Events

Our Inaugural Event

On Jan. 19, 2009, the Canadian scientist, educator, activist and environmental icon Dr. David Suzuki convened the first Stonehouse event. Sponsored by the John Lefebvre Foundation, organized by James Hoggan (chair of the David Suzuki Foundation) and attended by some of the most accomplished social marketing and social change experts in North America, the inaugural event was intended as an open-ended exploration of public engagement on the issue of climate change.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Suzuki noted that almost 20 years ago, the World Watch Institute declared the 1990s to be “the turnaround decade,” a last and urgent opportunity to address a global crisis of environmental degradation and unsustainable consumption. Yet, as two decades passed, we have stayed that unsustainable course. The world’s natural spaces and diverse species are facing greater pressure than ever; and now there is a global financial crisis, as well – a worldwide economic recession.

This, Dr. Suzuki said, presents us with an opportunity, a chance to think seriously about the way humans live in the world – with one another and with the other animals and plants that share the biosphere. It is clear that life as we know it cannot endure under the current paradigm. It is equally clear that most Canadians recognize that climate change presents a crisis that could do serious and perhaps irreversible damage to our society, our environment and the whole planet. Yet, while the public is increasingly aware, and while scientists are telling us that we need dramatic, even transformational change to protect the world’s environment, Canadians are not currently engaged in transformative action.

The question then, as enunciated by Stonehouse facilitator Goran Carstedt, is, “How do we achieve public engagement and political action? How do we inspire and support political leadership for a sustainable future?”