Creatures of Habitat : CSI working with all grade 6 classes in SD 63 in March 2009

Student feedback about the program

Here are our guests

Dr. Marissa Bentham

Marissa Bentham is a chiropractor and a true advocate for health & wellness. Marissa & her husband, Craig, have a vision for educating and empowering their community to make healthier lifestyle choices. Together, they opened their first wellness centre in the San Francisco Bay Area where Marissa was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers ?gGold Rush?h cheerleaders. Looking to make a shift in their lives, the Benthams moved from California to North Saanich in 2005, where they opened a new wellness centre and started a family. Marissa believes in the importance of dreaming big and following your heart and looks at each experience in life as a chance to learn more about yourself. Her greatest joy in life comes from being a mom and being inspired by her kids.

<Marissa talks> < What students appreciated>

Themes

Living a wellness lifestyle

Overcoming obstacles

Celebrating your uniqueness

 

Justin Blanchfield --Mechanical Engineer

One of two Mechanical Engineers on staff. His expertise includes hydrodynamics, thermodynamics, and modelling. Justin?fs involved in the design of water supply systems and outfalls. He is currently modelling the Skeena river in Terrace to design a bank protection system to stop erosion and flooding. He is also on a team of engineers designing the water system for a $2 billion coal gasification plant in North Dakota (which includes carbon sequestration).

His business development activities include developing the renewable energy department for WorleyParsons Canada. His renewable energy expertise includes ocean energy, small hydro, geoexchange and energy from waste. Justin also gets involved with a great deal of "green" development projects including Dockside Green and several new communities in BC.

<What students said about Justin > <view his interview> < Justin talks>

 

Themes:

Sustainable and renewable energy systems.
Triple Bottom LIne
Looking for like-minded people
Developing the skills that help the environment

 

Ann Baird

Ann Baird has a passion for applied sustainability which has come from merging her knowledge of biological systems (BSc) with her years of financial management. She creates workable visions and has the practical skills to implement them. Together with her husband, two kids, and her parents, they have created a truly sustainable, affordable, cob home that functions as part of nature. Their earthen home incorporates solar panels, composting toilets, rain water harvesting, a living roof, earthen floors, home made paints, recycled materials, and big changes in how they use energy and water. We need to re-learn how to live with nature and feel connected to our environment.
< Ann talks about their COB home>
Themes:
Sustainable Building
Lifestyle choices (Less Life Stuff...More Life Style)
Affordable local housing (If it's not affordable...it's not sustainable)
Solar energy
Zero waste (waste is a human concept and does not exist in nature)
Living in balance with nature
Education and inspiration

Ian Bruce --Biologist
Ian Bruce is a consulting biologist who has had a varied and interesting career working with salmon, ecosystems, and people all around the BC coast. He has worked on the water, under the ocean and in the forests and fields. He has made money and lost money doing this but has ns regrets. < talks about Creatures of Habitat>
<What students said >

Themes

Challenges faced and overcome

Lessons learned from the First Nations

Mixing theatre and biology in a career

Inspirations and motivations

 

Anne-Marie Daniel Environmental Advocate < for latest videos and previous feedback

Anne-Marie Daniel is a mother, an artisan , a mediator, a facilitator and a researcher. As a mediator she was responsible for the first five human rights cases in Vermont. In 2000 she moved to the Isle of Skye, Scotland to work with youth in developing their leadership abilities and also helped create a museum in the environment which has helped locals and tourists to learn more about the place they live and feel connected. Overall she's an idea person, bursting with projects she'd like to take to the next step. Her major concern is closing the loop on garbage so that we can keep our land, air and water healthy for generations to come. She continues to look for new ways to keep important issues in the public eye by creating fun opportunities for people to learn about themselves and their planet.
< What students appreciated>

Themes
Leveling the playing field
Revolution in a generation
Following through on dreams
Getting an idea and going for it with passion

Tanis Douglas Biologist with the Capital Regional District and the Bowker Creek Initiative

Tanis is a biologist with a passion to protect the environment. She has traveled to many places and thinks about the big picture as she works on the details in her job with Capital Regional District. One of her main projects is the restoration of Bowker Creek. She helps local governments and others institutions work together to improve the environment.

<View her lastest feedback and interview>

Themes
Living more sustainably
Importance of nature to those living in cities
Changing the way people think and live
Restoring a creek in a city
Big picture thinking
Lessons learned from the travelling
Challenges and victories

 

 

Jordan Fisher --Sustainability Consultant

Jordan Fisher is an adventurer at heart and when he's not in the great outdoors he's working as an independent sustainable development consultant. He advises companies and governments on how to build communities that are healthier for people and the planet. Jordan has a diverse background and has worked as a wilderness guide and naturalist, a first-aid instructor, green building consultant, and a development manager. Jordan grew up in Ontario where he developed a passion for canoeing and hiking, which led him to move to Vancouver Island. His love of the outdoors led to a love for nature and an interest finding ways to help people live in balance with it. He's learned that in order to do that people need to be in balance with one another, and much of Jordan's work and life is focused on helping people to work together collaboratively.

<What students appreciated in his interview> < Jordan talks>
Themes:

Sustainability to Thrivability
Helping companies and governments build healthier communities
Finding a balance between work and play L
Life's adventures

Frank Gee --Interpretive Guide

Frank loves the outdoors! His play has included caving, ski touring, wilderness exploring and search and rescue. His work has been sharing his passion for the interesting, unusual and fragile side of nature. Frank's philosophy on life: explore, learn, and respect, but always have fun. < talking about guiding> < What students said>

Themes:
Environmental stewardship,
Range of jobs for guides,
Speaking your mind
Keys to survival in dangerous times

 

Matthew Kemshaw

Matthew is a passionate community activist who (with lots of his friends) is working with local schools, governments and city park officials to encourage the application of design principles that mimic natural systems and support functional productive ecologies. This means that Matthew is always trying to plant useful trees, shrubs, herbs and vegetables in public places where everyone can benefit from them. He gardens in: 14 schools, 3 Mental Health and Addictions Facilities, 1 Adult Education Center, 1 big community Food Forest, and in some places where you're not actually supposed to plant things (don't tell anyone).

 <Matthew talks> <What students appreciated>

Themes:

Copying Natural Systems
Living off (or with) the Land
A Revolution Disguised as Gardening
Everything is One

 

Jim McIsaac --Environmental Advocate with T Buck Suzuki Foundation
is a father, a fishermen, a philosopher, an environmentalist and a realist. Overall he's a solutions person, always strategizing and looking for the next step. His major concern is pollution and the next generations, we are killing the planet and need to leave it healthy for our children; "If we wait for all the studies to come in before we act there will be nothing left." As an environmentalist Jim was tasked with tackling the impasse over Victoria's lack of sewage treatment. Jim has been working closely with Stephen Salter to promote integrated resource recovery as a cornerstone for sewage treatment in the region.

<Jim talks about water and sustainability> < What students said>
Themes:
Keeping our water clean
Working for change
Reusing our waste
Fitting everything in

Kevin McCaugherty The Eco Car Project
Kevin McCaugherty is an engineering student at the University of Victoria and is helping to design a greener vehicle as part of the EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. The EcoCAR Challenge is a three-year collegiate advanced vehicle technology engineering competition. Seventeen universities across North America have been tasked with exploring solutions to achieve improved fuel economy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions while still maintaining a high level of consumer acceptability. The UVic EcoCAR team will be given a 2009 Saturn Vue, which they will then turn into a hybrid vehicle. Using cutting-edge technology, the team will transform the vehicle to make it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The University of Victoria was fortunate to be selected as one of only three universities in Canada to take part in this special competition sponsored by General Motors and the US Department of Energy. UVic's team is turning the Vue into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with an all-electric range.
<A team member talks about the Eco Car projects> < What students appreciated> < Kevin talks>

Themes:
Moving towards sustainable transportation / reducing the environmental impact of the automobile
EcoCAR Challenge means benefits for students
Education on future automotive technologies
Power and challenge of working in a high performance team.

 

 

Susanne McMillan -- Designer, Entrepreneur

Susi McMillan experienced being on top of her career as an event manager in Germany, followed her heart and dreams, traveled around the world , connected to nature, found the love of her life in Australia, moved to another continent, created her own artistic company with her husband in Canada and the biggest, gave birth to her children. Her passion in life is health and nature, which comes in all different shapes and sizes. She loves to get others motivated and exited for taking a stand for what's important to them, especially kids. Because one day all the big leaders in the world.... were a child. Something a lot of people don't know... She is also a face painter who turns kids into eagels, wolves, cats and butterflies and gets inspired by their true love for life and imagination.

<What students appreciated >

 

Themes:

Follow dreams
Courage to change
Using personal talents and gifts for a bigger purpose than myself
Creating community and the power which comes with it.

 

Maria St. Amand --Teacher

Maria St. Amand juggles being a mother, a teacher, and an environmentalist. In 2007, she watched Al Gore?fs movie, The Inconvenient Truth. This really shook her up when she realized that the life style we all enjoy could be seriously altered due to global warming. She rallied her students from McTavish school and had them attend a School Board Meeting where they presented to the Board 25 reasons why it would be a good idea to make District 63 an Idle Free Zone. The trustees agreed and implemented an Idle Free Zone policy. Then in 2008, Maria?fs students entered a contest with Quantum-Shift. It was very exciting as people got to vote for us on line and we won! Our video showed how we recycled all kinds of plastics\plastics that are not accepted in the blue box. This reduced our garbage tremendously. We even opened up a depot where folks can bring their plastics once a month. Maria continues to work on environmental projects at her school. . <Maria St Almand's story >

<What students appreciated in her interview>

Themes

Taking on big projects ( eg, The Monthly Depot)

HOPE for the future

Power of one

Making learning real

Kees Schaddelee --Innovator, Bio fuels expert

 

Kees is a father of two, an environmentalist, a surfer, a swimmer, a pioneer of the BC biodiesel industry, and more recently a healthy eating activist. Kees is a Victoria native who gained much of his knowledge through life experiences such as travelling to Central and South America for two years. His background with biodiesel started 5 years ago when he and two partners started a biodiesel consulting firm performing feasibility studies and market development projects. More recently Kees joined Island based Columbia Fuels as their biofuels expert to help them become Canada's largest biodiesel distributor. Kees' interest in sustainability continually challenges him to pursue the most sustainable fuel options available. Kees has been producing and running pure biodiesel made from used cooking oil in his own vehicle for 5 years.

<Kees talks about his journey of innovation and renewable energy> < His interview>

Themes

The ins and outs of biofuels
Value of life experiences
Pursuing your passions
You are what you eat - the raw food diet