Network News and Events

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Spring Nature and Art Camp at the Fluvarium

Good Afternoon,

Please find below a PSA for

Spring Nature and Art Camp at The Fluvarium

If you have any questions or need clarification, please contact me at the number below.

Come connect with nature this Spring Break at The Fluvarium’s Spring Nature and Art Camp. The camp will be March 30 and March 31 from 9am-12pm for kids grades K-2. Each session will cost $25 plus HST.

There is limited spacing and preregistration is required.

Join us at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium and connect with nature through crafts and games. This new program will include arts and crafts and discovering more about the critters in and around The Fluvarium.  Kids will get outdoors at least one time a day, and stay out longer if the weather cooperates. 

For more information or to register please contact:

754-3474 or email kids@fluvarium.ca

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WEC News – NL climate change advisory group

Are you hearing the buzz? The world is changing. And it is changing fast.
First there was Paris – the world agreed to act on climate change
Then oil prices plummeted (and will likely stay low)
Now even large pro-oil lobby groups like UK Energy are calling for a shift towards renewables

During the first week of March Justin Trudeau will discuss climate change measures with the Premiers during the first ministers meeting.

A new climate change group has formed. The NL Climate Change Advisory Group. And they have sent an open letter in light of the first ministers meeting.
WEC is strongly supporting this initiative and encourages you to contact your MP (see list below) and MHA with a similar message.
This can be a pivotal moment.
Your WEC crew
Open Letter to Premier Ball and Ministers Trimper, Coady and Byrne

February 29, 2016

NL climate change advisory group

Corner Brook, NL

info@nlccag.ca

Dear Premier Ball, Minister Coady, Minister Trimper, and Minister Byrne,

The NL Climate Change Advisory Group is a newly formed independent citizens group focused on climate change policy and research specific to the NL context. We were pleased to see a number of climate-related actions in the mandate letter of the Department of Environment & Conservation, and we look forward to working with you in the coming months and years on this major issue.

As you are aware, this past December, the world’s governments negotiated a landmark agreement on climate change that puts the world on a cleaner energy path. The negotiations sent a strong signal to financial sectors and global markets that investments be redirected to low-carbon and climate resilient development. At the closing of the negotiations, Lord Nicholas Stern, the author of the influential Stern Review on the economics of climate change, stated: “A green race is going on [and] if we get this right, it will be more powerful than the industrial revolution.”

Even Energy UK, which represents the big six providers of energy in the UK, says it now supports phasing out coal-fired stations, after years of defending the use of fossil fuels. And they are even going as far as calling for the UK to develop their own version of the German “Energiewende” [Germany’s plan to move to a majority of renewable energy sources].1

Indeed, the green finance agenda is becoming mainstream, and over the last few years we have seen a growing international flight of investment capital from fossil fuels and other carbon-intensive industries combined with a shift to investment policies that increasingly prioritize socially and environmentally favourable development.

Your government has recently come to power under the banner of a “Stronger Tomorrow.” In early March, Prime Minister Trudeau will host a First Ministers Meeting to discuss what path this country will take as we move at both the national and global scales towards a low-carbon and climate resilient future. We trust your government will show leadership at this meeting to help move our province and country into a cleaner, greener economy.

There are many reasons to begin moving towards a green economy right now.

We are currently in a precarious position where thousands of skilled workers are out of work and are moving back to our province where there are not enough jobs for all.

This shift should of course be based on sound information and we recommend that a feasibility study assesses the right mix of green technologies for the NL context, which is then followed by a strong and bold move towards a green economy. This can help address our unemployment problem at the same time as moving us toward a low carbon future.

More specifically, the policies we need include:

  • net metering and feed-in tariffs with attractive rates guaranteed for a certain period of time to encourage rapid development for small scale energy producers
  • security measures for private and corporate investments in the green energy sector so that a growth in small scale energy production will benefit Canadian manufacturing
  • federal and provincial investments in green tech infrastructure
  • a tax on carbon that gets reinvested into the green economy

We know that we cannot expect a rebound in oil prices in the near future. Saudi Arabia recently announced in a press conference in Texas2 that they are not afraid to keep oil prices low and that high-cost producers, such as the oil sands, should get out of the market.

It is time for Newfoundland and Labrador to seriously focus on the urgent need to diversify its economy and move away from a crippling dependency on boom and bust industries. Transformational change and green economies are good for business and job creation. We want to work with your government to help make this change happen, for the good of our communities, our province and our world.

References:

  1. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/28/top-lobbying-group-green-energy-u-turn
  2. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/saudi-oil-minister-in-houston-1.3459539)
Contact information for Members of Parliament:
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Demystifying the Business of Universities

Demystifying the Business of Universities

Wednesday, March 2, 2016, from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm, Newfoundland Time
McCann Centre (ED 2030B), St. John’s Campus of Memorial University

Attend in person or via webinar!
Free admission, parking and light lunch
Registration is free but required. To register, click here<https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ec7gecxoad755c76&oseq=&c=&ch=>.
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Universities are complex institutions that play a critical role in society. Their primary mission is to educate highly-qualified personnel and, while doing so, they generate new knowledge and new forms of artistic creation. Some of this activity contributes to innovation and to the nation’s economic competitiveness. Some contributes to a deeper understanding of the world around us, and helps shape the future of society.

However, universities are often poorly understood by the public and by decision-makers. Sometimes, this leads to misunderstandings and, worse, to missed opportunities. What are the things that universities do best, and what are those that may lie outside their comfort zone? When they leave their comfort zone, what are the conditions for success? What processes enable knowledge creation and artistic creation to contribute most effectively to the economy and to society? And how may external stakeholders collaborate more effectively with universities? These are some of the questions that will be addressed by Dr. Richard J. Marceau, Vice-President (Research) at Memorial University in his presentation.
[rmarceau]
Richard was born and grew up in North Bay, Ontario, and graduated from McGill University in December 1977. After spending 12 years in industry, he entered a Ph.D. program in electric energy transmission at McGill University in 1990, successfully obtaining his degree in 1993. The same year, he joined the Electrical Engineering Department at École Polytechnique de Montréal, and was elected Chair in 1998. In 2001, he became Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the Université de Sherbrooke where he led ground-breaking initiatives in both undergraduate education and graduate research capacity-building. In 2005, he became Provost and Vice-President Academic of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), then Ontario’s newest university, where over a period of eight years he grew its academic operations from 1,800 to nearly 10,000 students. In 2013, he became Vice President (Research) of Memorial University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Quebec. The presentation shares his insights on the business of universities gained from a twenty-five year career trajectory in five Canadian universities and three provinces.

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Fluvarium Kids Club – February Program: “Life on Ice”

“Life on Ice”

Kids Club program for February at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium

See how nature around The Fluvarium changes in the icy winters. Rediscover the water all around us and how that ice and snow actually helps to keep animals warm and safe! 

Every Saturday and Sunday from February 6-28 at 1:30pm

Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes

This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and can include an outdoor component, game, story and craft!

*Note there will be no Kids Club on February 13 and 14 due to a Family Ice Fishing program

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!

Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.

Ask about our Annual Family Pass.

For more information contact:

754-3474 – kids@fluvarium.ca

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Kids Club program for March at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium: “Wake Up!”

“Wake Up!”

Kids Club program for March at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium!

 The winter is coming to an end and we can just start to see nature getting ready for spring.  But who is waking up, who is still asleep?  Who is building a nest, who is hunting again?  Let’s discover who is getting up and on the go despite the snow.

Every Saturday & Sunday in March at 1:30pm Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes

This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and can include an outdoor component, game, story and craft!

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!

Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.

Ask about our Annual Family Pass.

 

For more information contact:

754-3474 – kids@fluvarium.ca

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The Suncor Energy Fluvarium: “Stitch and Switch”

Join us at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium for “Stitch and Switch” a night of repairing and sharing.

April 19, 2016 5:30pm-8:30pm at The Fluvarium

Admission is $5, and clothing-by-donation sales support environmental education at The Fluvarium.

If you don’t know how to sew a button, or mend a seam or just don’t have the tools for the job, fixing your own clothing is frustrating. Finding the time can be just as difficult, so let’s do it together. Bring those items you have been meaning to fix up, and learn how to make them new again.

Free admission IF you donate at least 10 items of gently used clothing items or accessories between April 14 -17. As well as free admission for anyone who preregisters with clothing repair skills and can donate at least 2 hours of their time on April 19.

We will be accepting men’s, women’s, and children’s gently used clothing. We want you to join us to share in the repair, borrow a sewing machine, learn some basic repair skills, and shop through our own mini thrift store!

Donated items will be up for sale by donation and any unsold items will be donated to an appropriate organization.
By repairing the old and reusing someone else’s old treasures, we can reduce our footprint and save a few dollars at the same time!

For more information:

Email Wandalee at info@fluvarium.ca or call 754-3474

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“Easter Family Fun Day at The Fluvarium”

“Easter Family Fun Day at The Fluvarium”

A special Easter event at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium

March 26 between 10:30am and 4:30pm 

Join us here at The Fluvarium for a day of Easter fun! There will be exciting activities for the whole family including  Easter crafts, face painting, egg games, and of course an entertaining Easter Egg Hunt.

Kids can see our salmon eggs and adopt a salmon. When the salmon eggs hatch families can come back for our special release day and release their baby salmon into the water.

Don’t miss out on seeing the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny will be here with us appearing hourly, be sure to bring a camera!

Cost of the event is $5 per person (children 2 and under are free).

We invite you to join our pancake breakfast or hotdog lunch in our Easter café at an additional cost of $5 per person.

 

For more information contact:

754-3474 or email kids@fluvarium.ca

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NLEN Award – TD Environment and Friends 2015

td env and friends logoNLEN is deeply appreciative to TD Environment and Friends for funding our outdoor coastal hike initiative – Citizen Science: Understanding Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ocean and Coastal Dynamic Forces in the Face of Climate Change.

Additional thanks goes to member groups including: Nature NL, NAACAP, NLEE and their volunteers for coming out and sharing their programs and initiatives.