Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions/UNBC Membership Meeting

Tuesday October 1, 2013

10:00am – 11:00am Room# 6-306

Dial in number: 1-877-385-4099 Access Code: 2455354

AGENDA

1)  PICS Program Coordinator’s Comments

2)  PICS 2013 Update

PICS Annual Forum “Converging on Solutions”.

-  Graduate Fellows Presentations: Current PICS fellows gave brief presentations on their current research and findings.

-  PICS Research Theme Reports: Principal Investigators from each of the PICS five research themes presented a synthesis of their research results.

* New Directions for PICS research*

-  Canada’s Energy Future – Public Forum with Preston Manning and Jeffrey Simpson. Discussion centered on how we may fulfill our energy demands for the next 50 years while meeting the climate change challenge?What is the cross-partisan common ground?

Short Courses!!! Climate Insights 101. Newest short course has to do with mitigation and climate change policy. Now also Climate Insights; Bite Size have two new videos on YouTube: Carbon Tax and Cap and Trade and What YOU Can Do About Climate Change.

Internships: UNBC Program Coordinator Chaired 2013 Internship competition. Ten new employment internships were granted this year throughout the province. Two UNBC students were hired: Natalie Alteen with Pembina and Thomas Cheney with the District of Wells.

3)  PICS-UNBC 2013 Update

UNBC:

-  New Program Committee member Zoe Meletis – many thanks Ken Wilkening!!!!

-  Fellowship update: Ian Picketts defends successfully!!! Matt Beedle, Alana Clason, and Alex Schare (welcome back!).

-  Electric car partnership back in full swing this fall. Three additional electric car chargers for UNBC – two public use chargers outside medical building (free to use!), one for the Leaf and one in Terrace.

-  6 Might-E Trucks on campus (Majority of funding through Ministry).

-  NRESi Steering Committee Member, Green University Planning Committee (GUPC) Member, Chair of carbon Neutral Sub-committee.

-  PSO Carbon Neutral Meetings September 26th, 2013 – Update.

Outreach:

-  2015 Canada Winter Games carbon accounting – not without issues!

-  Barkerville 2012 carbon footprint finished (2nd year) – Green Heat initiative now looking into options for biomass heating for Barkerville and District of Wells. Thanks to Belinda and Geoff for their help and company on the road trip.

-  Public speaking: North Island College, Elders College, ENVS 325/INTS 335 (Global Environmental Change: Science and Policy + Global Environmental Change: Sustainability, ENVS 101 (Environmental Citizenship).

-  Active Minds: Climate Change talk to 8 year olds! Built “brush bots” and gave the “smallest solar car in the word” to each workshop participant.

4)  How to get involved in PICS at UNBC

- Graduate Student Fellowships.

- Internships.

- Outreach opportunities (2015 Winter Games, Carbon Neutral sub-committee, etc.).

- Smaller Research Projects.

5)  Other business