Building a National Ocean Literacy Strategy
The health of the ocean(s) is a global priority, signified by the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). The Government of Canada has announced plans to support the UN Decade, a decision that is in alignment with several bold government initiatives including (but not exclusive to) the Oceans Protection Plan, Ocean Plastics Charter, and Conservation 2020’s efforts to reach 10% marine protected areas by 2020. Each of these initiatives (and others), and the upcoming UN Decade, recognize the critical importance of ocean conservation, science and health, as well as growing a sustainable ocean economy over the decades to come. A unifying pan-Canadian strategy is critical to foster systemic change in the way Canadians, on a personal, daily basis, relate to the ocean – a relation known as “Ocean Literacy” (OL). Funded by MITACS Postdoctoral funding this IEL project was part of a Pan-Canadian study and consultation on ocean literacy. This research is developing a national OL strategy through a multisectoral regional consultative approach, guided by three questions: What is the current state of Ocean Literacy in Canada? What are the current gaps and barriers, by region and sector? And, What are key recommendations and implementation plan(s) to advance Ocean Literacy?
Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition
9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC)
In September 2017, the Institute for Environmental Learning organized and hosted the 9th World Environmental Education Congress with the theme Culture /Environment: Weaving New Connections. The theme was specifically designed to showcase Canadian and British Columbian Heritage and Culture by highlighting the unique First Nations Cultures present on the West Coast and their relationship to environmental and sustainability practices and worldviews. The theme also highlighted the unique cultural mosaic of Canadian society against a backdrop of Canadian leadership in the Environmental milieu in tandem with the development of contemporary ‘green’ buildings and sustainable community development. It also celebrated the birth of the environmental movement as a Tblisi +40 event with patronage from UNESCO and UN Environment. The 5 day event also showcased Canada’s leadership role in the field using a range of Canadian talent in its Plenary Sessions which featured BC and Canadian content. Plenary sessions involved speakers such as Guujaaw, the former leader of the Council of the Haida Nation, as well as popular media personalities such as David Suzuki, and also prominent scholars such as Nancy Turner (Order of Canada recipient) and Jeanette Armstrong (celebrated Okanagan author and poet).
Internship in Adaptive Management Curriculum Development
ESSA is an employee-owned Canadian environmental consulting company with offices in British Columbia and Ontario. Funded by MITACS, the project built on an emerging collaboration between the Institute for Environmental Learning and ESSA and saw a specialized internship working closely with ESSA’s senior staff, focusing on Adaptive Management (AM) curriculum and learning module development. Adaptive Management has been the cornerstone of ESSA’s work since its inception in 1979, and informs the mindset the company brings to all of its projects. AM can be described as a systematic, practical approach for improving environmental management policies and practices. It provides a structured process for learning which management actions best meet management objectives, and for reducing uncertainty. ESSA’s real-world experience over four decades has allowed the company to expand and enhance the original academic formulations of Adaptive Management, and the research team is leveraging its stores of experiential knowledge to establish an AM curriculum for environmental professionals. The project includes the presentation of ideas/concepts related to curriculum and learning module development, the writing of learning module content, and elements of graphic design.
ESSA Technologies Ltd. (ESSA)
Co-Design Youth Manual
The latest edition Youth Manual for Sustainable Design was made possible by support from the Vancouver Foundation, the Real Estate Foundation of BC with support from the Institute for Environmental Learning. The manual highlights approaches used working with youth when planning the future of their learning environments and communities can bring tangible benefits. When made aware of the environment beyond their home, youth can bring fresh eyes into the dialogue as part of the Co-design process. Their active lives enlarge the range of activities in the design. Through the co-design process, young people have contributed to the design of many parks, provincial and national parks, city neighbourhoods and small towns throughout British Columbia. When young people are included in planning, the designs show consistent characteristics; a humanity of scale, and a large range of activities that can be enjoyed in the new place. The involvement of youth in planning also encourages civil behaviour and strengthens the community.
Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood Networks (SUNN)
This project was funded by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and involved development of a creative community engagement process that borrowed from the tradition of the architectural ‘design charette’ while also retaining features of ‘community mapping’ common in environmental education practice. A series of urban design charrettes were used to explore ways to meet population targets identified in Metro Vancouver’s regional growth strategy by applying the principles of human-scaled urbanism at the scale of the neighbourhood centre, or “quartier”. The charrette and its analysis was part of the Institute’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood Network (SUNN) project, an initiative to research and develop a more open, inclusive, and cost-effective neighbourhood planning protocol. Focused on long-term sustainability through growth, the charrette demonstrated and tested a streamlined sustainable community planning process in Vancouver’s Historic Area.
Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood Network (SUNN)