IRIS launches book calling for systemic changes to fight climate change

It's not enough to plant trees in exchange for carbon emissions in the fight to mitigate climate change, say York environmental studies Professor Anders Sandberg and York environmental studies master’s student Tor Sandberg in their new co-edited book Climate Change – Who’s Carrying the Burden?: The Chilly Climates of the Global Environmental Dilemma. Nor is […]

York opens Sherman Health Science Research Centre, specializing in neuroscience, kinesiology and psychology research

Originally the site of some of York’s most memorable hockey moments and reputed to have the best arena ice in the province, the former York University Ice Arena, known as the Ice Palace, is now home to a new kind of dream team. The Keele campus building's transformation from a hockey rink into an innovative new health science research centre […]

Video: President Mamdouh Shoukri highlights research success in video welcoming students back to campus

York University President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri is welcoming back students for another academic year a little differently than usual. This year, the president is providing an update through a new video on issues and initiatives that affect the entire York community: In the high-definition video, also available on the Office of the President website […]

Interdisicplinary symposium focuses on education and climate change

Today, the shared experiences of those working in education and climate change is the central theme of a one-day symposium taking place at York University. Organized by the Faculty of Education, the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair for Reorienting Teacher Education Towards Sustainability, […]

Disappearing bees may leave us with a bland diet

Bee expert urges public to create bee-friendly gardens in their yards Breakfast may be toast if we don’t take action to save the bees, according to York biology Professor and bee expert Laurence Packer. “Consider breakfast. Eggs, maybe a slice of watermelon, toast with butter and jam, and a cup of coffee with a dash of […]

Prof Peter Victor says growth shouldn't drive the economy, and has numbers to prove it

Peter Victor, an ecological economist who teaches at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies, rejects the idea that economic growth is essential to progress, wrote BC’s Grand Forks Gazette May 19 in an article about replacing the growth economy with a more sustainable model: To prove his point he created a computer model that duplicated […]

York Research Tower earns LEED silver certification

The York Research Tower, which was recently celebrated for the added research capacity it has brought to the Keele campus, is also a model of sustainability. The tower is the only building on campus to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. The internationally recognized green building certification system provides third-party verification that […]

Coffee, pesticides and deforestation contributing to loss of migratory songbirds

The morning serenades of nature in New Brunswick have quieted down over the years and a declining songbird population is to blame, according to a conservation biologist, wrote the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal May 14: “Both at the provincial level, and even at the national level, you have dozens of species of songbirds that are in […]

Limiting growth will help environment, save jobs, says York prof

Peter Victor, a professor in York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies, was featured in the Hamilton Mountain News April 22. His recent book, Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster, argues economic growth hurts the environment and has not eliminated poverty or provided full employment: “We need a new measure of success,” said Victor, […]

South Simcoe Green Economy Transition Centre officially launches; York University among partners

The South Simcoe Green Economy Transition Centre officially launched Mar. 26 in Bond Head, ON. The centre will include up-to-date virtual databases on best practices for reducing energy costs, education and training opportunities through online programs and videoconferencing, and access to government grants. York University announced its involvement, along with partner organizations Nottawasaga Futures and […]