If you are a student looking to attend the 2012 ESAC Conference in Waterloo, Ontario but need financial assistance to attend, look no further. Students are eligible to apply for travel grants to cover a portion of their transportation to and from the conference. Download the application form here and send it to esaceecom@gmail.com and esac@uwaterloo.ca by February 1st, 2012.
University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario
May 30 – June 2, 2012
Environmental Knowledge: People and Change
The Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC) is pleased to invite you to participate in its annual conference at the University of Waterloo as part of the Congress of the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences 2012.
As Canada’s leading association of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners involved in a diversity of environmental fields, ESAC facilitates networking and dialogue across environment-related fields and practices. The 2012 ESAC conference provides a unique opportunity for delegates to take part in a lively exchange of ideas relating to sustainability among a broad range of students, academic researchers, members of NGOs, community groups, and the public and private sector academics, practitioners, policy makers, and activists.
We are pleased to announce a partnership with the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM). EECOM is Canada’s only national, bilingual, charitable network for environmental learning. EECOM works strategically and collaboratively to advance environmental to ensure Canadians are environmentally literate, engaged in environmental stewardship and contributing to a healthy, sustainable future.
As ESAC and EECOM collaborate with each other, the 2012 conference provides a unique opportunity for delegates to take part in a lively exchange of ideas relating to the environment among students, researchers, members of NGOs, community groups, the public and private sector, academics, practitioners, policy makers, and activists. All are encouraged to submit papers, panels or posters on a broad range of issues and case studies, including:
This year’s conference theme, “Environmental Knowledge: People and Change”, is reflected in the synergy of events at this year’s conference.
May 30: ESAC Opening Plenary and Program, Keynote Speaker in partnership with Alternatives Magazine: Bill McKibben of 350.org.
Making Ourselves Useful: Environmental Scholarship in an Unsustainable World hosted by ESAC and organized by Douglas MacDonald (UoT) and Tim Leduc (York). We hope to organize one or more panels to complement the conference on environmental scholarship. Papers on any aspect of that subject are invited.
May 31: Making Ourselves Useful, ESAC/EECOM Poster Competition and Wine and Cheese event
June 1: ESAC/EECOM joint programming
June 2: Joint ESAC/EECOM fieldtrips
The deadline for submissions is February 20, 2012.
Submissions should be made by email to esaceecom.2012@gmail.com (see detailed instructions below)
Submission instructions
Submissions could be for any of the following:
Submissions should include:
§ Object of study or theme of session
§ Theoretical framework, concept or research question/objective
§ Methodology or practice
§ Main conclusions
§ Relevance to the theme of environmental education and knowledge
Please E-mail general ESAC or EECOM submissions to esaceecom.2012@gmail.com
Please E-mail submission for Making Ourselves Useful to douglas.macdonald@utoronto.ca
All submissions will be evaluated by an ESAC conference committee and acceptance emails will be sent out in early March.
You must be an ESAC or EECOM member in good standing to present a paper, poster or panel at the conference.
All delegates should register at the Congress of the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences
Conference registration begins in January 2012
ESAC Travel grants will be available to Graduate or Undergraduate students who are also ESAC members in good standing. You must complete and email the form available at esac.ca to chris.ling@royalroads.ca. Value of the grant awarded will depend on the number of eligible applicants; distance travelled and funding received by ESAC. Successful applicants will be notified with approximate grant value in early March.
*Publication of papers: ESAC is currently exploring options of publishing the proceedings of this year’s conference. Papers included in a proceedings publication will be peer reviewed prior to publication. To help solicit the level of interest in this project, please note in your proposal whether you would be interested in having your paper published as part of the ESAC Conference Proceedings.
Please visit www.esac.ca for further information and announcements.
For more information please email esaceecom.2012@gmail.com
Chris Ling and Shirley Thompson
ESAC 2012 Conference Chairs and Co-Presidents
ESAC members enjoyed an enthralling panel session at the 2011 Conference in Fredericton entitled ‘Where Art and Environment Intersect’, where they had the chance to explore the complex interconnections between art and the natural world. This stimulation panel discussion took place at the University of New Brunswick Art Centre, where ESAC members experienced firsthand two exhibitions by Fredericton artist Deanna Musgrave, examining the nature of water in Tropos and Liquid Measure.
Noteworthy artists who participated in the session include: Deanna Musgrave, Jennifer Pazienza and Janice Wright Cheney.
Tropos (2010) by Deanna Musgrave
“Deanna Musgrave’s paintings are investigations into the juxtaposition of visual structures, which have an inherent suggestion of sound. Her paintings could be described as a synesthesic landscape in constant fluctuation.”
Summer 2009 by Jennifer Pazienza
“Pazienza’s paintings are born from a perceptual process that involves dissolving the body and re-integrating it with the landscape at an elemental level. Her aesthetic perceptions transcend material and place to lift the viewer to a rich reciprocal regard for the interconnections between matter and spirit, mind and the land.”
Four Coy Wolves (2010) by Janice Wright Cheney
“Janice Wright Cheney’s textile-based installations investigate the cultural and historical ideas that shape western understandings of nature. She is particularly interested in the ordering of nature in museums and textbooks, analyzing how nature is made safe and knowable by science.”
Over 40+ people attended the Wine and Cheese Social held at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, NB. The Beaverbrook is home to some of the later works of Salvador Dali, including the awe-inspiring Santiago El Grande (1957). The monumental masterwork (measuring 407.7 cm x 304.8cm) captivated many of our members, making it hard to walk away from such compelling detail and presence.
ESAC members had the night to unwind and reflect on the presentations and panel discussions they had attended earlier in the day with their fellow environmental colleagues from across the nation. The Wine and Cheese Social also marked the announcement of the 2011 winners of ESAC’s Annual Poster Contest. Read more on the Poster Contest here.
Observing the entries for the ESAC Poster Contest
Enjoying the wine, cheese and company at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Watching the announcement of the poster contest winner, Durdana Islam.
“I really found the conference valuable for connecting with other environmental scholars from across Canada and learning about the diverse research occurring within the field. All of the speakers were excellent, the setting was beautiful and being part of the Congress truly makes you feel like part of the wider academic community.” -Emily McMillan, Secretary
“The presentations at ESAC 2011, although broad in research interests, created a cohesive multidisciplinary discourse on timely environmental issues. Panel discussions stood out especially well as they facilitated thought provoking insight into what continues to be complex and challenging concerns pertaining to the sustainability of Earth’s social and biophysical systems.” – Kira Jade Cooper, Member at Large
The Full Program including abstracts for the 2011 ESAC Conference has been released. View the Full Program here, then plan your time according to the one-page conference schedule.
The Keynote Speakers for the Environmental Studies Association of Canada’s 2011 annual conference include Catherine O’Brien, with more to be announced. The theme of this year’s conference is People Places and Sustainability: Exploring Ideas Across Communities.
Catherine O’Brien is known for her fascinating publications on the concept of “Sustainable Happiness.” She will be speaking at our Keynote Cafe on Mon, May 30, 9:00am which is free and open to all Congress participants. As defined by O’Brien, Sustainable Happiness is “happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being and does not exploit other people, the environment, or future generations.” The concept merges principles from sustainability and happiness studies, encouraging individuals, communities and organizations to reflect on opportunities to leave a legacy of sustainable happiness. O’Brien not only writes articles, but also has created a framework for educators to incorporate the concept of sustainable happiness into the curriculum.
Space is limited for all keynote addresses, contact Tara Goetze (tcgoetze@mac.com) to reserve a spot.
If you have not yet registered to attend the Environmental Studies Association of Canada, you can do so by visiting the Fedcan Congress 2011 website. Be sure to take advantage of discounted Early Bird rates and register by March 31st.
Friendly Fredericton is going all out to make the experience of Congress 2011 delegates and their families a time to remember. In addition to the wide variety of scholarly and cultural events associated with Congress itself, the city is putting on the following:
Atlantic Lobster Boil & Cultural Kitchen Party
The signature social event of Congress 2011. The beautiful Fredericton Convention Centre, located in the heart of historic Fredericton, will host a classic maritime kitchen party featuring delectable New Brunswick lobster (with beef, chicken and vegetarian options available). Delegates will be met at the entrance with Celtic fiddlers, while local poets and costumed characters from Fredericton’s history will mingle with delegates offering a taste of New Brunswick’s rich cultural history. With live Maritime music during and after dinner, delegates will want to bring their dancing shoes! No visit to the Maritimes is complete without a lobster dinner, and this is the place to get it! This event will be offered nightly from May 29-June 3.
Acadian Old Growth Forest
ESAC will be hosting a Field Trip to an Acadian Old Growth forest, led by the COnservation Council of New Brunswick. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online along with registration to the Conference.
Downtown Culture Crawl
Delegates will be invited to visit art galleries, fine craft studios and the shops of downtown Fredericton. They can join in a Culture Crawl where galleries will throw open their doors and roll out the red carpet for Congress 2011 participants.
Guided Heritage Walking Tours
Costumed guides will entertain delegates with local history and folklore on a one hour heritage walking tour of downtown. The free tour will starts in the Historic Garrison District each night at 6 p.m.
Changing of the Guard
With a flash of scarlet and a skirl of pipes, history will come to life in downtown Fredericton. The Changing of the Guard Ceremony pays honour to the birth of the Canadian Military in 1884. During Congress, it will take place each night at 7 p.m. in Officers’ Square.
Outdoor Concert Series
This series will feature Maritime music at its best. Nightly outdoor concerts will take place in the city’s primary national historic site, the Historic Garrison District. The concerts will start at 7:30 p.m. in Officers’ Square.
Guided Bike Tours
Delegates will be invited to explore the city’s 85 kilometres of trails on a bike at River Trails Bike Rentals. With an experienced guide, participants can cycle through a rich tapestry of natural beauty and historic landmarks to discover many wonderful things about the city including a loyalist cemetery and the grand Victorian architecture. This will be offered daily to Congress 2011 delegates.
Arts and Artisans: New Brunswick College of Craft and Design
Delegates will be able to find local crafts and watch artisans at work in the Barracks Fine Craft Shops.
Congress 2011 participants will be invited to visit a display of student arts and crafts at the NBCCD, including its new aboriginal visual arts program.
EdVentures
Delegates will be invited to experience Fredericton’s award winning edVentures vacation learning program during Congress. Delegates and their partners will be able to choose from a series of hands-on, one day workshops in areas such as rug hooking, jewelry making, 19th century open-hearth cooking and more.
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Delegates will be able to see the works of Dali, Colville, Kreighoff and many more at the world-class Beaverbrook Art Gallery, located on the banks of the St. John River. Congress delegates who show their badge will receive a 25% discount on admission. A special exhibit of Atlantic Canadian art from the permanent collection will be featured. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online along with registration to the Conference.
Day Trips
A number of interesting locations are less than an hour away. Among them are Kings Landing Historical Park, Mactaquac Provincial Park, the wondrous St. John River Valley and the unique hand made crafts created by the artisans in the Village of Gagetown.
Pre and Post Congress Packages
Have you seen a whale? Or the world’s highest tides? Individuals wanting to spend additional time in the region can take advantage of a variety of pre and post Congress packages put together by NB Tourism.
Students from all across the country who will be participating in in the 2011 ESAC Conference “People, Places and Sustainability: Exploring Ideas Across Communities” are invited to enter their submissions to the ESAC Informational Poster Contest. All ESAC members are invited to submit posters but only posters with students listed as first author will qualify.
Posters are intended as a communication of the research you will be presenting at the conference, and will be judged on creativity, presentation and quality of research. The topics of the poster must be related to one or more of the conference themes as described in the Call for Papers.
Please submit poster abstracts to Conference Chair Tara Goetze at tcgoetze@mac.com, by February 15th, 2011. Posters will be judged by a jury of faculty and graduate students.Three winners will receive cash awards, a free ESAC membership renewals…and the admiration of your peers, of course! Grand Prize winner will be featured in an upcoming issue of Alternatives. The posters will be displayed and the winners announced at the ESAC Wine & Cheese reception on Tues, May 3oth, 5:30-7:30 at the Beaverbrook Gallery in Fredericton.
Last year’s Poster Contest winners were Joanne Macdonald and Ashlee Cunsolo-Willox. Macdonald’s poster is featured below.
CALL FOR PAPERS
ESAC CONFERENCE 2011, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Conference theme: People, Places and Sustainability: Exploring Ideas across Communities
Paper proposals are invited for a panel session on Sustainable Development and Fossil Capitalism
Panel Description
Corporations in the coal, gas, and oil extraction industries, among others (e.g., the automobile and transportation sectors) are expending great effort to make the case that continued reliance upon fossil fuels can be made environmentally sustainable. In some cases, governments are supporting this case by subsidizing the environmental costs, investing in technology research that will prolong the use of conventional and unconventional fossil fuels, or engaging in public relations campaigns that mirror those of the corporations. We are hearing today about “clean coal,” “clean energy” (from tar sands production), “responsible energy production,” and other claims based on technological advances or comparisons with other energy sources that purport to be consistent with “sustainable development.” To some extent, the concern to defend fossil fuels extraction and use as “sustainable” may be shifting to the weaker criteria of necessity (for economic and security reasons) and public safety. Deep water drilling for oil, drilling in the Arctic, or the construction of new pipelines are being represented as both necessary and possible to do “safely,” even if they entail regrettable costs for global warming. What research is being done on the public relations strategies and other initiatives (e.g., funding of university research, corporate donations, funding of elementary and secondary school curricula and resources) of corporate and government actors engaged in the struggle to shape public policy and public perceptions about the meaning of sustainable development? How defenders of fossil capitalism addressing the global crisis of climate change and responding to their ecological critics? Presentations in this session will offer empirically-grounded analyses of the current strategies of key actors committed to representing fossil capitalism as environmentally sustainable. What resources are being utilized to design, fund, and disseminate these campaigns? What roles are diverse media playing? What lessons can political ecologists and social justice activists learn from these analyses?
Please send a one-page proposal by February 15, 2011 to Laurie Adkin at ladkin@ualberta.ca
CALL FOR PAPERS
Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC)
2011 Annual Conference
University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University
May 30 – 31, 2011
People, Places and Sustainability: Exploring Ideas Across Communities
Download your 11×17 copy of the promotional poster here in English or French!
The Full Conference Program and Schedule of the ESAC Conference has been released and is available for download at your convenience.
The Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC) is pleased to invite you to submit a paper or poster proposal for its annual conference, held in conjunction with the 2011 Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, at the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB.
As Canada’s leading association of researchers and practitioners involved in a broad range of environmental fields, ESAC aims for its conferences to facilitate constructive dialogue across a range of environment-related fields and practices. The 2011 ESAC conference provides a unique opportunity for delegates to take part in a lively exchange of ideas relating to sustainability among a broad range of concerned/involved communities, including academics, students, practitioners, policy makers, local citizens, entrepreneurs and activists.
This year’s conference theme, “People, Places and Sustainability: Exploring Ideas Across Communities”, highlights the terms ‘sustainable’, ‘sustainably’, ‘sustainability’, which have become increasingly embedded – and contested – in popular discourse around the world. The concept of ‘sustainability’ is being mobilized by various actors in myriad contexts around the globe, from environmental NGOs, to businesses ‘greenwashing’ products and services, to development agencies. At the same time, increasing attention is focused on the need to reconsider the sustainability of economic, political, and social systems, (greening business; social capitalism; steady state economics; cooperative resource management; ‘deliberate simplicity’ movement, etc.), creating a broadening understanding of what is meant by the term ‘sustainability’ and the factors that contribute to its realization.
The 2011 ESAC conference seeks to promote discussion of the multiple dimensions, meanings and facets of sustainability. We encourage the participation of individuals and groups working in various environment-related fields, including international development, economics, policy studies, history, indigenous studies, geography, resource management, conservation, planning, anthropology, sociology, business, international relations and political science, among others.
Members of NGOs, community groups, the public and private sector, along with academic researchers and students are encouraged to submit papers, posters, and/or organize panels on a broad range of issues and case studies related to the social dimensions of sustainability such as:
· Politics of Environmental Knowledges (traditional, local, scientific)
· Sustainable Development (urban, rural, energy, resource use, food systems)
· Climate Change
· Community Resilience
· Sustainable Livelihoods
· Ecosystem Goods and Services
· Indigenous Peoples and Environment
· Policy and Sustainability (international, national, municipal)
· Gender and Environment
· Environmental Education
· Resource Management / Conservation
· Economics of Sustainability (consumption, production, marketing)
· Social Movements (deliberate simplicity, intentional communities)
· Historical Perspectives
· Human Security and Conflict
The deadline for abstract submissions is February 15, 2011.
The paper or poster abstract must be 300 words or less, and should include:
· your name, position and institution;
· your title and a description of your object of study;
· your theoretical framework and methodology of research;
· your conclusions;
· the relevance of your topic to sustainability or environmental studies.
Panel or roundtable proposals may be submitted using the following form available in English or French. Please submit proposals to Tara Goetze, Conference Chair: tcgoetze@mac.com
All proposals will be evaluated by the ESAC conference committee. Acceptance emails will be sent out in early March.
You must be an ESAC member in good standing to present a paper or poster at the conference. once accepted, all presenters must also register for the conference via the congress website. Conference registration is ongoing until June 4, 2011.
Travel grants will be available to qualifying presenters. You must fill out and submit an application form before February 1, 2011 to be eligible for a travel grant.
Further details regarding conference registration, accommodations, social events, etc. will be distributed in subsequent announcements. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Tara C. Goetze, PhD
ESAC 2011 Conference Chair
+1.613.263.8241
tcgoetze@mac.com
