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GGR 381 H1F: Field Course in Environmental Geography COURSE SCHEDULE and READINGS | FALL 2016

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GGR 381 H1F: Field Course in Environmental Geography COURSE SCHEDULE and READINGS | FALL 2016 GGR 381 H1F: Field Course in Environmental Geography COURSE SCHEDULE AND READINGS | FALL 2016 Course Schedule Overview Tues. Sept. 6 In-class Session Introductory Session and Field Trip and trip to High Park (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.) Meet at Sid Smith, Room 5017A at 9:30 a.m. Following class, meet at the north gates of High Park at 1:30 p.m. The gates are at the intersection of Colborne Lodge Drive and Bloor St. West, near the High Park TTC Station. Wed. Sept. 7 Field Trip The Port Lands (8:45 a.m. – 4 p.m.) Meet at the Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Plant (9 Leslie St., south of Lakeshore Blvd. East) at 8:45 a.m. In the afternoon we will be visiting the Portlands Energy Centre (470 Unwin Ave.) Thu. Sept. 8 Field Trip Food in the City (8:15 a.m. – 4 p.m.) Meet at the Ontario Food Terminal (165 The Queensway, east of Park Lawn Rd.) at 8:15 a.m. In the afternoon we will be visiting Black Creek Community Farm (4929 Jane St.) Fri. Sept. 9 Field Trip Mines and Airports (7:15 a.m. – 4:30 Meet at the Huron St. entrance to Sid Smith Hall, p.m.) 100 St George St. at 7:15 a.m. We will be traveling by bus and leaving at 7:30 a.m. sharp. We will be visiting the Aberfoyle Sand and Gravel Pits in the morning and Pearson International Airport in the afternoon. Fri. Sept. 16 In-class Session Sid Smith, Room 2101 (12 – 2 p.m.) Fri. Sept. 23 Field Trip Green Roofs (12 – 3:30 p.m.) Meet at 12:00 p.m. outside the front entrance of City Hall, 100 Queen St. West. Following a tour of the Podium Green Roof we will be walking approximately 20 minutes to Ryerson for a tour of their (rooftop) Urban Farm. Fri. Sept. 30 Archives Trip City of Toronto Archives (12 – 1:30 p.m. Meet on the first floor of the archives (255 Spadina OR 1:30 – 3 p.m.) Rd., north of Dupont St.). Meeting schedule TBD based on group assignments. Fri. Oct. 7 In-class Session Sid Smith, Room 2101 (12 – 2 p.m.) Fri. Oct. 14 Field Trip Reflection (Submit to Blackboard) Paper Due Fri. Oct. 21 Field Trip Solid Waste (12:30 – 3:30 p.m.) Meet at 12:30 p.m. at the Disco Transfer Station, 120 Disco Rd. (Etobicoke). We will also be visiting the adjacent Organics Processing Facility. 1 Fri. Nov. 11 Group Progress (Submit to Blackboard) Report Due Fri. Nov. 18 In-class Session Sid Smith, Room 2101 (12 – 2 p.m.) Mon. Nov. 21 Group meetings with Sid Smith, Room 5048. Progress meeting schedule Bryan (30-minute TBD based on group assignments. slots between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.) Fri. Dec. 2 Group Project: Final (Submit to Blackboard) Report Due Between Final Exam Details TBA Dec. 9 and Dec. 20 N.B. (1) See notes below about appropriate clothing to wear. (2) Schedule subject to change, although any changes would be minor. Notification would be provided in advance. Tuesday September 6, 2016: Introductory Session and trip to High Park 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meeting Location Meet at Sid Smith, Room 5017A at 9:30 a.m. Following class, arrange your own transportation and meet at the north gates of High Park at 1:30 p.m. The gates are at the intersection of Colborne Lodge Drive and Bloor Street West, near the High Park TTC Station. NOTE: Please bring comfortable close-toed walking shoes, weather appropriate field clothes, sunscreen and water. You may also want to bring a litterless lunch and arrive at the park early to eat it. High Park High Park is Toronto's largest public park featuring hiking trails, diverse vegetation, and a zoo. The park, over one-third of which remains in a natural state, is home to many species of wildlife, including birds, fish and animals. Recognized as one of the most significant natural sites within the city of Toronto, the park contains an outstanding concentration of rare plant species. For example, about 1/3 of the park’s natural environment consists of nationally rare oak savannah, an open, park- like landscape that contains widely spaced black oaks, scattered low shrubs and a rich variety of prairie grasses and wildflowers. Indigenous peoples very likely used the High Park area historically. Nearby, at the Humber River, a well-used trade route linked Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay, and another historic trail ran along the eastern side of Grenadier Pond. - Sources: www.highparktoronto.com | www.highparknature.org | City of Toronto Assigned Readings Keil, Roger (2003). Urban Political Ecology. Urban Geography, 24(8): 723–738. 2 Bobiwash, Rodney (1997). The History of Native People in the Toronto Area: An Overview. In: Sanderson, F. and H. Bobiwash (eds.), The Meeting Place: Aboriginal Life in Toronto. Toronto: Native Canadian Centre, pp. 5-24. Additional Materials Swyngedouw, Erik (1996). The city as a hybrid: On nature, society and cyborg urbanization. Capitalism Nature Socialism, 7(2): 65-80.* *This article is optional for this class and required for the last. It is recommended that you read it (albeit briefly) in advance. Heynen, Nik (2014). Urban political ecology I: The urban century. Progress in Human Geography, 38(4): 598–604. Heynen, Nik (2015). Urban political ecology II: The Abolitionist Century. Progress in Human Geography, 1-7. DOI: 10.1177/0309132515617394 Redclift, Michael (2000). Envisaging the Frontier: Land Settlement and Life Chances in Upper Canada, In: Redclift, M. (Ed.) Sustainability: Life Chances and Livelihoods. New York: Routledge, pp. 106-120. Available online through Roberts. ________________________________________________________________________ Wednesday September 7, 2016: The Port Lands 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meeting Location Meet at 8:45 a.m. at the Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, 9 Leslie Street. NOTE: Please bring a water bottle, sunscreen, weather-appropriate field clothes, a hat, and hiking boots or other close-toed shoes. Please also bring a litterless lunch (and snacks if you’d like). Sandals or other open-toed shoes are not allowed. Everyone must wear arm and leg coverings (i.e. no dresses, skirts, etc.). Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant Wastewater is the mixture of liquid and solid materials that residents and businesses flush down toilets and empty down sinks and drains every day. This material then travels through the city’s sanitary sewer system to one of four wastewater treatment plants. Ashbridges Bay is one of Canada's largest, and oldest wastewater treatment plants. It was built in 1910 and was formerly called the Main Treatment Plant. The facility is housed on 40.5 hectares (100 acres) and operates 24/7, with a capacity to process 818,000 cubic metres per day. - From the City of Toronto Website Portlands Energy Centre (PEC) PEC provides up to 550 megawatts of power, which is about 25 percent of central Toronto's needs. This helps ensure that we have enough power to keep our lights, furnaces, air conditioners and computers running and meets our long term needs as 3 the city continues to grow. PEC is fuelled by natural gas, one of the most efficient and cleanest fuels for generating electricity. We operate primarily during peak demand periods and when there are constraints on the transmission system currently supplying Toronto. During operation PEC has a "high efficiency factor," meaning that it will maximize its production of electricity from every unit of fuel used. The station's high efficiency factor translates into lower fuel usage and, as a result, lowers emissions. PEC operates primarily during peak demand periods and when there are constraints on the transmission system currently supplying Toronto. - From www.portlandsenergycentre.com Assigned Readings Prudham, Scott, Gunter Gad and Richard Anderson (2011). Networks of power: Toronto’s waterfront energy systems from 1840 to 1970. In: Laidley, Jennefer and Gene Desfor (eds.), Reshaping Toronto's Waterfront. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 175-200. Swyngedouw, Erik, Maria Kaika and Esteban Castro (2002). Urban water: A political-ecology perspective. Built Environment, 28(2): 124-137. Gorrie, Peter (2009). Renewable Ontario. Alternatives Journal, 35(1): 22-24. Additional Materials Pharasi, S. and Kennedy, C.A. (2002). Reflections on the financial history of Toronto's urban water infrastructure. In Proceedings of the 30th Annual Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Conference, Montreal, 5-8 June 2002. Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Montreal, Que. GE-062: 1-10. Prudham, Scott (2004). Poisoning the well: neoliberalism and the contamination of municipal water in Walkerton, Ontario. Geoforum, 35(3): 343-359. Trebilcock, Michael J and Hrab, Roy (2005). Electricity Restructuring In Ontario. The Energy Journal, 26(1): 123-146. ________________________________________________________________________ Thursday September 8, 2016: Food in the City 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meeting Location Meet at the main entrance to the Ontario Food Terminal, 165 The Queensway, east of Park Lawn Rd. In the afternoon we will be travelling to Black Creek Community Farm, 4929 Jane Street. Entrance to the farm is just south of Steeles Avenue West, on the east side of Jane Street. NOTE: Part of the afternoon trip will involve helping the farm staff out with some of their work… Please bring a water bottle, sunscreen, a hat, weather-appropriate field clothes (including pants), snacks (if you’d like), 4 work/garden gloves (if you have them), and hiking boots (or other appropriate close-toed footwear). Ontario Food Terminal Established in 1954, the Ontario Food Terminal is the “stock exchange” for fruits and vegetables, where prices are determined by supply and demand and can change daily.
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