SUSTAINABLE TORONTO “Promoting Community Sustainability: Linking Research and Action” presented by: Dr. Beth Savan, Director, Environmental Studies Program, Innis College, University of Toronto and Dr. Lewis Molot, Associate Dean and Graduate Program Director, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University

a Community University Research Alliance (CURA) Supported by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

What is a CURA? based on the European “Science Shops” model Primary goals for all CURA projects: formally recognize role of community groups in undertaking research recognize value of action-oriented research encourage university outreach to the community form partnerships for research and action Based on the Netherlands “Science Shops” model ongoing for 30 years currently fifty “science shops” operating across all thirteen Dutch universities have amassed a wealth of experience upon which the Canadian program is partly based in which community-based organizations bring problems or needs to teams of faculty and students, who act like consultants the difference in our program is that the community groups are equal and on-going partners

What is Sustainability? Brundtland definition Five broad requirements: Integration of conservation and development Satisfaction of basic human needs Achievement of equity and social justice Provision for social self-determination and cultural diversity Maintenance of ecological integrity Sustainable development interchangeable term with sustainability. The Brundtland Commission Report, Our Common Future, first popularized the concept of sustainable development as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. SD proposes a new paradigm of decision making for all sectors of society based on a better appreciation of the complex interconnections between economic, social and environmental issues, and the impact of today’s decisions on future generations. It seeks to develop strategies and tools to respond to five broad requirements: Community sustainability is a state in which local government, individuals and organizations in all sectors have made sustainability a core value for their decisions and actions, making choices that simultaneously enhance or maintain the well-being of both people and the ecosystem, without placing unbearable burdens – environmental, economic or social – on current or future generations. Sustainability as a central principle for Toronto’s new Strategic Plan

SUSTAINABLE TORONTO Major Objectives Engage all sectors Increase collaboration Build capacity Enhance education Aid informed decision-makers Develop a network Based on our Mission and Vision, and the project goals of SUSTAINABLE TORONTO, the following major objectives are identified: Engage all sectors of the community in discussion of sustainability issues and increase collaboration in sustainability efforts. Build the capacity of ST participants and community members to be more knowledgeable, confident, effective and collaborative in their endeavours toward sustainability goals. Enhance education, curricula and student employability in fields related to sustainability. Provide information and tools to aid informed decision-makers in all sectors as they progress toward a sustainable society. Contribute to the development of a network of community sustainability initiatives in other jurisdictions.

Our Founding Partners Environmental Studies Program, University of Toronto York Centre for Applied Sustainability, York University City of Toronto Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy Toronto Environmental Alliance Health Promotion and Environmental Protection Office - Toronto Public Health Learning for a Sustainable Future FoodShare Citizens’ Environment Watch Map Reflections Sustainability Network

The Projects ... Community Right to Know Seeds of Our City Monitoring for Sustainability Community Right to Know Promoting Awareness of the Links between Health and Environment Professional Development for Sustainable Learning Building Management Capacity in the ENGO Sector Understanding Shifts in Canadian Environmental Governance Building Effective Leadership Tool Kit for Sustainable Governance Understanding and Facilitating Community-Based Research in Canada FoodShare - linking cultural diversity with biodiversity at community garden sites in Toronto, documenting the food they grow, how they use it, and why CEW & MR - water quality data collected by CEW through community volunteers is shared and interpretted by MR through their GIS capabilities CIELAP - to provide a State of the Environment in Ontario report containing scientific and policy information HProm&EPO-TPH - increase public awareness of how the natural and built environment might adversely affect human health LSF - Professional Development Institutes bringing together teachers, students, local business, community and environmental groups to develop understanding of sustainability Sust. Network - increasing the management capacity of ENGOs by creating resource materials for distribution across the province Doug MacDonald - working with TEA in a two-way flow of research and policy analysis, exploring how environmental non-profits are to function as effectively as possible in today’s devolving environmental regulatory system TEA - through a series of training workshops, this project will build the capacity of community environmental leaders UofT, York, City - host a series of workshops leading to an international conference with the specific objective of creating a set of tools for the adoption of sustainability in governance Beth Savan - investigating impediments and incentives affecting Canadian community-based research (CBR), and their root cause

Our Model Research and action projects designed Graduate and undergraduate students from York University and U of T hired Academic Advisor from host university will assist research Community group provides real-world application Collaboration encouraged to help forge new alliances Communications and outreach New partners for future collaborations A series of research and action projects are collaboratively designed and carried out by community groups and academic advisors. Each project hires a graduate student and at least one undergraduate student to provide research assistance. The Academic Advisor at the host University will assist the graduate student and the community group with their research project. The community group will provide the students with useful experience and a real-world application for academic research. Collaboration among projects is nurtured and encouraged to help forge new alliances. Extensive communications and outreach include: workshops among Partners and with the larger community collaborative research papers presentations New partners for future collaborations.

What the Academic Community Brings to the Community Groups New contacts New funding and publishing opportunities New openness New skills and rigour Student resources If time permits

What the Community Groups Bring to the Academic Community A sense of place Interesting research agenda New skills communication Concrete environmental results Opportunities for faculty and students to work in communities If time permits

Early Outcomes new course and curriculum innovations field work in community water monitoring for high school students links with GIS-based tool redesigned website for Toronto Public Health pulls together and analyses all existing publications directory of ethno-cultural organizations and the environment published CIELAP’s Community Right to Know study Descriptions new course and curriculum innovations – paper submitted for Rio + 10 CEW/Map Reflections project Website for Toronto Public Health collection of public health literature Sustainability Network directed the research and publication of Ethno-cultural Directory which is now available on-line and in hard copy. It reasons that addressing the challenges of sustainability issues in Ontario calls for joint and cooperative efforts by the province’s environmental groups and ethno-cultural communities. CIELAP is assessing the state of surface and ground water quality, demonstrating the decline in detection of contaminants and associated danger to public health, and proposing an optimal framework for sustainable surface and ground water management More Early Outcomes new research program on Understanding and Facilitating Community-Based Research ten 2-day regional workshops, ‘Professional Institutes’, to facilitate community-led decision-making to find solutions to local sustainability issues

Contact Information Barbara Schaefer barbara.schaefer@utoronto.ca Project Coordinator 416 978 0169 tel Sustainable Toronto 416 971 2078 fax Beth Savan b.savan@utoronto.ca Director 416 978 7458 tel Environ’l Studies Program 416 971 2078 fax Innis College, U of T www.sustainabletoronto.ca You may simply go to the Google.com search engine and enter Sustainable Toronto to find us.