Eco Event: SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT WATER? Earth Day 2008 with CBC Montreal and University of the Streets Café (Tuesday, April 22)

University of the Streets Café presents: 

Tuesday, April 22 • 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Earth Day 2008 with CBC Montreal
Centre St-Ambroise, 5080 St-Ambroise

Should we worry about water?*

*Veuillez noter que cette conversation publique aura lieu en anglais, mis les interventions en français son toujours les bienvenues.

Conserving water has been added to the list of things we should be doing to protect the environment. But the notion of lacking water doesn't always resonate with people living in a country bursting with fresh-water lakes, flowing rivers, and abundant rain and snow. In fact, 9% of the world's supply of renewable fresh water is in Canada. Yet, the stress on the nation's water supply is very real and complex and can be felt everywhere from polluted water bodies to Montreal's crumbling aqueducts. During this conversation we will explore some of the assumptions and worries we have about water, such as the commodification of water and the potential for bulk export of Canada's supply, confronting the myth of water abundance and the need for a national strategy for managing Canada's water resources, and what individuals can do locally about the water issue.

Guest: Sara Finley grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and moved to Montreal in 2003. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Science focusing on greywater recycling in the department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill. For the past five years Sara has worked in environmental education and research, urban agriculture, and green building. She now works as a water planning consultant for residential and commercial developments.

Moderator: Geeta Nadkarni, environment columnist on CBC*s News at Six, was born and raised in Mumbai, India. Geeta started her journalism career at the age of 12, writing for youth magazines internationally. Since moving to this city, she has devoted her time (not necessarily in this order) to her cats, her dog, her new husband, and, leaving a light environmental footprint.

This conversation is taking place at the Centre St-Ambroise, 5080 St-Ambroise between St-Remi and Chemin de la Côte St-Paul. You can get there by taking a short ride on the 78 bus from Lionel-Groulx metro, the 37 bus from either Vendôme or De l'Église metro, or the 36 bus from Monk metro (http://www.stcum.qc.ca). Free on-site parking is also available.