Every year, the PhD students in the Environmental Applied Science and Management Program host an Annual Symposium to highlight pressing issues for the attention of the TMU community and community partners.
This year Bryant Serre led a committee of PhD students to create a symposium focussed around empowering youth to become involved and tackle climate change. Entitled “Empowering Tomorrow: Building Climate Resilience with Generation Green” the symposium centred on bridging diverse experiences in climate research and policy, and making space for youth of all backgrounds to become involved.
The first session showcased the significance of indigenous, black, and female lived experiences to facilitate climate action in universities. Speakers included: Imogen Coe and Brooke Filsinger from TMU, and Jess Ilan Wainer from Rainforest Reliance. The second session addressed how to engage youth, who often feel they do not have a place at the table, to consider how to move forward on climate action solutions together. Speakers included the University of Toronto’s Trash Team Susan Debreceni and other experts.
The day brought together Urban Water TMU students spanning disciplines of science, engineering, geography, public health, immigrant studies, and food security, as well as, partners and collaborators from government and non-profit organizations.