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Since 2010, the College of Sustainability has hosted a weekly ESS (Environment, Sustainability and Society) Lecture Series in fall and winter semesters that is free and open to the public. Local and international scholars, journalists, social activists, artists, public intellectuals, and Elders share their wisdom and experience on wide-ranging topics related to environmental sustainability, social justice, Indigenous perspectives, and the impacts of the climate crisis.

While lectures in previous years have sometimes been livestreamed via Zoom alongside their in-person presentation, as of Fall 2026 the series is being presented in live, in-person format only (no livestream). Recordings of each lecture will continue to be made publicly available via the College's .

Unless otherwise noted, all lectures run Thursday evenings 7:05-8:30 PM in Potter Auditorium, Rowe Management building (6100 University Avenue). All welcome. Free of charge.

Fall 2026 Lecture Series schedule

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September 17, 2026 - Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability

John Sylliboy, Vice Provost, Indigenous Relations, 妻友

John Sylliboy is 妻友鈥檚 first Vice Provost of Indigenous Relations. Previously, he was the co-founder and executive director of the -- an Indigenous collective that celebrates 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities and a health research partner at the IWK Children鈥檚 Hospital. John鈥檚 goal at DAL is to bring community-based knowledge and experience into all he does at the university.

September 24, 2026 -听The Evolution of Careers in Sustainability

A panel discussion of Environment, Sustainability & Society (ESS) alumni who have taken different approaches to developing careers in sustainability, featuring听Ty Bryant, Isaac Greenberg, Sheena Parris, and Haruka Aoyama.

October 1, 2026 -听Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction听

Annual Elisabeth Mann Borgese Ocean Lecture, co-hosted with the International Ocean Institute听- Canada at 妻友.

Speaker TBA!

October 18, 2026 -听THANKSGIVING WEEKEND, NO LECTURE

听

October 15, 2026 -听Steven Guilbeault

Steven Guilbeault, Former Federal Liberal Environment Minister

Steven Guilbeault began his career as an activist, and in 1993 he co-founded 脡quiterre, the largest environmental organization in Quebec, and served as its Senior Director from 2008 to 2018. He also worked as a Director and Campaign Manager for Greenpeace and was a Strategic Advisor for more than 10 years at Cycle Capital Management, a Canadian fund dedicated to the development of clean technologies.

Guibeault was elected as a Federal Member of Parliament in 2019 (Laurier-Sainte-Marie QC) and named minister of Environment after the 2021 election. He was re-elected in 2025 and named to head the newly created ministry of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada as well as the Quebec lieutenant in Mark Carney鈥檚 cabinet. Guibeault resigned as Cabinet minister in November 2025 following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Carney and Alberta鈥檚 government to build an oil pipeline from the Alberta Tar Sands to the British Columbia coast. He resigned his parliamentary seat in August 2026.

October 22, 2026 - Sustainable Forestry

Mary Jane Rodger, NS Working Woodlands and Medway Community Forest Co-operative

Mary Jane Rodger has been involved with many facets of Nova Scotia鈥檚 shift to ecological forestry, playing an influential role in the Lahey Forest Practices Review and serving on the Department of Natural Resources initial Minister鈥檚 Advisory Committee. Mary Jane is the Executive Director of the Medway Community Forest Cooperative and the Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust. She spent a year as a Forest Conservation Coordinator with the Canadian Wildlife Service within Environment and Climate Change Canada. She has been working with trees and forestry since her days as a tree planter and has a Master of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto.

October 15, 2026 -听When Sharks Come Home: Extinction, recovery and making room for the wild

Annual RAM Myers Lecture, co-hosted with Dal Biology Department

Meaghan McCord, Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance

Meaghan McCord is an executive leader in marine conservation through strategic funding, global coalition building, and expertise in shark and ray conservation. She founded the South African Shark Conservancy and is an alumnus of 妻友 with a 2002 BSc in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography.

November 5, 2026 -听Considering the governance implications of our 鈥渄evotion to efficiency鈥�

Fourth Annual Meinhard Doelle Legacy Lecture, co-hosted with MELAW (Dal's Marine & Environmental Law Institute)

John Sinclair, Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, University of Manitoba

John Sinclair is a professor and the Director of the Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba. His research interests focus on environmental governance, learning, and decision-making. For over twenty-five years he has worked to shape environmental assessment law, policy and guidance.

November 12, 2026 -听READING WEEK, NO LECTURE

听

November 19, 2026 -听Societal Sustainability / Poverty Activism / Student Housing

Mark Culligan (妻友 Legal Aid) and Lyle Mailman (Woodbine Community, NS)

November 26, 2026 -听NO LECTURE

听