Okanagan College Media Release

Four renowned experts on the topics of community sustainability, environmentalism and climate change will address a range of local and global issues on Oct. 24 and 25 when Okanagan College and Willis Associates present the Conference on Community Sustainability in a Changing Global Environment at the Kalamalka Campus Lecture Theatre.

The two-day conference is part of Okanagan College’s annual Speakers’ Series, which will bring together students, professors, the general public and the business community to hear national and international experts weigh in on critical issues for the public.

The first session will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 with presentations from John Robinson, a professor from the Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, and Bruce Sampson, an international environmental consultant.

Robinson will speak about climate change issues and share some of the work he and his institute are engaging in on the issue of trying to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation in broader strategies of social change for sustainability.

Sampson will review three global challenges: energy, climate, and ecosystems, and will touch on his experiences with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the approach leading businesses are taking to address these issues.

The second day of the conference will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 9 a.m. with a presentation by Tim Lesiuk, Climate Change Secretariat for the BC Government. Lesiuk will discuss various approaches to sustainability in the face of climate change that might be especially effective in communities struggling with these issues, independent of the struggle in larger urban environments.

The final speaker for the conference will be Richard Hebda of the Royal BC Museum and the University of Victoria. Hebda, an internationally acclaimed specialist in the field of climate change, will focus on what communities can do to alter best practices so that they address the complex issues of climate change.

Following Hebda’s presentation, a roundtable discussion with all four speakers will take place.

Tickets for the conference are $50 for both sessions and $30 for one session for the general public. The conference is offering a special rate of $5/ticket for post-secondary students.

Seating is limited and tickets can be purchased at Okanagan College’s Kalamalka Campus, The Vernon Chamber Of Commerce and The Bean Scene