Speaker Profiles
admin January 9th, 2008
Hunter Lovins - Natural Capitalism, Inc.
Trained as a lawyer (JD, Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles), Hunter Lovins has managed international non-profits, created several corporations, and is in great demand as a speaker and consultant. Her areas of interest and expertise include Natural Capitalism, globalization, economic development, governance, land management, energy, water, green real-estate development and community economic development. She has taught at dozens of universities, including an engagement as the Henry R. Luce Visiting Professor at Dartmouth College. She is currently Professor of Business at Presidio School of Management in the first accredited MBA program in Sustainable Management. Lovins has co-authored nine books and dozens of papers, and was featured in the award-winning film, Lovins On the Soft Path.
Lovins has consulted for governments and the private sector, briefing senior management at such organizations as the international finance corporation, Interface, Inc., Bank of America, Allstate, Calvert Social Investment Fund, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and numerous utility companies. Lovins’ public-sector clients have included the U.S. Defense Civil Preparedness Agency of the pentagon, Environmental Protection Agency, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Solar Energy Research Institute, and the German Federal Environment Agency. She has addressed such audiences as the U.S. Congress, The World Economic Forum at Davos, the World’s Fair Energy Symposia, the Industrial Designers Society’s WorlDesign, the Epiphany service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the State of the World Forum, Bioneers, the Global Economic Forum, the World Watch State of the World Conference and hundreds of conferences and college symposia. She has appeared on numerous television shows including “60 Minutes,” “Good Morning America,” Pat Robertson’s “700 Club,” Today, Bill Moyers’ “NOW,” and hundreds of news programs.
Rebecca Johnson - Councillor at Large, City of Thunder Bay
Rebecca’s involvement in Council committees and Task Forces is quite extensive. Within the community she sits on various organizations’ Board of Directors such as the Thunder Bay Business Women’s Network, Leadership Thunder Bay, Police Youth Corps, PARO – Accelerator Program Advisory Board among others. Rebecca is an active member of Diversity Thunder Bay, Litter Free, The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce, the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Team, the Thunder Bay Economic Development Coordinating Committee, the Canadian Hearing Society Access Committee, the Slate River Women’s Institute, and the Thunder Bay District Women’s Institute, the Food Action Network, and more.
John Stephenson, B.Arch., OAA, MRAIC
A founding partner of Kuch Stephenson Gibson Malo Architects & Engineer, John has been practicing architecture in Thunder Bay since 1986 and has resided in the north for over 27 years. KSGM’s award winning practice includes projects completed for a wide range of both public and private sector clients as well as several notable private/public sector partnerships. KSGM’s practice is focused on the design and construction of buildings that demonstrate a high degree of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability and that are evocative of the materials and building traditions of the north. KSGM are LEED accredited practitioners. John’s talk, entitled ‘Building Green in the North’ will review the firm’s approach to sustainable design through an integrated practice model. It will highlight a highlight a number of examples of both real and theoretical recent projects that illustrate the potential of this approach to contribute to Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability and Green Economic Development in the North.
Charles Campbell - Thunder Bay - Earthwise
EarthWise Thunder Bay is currently in the process of developing a Community Environmental Action Plan (CEAP) for the city of Thunder Bay. This process began in the summer of 2004, when the City of Thunder Bay committed to developing a CEAP to promote a sustainable, healthy environmental community. The development of the CEAP also supports a number of resolutions already passed by Council with the end goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the City of Thunder Bay.
The first step was the development of an Environmental Policy, which was developed in 2005 with collaboration between community partners, citizens, and the EarthWise Steering Committee. Currently, EarthWise is looking for public input and involvement in a number of working groups who are each focusing on specific issue sections of the CEAP. The CEAP will be instrumental in delivering a healthy biophysical and socioeconomic environment to the citizens of Thunder Bay and creating a more comprehensive, systems-oriented framework for municipal operations.
Dennis Walsh - green@work / Sustainable City Conferences
green@work provides readers with essential literacy on environmental and social sustainability in the business context. It explores developments in the greening of business, and covers relevant legislative and regulatory trends. It delivers basic tools and suggestions for applying the principles of sustainability-both professionally and personally.
Each issue delivers insightful coverage of the latest in corporate sustainability and previews of what’s on the horizon. It presents critical information and makes it meaningful and applicable: which issues are crucial, what’s being done successfully and how you can do it.
green@work’s readers are the socially conscious professionals at the forefront of the move to sustainability. They are the early adopters of green products, socially responsible investors and the people who educate their friends and family about the benefits of green living. They are also conscientious, mission-driven professionals helping businesses plan and execute for long-term success.
Kerry Adler, CEO - Sky Power
Every kWh produced from sunlight saves money. Every kWh you produce from sunshine is a constant cost per kWh. Every dollar you pay for electricity generates between 4 to 8 pounds of CO2 due to the need to burn coal or natural gas to make most of the electricity they sell — and we all know what excess CO2 is doing to our planet and our children’s future way of life. In addition, 16% of the power you buy from utilities comes from the use of nuclear power plants, and we know what can happen to them — just ask the folks outside Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania. By contrast, every kWh you produce from converting photons to electrons generates zero CO2, and actually reduces your personal “carbon footprint” by some 3 miles not driven by a standard 20 mpg automobile for each kWh produced by your solar electric system. The average solar electric system (4 kW DC) can actually help you prevent more CO2 emission each year than buying a Toyota Prius hybrid to replace a 50,000 mile annual commute with a standard 20 mpg car. What’s more, that solar electric system will help increase the equity value of a home.
Theresa Durkin - HOK
HOK is a global architectural firm committed to developing resources and expertise to help lead the world toward sustainable communities and building environments. As a recognized leader in the worldwide sustainability movement, HOK felt it was imperative to “walk the talk” in its own operations. HOK has purchased renewable energy credits from wind farms to offset 100 percent of the annual electricity used in its offices worldwide. HOK’s commitment has helped strengthen pride within the firm and has solidified HOK’s reputation as a pioneer in the industry.
Peter Love - Ontario Power Authority
The Ontario Power Authority will balance the short-term and long-term needs of electricity users while developing a reliable and sustainable electricity system for their benefit. A sustainable, competitive and reliable electricity system for the benefit of Ontario consumers, the Ontario Power Authority contributes to the development of a reliable and sustainable electricity system for the benefit of Ontario customers. In doing so, we plan for the long term and procure and coordinate conservation and electricity supply from diverse resources.
Jamie Shipley - CMHC
Beyond the R2000 and Energy Star home Equilibrium (EQ) homes generate their own renewable energy reducing the environmental impact of the home to a minimum. The EQ home is designed to generate as much energy required to operate on an annual basis and they incorporate healthy housing principles including resource efficiency, indoor air quality and environmental responsibility. We are currently building 12 EQ demonstration homes across the country as a research project this session will showcase the homes, the challenges and will share our vision for the future of housing in Canada.
Dermot J. Sweeny - Principal BES, B.ARCH, OAA, AAA, AAPEI, MRAIC - &Co
Designing and building green has always been about cost — and so it remains. However, there has been a paradigm shift. Now the question is not only, “is the extra financial cost worth it…?” but also, “what are the environmental costs in not building green?”
Typically in North America, the primary concerns for both landlords and tenants were aligned and focused on location and net rent. Given that there was very little to differentiate buildings, issues such as tenant inducement also arose. In addition, over the past forty years, fewer and fewer occupants own their own buildings and have therefore lost touch with operating and maintaining them.
However, new drivers of change are currently at the forefront towards constructing better buildings. Tenants are demanding change driven by human comfort and human resources, lower gross costs of occupancy, and flexibility and positive brand positioning relative to the environment.
Now we are looking at breaking down the two principle barriers to change: preconceived notions relating to cost and lack of knowledge as to what is possible. Better buildings are not more expensive. In fact, when operating and maintenance savings are considered, these buildings become less expensive well within the first five years of operation. Sometimes they are even often capital cost neutral from the start.
The discussion will include savings and experience from architectural design precedents and a
segment about LEED and associated costs (not as much as you might think!)
Gwen Glover - Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
Until very recently, the growth of renewable energy in Ontario has been exceedingly slow. Although wind power and other renewable energy sectors grew significantly in Western Europe in the early 1990s, significant growth of the sector has only occurred in the last five or so years in Ontario.
Effective government support for small-scale renewables was virtually non-existent in Ontario until very recently. The growth of the renewable energy sector in other countries is often attributed to government support in the form of advanced renewable tariffs (ARTs) or standard offer programs.
The Ontario government sought OSEA’s input on a standard offer contract program (SOP) to support the growth of the Community Power Sector in Ontario, and the program was implemented in 2006. The SOP is designed to support the development of renewable energy by offering fixed rates for electricity generated by wind, solar, biomass, and small hydro installations. The SOP has been successful at promoting the development of renewable energy in Ontario.
Another key program in place for small electricity producers is the net metering program. Net metering allows homeowners to generate electricity for their own use and sell a little back to the grid to help offset their regular use.
Juan Anderson, B.Eng Aerospace - M.K. Ince and Associates
A graduate of Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University, Juan has worked in Canada’s dynamic wind industry for the past three years. He is a former and future resident of the Thunder Bay area. Through the rapid growth of the wind industry and consultant M. K. Ince & Associates Ltd (MKI), Juan has worked on a wide variety of projects for clients ranging from farmers to municipalities as well as national and international wind development companies. Juan’s presentation will focus on the degrees to which municipalities should participate in wind development and maximize the value of their wind resource. MKI’s experience with public and private developers will be used to highlight some common project challenges and to suggest development models that can be used to match a municipality’s potential for environmental, social, and economic development from wind.
Rob Rempel - Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research
Rob Rempel is research scientist from the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research (CNFER), which is a Ministry of Natural Resources research facility located at Lakehead University campus in Thunder Bay. Rob’s research is focused on providing and evaluating alternative approaches to forest management that better conserve biodiversity. He is currently studying the effects of climate change on biodiversity, and the role that healthy forests can play in both reducing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and providing critical habitat for the forest songbird community. A relatively new interest is the role that forest bio-fuels and wind-power generation can play in reducing global greenhouse gases, together with some of the biodiversity opportunities and issues that surround the use of these technologies.
Hubert Den Draak - Nolalu Eco Centre
Hubert Den Draak and his wife Jacomyn Gerbrandy designed and built Ontario’s largest solar- (and soon: wind-) powered straw-bale facility: the Nolalu Eco Centre. Located on 311 acres of fields and boreal forest, the Eco Centre is a hands-on example of what it’s like to live a comfortable life style that’s more in harmony with the environment. It offers an ecology-centered learning setting, with house tours, workshops and special events. Visitors experience first-hand what it is like to live in a house that doesn’t have any bills for electricity or heating, has minimal impact on our fragile eco system, is healthy to live in and affordable to build.
Tired of everybody talking the eco talk and not many walking it, the couple moved to Northwestern Ontario to build an environmentally sustainable house as proof that anyone can do it. All it takes is having the right priorities and the courage to do things somewhat differently. Less than a year after its opening, the Nolalu Eco Centre now draws visitors and workshop participants from all over Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and has established itself as a regional showcase for a greener life style.
Michael Squier - Coordinator, Township of Schreiber Training Centre
The Township of Schreiber is a small municipality of 1200 people 200km east of Thunder Bay; located along the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior Schreiber has the luxury of having nature right at its door step. The Casque Isle Hiking Trail, Slate Islands along with many provincial and national parks are within a short boat, bike or car ride of downtown Schreiber.
The Township of Schreiber has traditionally been a railroad, mining and forestry town but we have recently seen a dramatic decline in these industries. Since that time Schreiber has undertaken several small scale projects that focus on energy conservation and renewable energy promotion. Projects such as our Solar Streetlight Project, Energy Efficiency Tradeshow, North Shore Green Workshops and the introduction of reusable shopping bags have helped Schreiber work towards its strategic plan of becoming a “Green Community”. These projects also help us give back to the earth instead of taking from it.
Schreiber has a team of outstanding municipal employees working hard to continue the trend of energy conservation promotion. Community Development Officer Anthony Friedrich and Schreiber Training Centre Coordinator Michael Squier have dedicated a large amount of their time to developing the aforementioned projects. These two will continue to champion renewable energy and energy conservation in the future to ensure that Schreiber continues engineering our small town dream.
Dr Myint Win BO - DST Consulting Engineers
BSc, DUC, M.Sc, Ph.D, FGS, FICE, P.Geo, C.Geol, C.Scic, C.Eng, C. Env, Eur Geol, Eur Eng
Dr. M W BO is a Director (Geo-Services) at DST Consulting Engineers Inc.. He graduated with B.Sc (Geology) from the University of Rangoon and received Postgraduate Diploma in Hydrogeology from University College London, UK and MSc Degree from University of London, UK. He obtained his Ph.D in Civil Engineering (specialized in geotechnics) from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society, London, UK and a Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineer, UK. He is also a professional geoscientist, chartered Geologist, Chartered Scientist, Chartered Engineer, Chartered Environmentalist, European Geologist and European Engineer. Dr Bo is a member of panel of experts for Federation of European Geologists and also a committee member of Technical Committee 39 for International society of Soil mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Committee member of Technical Committee for International Geosythetic Society and also a committee member of Soil and Rock committee D-18 for American Society of Material Testing. Dr Bo is also a Vice-Director of the Thunder Bay section of Canadian Geotechnical Society. He worked for the Myanmar Government as an Engineering Geologist cum Hydrogeologist for 11 years and a Water Resources Engineer for 2 years. He worked in Singapore as a Consulting Geotechnical Engineer for 11 years in SPECS Consultants Pte Ltd and headed the Geotechnical Division in the Changi East Reclamation Projects in Singapore. He also acted as a Consultant and Technical Advisor for some reclamation and ground improvement projects in the Far East. Dr Bo worked in Faber Maunsell Ltd, UK as a Technical Director for 4 years till mid 2007. Dr Bo is experience practicing engineer as well as educator and he has been giving several special lectures and workshops in the international conferences, tertiary institutions and professional associations. He is a co-supervisor of a few Ph.D students in Swinburne University of technology, Australia and also an external examiner of higher research degrees for Curtin Technological University, Australia and Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. He is also a research partner with Swinburne University of Technology for a few government funded research projects. He has published 100 over papers in International Journals and conferences. He is also a first author of textbooks entitled “SOIL IMPROVEMENT” and “RECLAMATION AND GROUND IMPROVEMENT”. Dr Bo is also an author of forthcoming textbook entitled “COMPRESSIBILITY OF ULTRA_SOFT SOIL” to be published by World Scientific in late 2007. He also has written a chapter in a textbook on “GROUND IMPROVEMENT, CASE STUDIES”. Due to his significant contributions to the engineering industry and extensive industrial research works carried out while he was working as consultants in the Far East, his name has appeared in WHO IS WHO IN THE WORLD 2007& 2008 and also has appeared in WHO IS WHO IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2008.
Keely Hartviksen, HBA, MA, Investment Advisor – TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice
Keely’s talk entitled ‘Sustainable Prosperity: Opportunities in Socially Responsible Investing’ explores investing strategies that can make a difference in the world without compromising your personal financial goals. She provides comprehensive wealth management advice including building customized investment portfolios for her clients who are interested in ethical and sustainable investing strategies. By integrating environmental, social and governance factors into your investment decision making process your investments and community can prosper.
