Seneca College Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008 - (Page 12)

Revitalization Revolution A new approach to environmentalism comes to Seneca By Corey Long ake a trip just about anywhere in Canada and you will see them: abandoned factories, contaminated ponds, dilapidated houses, polluted streams and ghost towns. Throughout history, we’ve taken what we needed from the land and water. When the resources run out, we move on, often leaving desolation in our wake. There is a new awareness that this kind of activity cannot continue. We need to restore the natural resources we have used and revitalize the abandoned structures we have already built. Restore. Rebuild. Redevelop. This is the message of the new Revitalization Institute (RI) at Seneca. Still in its early stages, RI will provide students, academics, researchers and environmentalists T with a platform to learn about and advocate for restorative development as a key component of environmental stewardship. Seneca is home base for the global network of RI affiliates, which includes academic partners from Clemson, Harvard, and Ohio State universities and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, as well as organizations like the Canadian Urban Institute and the Canadian Brownfields Network. RI was established by redevelopment expert Storm Cunningham. Storm’s books, The Restoration Economy (2002) and reWealth (2008), are the first to document the emerging revitalization trend. Storm chose Seneca to be the global home of RI because of the College’s strong reputation for environmental programs and advocacy. He is currently serving as a guest lecturer and RI ambassador at Seneca. “Revitalization is, in Storm’s words, the ‘sweet spot’ of sustainability, where we can actually measure the enhancement of our built and natural resources, rather than the depletion of one in favour of another,” said Bill Humber, Interim Executive Director, RI at Seneca. Revitalization is a relatively new environmental concept, which has 12 w w w. s e n e c a a l u m n i . c a http://www.senecaalumni.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Seneca College Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008

Seneca College Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008
Contents
Team Makes a Difference on Campus
How Green is Your Workspace?
A New Approach to Environmentalism - the Revitalization Institute
Troy White Turns up the Heat with His Summer Job
Karen Eilersen Goes Beyond Recycling
Applied Research Solves Real Life Problems
Philip Sparks has it All Sewn Up
The Mehta Family Credits Seneca with Success
Diary of Desmond Duke’s Start Up
Support and Attitude Keep Visually-Impaired Student on Track
Honouring “the President”
New Grads Who Will Inspire You
What do the Argonauts and Mozilla have in Common?
Our Experts Show You How to Burn Calories and Shop While Going Green
Olympic Gold and Silver for Senecans
Boost Seneca’s Research Data Just by Saying “Yes”
Senecans Assessing on TV

Seneca College Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008

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