Deforestation, over-population, melting ice-caps, pollution. Protecting the environment and addressing climate change are two of the most important issues organizations and individuals face today. Our experts provide informed and implementable answers to questions regarding sustainability, best-practices, and preparing for the future.
Recognized every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide, with more than six million Canadians joining one billion people in over 170 countries in events and awareness initiatives to address environmental issues.
At Speakers’ Spotlight, we are proud to represent many of Canada’s–and the world’s–foremost experts on environmental issues ranging from climate change, forest preservation, wildlife protection, to the health of oceans, and many others:
Maude Barlow
Social Justice Advocate | Author
Maude Barlow is a leading voice in Canada and around the world for social, environmental, and economic justice. A political activist, policy critic, and author, Barlow serves as the national volunteer chairperson for The Council of Canadians, a non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization supported by 100,000 members, where she advocates to protect Canada’s public social programs, its natural resource heritage, and food security.
Dr. Roberta Bondar
Astronaut | Physician | Scientist | Photographer
Dr. Roberta Bondar was the first Canadian woman to fly in space. An astronaut, physician, and photographer, Dr. Bondar expanded the horizons of millions when she joined the space shuttle Discovery for its 1992 mission. Dr. Bondar’s highly motivational talks―punctuated by her stunning photographs― focus on overcoming challenges, realising dreams, and the importance of life on earth, in all its forms.
Severn Cullis-Suzuki
Environmental Activist
At just 12 years old, Severn Cullis-Suzuki gained international attention when she delivered her famous speech at the Rio Earth Summit, pleading for the delegates to preserve the planet. Since then, Severn has gone on to speak to audiences around the world about the necessity of redefining our values and acting with the future in mind when it comes to environmental sustainability.
Wade Davis
Anthropologist | Explorer
Wade Davis’s presentations―illustrated by his exquisite photographs―are a wild and moving celebration of the wonder of humanity and the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed through the myriad cultures of the world he has encountered. An explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, and named by them as one of the “Explorers for the Millennium,” Davis’s work as an anthropologist and botanical explorer has taken him from the forests of the Amazon to the mountains of Tibet, from the high Arctic to the deserts of Africa.
Scott Harrison
Founder and CEO of charity: water | World Economic Forum Young Global Leader
Scott Harrison has helped to bring clean drinking water to over 6.3 million people worldwide. The founder and CEO of charity: water, one of the most well-known philanthropic organisations in the world, shares how his approach to running a non-profit — from innovation to strategy to partnerships — can be applied to any business to help create outstanding success.
Jill Heinerth
Explorer-in-Residence, The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
More people have walked on the moon than have visited many of the places that Jill Heinerth has seen on Earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic icebergs, Jill’s curiosity and passion about our watery planet is the driving force in her life. In her remarkable presentations, Jill encourages audiences to reach beyond their limitations, challenge the unknown, and overcome their fears, while applying her practical experience when it comes to lessons on risk management, discovery learning, failure, and collaboration strategies.
Lisa Glithero
Environmental Educator | Youth Advocate | Community Innovator
What does sustainability mean? How can we inspire government and organizations to protect the planet? How can we get youth involved? In her captivating talks, environmental educator and founder of the EYES (Education, Youth, Environment, Sustainability) Project Lisa Glithero sets out to answer these questions for audiences, inspiring individuals and organizations alike to commit to greener practices at home and in the workplace.
Bruce Lourie
Influential Environmental Policy Expert | Bestselling Author
Bruce Lourie is one of Canada’s most influential leaders and thinkers in the environment sector. With a 20-year career built on creating collaborative solutions to challenges facing non-profits, government and the private sector, Bruce boasts an expertise on toxic substances, green energy, forest conservation, and environmental philanthropy that is second to none. Speaking on topics such as climate and energy; environmental contaminants and toxic pollution; environmental entrepreneurship; and non-profit leadership, Lourie gives audiences timely and actionable information.
Bob McDonald
Host of CBC’s Quirks & Quarks
Loved by audiences across Canada for making complex scientific issues understandable, meaningful, and fun, Bob McDonald is in high demand. A fixture in broadcasting for more than 30 years, he is currently the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks, the award-winning science program that is heard by 500,000 people each week. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, and a member of the Order of Canada.
Tom Rand
Environmental Sustainability Expert | Venture Capitalist
Tom Rand’s ambition is to help bring clean technology to life. A global thought leader with a recognized record of extraordinary achievement in the promotion of a low carbon economy, Rand is a green entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and author. Rand challenges his audiences to recognize that there are concrete solutions to the climate change crisis, and he is widely sought after for his ability to take enormously complicated issues and reformulate them in ways that engage his listeners.
Dr. David Suzuki
Award-Winning Scientist, Environmentalist and Broadcaster
Dr. David Suzuki has made it his life’s work to help humanity understand, appreciate, respect and protect nature. A gifted interpreter of science and nature, Dr. Suzuki provides audiences with a compelling look at the state of our environment, underscoring both the successes we have achieved in the battle for environmental sustainability, and the strides we still have to make if Earth will remain a welcoming home for all nature’s creatures. Both inspiring and realistic, he offers leading-edge insights into sustainable development and model for a world in which humanity can live well and still protect our environment.
Ziya Tong
Daily Planet Co-Host
Gemini-nominated Ziya Tong showcases her thirst for curiosity everyday as the co-host of Daily Planet, Canada’s daily science show. Bringing a wealth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm for science and the environment to the stage, Ziya addresses issues such as the shifting nature of time and space, and our place within the universe, in her riveting and eye-opening talks.
Chris Turner
Expert on Sustainability, Renewable Energy and Clean Technology
Chris Turner is one of Canada’s leading writers and speakers on sustainability and the global cleantech industry. He is the author of The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy and The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need, which was a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction, The Alberta Literary Award for Nonfiction and The National Business Book Award.
Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Environmental and Human Rights Activist | Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of transforming public opinion into public policy. Experienced in working with global decision makers for over a decade, Watt-Cloutier offers a new model for 21st century leadership. She speaks with passion and urgency on the issues of today—the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability—not as separate concerns, but as a deeply interconnected whole. At a time when people are seeking solutions, direction, and a sense of hope, this global leader provides a big picture of where we are and where we’re headed.
Andrew Weaver
Lead Climate Scientist
Andrew Weaver is one of the world’s foremost climate scientists and a leading expert on global warming. Through his work, Weaver has re-energized a new generation of discussions on climate change and sustainability, setting off what David Suzuki calls “the final alarm that galvanizes us to move onto a different energy path of renewables and efficiency.” Straight-forward, frank, and engaging, Weaver’s talks breathe urgent life into some of the most important issues of our lifetime.
See more speakers on the environment here.