Humber College Participates in Global Conference About Sustainability in Higher Education
By Esha Rana
On October 18, October 26 and November 3, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) organized the Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (GCSHE). Team members from Humber’s Office of Sustainability, Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre (SWAC) and IGNITE student union attended the conference.
Centred around the theme of “The Urgency of Now,” the virtual conference discussed challenges, fallacies and strategies for tackling the climate crisis in the context of higher education.
The conference attendees — all from different departments and with different schedules — digitally convened during the mornings of the conference to discuss the sessions they would be attending. Questions, discussions, reflections and suggestions for further reading flowed freely during the day in-between the talks.
“Sustainability means moving into what will be, and not holding onto what was.” —Tyson Yunkaporta
The keynote addresses were particularly thought-provoking. The opening keynote speaker was Tyson Yunkaporta, senior lecturer, Indigenous Knowledges, Deakin University, followed by Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and Dr. Elizabeth Popp Berman, professor of Organizational Studies at University of Michigan. The second day had keynote speeches by Kumi Naidoo, special advisor to the Green Economy Coalition and Dr. April Anson, assistant professor of Public Humanities, San Diego State University. On the final day, Jason Hickel, professor at the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona; Jessica Yinka Thomas, president, B Academics and Director of Business Sustainability Collaborative and Assistant Professor of Practice, North Carolina State University; and Amali Tower, Founder and Executive Director of Climate Refugees, wrapped up the conference’s series of enlightening keynotes.
Speaking about her experience at the conference, Gabi Hentschke, sustainability communications and engagement coordinator at Humber’s Office of Sustainability, said: “This was my first time attending the GCSHE. The mix of keynotes and presentations from post-secondary staff/students in the conference programming kept me inspired, connected to other institutions through shared values, and motivated to grow Humber’s sustainability events and initiatives. One of my many takeaways from the conference is the importance of addressing climate change and sustainability topics with a creative and action-oriented approach, since pessimism can be overwhelming and paralyze us. A quote from Tyson Yunkaporta’s keynote address really resonated with me: “Sustainability means moving into what will be, and not holding onto what was.” It reflects Humber’s values of innovation and courage in a very succinct manner.