Photos by Harman Idema

Last month, Climate Positive Energy was invited to the Residence of the Dutch Consul in Toronto, Harman Idema, in the presence of the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherland to Ottawa, Margriet Vonno, and the political and economic staff of the embassy to shed light on the work that we do in the climate and energy space.

Shatha Qaqish-Clavering, Executive Director of CPE spoke during a walking dinner about “unexpected connections” where she provided an overview of CPE projects that are not conventional, and how we connect climate to everything we do in our lives. She spoke about the intersection of climate and arts by showcasing the Doorways Art Build. As part of the project, CPE welcomed six Toronto-based youth artists to University of Toronto’s St. George campus to create life-sized artwork as part of the Doorways Art Build, hosted in partnership with Canadian Climate Challenge. Taking over Willcocks Common, the artists used a variety of mediums to create large-scale, double-sided artwork: one side reflecting our current climate trajectory, and the other reflecting the vision for a sustainable future supported by science-based solutions. Reflecting on climate change through the arts is just one of the ways that CPE is taking a multidisciplinary approach in engaging students and youth to take climate action.

The intersection of climate and youth was the second topic where she spoke about CPE project in partnership with the City of Toronto to develop a youth leadership strategy for climate. The project interviewed youth to understand their thoughts about climate and what it means to them with special focus on under-represented communities. The study shows that youth are feeling betrayed by the older generation, they are feeling their government is not doing enough and we are not protecting their future. Some of them feel helpless when it comes to a large problem like climate where it is challenging to make a dent in.

The intersection of climate and sports is an interesting project where CPE researchers are supporting Canada Games taking place in St. John in 2025. The CPE researchers are studying scope 3 emissions to develop a mechanism and accounting metrics to measure scope 3 emissions and providing recommendation on lowering them. Scope 3 emissions are those coming from fans’ transportation, merchandise procurement, and waste processing, just to name few.

In addition to Qaqish-Clavering, speakers included: Ana Serrano, President of OCAD University Wendy Cukier, who leads Toronto Metropolitan University Diversity Institute; Daniel Bernhard, CEO Institute for Canadian Citizenship / Institut pour la citoyenneté canadienne (ICC); and Jason van Bruggen, a photographer and movie director. During this exchange, the Canadian delegate also shared Canadian perspectives through storytelling and guests realized it is not far from the Dutch perspective and the cultures share the same goals when it comes to climate, immigration, and diversity and inclusion.

Climate Positive Energy has also discussed potential pathways for collaboration with focus on Horizon Europe Opportunities between CPE and the Netherlands Academic Institutions. Many thanks again to the host, fellow guests, and speakers for their contributions: