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Urban Waters Conference July 19-22, 2009 Educators from British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and Alaska coming together to share ideas, network, and learn the latest in conservation and research. |
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The Vancouver Aquarium, officially Canada's first public Aquarium, opened on June 15, 1956. The Vancouver Aquarium always has been a self-supporting, non-profit organization receiving no annual government operational funding and has made a reputation and as a cutting edge organization with the capability to respond to changing conservation and aquatic protection needs through diversity and growth. (..more) |
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The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre truly is a “green” organization; It was the first cultural institution/zoo/aquarium in Canada to have achieved LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its newly constructed facility, Aquaquest – the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre, which is located on the same property as the Aquarium. |
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The Urban Waters Conference will be held in Aquaquest – the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre. The new learning centre boasts high-tech classrooms with projectors and computers as well as a living lab filled with intertidal marine invertebrates used for hands-on education. These areas will be available for presenters to use in workshops. |
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is committed to reducing our impact on the environment, and our Environmental Management System (EMS) has ensured that we are walking our talk in every way we can. There are multiple steps to our green initiative, which include protecting water, conserving energy, buying green, chemical management, waste reduction and staff involvement. Each staff member is responsible for making environmentally friendly choices, and we also have a Green Team which is responsible for educating our staff and volunteers about environmentally friendly practices for the work place and at home.
Our approach includes the participation of every person who walks through the door, and environmental messaging can be found throughout the aquarium. This is particularly obvious in our public waste management system. We have a compost system which has visual explanations of how to separate your waste, and we only offer compostable cups, plates, bowls and cutlery at our café. This and many other aspects of our EMS program have enabled our certification for ISO 14001 just this year!
While you are here for the NAME conference, we encourage you to use your own mug and water bottle, and compost and recycle your waste whenever possible. Stanley Park is very accessible on foot, bicycle, and bus. You will find that many staff members use alternate modes of transportation, and we would like you to join us while you are visiting!