Past Events > 2oo4 - 2oo5 Year Summary

[This is intended as a resource for future students who want to organise green business events]

b&E Collective: Who We Are
The b&E Collective is a group of primarily Master in Environmental Studies students at York University in Toronto, interested in encouraging sustainability via environmental applications for businesses. We encourage consumer and business participation in a new economy which reflects a triple bottom line of Environmental, Social, and Economic responsibility.

This year, the business & Environment Collective at FES was very active in organising events which benefited York and our surrounding community.

Signatures for the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for Clean Energy”
In November of 2004, b&E members collected hundreds of signatures for the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for Clean Energy” in cooperation with our neighbours down south for Energy Action day.

Holiday Shopping Alternatives
In early December, the b&E Collective held a bake sale and information session to present holiday consumer alternatives which reflect environmentally- and socially-conscious alternatives for holiday shopping.

Greening the Campus – Making York an Environmental Leader
On January 19th, 2005, the b&E Collective helped launch the Student Network on Greening York University by organising a panel discussion entitled “Greening the Campus – Making York an Environmental Leader” where invited panellists representing FES and York University’s administration discussed past, current, and future initiatives aimed at greening York’s campus under the facilitation of FES PhD candidate Nadine Gutz.

As a follow-up, we helped Andrew Wilson, York University’s campus planner, in organising a planning and design session for the York University Landscape Master Plan on March 11th, 2005. Some of our members also took part in the York University Landscape Master Plan Charette, providing our input on how to make York a leader in implementing sustainability.

Oil on Ice
As part of Environmental Awareness Week at York University, the b&E Collective screened the film “Oil on Ice” on March 8th, “a vivid, compelling and comprehensive documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to decisions America makes about energy policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters.” This screening was organised to draw attention to MacKensie Gas Project in Canada’s north, a project which could prevent Canada from meeting its Kyoto emission reduction targets.

Fossil Fool’s Day - adopted a car dealership
For “Fossil Fool’s Day” on April 1st, 2005, b&E members adopted a car dealership by writing letters to address our concern about protecting global security and preserving the environment for our future generations. b&E then joined the Raging Grannies, Toronto at a demonstration in front of a dealership on Yorkville Avenue.

Books and Beers
In addition to our higher profile events, we have hosted “Books and Beers” evenings where we discuss a featured book over beer, and we are also in the process of establishing stronger ties between local organisations and students interested in doing research which could directly help them.