Monday, September 28th 6:30pm
McMaster Center, Downtown LibraryDr. Wayne Roberts has worked tirelessly to demonstrate that what is good for the environment is also good for jobs and ordinary people. "It's a vision that integrates economic, social and environmental well-being," he says.
Roberts is author of seven books (most recently the
No Nonsense Guide to World Food) and the director of the
Toronto Food Policy Council. Roberts also founded the
Coalition for a Green Economy.
The Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) is a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that is widely recognized for its innovative approach to food security. As a leading member of the
City of Toronto's Environmental Task Force, Roberts helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including the Environmental Plan and Food Charter, adopted by Toronto City Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Many ideas and projects of the TFPC are featured in Roberts' book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (2008). In April, 2009, the TFPC under Roberts' leadership received the Bob Hunter Environmental Achievement Award, given to a City of Toronto agency with a record of outstanding leadership, for its efforts to make food an action item on the environmental agenda.
Since 1989, Roberts has written a weekly column for Toronto’s
NOW Magazine, generally on themes that link social justice, public health and green economics.
In 2002, he received the Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. NOW Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto’s leading visionaries of the past 20 years. In 2008, he received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award presented by Planet in Focus.
Roberts earned a Ph.D. in social and economic history from the University of Toronto in 1978, and has written seven books, including
Get A Life! (1995), a manual on green economics, and
Real Food For A Change (1999), which promotes a food system based on the four ingredients of health, joy, justice and nature.
Roberts chaired the influential and Toronto-based Coalition for a Green Economy for 15 years. He has also served on the Board of the U.S.-based
Community Food Security Coalition and
Food Secure Canada. He is on the board of
Green Enterprise Toronto, an organization of local eco-businesses that's associated with the
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies across North America. He has been invited to speak around the world on strategies that combine food security, community empowerment, environmental improvement, social equity and job creation.
