Wow, the symposium event on Wednesday was like nothing I’ve been to before. I mean, I probably did go to other environmental symposiums, but when you attend something you’ve helped organize…now that’s special. Me and some other great STEP members came at 8:30 AM to help set up. Most of us were so sleepy we were as dead as a doorknob, but the excitement from seeing the eco-condo, receiving our French windmill shirts, and witnessing the arrival of the yummy snacks woke us up!

I’ll let you in on a backstage secret: we actually came the night before to set up as well. It was freezing on Tuesday night when we went home, but as cheesy as it sounds, our hearts were warm with eagerness for Wednesday.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun tending the registration desk with Alison and Aroona. We showed the hungry teachers where the snacks were and we gave the students markers so that they could make flashy nametags! The guides looked like they were having fun as well. I still remember seeing Helen running back and forth, over and over…

For the rest of the morning, I joined the presenters at the Fountain Dining Hall. It was awesome seeing a room full of students from various schools who were excited to be there. After the introduction and various remarks, came the one and only…drum roll please…*drum roll*…STEVE BIBLA! Boy, was it fun listening to him talk! Everyone was enjoying his lecture from the moment it started to the moment it ended, from the opening pen exercise to the ending Obama simile. His lecture was enlightening, creative, and also very factual. For instance, did you know that eating shrimp seriously contributes carbon emissions? Now I think twice before I eat shrimp.

After Steve’s lecture, me and various other STEP presenters held interactive breakout sessions for people to brainstorm ideas about energy conservation. When we fulfilled all of our duties, we all ran to the EcoPods! Why?

1. We did not want to miss the last turbine tour

2. We just had to go check out all the appealing booths

3. We had to eat since we were all quite hungry after the excitement in the morning

Nuclear energy, YEN, outdoor education opportunities, etc. were all delightful booths for us to explore, but speaking for myself and my friends I can honestly say that the Global Aware button booth was the most exciting. What an amusing time an environmentalist can have when wearing buttons like “Burn Fat, Not Oil” and even “Save Water, Shower with a Friend.”

With my buttons pinned on my “Un Vent de Changement, Un Vent d’Espoir” shirt, I headed to the turbine tour. My favourite part? Peering up the gigantic steel turbine from the inside! Everyone was quite surprised with how big, yet quiet, the turbine is.

All in all, the day was enjoyable and joyous. I think that it gives people an impression that caring about the environment doesn’t have to be dull or just “hugging trees”.

I can’t wait for next year’s symposium!

Written by: Kathy Zhang
Photos by: Cheryl Carr

Young environmental leaders from across the city come

together for ‘Step to Action’!

The Step to Action ‐ Energy Shift Symposium is an educational event created by

students, for students to share their enthusiasm for environmental action.

Over 200 people will be coming together on Wednesday, April 8th at the Exhibition Place EcoPod for a student-organized symposium focusing on energy conservation and renewable energy. The goal of the event is to inspire secondary school students to take environmental action within their schools and communities by creating a ‘shift in energy!’ Organized by student led groups STEP, and SWITCH together with the support of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC), this exciting event will raise awareness about energy issues and find practical solutions everyone can pursue.

Students will be touring the WindShare turbine, sharing the results of recent energy conservation projects taking place within their EcoSchools, developing action plans, and learning from other successful student projects. The Step to Action – Energy Shift Symposium will create a dynamic space for students to connect with local experts and organizations about key energy issues, tour a sustainable condo, hear from University of Toronto’s environmental psychologist Dan Dolderman and leave their mark on a student created model turbine. Some of the organizations participating in this interactive event include: Clean Air Champions, UNA Canada: Youth4Water, Jane Goodall: Roots & Shoots, Greenpeace and the Ontario Clean Air Alliance.

This inspiring shift is supported by: