WEBS Conference - Environment & Economy: Canada’s Sustainable Development Outlook

Summary by: Dana Iskoldski Environment and Business student

The Waterloo Environment and Business Society held its first environmental discussion panel on Canada’s sustainable development outlook this week. The event, graciously co-hosted by SEED, was >meant to mobilize students to actively pursue sustainable development. It was a wonderful success with over 140 students and community members attending at St. Paul's College.

The morning began with a crisp introduction of Canada’s adapting economic environment by Kate Koplovich, a fourth-year Environment and Business student. Then SEED’s very own associate professor and discussion panel moderator, Dr Blair Feltmate, began the conversation by inviting panelists Susan McGeachie, Jim Burpee and Julie Desjardins to identify some challenges in the face of Canadian sustainability.

Susan McGeachie, Market Leader for Climate Change and Sustainability Services at Ernst and Young, cited the lack of finance for innovation as a roadblock to sustainable development. She said people just don’t care to take on the necessary risk for change.

Jim Burpee, former CEO of the Canadian Electric Association, said we need more political discussion regarding continuous improvement in the economic and technological sphere.

Finally Julie Desjardins, President of Desjardins & Associates Inc, presented a healthy list of issues. Among them was our lack of commitment as consumers, investors and corporations to sustainability. She also mentioned a need for longer-term thinking, better environmental reporting, and building trust with aboriginal groups.

After a quick break, during which panelists were lucky to catch a moment of calm, we returned to our seats for a thought-provoking Q&A. This is when discussion about Canada’s sustainable development outlook turned into an exploration of ways to improve environmental governance.

Panelists were asked ambitious questions like how to create jobs linked to sustainable development, convince our government to honour environmental integrity, manage environmental risk, produce meaningful sustainability reports, and more.

Julie Desjardins, Jim Burpee and Susan McGeachie were thoughtful in their answers, and sent us home with valuable lessons.

Across many topics, Susan was an advocate for the power of leadership. Her message was that it only takes a few people to catalyze change, if they make it easy enough for others to follow.

Jim’s motto was if we want to find a problem, we should look within ourselves. He reminded us that continuous improvement is the key to sustainability, which we often forget is a never-ending journey.

Julie’s advice was for us not to spread too thinly battling every problem, but to instead focus on just one thing for greater success. And to that resolve, she emphasized the importance of accounting and measurement to the achievement of goals. In her words, “you manage what you measure,” and quantifying a problem is the first step to solving it.

Overall, the conference was a refreshingly honest discussion of the Canadian economy’s state of sustainability. The final takeaway from the conversation was that there is ample room for improvement, in both policy and practice, in the area of sustainable development. But the morning ended on a high note, because it was evident by the crowd’s eagerness to tackle the big issues that the future of sustainable development is in good hands.