Four Guiding Principles were considered in planning this conference:

1. Sustainability 

This conference was originally planned as an in-person event; in light of the global pandemic it was shifted to an online offering. Nevertheless, planning was carried out in intentional alignment with the EECOM Green Conference Guidelines. To reduce the carbon footprint related to digital activities of EECOM 2021, the conference committee has purchased 9 Educational Carbon Credits (ECC)™. Those 9 ECC represent 9 tons of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) that were offset by youth participating in the Carbon Scol’ERE educational program and taking on environmental actions at home with their families.

2. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

The four themes of the conference have put these principles at the forefront of the keynotes and sessions of this conference: Indigenous Education, EcoJustice Education, Water Education and City as Classroom. All three of the keynote talks at this conference focus on issues of equity, Indigeneity and social justice in relation to Urban Environmental Education, in addition to the many presentations focused on these issues throughout the conference. Specially invited presenters help to ensure a diversity of voices from different communities, focusing specifically on those who are often marginalized in environmental education circles. Subsidies for the conference registration were also made available to provide barrier-free access to registration. In addition, many Indigenous delegates and presenters have received complimentary registration, thanks to a TD Friends of the Environment Foundation grant.

3. Indigenous Education

Centring Indigenous Education at the heart of this conference has been a clear focus from the outset. We are grateful for the guidance of two well-respected  Indigenous educators, Nancy Rowe and Jodie Williams who have generously shared their knowledge, expertise and energy with the conference planning team. Nancy Rowe, whose Ojibwe name is Giidaakunadaad (“The Spirit Who Lives in High Places”), is a Mississauga, Ojibwe of the Anishinaabek Nation located at New Credit First Nation, and the Director of Akinomaagaye Gaamik. Jodie Williams currently works as the Indigenous Education Consultant for the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board in Ontario, Canada, and is the Co-Chair for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Association of Ontario. We are also grateful to have Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Verne Ross sharing his knowledge as part of the Research Symposium. Verne is from Cote First Nation and is an Assistant Professor at OISE in the Indigenous Studies Program, as well as a social worker and doctoral candidate.   

Welcoming the participation of Indigenous students, educators and presenters in this conference has also been key.  Thanks to the generous sponsorship of TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, many Indigenous delegates and presenters have received complimentary registration.

We acknowledge the traditional territory upon which the conference is being hosted. For many thousands of years, the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas (Michizaagiig) of the Credit, have sought to walk gently on this land. This territory is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, as well as by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinaabeg and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and resources around the Great Lakes. This acknowledgement signals our desire to seek a new relationship with the Original Peoples of this land, one based on honour and deep respect, and is a starting point to remind us all to enact this work in our personal and professional lives.

4. Inclusive Learning Practices 

We have endeavoured to be as inclusive as possible in the organization and delivery of this online conference. Conference information has been shared in both official languages. Many of the sessions in this conference focusing on Urban Environmental Education address inclusion through outdoor, experiential, place-based, and inquiry-based learning in a variety of settings around the city.  In the shift to a digital format, presenters are unable to model these pedagogies in the city as hoped, however they will be referencing them throughout their presentations.  Digital learning does offer other opportunities for inclusive learning practices to be manifested, however, from closed captioning of keynotes and presentations, to individual settings for audio levels, to recording sessions for future access.