and we invited your involvement.


There are three ways you can support this Forum:

SUGGEST A QUESTION

Is there an environmentally related question you would like to see the candidates answer?  To ensure questions are non-partisan and the selection of questions asked cover the widest possible range of environmental issues there will be no questions from the floor.  All questions must be submitted to ACAP Humber Arm at speddle@acaphumberarm.com on or before Tuesday, Feb 8th.  A selection of questions received will be posed to the candidates, by a moderator, during the Forum.  Questions will not be shared with the candidates prior.

BE IN THE AUDIENCE DURING THE FORUM

The Forum will take place 12:30 – 1:30pm, Thursday, Feb 10th in room 301, Library Building, Grenfell Campus.  Members of the public are invited to be part of the audience, though space is limited so we advise you arrive early.  Signs, posters, placards, etc. will not be permitted at the Forum.  Tea and coffee will be provided for all our guests.

SPREAD THE WORD

Please share this email with your friends and colleagues.



Two of the three candidates in the Humber West by-election have confirmed their participation.


Be an informed voter.  Learn where our candidates stand on the important environmental issues that concern us all.

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Public screening and discussion of the educational film “Play Again”

NOTE: This evening’s screening of “Play Again” at the Suncor Energy Fluvarium (St. John’s) is going ahead as planned. Start time: 7:00 pm.

What are the consequences of a childhood removed from nature? One generation from now most people in the U.S. will have spent more time in the virtual world than in nature. New media technologies have improved our lives in countless ways; information now appears with a click, overseas friends are part of our daily lives, and even grandma loves Wii. But what are we missing when we are behind screens? And how will this impact our children, our society, and eventually, our planet?

Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Educators (NLEE), in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network, and the Suncor Energy Fluvarium will be holding a FREE Connections Event to screen “Play Again” to the public.

Date: Thursday, February 3rd
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: The Suncor Energy Fluvarium, St. John’s.

Parents, teachers, youth, educators, community members – all are welcome to attend! There will be networking after the film; coffee, tea and snacks will be provided.

To learn more about this film, please watch the below trailers or visit: www.playagainfilm.com

TRAILER 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ3J0szCGqk

TRAILER 2 (with David Suzuki): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erVmBIx2lUY&feature=related

For more information about the event, please contact Stephanie Simms at info@nlee.ca, or call 709-753-7848.

Please see Play Again Information for EXTRA INFORMATION on the film’s background, synopsis and directors.

This event is made possible thanks to funding from the Wellness Coalition-Avalon East and the Suncor Energy Fluvarium.

** We hope to screen ”Play Again” in more communities across the province! Please contact the NLEN if you’d like the film screened in your community. **


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Volunteers needed: Ducks Unlimited Canada (NL)

The Newfoundland branch of Ducks Unlimited Canada is seeking volunteers around NL to assist with its fundraising events. Typically we host dinner/auction events around Newfoundland and Labrador and the funds raised are used to carry out projects in NL.  We have over 40 projects in NL with the largest being our Eider nest box program to help increase breeding success/survival of our sea duck.  Over one million dollars was spent on this program with the objective of understanding the biology of our Eider duck and increasing their population.  The population (approx 20,000 breeding pairs) is still well below historic  levels (over 120,000 pairs). 

Volunteers are needed from all over the province, especially in the St. John’s area, Conception Bay South, Southern Shore, Carbonear – Harbour Grace, Marystown, Gander, Springdale, Corner Brook, Stephenville, Port Aux Basques and Labrador City areas. All volunteers are appreciated! Are you interested? If so, contact Paul Wood, Fundraising Manager – Newfoundland (Ducks Unlimited Canada) at (709)489-8147 or p_wood@ducks.ca.

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Public Forum: Why Newfoundland and Labrador Should Ban Lawn Pesticides in 2011

Guest Speaker: Gideon Forman
Executive Director, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

Panelists:
Dr. David Saltman, Oncologist
Dr. Ian Simpson, Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides NL
Matthew Piercey, Executive Director, Canadian Cancer Society
Mayor Randy Simms, Mount Pearl
Craig Pollett, Executive Director, Municipalities NL
Moderator: Councillor Sheilagh O’Leary, St. John’s

E.B. FORAN ROOM, ST. JOHN’S CITY HALL
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011, 7:00 P.M.

(www.pesticidealternativesnl.wordpress.com)

SPONSORED BY THE COALITION FOR ALTERNATIVES TO PESTICIDES- NL (CAP-NL)


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St. John's: Your City, Your Vision

Let’s Get Together.

This Saturday, February 5th from 10am – 2pm at the Foran Room in City Hall, we’ll have our second “Your City” event. This time we’ll focus on what we want our City to be in the future, and start talking about how to achieve that.

Here’s how it’ll work:

Our facilitator, Bui Petersen, will be following a model called “conversation cafe.” He’ll explain this further at the beginning of the day, but basically everybody breaks into smaller groups to chat informally about a given topic. They will be:

  1. What makes St. John’s a great place to live?
  2. What gets in the way of the City working for everyone?
  3. Describe the future St. John’s of your dreams.

Then we’ll come back together to share our discussions with each other and determine what some of our shared concerns and values seem to be.
After a short (free!) lunch, we’ll have a chat about some of the current issues facing St. John’s (transit? taxes? sprawl?) and we’ll split up again to talk about how, based on our discussions earlier, how we might tackle some of these.
We’ll share these discussions with each other again, and then we’ll have a chance to talk about where to go from here. There are lots of ideas for getting our voices heard and for interacting with policy makers. Now is our chance to plan our future.

See you on Saturday at 10am in the Foran Room!

Invite your friends! And visit happycity.ca/february5 to stay up to date.

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Fluvarium Kids Club – February Program: Animal Tracks

“Animal Tracks” at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium!

Every foot print tells a story … what stories are being told around the Fluvarium this winter? 

Help us find out what critters might be hiding in the woods and even make an Animal Tracks story of your own!

Saturdays & Sundays at 1:30pm

February 5 – 27, 2011

Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes

Preregistration is recommended

Fluvarium Kids Club Weekend Programs

Have you heard? Kids ages 5–10 and their families are invited to join Fluvarium Kids! Receive updates, collect stickers, and earn a Fluvarium Kids Fresh Water Friends certificate when you attend sessions in four different months!  This month: 

This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and includes

An outdoor component, game, story and craft!

Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.

Ask about our Annual Family Pass.

For more information contact:

Denise Hennebury – 754-3474 – dhennebury@fluvarium.ca

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IMPACT! Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership

For the second time, The Co-operators is working closely with numerous academic and NGO partners to offer IMPACT! Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership. The 3-day bilingual conference brings together students from all fields of study to work with business and academic leaders to develop and implement real sustainability solutions and to develop lasting networks.

IMPACT! Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership

  • September 15-18, 2011 at the University of Guelph, Ontario
  • 165 university & college students from across Canada selected to participate
  • Inspired by leading key-note speakers including Dr. David Suzuki, working on tangible sustainability solutions with business and academic leaders; and building lasting networks
  • All conference related expenses covered
  • Application process is now open www.impactyouthsustainability.ca. Applications close February 4, 2011


The first IMPACT! Conference in 2009 included students from 50 universities and 10 colleges. Marina from Guelph said: “Overall, the conference was more than I expected! [It] was committed to a lasting and meaningful connection and impact. I was very impressed by the diversity of delegates selected, the excellence of the engaging speakers, and the honest interest and support in the ideas generated.” Hear what David Suzuki and others had to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6AhvfHSfgM

The conference is nested within IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Program for Sustainability Leadership which enables participants and alumni to: apply for seed funding; engage in post-conference webinars; benefit from post-conference training and internship opportunities; and, utilize platforms for ongoing learning, networking and collaboration.

Please contact impact@cooperators.ca with any questions.

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Call for creation of an Independent Environmental Authority for the offshore oil sector

Two experts from Memorial University and York University have recommended the creation of an Independent Environmental Authority for Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil sector. In a letter to the premier dated January 20, 2011, Angela Carter (MUN) and Dr. Gail Fraser (York) state: “On the basis that worker safety and environmental protection are not independent, we recommend the establishment of an independent Environmental Authority, similar to the proposal of an independent Safety Authority. The Environmental Authority would have three branches: 1) Offshore Waste Treatment Guidelines Compliance, 2) Emergency Response, and 3) Environmental Effects Monitoring Programs Approval and Oversight.”

Read complete text:  Offshore Environmental Authority Recommendation

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Seminar: Ways of knowing, environmental change, and social context – How lessons learnt about residential pesticide policies can inform food security decision-making in Nunavut

Seminar will be held at MUN, science building, SN2018 on Tuesday, February 1st at 12:00 – 1:00

“Ways of knowing, environmental change, and social context: How lessons learnt about residential pesticide policies can inform food security decision-making in Nunavut”

Presenter: Dr. Rachel Hirsch