Seneca campuses remain open today but day and evening in-person classes will move online where possible, due to snowfall. Read more
Be part of the Green Citizen Symposium, a dynamic two-day online event where innovative ideas spark real-world action. Connect virtually with trailblazing innovators, Indigenous leaders and renowned non-profits as they share their invaluable experiences and insights on tackling global challenges.
This year’s theme, “Bridges to Resilience: Connecting People, Ideas and Solutions,” emphasizes the power of collaboration and innovation in building sustainable futures.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be inspired, learn, and contribute to a sustainable future. Let’s thrive and transform together!
All members of the Seneca community are welcome to register for any of the four sessions. Each session involves a keynote and a workshop; we encourage you to participate in both as the discussion will be related but it is possible to participate separately.
Attendance is free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today!
Presented by:
Panel - Wildfire Futures: Environmental Impact & Resilience Strategies
Experts from diverse sectors — including education, civil society, business services and research — will share their unique perspectives and experiences with wildfires. The discussion will highlight cross-sectoral insights into wildfire impacts, response strategies and opportunities for collaboration in building resilience.
Louis-Blaise Dumais-Lévesque TD Insurance
Olivier Chalifour PhD candidate in climate science at Concordia University
Stu Clark Wildfire Awareness Society
Register now!
Wildfire Ready: Building Resilience through FireSmart Workshop
Join FireSmart Canada for an engaging workshop focused on wildfire risk reduction. Gain essential knowledge, strategies and tools to protect your property and community from wildfire risks. This session will offer practical guidance and access to expert insights to help you stay safe and informed.
Magda Zachara FireSmart Canada
Ryan Kyle FireSmart Canada
Keynote - How to be a Climate Optimist
In this presentation, based on his most recent bestselling book, Chris Turner distills 20 years on the climate solutions beat worldwide into a powerful case for optimism in the face of the challenge of climate change. Turner has been reporting on clean energy, sustainable business, and smart green design the world over since long before any of these were mainstream interests, and he draws on the full breadth of his extensive reporting to paint a vivid portrait of a global energy transition already tackling the climate crisis and pointing the way to a much brighter future.
Chris Turner Energy Transition, Climate Solutions and Global Cleantech Expert
Workshop - Cultivating Changemakers: Finding Your Role in the Climate Justice Movement
Join activist-scholar Manvi Bhalla for an interactive 75-minute workshop designed to help you explore your unique role in advancing climate justice. Through storytelling, reflection and collaborative activities, you will deepen your understanding of climate justice, connect personal values with collective action, and leave with practical tools for sustaining meaningful change in your communities.
Manvi Bhalla Shake Up The Establishment
Keynote -Humanitarian Response in a Changing Climate: How You Can Make a Difference
Join Bren Melles from the Humanitarian Coalition for a compelling conversation on how climate change is intensifying natural disasters—and why this surge demands a stronger, more co-ordinated humanitarian response. Discover the urgent link between environmental shifts and global aid efforts.
Bren Melles Humanitarian Coalition
Workshop - Cultivating Hope and Dignity in Uncertain Times
The climate-crisis, among other world events, effects all areas of our lives including our health and our work. Yet within every career, there exists opportunities to improve our world, maintain our dignity, and build a better and more hopeful future. In this presentation, you will: Examine about how the climate-crisis impacts our well-being and work;Explore Hope as a concept and engage in exercises exploring what matters to you;Learn about how every job can be a green job and ways to cultivate dignity and hope at work!
Trevor Lehmann Climate-Informed Counsellors Chapter of the Canadian Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association
Keynote - Representation Matters: Building an Indigenous Brand in Beauty Space
In this keynote, Jenn Harper will share the importance of representation in different spaces; clean and sustainable beauty rooted in Indigenous wisdom and Western science, innovation and research; and building a brand from the ground up.
Jenn Harper Cheekbone Beauty
Designing for Circularity: A Workshop with Friendlier
Join the team from Friendlier — our cafeteria’s reusable container provider — for an interactive workshop on building a business with circularity at its core. Learn how sustainable design, reuse systems and innovative thinking can drive impactful change while creating resilient, eco-conscious business models.
Tia Erickson Friendlier
Louis-Blaise Dumais-Lévesque is a political scientist with nearly 15 years of experience in product management at TD Insurance. He is working on climate adaptation, from prevention and loss mitigation to outreach and collaboration with key actors in the climate and insurance sectors. He previously taught political science in Canada and the United States.
Olivier Chalifour is a PhD candidate in climate science at Concordia University, supervised by Dr. Damon Matthews. His research focuses on the intersection of wildfire dynamics and nature-based climate solutions. He is particularly interested in how wildfires interact with global reforestation scenarios and the resulting biogeophysical feedback on the climate system.
Stu Clark is a retired engineer with extensive international experience in Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam and Ethiopia, as well as at the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Building on his experience with managing collaborative efforts in these settings, Stu began working on reducing the threat of wildfire in urban areas after moving to Whitehorse in 2012. Joined by long-time resident professionals in forestry, territorial government and municipal government, Stu helped found the Wildfire Awareness Society (WAS). The goals of WAS are to effect change in government policies and promote public awareness of wildfire risk reduction on their own properties, including preparedness for evacuation.
Chris Turner is one of Canada’s leading voices on climate solutions and the global energy transition. His latest book is How To Be A Climate Optimist, a survey of the first two decades of progress on solving the climate crisis. His previous books on climate, energy and technology include multiple bestsellers and winners of the National Business Book Award, the W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, and the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Freedom to Read Award. His essays and features on energy, climate and technology have appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, and many other publications, and won 10 National Magazine Awards.
Bren Melles is the Humanitarian Program Specialist for the Humanitarian Coalition, bringing over two decades of experience in humanitarian and development work. The Humanitarian Coalition unites 12 of Canada's leading aid organizations to raise funds and respond to international humanitarian disasters. Bren lived and worked in the Global South for seven years and has travelled extensively to crisis-affected and development contexts around the world. Skilled in program planning, evaluation and training facilitation, Bren is deeply committed to humanitarian principles and our shared humanity and works to actively address injustice and inequity.
Jenn Harper is the founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty, a cosmetics brand focused on sustainability and supporting Indigenous communities. Since its 2015 launch, the brand has grown significantly: securing major retail partnerships and donating over $250,000 to charity. Jenn has earned widespread recognition, including being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
Magda Zachara is the FireSmart Canada Program Manager within the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), with a focus on supporting provincial and territorial wildfire agencies in the implementation of FireSmart programming, guidelines and best practices. Magda is also focused on building new partnerships across various industries and stakeholders; raising the awareness of FireSmart among communities, municipalities and First Nations; and delivering training, professional development courses and educational resources to those impacted directly or indirectly by wildfire.
Ryan Kyle is the technical co-ordinator for FireSmart Canada where he works with national, provincial and territorial wildfire agencies, as well as private companies to research, create and update guidelines and recommendations for the technical application of FireSmart principles in communities. The FireSmart Canada team and its partners have created guidance for a range of topics: from building science applications for construction assemblies, to vegetation management aimed at wildfire risk reduction.
With over 15 years of community organizing experience, Manvi Bhalla (she/her) is a recognized leader in Canada’s environment and climate justice movement. She co-founded the national non-profit, Shake Up The Establishment (SUTE) and is a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia, researching intersectional, anti-colonial environmental justice and health policy.
Trevor Lehmann (he/him) holds an M.Ed in Counselling Psychology and is the founding President of the Climate-Informed Counsellors Chapter of the Canadian Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association. He is the former Co-Chair of the Advocacy and Community Engagement Committee of CERIC (the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling) and works as a Career Consultant at the University of Manitoba. He has spent over 10 years working with adults of all ages at the University of Manitoba and in community navigate their career journeys. He has an interest in career development, grief and loss, chronic illness, and worker's rights. His writings, including an Imperfect Guide to Career and Climate are available at https://trevorlehmann.ca
Tia Erickson is a Customer Success Manager at Friendlier, a Canadian clean-tech company that is on a mission to simplify the transition from single-use to reusable packaging. She works closely with Friendlier's clients and sites, such as Seneca Polytechnic, to implement and succeed with circular systems that deliver measurable and lasting environmental impact.
Your session has expired. You are being logged out.