Christine Ward / en Toronto's low-income and racialized communities have fewer trees: 茄子直播 researchers /news/toronto-s-low-income-and-racialized-communities-have-fewer-trees-u-t-researchers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Toronto's low-income and racialized communities have fewer trees: 茄子直播 researchers </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1281542076.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=p1FWNVmS 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-1281542076.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UAP6-B55 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-1281542076.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Ebj969vo 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1281542076.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=p1FWNVmS" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-10-26T11:35:42-04:00" title="Monday, October 26, 2020 - 11:35" class="datetime">Mon, 10/26/2020 - 11:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">In a recent report for the Greenbelt Foundation, 茄子直播 researcher Jacqueline Scott writes that "poor and racialized communities have less access to green space in the city" (photo by redtea via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/christine-ward" hreflang="en">Christine Ward</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black" hreflang="en">Black</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/equity" hreflang="en">Equity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-institute-studies-education" hreflang="en">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An afternoon walk along Toronto鈥檚 Harbourfront neighbourhood was the genesis of&nbsp;<strong>Jacqueline Scott</strong>鈥檚&nbsp;doctoral thesis at the University of Toronto.</p> <p>鈥淚 saw a sign for a camping trip and out of sheer boredom decided to give it a go,鈥 she says, adding that the weekend in the woods changed her life. 鈥淪omething clicked in my soul.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p>Scott started spending every spare minute outdoors&nbsp;鈥 camping, hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing 鈥 as a member of multiple outdoor clubs. Yet, as her skills grew, so did the questions.</p> <p>鈥淣inety-nine per cent of the time I鈥檓 the only Black person in the group. Why? Why are there white people in the woods and not Black? What鈥檚 going on in that space?鈥</p> <p>Scott鈥檚 questions led her to the 茄子直播鈥檚 Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where she鈥檚 been pursuing her PhD in social justice education since 2016. The subject of her thesis:&nbsp;How to make environmentalism more welcoming for Black people.</p> <p>When it comes to outdoor recreation, the conservation industry, even the climate change movement, 鈥渢here are barriers based in the legacies of history,鈥 Scott says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 see ourselves advertised. They don鈥檛 have Black people on staff. It sends a clear message that if you鈥檙e Black, this isn鈥檛 your space.鈥</p> <p>Scott recently shared her research in&nbsp;<a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/greenbelt/pages/14604/attachments/original/1600457503/UrbanForestsChangingClimate_REPORT_E-ver_REV.pdf?1600457503">Urban Forests in a Changing Climate</a>,&nbsp;the latest in a series of reports from the Greenbelt Foundation that explore the impact of climate change on people鈥檚 daily lives. The report discusses&nbsp;the role trees play in helping communities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of southern Ontario mitigate and adapt to climate change, and how race shapes where trees are planted, who benefits from them and who takes part in their planting.</p> <p>鈥淩esearch shows that poor and racialized communities have less access to green space in the city,鈥 Scott writes in the report. 鈥淭he absence of trees is another layer of inequality in lives shaped by oppression.鈥</p> <p>Scott points to her own neighbourhood, Toronto鈥檚 Regent Park. While undergoing a revitalization, the area is historically home to one of Canada鈥檚 largest and oldest social housing developments. In 2016, 70 per cent of residents identified as visible minorities. There are also noticeably fewer trees in Regent Park, Scott observes, compared to nearby Rosedale, where just 18 per cent are racialized.</p> <p>鈥淭he whiter the neighbourhood, the more trees and birds,鈥 Scott says, adding her research shows that tree planting is more likely to occur in rich white areas than poor Black ones. What鈥檚 more, she says, tree planting groups often include a preponderance of white volunteers and staff.</p> <p>鈥淲ithin the field of urban forestry, there鈥檚 widespread recognition that in most North American cities, trees are unevenly distributed relative to the income and racial characteristics of neighbourhoods,鈥 agrees <strong>Tenley Conway</strong>, a professor of environmental geography at 茄子直播 Mississauga who co-authored the report with Scott.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 concerning when recognizing that trees contribute to climate change mitigation and to our physical and emotional well-being.鈥</p> <p>In the Greater Toronto Area, the urban forest includes an estimated 34.2 million trees representing more than 100 species. About one-quarter of the region is under the cover of trees, which, Conway writes, play an important role in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, regulating temperature, decreasing flooding and protecting local biodiversity.</p> <p>Conway calls on local municipalities to include urban forests in their long-term management plans. Homeowners and rural landowners can also help by protecting existing trees, planting new ones and watering young trees during droughts.</p> <p>She says it鈥檚 important to plant a diversity of tree species in a diversity of spaces.</p> <p>In the City of Mississauga, for example, 43 per cent of the current tree canopy is located on residential property, but there are still opportunities to increase its size. The 鈥渃ity-wide canopy cover could increase by 12 to 19 per cent if all available spaces on residential land were planted with trees.鈥</p> <p>As for the relationship between trees and race, both Scott and Conway say the time is right to raise awareness of the issue and to advocate for change.</p> <p>鈥淭he global pandemic has highlighted the important mental health benefits of getting outside and accessing the urban forest and being able to do so close to home,鈥 says Conway. &nbsp;</p> <p>Scott agrees, saying: 鈥淧rior to COVID, most of the Black people I saw in Toronto鈥檚 ravines were people I brought there. COVID has changed that. It鈥檚 opened the door to a new opportunity to invite people of colour to engage in the outdoors.鈥</p> <p>Whether they continue to do so or not will depend on the ability of our environmental leaders and organizations to acknowledge that race is an issue, Scott says, adding they must also build strong relationships with the Black community and hire more Black staff.</p> <p>鈥淚f a diverse photo op is your only step, nothing has changed.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:35:42 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 166187 at Ulli Krull transforms 茄子直播 Mississauga 鈥 and partnerships with the city 鈥 during visionary career /news/ulli-krull-transforms-u-t-mississauga-and-partnerships-city-during-visionary-career <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ulli Krull transforms 茄子直播 Mississauga 鈥 and partnerships with the city 鈥 during visionary career</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Krull_Formal.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=edYpqsA5 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Krull_Formal.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=SSbu8PVk 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Krull_Formal.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=j-6QKcES 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Krull_Formal.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=edYpqsA5" alt="Ulli Krull"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-07-08T12:54:20-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 8, 2020 - 12:54" class="datetime">Wed, 07/08/2020 - 12:54</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/christine-ward" hreflang="en">Christine Ward</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-chemistry" hreflang="en">Department of Chemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ask <strong>Ulli Krull</strong> how it all got started 鈥 the programs, buildings, research, partnerships and city-building that defined&nbsp;his nearly 40-year career at the University of Toronto Mississauga 鈥 and he breaks into a grin.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚鈥檝e never looked back at what I鈥檝e done,鈥 Krull says. 鈥淚鈥檇 rather ask, 鈥榃hat is the next big thing?鈥欌</p> <p>But <a href="/news/alexandra-gillespie-appointed-vice-president-and-principal-u-t-mississauga">as he turns everything over to the new principal and vice-president</a>, he's keen to share&nbsp;the story of one moment that he considers a turning point in his career 鈥&nbsp;and in 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 relationship with the City of Mississauga.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Krull_HazelMcCallion_IMI.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Celebrating&nbsp;the launch of the new Institute for Management &amp; Innovation in 2014 with&nbsp;Hazel McCallion (centre) then the mayor of Mississauga (photo by&nbsp;Stephen Uhraney)</em></p> <p>It was the late 1990s and Hazel McCallion, then the mayor of Mississauga, was on a flight home from Kobe, Japan, where she had met with representatives of the World Health Organization鈥檚 Kobe Centre, Cities and Health Program&nbsp;to talk about creating a made-in-Mississauga 鈥淗ealthy City鈥 model. McCallion found herself sitting&nbsp;next to a faculty member from 茄子直播 Mississauga's&nbsp;management department.</p> <p>鈥淪he told him go back to campus and ask how we were going to help change the city,鈥 Krull says.</p> <p>It was a challenge custom-made for Krull, then the associate dean of sciences. 鈥淚 knew immediately the team I wanted to bring together. We were going to teach Hazel how to build a healthy city while moving our academic work into the community in a way that had never been done before,鈥 he recalls.</p> <p>Krull made the project an assignment in an undergraduate course. He tasked 44 students with identifying how every city department could have an impact on health, and then sent them to city hall to flesh out the details. Their recommendations became a comprehensive report for the mayor, which led to a student presentation to the World Health Organization and, ultimately, to the formation of the UTM-City of Mississauga Healthy City Stewardship Centre. In 2006, the centre was awarded the World Leadership Award honouring exceptional leadership in cities around the world.</p> <p>That, says McCallion, 鈥渋s when Ulli became a vital part of the success of the City of Mississauga.鈥</p> <p>Krull describes himself as a 鈥渓ucky guy,鈥 but his city-building role had nothing to do with luck. From the moment of his arrival on 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 campus in 1984, he had a plan and he saw the University of Toronto campus, known then as Erindale College, as the ideal place to bring it to fruition.</p> <p>A three-time 茄子直播&nbsp;graduate, Krull earned&nbsp;his Bachelor of Science (1979), Master of Science (1980) and PhD (1983) degrees in analytical chemistry on the St. George campus. While still a doctoral candidate, his ground-breaking research on artificial cell membranes attracted industry attention 鈥&nbsp;and a large federal research grant.</p> <p>鈥淎ll of a sudden, I had all this money, but not enough space to conduct my research,鈥 he remembers. He started looking for a place to expand around the same time that two Erindale chemistry professors transferred to the St. George campus.</p> <p>Krull jumped at the opportunity and, in 1984, he became the campus鈥檚 sole analytical chemist.</p> <p>Over the next five years, he threw himself into research and teaching, outfitting his laboratory, recruiting students, publishing research and navigating the complex world of intellectual property and patents. As he ticked off each academic milestone, including a two-year stint as chair of the department of chemistry from 1990 to 1992, he started thinking about his next big thing.</p> <p>鈥淚 started looking beyond campus to the city,鈥 Krull says. He knew that innovation was a driver for positive change and that government and industry alike were eager for new ways to source innovative thinking.</p> <p>But he also knew that he needed a launch pad, a project to prove that the future of 茄子直播 Mississauga&nbsp;and Mississauga were not mutually exclusive. That鈥檚 when McCallion came calling.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Krull_50th.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Krull is robed by student representatives <strong>Arjan Banerjee </strong>and <strong>Salma Fakhry </strong>as<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Vice-President and Provost&nbsp;<strong>Cheryl Regehr</strong> applauds&nbsp;(photo by Steve Frost)</em></p> <p>Over the approximately 25 years that followed, Krull took on a series of progressively senior administrative roles that allowed him to continue leading change 鈥&nbsp;from associate dean of sciences and vice-principal for research and graduate studies (1994-1999) to vice-dean, graduate (2006-2008) to vice-principal of research (2003-2013) to vice-principal of special initiatives (2012- 2016) and, finally, principal and vice-president (2017-2020).</p> <p>He also earned many&nbsp;teaching awards, while continuing to run a large research enterprise that has netted more than 250 publications, 60 book chapters, more than a dozen patents, four startup companies and two of the top awards for analytical chemistry research in Canada. Krull and his team are now harnessing the power of nanotechnology and microfluidics technology to detect disease markers and help make personalized medicine possible. He鈥檚 also exploring portable diagnostic techniques involving cellphones and their cameras.</p> <p>Throughout it all, his passion for building something new 鈥 new partnerships, new research and learning opportunities for students and new ways of strengthening Mississauga鈥檚 economic and social fabric&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;steadily spurred him forward.</p> <p>鈥淯lli Krull has played an absolutely crucial role in the development of 茄子直播 Mississauga as an anchor institution in the western GTA,鈥 says 茄子直播 President&nbsp;<strong>Meric Gertler</strong>.</p> <p>鈥淗e has this incredible passion for enhancing UTM鈥檚 role as a city-builder and for realizing its full potential as a centre of excellence in research and teaching. And that鈥檚 been a huge force in attracting brilliant faculty, staff and students to the campus.鈥</p> <p>Krull was instrumental in the creation of the Centre for Applied Biosciences &amp; Biotechnology, the Research Innovation Commercialization (RIC) Centre, the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, the Institute for Management &amp; Innovation (IMI) and, most recently, 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 robotics cluster program.</p> <p>Philanthropist <strong>Terrence Donnelly</strong>, whose $12 million donation supported construction of 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex that houses the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, notes the importance of Krull鈥檚 鈥渦nique brand of leadership.鈥 He truly was key, says Donnelly, 鈥渋n bridging the university with the community and creating the opportunity for me to invest in something that is making a tangible difference to Ontarians.鈥</p> <p>鈥淯lli sparked the idea of connecting science to business in a way that is meaningful and creates real jobs and economic prosperity,鈥 says Pam Banks, executive director of the RIC Centre, Peel region鈥檚 incubator for innovation and entrepreneurship. She credits Krull with helping to broker the relationships with industry, the municipalities, the region and the provincial government, that led to the establishment of the non-profit in 2008.</p> <p>鈥淯lli鈥檚 a triple-threat. He brings to the table expertise in science, business and community-building,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou and I think about what might happen today or tomorrow. Ulli approaches life like a game of chess. He鈥檚 looking 15 years out.鈥</p> <p>Ellen McGregor agrees. The CEO of Mississauga cleantech company Fielding Environmental, she worked alongside Krull on the city鈥檚 economic development advisory board and the Mississauga Innovation Leadership Alliance charged with developing a culture of innovation within the city.</p> <p>鈥淯lli is highly principled and that makes him a leader in the community, someone people want to be around. He makes us feel there鈥檚 value in our contributions and that we鈥檙e a part of something bigger, something more than we could accomplish on our own.鈥</p> <p>She points to 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 Innovation Complex, unveiled in 2014 with a $10 million investment pledge from the city, then the largest municipal grant ever made to the university. The complex is home to IMI, a research and teaching hub dedicated to providing students with the sector-specific knowledge and leadership skills to manage innovation. Krull is credited as one of IMI鈥檚 chief architects.</p> <p>Six years after its opening, the complex is a steady source of innovative ideas and future leaders for companies like Fielding. 鈥淯lli understands better than most that to grow a business you need access to capital, talent, market and innovation,鈥&nbsp;McGregor says. Through IMI, 鈥渉e makes sure that our company has access to talent, research studies, even lab space, so we can generate more revenue.鈥</p> <p>Bonnie Brown, director of economic development for the City of Mississauga,&nbsp;has invited Krull to participate in countless investment pitches to life sciences companies thinking of setting up shop in the city. By painting a compelling picture of how the university can help fuel their talent pipeline, 鈥淯lli has helped land many investments in Mississauga,鈥 she says.</p> <p>Alumna and Mississauga Mayor <strong>Bonnie Crombie</strong> says that both the city and 茄子直播 Mississauga are better because of his Krull's many contributions.</p> <p>鈥淵our drive to build the city and cultivate a vibrant innovative culture through your role in the launch of the Research Innovation and Commercialization Centre, the development of the Master of Biotechnology program, the Institute for Management &amp; Innovation, the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry and the Continuum Robotics Laboratory, have all positioned UTM as a leading education and research partner (and) put us on the national and international map.鈥</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vIqbNH5xpM" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>As his tenure as principal and vice-president comes to an end, Krull says he's grateful for the many accolades, thank-you messages and stories of positive change he鈥檚 received.&nbsp;</p> <p>Vice-President and Provost <strong>Cheryl Regehr&nbsp;</strong>says 茄子直播&nbsp;has benefitted greatly from his passion and support for higher education as well as his intelligent and forward-thinking leadership. 鈥淗is countless contributions have helped shape UTM into the diverse and thriving campus it is today. I am deeply grateful to Ulli for his remarkable service and unwavering commitment to those at UTM and to the broader community.鈥</p> <p>Krull hopes his impact reaches even deeper. 鈥淚 worked hard to meet everyone 鈥&nbsp;students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors 鈥&nbsp;where they are at, to talk to them personally and let them know that they can say or ask anything they want, no matter what their title.鈥</p> <p><strong>Paul Piunno</strong>, associate professor (teaching stream) in the department of chemical and physical sciences and one of Krull鈥檚 former graduate students, appreciated that approach. 鈥淯lli always dangled a carrot in front. Here鈥檚 what you鈥檝e learned. Now, how can you apply it to help the human condition? I鈥檝e taken that to heart.鈥</p> <p>His leadership was an example to those around him, says <strong>Heather Hines</strong>, director, undergraduate programs and student services in the department of management. 鈥淒espite his many responsibilities, Ulli always found time to connect with those in the community and unfailingly demonstrated his support, whether it be through attending a student awards ceremony, speaking to a staff mentorship forum, or even getting decked out in a Santa outfit for a good cause.鈥</p> <p>Krull鈥檚 leadership style also resonated with both <strong>Felipe Nagata</strong>&nbsp;and <strong>Carol Bisnath</strong>,&nbsp;former presidents of the 茄子直播 Mississauga Students鈥 Union and the UTM 茄子直播 Association, respectively.</p> <p>鈥淯lli always gave students a voice while reminding us to work together and think about what comes next,鈥 Nagata says. 鈥淗e鈥檇 tell us, 鈥榃e鈥檙e all in this together, so let鈥檚 get it together.鈥欌</p> <p>Bisnath remembers his openness and accessibility with the alumni board and with her personally. 鈥淯lli is humble, strong, dignified and never afraid to show his humanity, not just to me, but to every person on campus. He has created a real sense of community.鈥</p> <p>Krull鈥檚 smile stretches even wider at the thought.</p> <p>鈥淗elping everyone feel like they鈥檙e a part of a family, that they鈥檙e an important part of what makes UTM a special place, that鈥檚 been my goal all along.鈥</p> <p>Mission accomplished.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 08 Jul 2020 16:54:20 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 165289 at