Sustainability Research Group » Graduate Students

sue mccormack

sustainablesue — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:18:32 +0000

I am a clever young professional who is in transition from humanitarian contracts to a sustainability focused career. I am looking for a new CSR/sustainability driven challenge in Toronto.

Matt Milam

miloormatt — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:11:35 +0000

I’m a recent graduate who is interested in the following areas:

green urban planning

international community development

microfinance

investment research on sustainable companies.

Rebecca Petzel

rapetzel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:11:28 +0000

Rebecca Petzel is a bit crazy about collaboration, having recently completed a masters thesis on the strategic and practical applications of collaborative innovation networks for sustainability. This research was undertaken in idyllic Sweden amongst an inspiring group of international peers while working towards (and completing) an MSc in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability. Prior to this masters degree she lived in a remote Wyoming village exploring all things mountains, as well as working successfully with multiple SME’s and NGO’s to implement sustainability planning. This work helping businesses think strategically about sustainability was informed by her bachelors education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she led a student entrepreneurial organization to promote sustainable business education and practices. Along the way she received her bachelors (with honors) in economics, history and environmental studies.

Mary Ostafi

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:11:21 +0000

Mary E. Ostafi is an Architect, Interior Designer, and LEED® Accredited Professional from Madison, Wisconsin, where she practiced sustainable design and integrated building solutions for over eight years. Recently she earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) from an acclaimed program in Sweden.

Mary is fully aware of the building industry’s impact on the environment and has dedicated her professional career to innovative design methods to constitute change by transforming the ways buildings are designed, planned and constructed. Her MSLS education has added another layer to her knowledge base and provided her with tools to help lead the movement toward global sustainability.

During her Master’s dissertation, she collaborated with Dublin City Council’s Planning Department in Ireland and utilized the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development – a whole‐systems tool for planning in complex systems – to create an ideal, envisioned urban planning process. This was measured against an analysis of current planning practices resulting in recommended actions to help Dublin City Council move toward a more sustainable future.

Though the majority of her experience relates to the building and facilities industry, she is interested and capable of expanding into a broader strategic realm, working towards being a leader that brings positive change in many capacities from buildings, operations, to cities, businesses and governments.

Brian Landever

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:59:54 +0000

My dream is monetary reform. I plan to dedicate my career to the field.

I would like to first work for the management of a community\’s local currency, then oversee the management. I would then take the experience to other neighborhoods interested in establishing local currencies. As my expertise develops, I would work for a networked organization of local currencies before representing the interest on a national level. The pinnacle of my career will involve me at the international level of monetary reform.

I have decided that monetary economics holds the most potential to strengthen cooperation, public engagement, and financial distribution. If the creation of money is publicized, and maintained as a centralized, debt based system, citizens would be able to influence interest rates, and the revenue from the interest could be used for public works. When Julius Ceasar did this in Rome, many public facilities were constructed.

If the creation of money is localized, community organizations could decide how much local currency to distribute, and banks could be run as non profits, allowing wealth to remain distributed. Local currencies also encourage local purchases, increasing social affiliation with supply and consumption, and diminishing social alienation.

The social transformation that public monetary system could have would be inspiring. It would have the potential to diminish a culture of self-focused competitiveness into greater cooperation and concern for one another\’s well being and goal achievement.

Nick Blandford

Nick Blandford — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:59:52 +0000

Hi there ! So, how about a little background information ? Real good then - I hold a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Victoria in Victoria, Canada (2005) and a MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden (2008). For the past three and a half years, I’ve been involved with the sales, marketing and business development aspects of Schneider Electric\’s energy management solutions. Based on my personal and professional experiences in the energy efficiency sector, I’m a very strong advocate for forward-looking and holistic energy policies and strategies. I am also passionate about educating stakeholders and shareholders on sustainable business and investment strategies, and the role they play in catalyzing the movement towards a profitable, successful, and sustainable future – a result of my continued involvement with evolving the ideas of Strategic Sustainable Investing. Overall, I’d call myself a sustainability generalist with interests and ideas in many different areas: from biomimicry to behavioural change, greening the built environment to sustainability education, and stakeholder engagement to cleantech – the list goes on! I’m fortunate to reside on the beautiful west coast of Canada where I’m equally active in the outdoors as I am in the sustainability scene, and, as my friends know, I’m always more than happy to have a dialogue around the topic of the day. Feel free to contact me at: nick.g.blandford [at] gmail.com

Neil Pegram

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:53:01 +0000

Neil Pegram is a Sustainability Consultant specializing in facilitation, stakeholder engagement and organizational strategic planning. His past research experience has primarily been focused on behavioural psychology, but his work has increasingly shifted to the private sector where he has consulted in a range of industries including CSR, Human Resources, Communications and Public Relations. He uniquely combines his science background with a set of real world business skills, a light-hearted demeanor and an inclusive facilitation style.
Neil holds a BSc in Biology/Psychology from the University of Victoria, Canada and a MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from BTH, Sweden. He is trained in the use of The Natural Step Framework and is a Future Search Facilitator.
Neil is the Owner of Pegram Consulting aka Socially-Conscious Consulting and is currently contracted to develop a Sustainability program for one of Canada\’s largest real estate companies.

Ye Yan

Ye Yan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:44:31 +0000

I am an energetic, determined, and self-motivated individual with exposure to a wide range of areas since my experience and education background based on engineering and leadership. I have been working on Corporate Social Responsibility policy and Sustainable Product Development until now, and I am quite happy with what I am doing and would like to continue in Sustainability fields.

Luke Raftis

LukeRaftis — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:53:54 +0000

I recently graduated from a Sustainability Planning Masters program, and have been working for a few different organizations planning environmental initiatives, writing grant proposals, and training documents. I have three separate but connected areas of interest (and experience):

1)Sustainability planning- working with organizations looking to plan strategies towards sustainability.

2)Human needs & wellbeing research- investigating how organizational policy can better address the needs of those involved, and what indicators can be used to measure this

3)Technical aspects of green infrastructure, particularly green buildings and heating systems (mechanical engineering aspects)

I am currently working in Toronto on short-term contract and would be interested in work relating to any of these areas.

Andre Benaim

Andre Benaim — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:29:10 +0000

Andre Benaim was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His daily contact with poverty and suffering touched him deeply. He did some social work which reinforced his will to do something to increase awareness and equity among people. Curiosity about themes like justice, human feelings and the meaning of life led him to study Philosophy and Law. He has also studied Integral Theory and Psychology, specifically Psychosynthesis, fields he aims to explore further. The academic studies, teaching assistance and study groups enable Andre to delve in difficult topics and thought him how to work collaboratively in groups communicating complex topics. During his years at university he helped found The Academy of Sciences, Arts and Philosophy where he promoted theoretical lectures and art exhibits. In many situations, his strong empathetic and diplomatic skills enable him to understand different points of view and facilitate dialogue. Andre interned in two law offices and at Willis Harman House, an organization which represent various international organizations, including The Natural Step – Brazil. Currently, working as a volunteer with Global Action Plan he is continuing to develop his facilitations skills through a method focused on empowerment and behavior change for sustainability. Now, his objective is to develop further his work with empowering programmes and consultancies for sustainable development; his main focus areas are facilitating the strategic planning at the organizational level, as well as, promoting awareness and building capacity at the individual level.