Dr. Courtney Howard, MD

PLANETARY HEALTH IN ACTION — Changemaking School

Teaser video

Summary video

Action feels better than anxiety.

And this moment demands action. To create a safe and healthy future for ourselves and our kids, we need to manage COVID-19, its economic fallout, climate change and the broader planetary health crisis–at the same time. Never have we been so vulnerable. And never has so much change been possible.

Every Thursday for 10 weeks at 4pm PT (4pm in Vancouver, 5pm in Calgary, 6pm in Winnipeg, 7pm in Toronto, and 8pm in the maritimes, 8:30 in Newfoundland), we will host a webinar session on Zoom featuring one-or-more nonpartisan experts, Dr. Howard, and some of the other leadership contestants.

If you’re like most people, you didn’t learn how to make change at school. And you didn’t learn about planetary health–described by the Lancet as the “health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems upon which it depends.” So we’ve assembled some of the wisest and most innovative people we know to teach us about planetary health and learn the skills of change-making. Do you know how to: Campaign? Create evidence-based policy? Be an ally? Envision a Healthy recovery? Pick advocacy targets? You will 🙂 Is James Orbinski your hero? Maybe Eriel Derange is? (We have many heroes 🙂 Or Elizabeth May? Cat Abreu? Or Monika Dutt? Trevor Hancock? Did Joel Baken’s “Corporation–the Movie” change your world? Have climate strikers like Sadie Hancock inspired you? Did Ed Maibach’s groundbreaking research on climate communications completely change your approach? Could it? Have some of the other candidates for the leadership of the Green Party really impressed you? Us too. So come meet your hero–or find a new one. We’ve put this in the 5à7 window on Thursdays so it feels like sitting at an outdoor patio with a group of inspiring friends. We’ll gather pearls from one another, via both large and small group chats, and grow the skills and networks we need to build a healthy future together.

Onwards!

Past webinars — see the recordings here

July 16 ELIZABETH MAY How to Save the World in Your Spare Time

Join us for our first campaign school event “Planetary Health in Action” with Dr. Courtney Howard and special guest Elizabeth May. The event will take place on Zoom — an inspiring discussion between Dr. Howard and Ms. May, on how to change the world in your spare time. Subsequently, participants will be separated into different groups and sent to independent meeting rooms in order to practice hands-on campaigning exercises, before being brought back to plenary for discussion and closing remarks.

Feel free to make this a happy hour, prepare yourself a drink and gather your friends.

July 16, 4pm PT

Elizabeth May, OC MP
Former Leader, Green Party of Canada

July 23 JUST TRANSITION

With Regan Boychuk and Angus Wong

Join us for our second campaign school event “Planetary Health in Action” with Dr. Courtney Howard and guests Regan Boychuk (Reclaim Alberta) and Angus Wong (Sum of Us). The event will take place on Zoom — an inspiring discussion between Dr. Howard and her guests, on how to transition away from fossil fuels and support a #HealthyRecovery. Subsequently, participants will be separated into different groups and sent to independent meeting rooms in order to practice hands-on campaigning exercises, before being brought back to plenary for discussion and closing remarks.

Feel free to make this a happy hour, prepare yourself a drink and gather your friends.

July 23, 5:30 MT

Regan Boychuk
Founder, Reclaim Alberta

Dimitri Lascaris
Leadership candidate

Angus Wong
Campaign Manager, SumOfUs

With Denise Williams (First Nations Technology Council) and Judy Green. 

Join us for our third campaign school event “Planetary Health in Action” with Dr. Courtney Howard and guests Denise Williams (First Nations Technology Council) and Judy Green (Leadership contestant). The event will take place on Zoom — an inspiring discussion between Dr. Howard and her guests, on how to redistribute access to virtual tables of power. Subsequently, participants will be separated into different groups and sent to independent meeting rooms in order to practice hands-on campaigning exercises, before being brought back to plenary for discussion and closing remarks.

Feel free to make this a happy hour, prepare yourself a drink and gather your friends.

July 30, 5:30 PT

Judy Green
Leadership candidate

Lyle Fabian
Innovative Indigenous Entrepreneur
President, Katlotech Communications

Denise Williams
CEO, First Nations Technology Council

August 6 POWER TO PARLIAMENT

With Dr. Katie Gibbs and Dr. Amita Kuttner

Join us for our fourth campaign school event “Planetary Health in Action” with Dr. Courtney Howard and guests Dr. Katie Gibbs (Evidence for Democracy) and Dr. Amita Kuttner (Leadership contestant). The event will take place on Zoom — an inspiring discussion between Dr. Howard and her guests, on how to lower the lobby and redistribute decision-making power. Subsequently, participants will be separated into different groups and sent to independent meeting rooms in order to practice hands-on campaigning exercises, before being brought back to plenary for discussion and closing remarks.

Feel free to make this a happy hour, prepare yourself a drink and gather your friends.

August 6, 5pm MT

Sadie Vipond
Youth Climate Activist

Dr. Katie Gibbs
ED, Evidence for Democracy

Dr. Amita Kuttner
Leadership candidate

August 13 ECONOMY OF WELLBEING

Join us for our fifth campaign school event “Planetary Health in Action” with Dr. Courtney Howard and guests Dr. Trevor Hancock (Founder, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and Founder, Green Party of Canada) and David Merner (Leadership contestant). The event will take place on Zoom — an inspiring discussion between Dr. Howard and her guests, on how to shift power towards an Economy of Wellbeing. Subsequently, participants will be separated into different groups and sent to independent meeting rooms in order to practice hands-on campaigning exercises, before being brought back to plenary for discussion and closing remarks.

Feel free to make this a happy hour, prepare yourself a drink and gather your friends.

August 13, 5pm MT

Dr. Trevor Hancock
Founder, Green Party of Canada, and Founder, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

Darrin Qualman
Author, researcher

David Merner
Leadership candidate

August 20 Planetary Health in Action #6

Anxiety to Action

Join us for this session on how to transform your anxiety (climate-related or else) into action (climate action or else).  Learn from the lived experiences of Glen Murray, and the work of Rachel Malena-Chan, and Charles-Antoine Barbeau-Meunier

August 20, 3:30pm MT

Charles-Antoine Barbeau-Meunier
Co-founder, President, Bien-Être Numérique
MD/PhD candidate, Université de Sherbrooke

Rachel Malena-Chan
Co-founder, Eco-Anxious Stories

Glen Murray
Leadership candidate

August 27 Planetary Health Pulse Check — #7

Canada, Covid, the climate and the economy

A discussion with two of Dr. Courtney Howard’s heroes: Dr. James Orbinski and Elizabeth May. Join us.

Dr. James Orbinski
Physician, author, humanitarian

Elizabeth May
Former leader, Green Party of Canada

September 3 Planetary Health in Action #8

Catherine Abreu (CanRAC), Dr. Edward Maibach (Center for Climate Change Communication) and Dianne Saxe, PhD

 

Join us on this power panel and learn the best practices to communicate climate change to an audience, as well as the work for Dianne Saxe (Ontario Environmental Commissioner, 2015-2019 as well as Top 25 Environmental Lawyers in the world) and the fearless leader Catherine Abreu. 

 

September 3rd, 2020, 3:30 pm MT

Catherine Abreu
Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada

Edward Maibach, PhD
University Professor and Director of Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication (4C)

Dianne Saxe, PhD
Top environment & climate lawyer. Environmental Commissioner 2015-19. 

September 11 Honouring Indigenous Governance — #9

Garth Wallbridge
Métis lawyer, educator, author

Daniel T’seleie
K’asho Got’ine Dene from Radili Ko. Activist, former lawyer

Elder Be’sha Blondin
Sahtu Elder, Indigenous Traditional Healer

Meryam Haddad
Leadership candidate

September 17 Planetary Health in Action — #10

Margie Gillis
Contemporary dancer, choreographer

September 17, 5:00 pm MT

September 24 Planetary Health in Action — #11

Dr. Monika Dutt
Activist, public health specialist, family physician

Dr. Kate Bezanson
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean of Social Sciences at Brock University

Dr. Hasan Sheikh
Family, Addictions and Emergency Medicine Physician

Annamie Paul
Leadership candidate

October 1 Planetary Health in Action — #12