Partners

 

York Institute for Health Research (YIHR) , York University

YIHR is an institutional-based organized research unit (ORU) at York University in Toronto, Canada, developing health research since 1990. YIHR has a mandate to facilitate, support and conduct health research under six broad themes: Diversity and Health; Health Law and Ethics; Health and the Environment; Health Governance; Health Care and Health Equity; and Social Justice. These themes are explored through the lenses of community engagement, interdisciplinarity, internationality, multi-method approaches and policy relevance. Faculty from different disciplines are engaged in research at YIHR, inspiring interdisciplinary curiosity and encouraging new discussions to build upon innovative areas in health research. YIHR is not only made up of York’s faculty members, but also engages membership from students, academic partners, international institutes, governments and local, national and international organizations.

 

Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability, York University

Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) is an interdisciplinary research centre at York University dedicated to pursuing multifaceted approaches to the contemporary challenges of sustainability. It is a focal point for sustainability-related research and action at all eleven of York’s faculties. Through collaborative and interdisciplinary research, IRIS strives to push beyond traditional research methods to tackle real-world challenges with unique solutions. It supports sustainability-related research of York faculty members and students and is a leader in trans-disciplinary team-based research.

 

S. M. Sehgal Foundation 

S M Sehgal Foundation (“Sehgal Foundation”) is a public, charitable trust registered in India since 1999. Sehgal Foundation’s mission is to strengthen community-led development initiatives to achieve positive social, economic and environmental change across rural India.  The organization envisions every person across rural India empowered to lead a more secure and prosperous life.

 

Based in Gurgaon, Haryana, Sehgal Foundation works primarily in the remote, semi-arid regions of Haryana and Rajasthan; to date it has reached nearly 500,000 people in 464 villages.

 

With support from donors and partners in the corporate, government and social sectors, the organization advances it mission by working with rural communities to increase agricultural productivity, manage water resources, strengthen grassroots democracy and facilitate citizen participation through good rural governance and community media, with a strong emphasis on women’s empowerment and gender equality.

 

To direct the organization’s resources toward its greatest impact, Sehgal Foundation is guided by a rights-based approach, working toward the realization of human rights and human potential through the development process. It conducts research to design and deliver rural development interventions that help India’s poorest communities create opportunity, build resilience and implement solutions to overcome their most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges.

 

Sehgal Foundation believes that with the appropriate support from civil society organizations and the government, rural communities can be mobilized, and are capable of transforming awareness into action to develop their own vision for development, ultimately leading to a more dignified life.

 

As an emerging knowledge leader on rural development issues in India, Sehgal  Foundation’s Rural Research Center (RRC) conducts participatory research and impact assessment as a rigorous strategy and a practical tool for informed action, results and learning. RRC collects, assesses and reports both qualitative and quantitative data across an array of development outcomes, and is building a base of evidence-based research to bridge the gap between listening and incorporating the voices and views of rural communities. The Rural Research Center partners with universities on joint conferences, workshops and research.

 

Women in Environment

Women in Environment (WE-Nepal) is a non-government and not-for-profit, grassroots oriented organization. WE-Nepal stands for the cause of women and their empowerment. The organization was established in the year 1990 and is registered under the Society Registration Act, 1977. It is a membership-based organization having more than 5000 members throughout the country. Executive body is constituted through the election process in every three years. Since its establishment, WE-Nepal have touched more than 50,000 households and inspired more than 300,000 lives.

WE-Nepal’s program focus on the following key themes:

  • Empowerment of women and children
  • People’s Participation and Governance
  • Community Organization
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Bio-Diversity and Resource conservation and management

 

Major activities of the organization includes knowledge based development activities, sustainable based development activities such as construction of irrigation dams, culverts and tube wells, construction of schools, promotion of agriculture, seminars/workshops, awareness programs, training, information exchange, and provision of resource center services.

 

Organization’s activities have involved scholars from a variety of disciplines, environmentalist, geologist, economist, government officials, lawyers, feminist, public policy analysts, social scientist and the general public.

 

Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies Program, University of Toronto Scarborough

University of Toronto Scarborough, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies Program. The new environmental studies program at the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, provides environmental students with an interdisciplinary education in which they gain skills and knowledge necessary to environmental practice. We believe that connecting students to real life experiences and teaching them in a context of application will help mobilize their creativity and intelligence to build a more sustainable society.

 

The St. Croix Estuary Project Inc. (SCEP)

 

SCEP is dedicated to the continual improvement of environmental quality of the St Croix estuary ecosystem, in full collaboration with and in support of, healthy and prosperous coastal communities. SCEP’s goal is to engage local and regional decision-makers and citizens in working together to better understand, sustain and improve the environment at local and regional scales through research & monitoring, application of scientific data, education and action.

 

SCEP’s public centre and associated grounds at the Ganong Nature Park, consists of 350 acres located on the tip of the peninsula lying between Oak Bay and the St. Croix River near Passamaquoddy Bay on the Bay of Fundy, and acts as a base for outreach activities. SCEP utilizes outdoor education, interpretive, celebratory and stewardship activities, state of the local environment reporting, as well as the provision of outdoor space for activity, to develop understanding, respect and appreciation of nature, aiming to inspire environmental stewardship and the development of community capacity.

 

Eastern Charlotte Waterways Inc. (ECW)

 

Eastern Charlotte Waterways Inc. (ECW) is a not-for-profit, environmental resource and research centre, collaborating with like-minded organizations to promote community well-being through sound environmental health. This is accomplished by facilitating projects that integrate common social, economic and environmental concerns.

 

The mission of ECW is to encourage community awareness of the local environment, promote sustainable management of natural resources, and it assist with maintaining a viable local economy.

 

School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Canada

Since its creation in 2009, the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) has established itself as a nationally recognized leader in integrating sustainability into economic, social and environmental processes. Seed’s research and teaching activities seek to engage and, above all, impact our communities at local, national and global scales. SEED’s core expertise lies across several inter-related areas: environment and business, international and local development practice, and social entrepreneurship and innovation. One of the unique strengths of SEED is the bringing together of these constituent elements within a single school that is itself housed within the Faculty of Environment. This allows our students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with developing sustainable and just solutions from business, development and social enterprise perspectives. With a focus on problem-driven research and interdisciplinary approaches, SEED faculty members have a diverse range of disciplinary backgrounds and expertise, including management and finance experts, engineers, political scientists, geographers, sociologists, human ecologists, marketing experts, political economists, and lawyers. Our faculty and students play a crucial role in translating environmental and social justice imperatives into tools and strategies for business and development activities.