The climate crisis impacts communities and ecosystems alike—so let’s explore how we can build resilience for the better 🌱 Featuring Indigenous Ethnobotonist T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss, join us for an evening exploring climate action across systems and drawing inspiration from the ecological resilience around us. 

This will be an evening of celebration as well as exploration, with opportunities to create climate action toolkits, celebrate ecological resilience by growing culinary mushrooms, bridge ideas across expertise, and build community!

Land Acknowledgement

This event will take place on the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem) Nations. Unceded means that this land was never surrendered, transferred or relinquished in any way and, as such, the land remains sovereign Indigenous territory.

It is our intention to ground this evening in an understanding of Indigenous sovereignty over these lands and waters, as well as the foods and medicines grown here, and use this time together to unpack the colonial powers that perpetuate injustice in our climate systems.

FEATURED GUESTS

T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss
T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss (Skwxwu7mesh, Sto:lo, Hawaiian, Swiss) is an educator, interdisciplinary artist and Indigenous ethnobotanist engaged in community based teaching and sharing. Throughout Wyss’s 30 year practice, Wyss’s work encompasses storytelling and collaborative initiatives through their knowledge and restoration of Indigenous plants and natural spaces. Wyss has been recognized for exchanging traditional knowledge in remediating our relationship to land through digital media, site-specific engagements and weaving. Wyss has participated and exhibited at galleries, museums, festivals and public space such as Vancouver Art Gallery, Morris, Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Contemporary Art Gallery and the PuSh Festival to name a few. Their work can be found in various collections such as the National Library of Canada, Special Collections at the Walter Phillips Gallery, and the Vancouver Public Library. They have lead the transformation of Semi-Public (半公開) during their Fellowship at 221a and they are the 2021 ethnobotanist resident at the Wild Bird Sanctuary. They have assisted in developing an urban Indigenous garden currently showing at the 2021 Momenta Biennale in Montreal.

Event Accessibility

Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Associate Members.

This event will be held indoors at SFU Burnaby in the SUB Ballroom (located on the 5th floor of the SUB). Accessibility details to note include:

• The fifth floor of the SUB is accessible via elevator and hosts accessible washrooms, including a single-stall all gender washroom.
• We aim to host a scent-free space. Please refrain from wearing scented products in attendance of this event.
• Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time. However, we can provide a copy of the facilitator’s script.
• Sturdy, armless chairs will be available for those looking to sit during this event.
• Attendees are free to opt in and opt out of activities as suits their needs throughout the event, including exiting and re-entering the event space.

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, or if you have any questions, please contact us at climate@embarksustainability.org.

Community Agreement

By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.

Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.

If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.

Questions

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Embark Sustainability’s Climate Equity Coordinator at climate@embarksustainability.org.