Fleming College Ecohealth Conference
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March 23, 2019
The Fleming College third year Ecosystem Management students are completing their semester by hosting the 11th annual Ecohealth conference in Lindsay, Ontario, on Saturday March 23rd, at the Frost Campus. The mission for the conference is to explore how the health of ecosystems is inextricably linked to the vitality of the complex systems of fungi, soil biota and various pollinators. Participants are encouraged to dig deep, push boundaries and redefine sustainability with a bottom-up approach. Through interactive workshops, thought-provoking exhibits and riveting speakers, students will defy the preconceived notion that humans are separate from the environment. Participants will rediscover their roots as stewards of the land in order to inspire truly sustainable solutions to the challenges of modern life.
The 3rd year students have been planning this conference for the past 5 months and are excited to announce the conference’s hands-on feature event, which is to build a Forest in a Day. Participants will be able to contribute through workshops to the construction and instalment of a rooftop forest at the Frost Campus starting from the ground up. This will entail building plant boxes, planting various native trees and shrubs in healthy soils, and building a new boardwalk. The Forest in a Day project will greatly contribute to student learning and showcase an innovative solution to improving green infrastructure and combating climate change.
The day’s other events will include a series of hands-on workshops:
Braden's Believe It-Or-Not: The Wonderful World of Arthropods
Presented by: Dr. Braden Evans, PhD, M.B.A., Professor, Fleming College
Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainable Harvesting
Presented by: Beedahbin Peltier, Anishinaabe Akinoomaage Inini (Professor, Indigenous Studies), Fleming College. Joe Pitawanakwat, Main Educator/Consultant at Creators Garden.
Ecosystem in a Jar: Build Your Own Terrarium
Presented by: Sam Burr, Ecosystem Management Program Alumnus
Lifecycle and Hive Dynamics of Honeybees
Presented by: Juliette Arsenault, Fleming College Professor, Beekeeper.
Ray Martin, B.Sc. (Hons), Beekeeper.
Fungi Cultivation
Presented by: Dane Somogyvary, Ecosystem Management Technician Student, Fleming College.
Campus as a Living Lab: Sustainable Infrastructure in Action at Fleming College
Presented by: Andrew Lloyd, Sustainability Project Coordinator, Office of Sustainability, Fleming College,
LEED GA, Construction Engineering Technologies Graduate with a Post-Grad Certificate in Project Management.
The EMX team is inviting Fleming students, Lindsay and area residents, community groups and local businesses to attend, participate and learn. Admission is $15 per person and doors open at 8:30 a.m. More information can be found on the Fleming College web-site (www.ecohealthconference.com) Twitter (@2019ecohealth) and Instagram (@ecohealth_conference).