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Vancouver’s former head of sustainability back for free lecture

April 7th, 2010 · 4 Comments

SFU’s always-great City Program has another interesting lecture coming up, this one by Thomas Osdoba, the former sustainability manager in Vancouver.

Those who think the recent firing of the city’s chief electrician was odd should refresh their memories about what happened with Osdoba, who was fired by then-city manager Judy Rogers after a lot of internal pushing from him to make the Olympic village achieve higher green standards. What actually happened there, no one ever reported on fully — again, one of those extremely messy situations where it was hard to tell whether there was a political agenda or something harder to nail down.

At any rate, here’s Tom again to talk about a bigger-picture look at making cities green.

A 22nd Century City: Reinventing our DNA
April 15, 7 pm
Venue: SFU Segal Building, 500 Granville Street, Vancouver
Admission is free, reservations are required. Reserve at www.sfu.ca/reserve

What will it take to transform our cities? What changes do we need to make in the basic operating code in how cities function? In this lecture, Thomas Osdoba will argue for creating a culture of innovation around sustainability — and ways to make it happen.

Thomas Osdoba is Managing Director of the Center for Sustainable Business Practices at Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon, and Principal at Tao Strategies. He is the former Sustainability Manager for the City of Vancouver and has served as the Acting Director of the Canada Carbon Trust. He has 20 years of experience in environmental policy development and initiatives to promote and support sustainable development.

Sponsored by HB Lanarc Consultants Ltd and the SFU City Program .

Categories: Uncategorized

  • Urbanismo

    Ummmmmm, for starters, keep those smooth little man in expensive suites well out of harms way . . .

    http://members.shaw.ca/urbanismo/DTES/DTES.charrette.html

    . . . . and repeat repeat until some one on high gets serious . . .

  • Glissando Remmy

    The Thought of The Day

    “What Judy wrongs Penny rights! Oh and look, there is a talking monkey!”

    My, oh, my.

    Tom Osdoba is sniffing good old Vancouver pueblo. Again. Is that job of his still open?
    Hollyhock must be calling! They are in “refresh” mode. So, Tommy’s in town to talk to us, about the Big Picture! Wow. Have any one of you asked yourselves the simple question: “How come all these Greenos are always able to see only the Big Picture?

    Al Gore is into Global DeWorming, Joel Solomon is into Swindling the Planet, Gregor Robertson is into Universal Chicken Rising… like they are on a different level than the rest of us, mortals. You know, them being up there in between the clouds, and the rest of us, down here on Earth…I think this calls for an Up Yours in the Stratosphere, Gents!

    I met Tommy Boy in the low 2000’s and heard him speak to Council, DPB, UDP… hilarious in a boring, lame way. How can I put it mildly? It was like watching a stressed out Squirrel on an exercise wheel, trying hard to regulate his heart rate so the Lie Detector he was hooked up to, won’t send him packing for more nuts. Or like listening to a bunch of Nuns freshly out from a seminar titled “Better than – Oh,God!” trying to find out why their newly acquired vibrating umbrellas won’t open. Well, his BS kind of caught up with him after all, and it stuck on him as easy as a cotton ball on a wet dog.

    BTW, did you know that Tommy Boy attended the same “free lectures/ seminars/ workshops” as some Hollyhockers? Only at the time, they were not eyeing the City Hall, yet. They had all their bets on Victoria. As we all know now, that was a bust.
    When you associate with BC Bioneers, WCWC, PEJ, Hollyhock Hilariouship Institute, all with credentials in Psychology, Paranormals R Us, Philosophy, Texas Hold’em, Cosmology, Consciousness, and Delusional Parasitosis, well, at least you have to be prepared that sooner or later someone will call your bluff.

    Question. Who’s paying for his carbon footprint travels for this “free seminar”? SFU? If Yes…Why? If no… still, why? Or is this a preparatory speech recall?

    I for one, am growing tired of having to listen to these New Age people trying to show us their most advanced ways of life.

    Who to admire, What to celebrate, How to flush, Where to make a donation…on a monthly basis, When to take action…

    We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.

    BC BIONEERS AFFICIONADO EXTRAORDINAIRE
    Tom Osdoba became manager of Vancouver’s Sustainability Office in November 2004. The City of Vancouver has several sustainability programs and initiatives, including green buildings, purchasing, fleet operations, energy programs, greenhouse gas reduction programs, etc.
    Prior to coming to Vancouver, Mr. Osdoba was a founding principal with E4 Partners, an environmental strategy firm focused on eco-industrial development, sustainable building design, product stewardship programs, and recycling and resource efficiency consulting.
    During the 1990’s Mr. Osdoba served the State of Minnesota in several capacities, from policy analyst to a strategic manager for the Office of Environmental Assistance, and helped to create Minnesota’s sustainable communities program. He also served as President and Treasurer for the Green Institute, and helped contribute to the development of the Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center.
    Tom also has over 15 years of experience in environmental policy development, including seven years developing policy initiatives to promote and support sustainable development. He has extensive training and experience in process design and facilitation, as well as strategic planning and systems analysis. He M.A. degree in Public Administration from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, and a B.S. degree in Economics from St. John’s University, Collegeville.
    DARCY RIDDELL
    An associate of Hollyhock Leadership Institute since 1998, Darcy joined the staff in 2002. She previously worked for the Sierra Club and ForestEthics as a forest campaigner and communications strategist. She brings a diverse experience in coalition building, communications and marketing, campaign strategy, facilitation, teaching, and curriculum development to her work for social change. She is a founder and director of Drishti: Centre for Integral Action. Darcy has a B.Sc. in Geography/Environmental Studies, and an M.A. in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness.
    PEACE EARTH JUSTICE
    The BC Bioneers Conference is one of 17 such events taking place throughout North America, and the only one in Canada.

    The morning plenary speakers at this year’s Bioneers will include Michael Ableman, author of the recently released Fields of Plenty: A Farmer’s Journey to the Frontiers of American Agriculture; The Food Project’s Wil Bullock, whose topic is You Are Where You Eat: Growing Urban Food and Community; and Bernice Johnson Reagon, founder of the folk group Sweet Honey In The Rock and a major voice against racism, injustice and exploitation.

    BC Bioneers Conference workshops will feature our own community’s leaders in environmental sustainability research and activism. Tracey Axelsson of the Co-operative Auto Network, Ian Thompson of Canadian Bioenergy Inc., and Karun Koernig of the EYA/UBC Biodeisel project will explore transportation alternatives. Thomas Osdoba, the City of Vancouver’s sustainability programs manager will share some practical aspects of the city’s initiative. Karen Mahon of the Hollyhock Leadership Institute and Andrea Reimer of Western Canada Wilderness Committee will conduct a workshop exploring bioregional environmental issues. A workshop with Jef Keighley will look at the World Peace Forum coming to Vancouver in 2006.

  • Higgins

    Urbanismo,
    “Ummmmmm, for starters, keep those smooth little man in expensive suites well out of harms way . . . ”
    True. So, so true. But is this flock of seagulls paying attention? Nooo.
    Glissando,
    “Or like listening to a bunch of Nuns freshly out from a seminar titled “Better than – Oh,God!” trying to find out why their newly acquired vibrating umbrellas won’t open.”
    Stop it! I shat my pants in laughter. Glissy, you made my day. Keep staying up there looking down on this jokers. Thanks for Tom’s bio and misc. friends. Interesting stuff. Take care.

  • A. G. Tsakumis

    Frances, the attempted parallel to the Ark Tsisserev firing is laughable if not disingenuous.

    Tom Osdoba is a radical whose ‘green’ ideas are the kind that have destroyed the Olympic Village and will make it unendingly hard for your political blood brother, Mr. Rennie, to make even, nevermind profitable.

    Tom earned his firing, while Mr. Tsisserev most certainly did not.