Environmental Sciences students host sold-out event
This year’s annual Environmental Sciences Symposium, hosted by University of Guelph environmental sciences students on Jan. 20, focused on art and how it can be used as a tool to aid environmental issues.
The sold-out event started with an open house mingle at the Art Gallery of Guelph where guests were invited to talk to panelists while browsing the recent modernist abstract work of Melanie Authier, a painter from Ottawa.
Ryan Eagleson, a Masters student at the University of Guelph was first to speak, covering the issues of climate change and its impact on ecosystems, as well as the extinction of wildlife and coral reefs around the world. Eagleson shared his experience growing up in Hespeler, Ont. where he noticed environmental changes in the conservation areas around his home. Eagleson informed the audience of his recent discoveries involving the impacts of climate change on coral reefs around the Dutch Caribbean Sea.
After dinner, Lisa Reindorf, a mixed media artist and former architect, presented her work showcasing vibrant architecture and landscapes surrounded by environmental issues. Reindorf focused on the issues of the refugee crisis and rising sea levels mainly in Miami, Florida. Reindorf ended her talk urging the importance of reducing emissions and how the public can make a positive difference.
The final presenter was Abraham Anghik Ruben, a prominent sculptor, who shared the stories of his people living south of Paulatuk, N.W.T. Ruben spoke of nature as something that is sacred and should be treated with respect and shared several of his sculptures, many representing the relationships between man and nature. He also stressed the importance of education and argued how teaching survival skills should be a necessity.
The symposium closed with a short panel discussion, giving the audience the chance to ask the panelists questions about their work as environmentalists as well as artists.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.