SPEAKERS:

Award-winning geneticist and broadcaster David Suzuki is familiar to audiences around the world as host of CBC TV's long-running series, The Nature of Things. From 1969 to 2001 he was a faculty member at the University of British Columbia, and is currently professor emeritus. He has authored over 40 books, and is widely recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. Dr. Suzuki has received numerous awards for his work, including aUNESCO prize for science, a United Nations Environment Program medal, and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. He has 22 honorary doctorates from universities in the USA, Canada, and Australia. For his support of Canada's First Nations people, Dr. Suzuki has been honored with six names and formal adoption by two tribes.

Introduction to Dr. David Suzuki by Amber Mac 

Amber Mac is a technology host, journalist, and strategist, with experience both online and offline. She writes a regular column for The Globe & Mail, Yahoo! Tech, American Express Open Forum, among other outlets. She has worked as a technology TV host with tech guru Leo Laporte on G4TechTV, hosting/producing more than 500 episodes of a popular how- to call-in show. 

Aleksandra Nasteska is the co-founder of We Canada. The Macedonian native first became outspoken in the women’s rights movement at the age of fourteen. Her career in media began as a correspondent for youth culture shows on the national network. In Canada she created Vancouver Heartbeat, a multimedia project profiling environmental and social justice leaders. She is a Youth Steering Committee Member at the United Nations International Children and Youth Conference Tunza 2011. "As Canadians we have a legacy dating back to the Earth Summit 1992. It is Canadians who led the world in sustainable development. Today we are obstructionists, not leaders, on the global stage. Civil society was not consulted in the development of the official Canadian position for Rio+20. We are taking matters into our hands now. The people of this world need us to participate in progressive thinking, collaboration and action to ensure equity, and transition towards a green economy. We can't keep turning our back on the world. We won't."

Starting in Corner Brooke, Newfoundland, and touring all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia, youth leaders and sustainability veterans will bring the community together to discuss the role of Canadians at the Earth Summit 2012 (United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20).

In each city, interactive lectures will be held in universities, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. This a unique opportunity to learn about the Earth Summit 2012, Canadian participation in and contributions to the global initiatives, and Canadian civil society's submission to the official United Nations' Zero Draft for the conference. The participants will have an opportunity to participate in dialogues, and take action to ensure proper representation of Canadians at the global stage.

The goal of the tour is to empower civil society by offering an analysis of current trends in sustainable development and to hold the microphone to Canadian voices as the world accelerates to the Earth Summit 2012.

WHY CANADIAN LEADERSHIP? WHY NOW?

In difficult economic times, our collective attention has seemingly shifted away from environmental and social concerns. Canada has firmly placed environment, climate, and sustainability concerns on a back-burner, despite the continued demonstration by many Canadians that we do care about these issues. Sustainable development is about more than just environmental protection; it is also about creating meaningful and equitable lifestyles for everyone. 

In comparison with past Earth Summits, the Canadian Government has not held consultations with Canadians to provide input on what our country’s position at Earth Summit 2012 should be, a step away from the consistent praise that Canada has received as a world leader in democracy. Canadian voices need to be brought back into focus. What do we want our future to be?

THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE  (UNCSD)

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development  will be held in June of 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Conference is milestone commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Rio Earth Summit.

The Rio Earth Summit was one of the largest gatherings of heads of state, civil society leaders, individuals and organisations in human history. These stakeholders met with the purpose of charting a course for a more sustainable future. From the Summit emerged agreements, most notably Agenda 21, which began the creation of a framework for developing global, national, and regional plans for sustainability. The Rio Earth Summit has since stood as an example of what is possible when governments and civil society work together.