WGSI (Waterloo Global Science Initiative) brings organizations in the Waterloo Region (ON, Canada) with an interest in sustainability and energy issues together under the #PowerShiftWR banner for a week of public programming that will engage all ages in discussions about our energy choices. Dr. Stephanie Sobek-Swant, Executive Director of the rare Charitable Research Reserve, will give a special Earth Week lecture at CIGI as part of this programming.
The protection and conservation of natural spaces and the ecological goods and services they provide is vital to both the population health of local species, as well as the physical, social, and economic health of the community. Urban green spaces function as carbon sinks, and are linked to biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services for human health and well-being. We need space for conservation, agriculture, sustainable energy options and a growing population. Learn about North House as a local example for living on a small footprint in a cutting-edge solar housing model that produces more energy than it consumes. North House, Canada’s award-winning entry to the 2009 International Solar Decathlon, is a $4 million research investment at the University of Waterloo that found a permanent home at rare. It provides the opportunity to research cutting-edge engineering technology and is a tangible way to let the community experience sustainable design and technology.