A first year seminar course at the University of Guelph has taught Zahra Kazimi, and many others, an important lesson about Guelph: The city is a hub of diverse environmental organizations, causes and enterprises, and home to a great many people who are passionate advocates for environmental protection.
Kazimi is part of U of G’s Community Engagement Environmental Stewardship seminar, and is helping to organize the upcoming “Green It Forward” environmental awareness resource fair on campus. A number of local organizations and businesses will take part.
“They will be displaying what they do, and how they help the environment,” Kazimi said. “At the end of the semester the big project in this course is to create an event and foster engagement with the community.”
Aimed at spreading a message of environmental stewardship and showcasing local initiatives engaged in that effort, it goes Thursday, March 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University Centre. It is open to the public.
Among those hosting information booths will be Nature Guelph, Wellington Water Watchers, Guelph Solar, City of Guelph Water Conservation, eMerge Guelph, and Yorklands Green Hub.
There will be live music by Hudson Say, High Park, Nate Bachynski and others, along with freebie food, a number of guest speakers, activities and prizes.
“I think it’s truly amazing,” Kazimi said, speaking of the level of ecological engagement in Guelph. “This is the first time I’ve been involved in a group that is organizing a big event, and it’s great to meet so many people who are so passionate about the environment. So many are working to protect the environment.”
Some of the major environmental initiatives on campus will be highlighted at the event, including the work being done by the U of G Arboretum – its work in education, research and outreach related to threatened plant species, and its efforts to propagate rare and native plants.
The event will also highlight U of G’s Fossil Free Guelph campaign, and the next steps in it. A referendum that ran for three days last week, it calls on the university’s board of governors to take action against climate change by divesting U of G endowments away from fossil fuel related investments, and investing instead in socially responsible industries.
