PETER ROBINSON
CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation
Peter Robinson is the Chief Executive Officer of the David Suzuki Foundation, Canada’s most trusted voice on matters of science and the environment. He brings to this position a diverse background spanning four decades in business, government and the not-for-profit sectors.
Peter began his career working as a park ranger in wilderness areas throughout British Columbia, where he was twice decorated for bravery by the Governor General of Canada. After his park career, he worked at BC Housing, a provincial crown corporation, eventually becoming their CEO.
Immediately prior to his appointment as CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation, he was the CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op, the country’s largest outdoor equipment retailer. During his seven year career at MEC, he led the organization through a period of sustained sales and membership growth across Canada.
Peter holds a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, as well as diplomas in Community Economic Development and Fish & Wildlife Management. An outdoors enthusiast, he spends as much time as he can in the Coast Mountains, or kayaking among the Gulf Islands.
HUNTER LOVINS
Hunter Lovins A worldwide recognized leader in helping companies and communities profit from more sustainable practices, Hunter Lovins has authored and co-authored numerous books, including Brittle Power (1982), Energy Unbound (1986), Factor Four – Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use (1997), Green Development (1998), Natural Capitalism (1999), and hundreds of papers and articles. She was named as a Time magazine Hero for the Planet in 2000. Hunter has consulted for governments and the private sector, briefing senior management at such groups as Interface, Mitsubishi, Bank of America, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and numerous utility companies. She is a founding Professor of Business at Presidio School of Management.
A worldwide recognized leader in helping companies and communities profit from more sustainable practices, Hunter Lovins has authored and co-authored numerous books, including Brittle Power (1982), Energy Unbound (1986), Factor Four – Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use (1997), Green Development (1998), Natural Capitalism (1999), and hundreds of papers and articles. She was named as a Time magazine Hero for the Planet in 2000.
Hunter has consulted for governments and the private sector, briefing senior management at such groups as Interface, Mitsubishi, Bank of America, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and numerous utility companies. She is a founding Professor of Business at Presidio School of Management.
DR. MIRELLA STROINK
Dr. Mirella Stroink is a professor of Community and Environmental Psychology at Lakehead University. Her research, teaching, and community work are driven by a vision of a resilient and sustainable Northwestern Ontario.
Through research into the complex interactions among the psychology of individuals, the dynamics of communities, and the broader ecology, she seeks to understand how to build communities that can adapt to change and continue to function in the face of external shocks. Based on two years of research with several
First Nation communities, she is developing a toolkit that communities can draw upon as a resource as they envision and build their own local food systems. She is also conducting a series of studies on the unexamined mental assumptions that lead many people to assume
that the marketplace is a more important ecosystem in which to seek survival than the biophysical environment; an assumption that affects environmental behaviour.
Finally, Dr. Stroink is chairing the writing of a chapter on food security issues in rural and remote communities for a national food policy proposal. Global systems such as climate, energy and economy may undergo some bumpy changes in the coming years, yet with resilience as the organizing vision of our development, Northwestern Ontario can position itself to withstand these changes as a thriving, dynamic, and healthy region.
NATASHA RENAUD,
Director, Communications and Social Responsibility
Ms. Renaud joined Grand & Toy in 2006 with more than 10 years of experience in Corporate Communications, a Master’s degree in Communications from Boston University and an MBA from McGill University. In addition to managing all the corporate communications initiatives at Grand & Toy, she is also responsible for the corporate sustainability journey Grand & Toy embarked on in 2007.
With a new brand, mission and business strategy, Grand & Toy is transforming the way they do business by becoming a strategic ally rather than a simple supplier of office products. Sustainability is a key component of Grand & Toy’s customer advocacy approach - and with over 126 years of experience in providing every-day solutions to 200, 000 businesses across Canada, Grand & Toy realized the responsibility and potential influence it has on Canadian organizations.
Ms. Renaud oversees the management of the company’s sustainability journey while supporting the teams work on sustainability-specific projects. She ensures that
Grand & Toy’s efforts are communicated to its customers and that the company remains on target with its sustainability efforts.
Dan Munshaw C.P.P.
Manager, Materials Management,
City of Thunder Bay
Dan is a seasoned supply professional drawing from over thirty years of supply management experience in government, mining and manufacturing. Munshaw teaches supply management courses, delivers seminars and workshops. He is presently Board Chair of the Ontario Institute of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (OIPMAC) and founding member of the Lakehead Purchasing Consortium. Munshaw was also appointed by the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry to the Management Advisory Committee, Northern Ontario Marketplace.
Graham Saunders
Graham teaches meteorology at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay. He does research and writing for several publications about weather, climate and energy issues.
He often speaks about these issues in elementary and high schools, church groups and service clubs. He has made formal presentations at professional and academic conferences, and he presented the keynote address,
Trends in Temperature and Precipitation in Northern Ontario during the 20TH Century: Implications for Regional Management (Quetico Centre, Dec. 2004).
Graham is a board member of Environment North and the Bay Credit Union, with involvement in the Audit and Social Responsibility Committees. Graham has an extensive
background in gardening and has written articles and reviews for publications such as Harrowsmith, Natural Life, Weatherwise and regional news papers in Norther Ontario. He is the recent author of "Gardening With Short Growing Seasons."
Kyle W. Elliott Kilgour
He is an Anthropology of Sex student, outdoorsperson and world traveler. He got a taste for wild fermentation in Costa Rica, messing around with Starfruit wine and Noni (a fruit that smells like old socks!) As he sees it, Kyle's mission is to foster positive relationships between humans and local Microflora.