Subject Matter Experts

Jean-François Menard

Our LCA Workshop is delivered in partnership with the internationally renowned group CIRAIG, the Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services. This world-wide renowned Life Cycle Assessment organization is an official partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative.

Since 2004, the CIRAIG is a renowned strategic alliance program of the Fonds de recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQRNT) as well as the Fonds de recherche sur la Société et la Culture (FQRSC).

The lead trainer, Jean-François Menard holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal. He joined CIRAIG's start-up team in 2002. He is now Senior Analyst and has participated in numerous LCA studies in various sectors including aluminium production, waste management, municipal waste treatment, electricity distribution, road pavement and oil sands exploitation. He has extensive knowledge of the most used LCA software and has worked on the development of several LCA courses including graduate student training. Since 2002, he has provided LCA training to hundreds of participants from varied backgrounds.

Stephen Boles

President, Kuzuka

Steve has been active in the climate change community as a scientist and consultant for over 12 years. Steve received his Master of Science degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1998 and spent the next eight years working as a scientist at one of the world's leading climate change research centers at the University of New Hampshire. He has assisted numerous companies with the development of their GHG Inventory including: Saputo, Grocery Gateway, Vineland Estates Winery, Huron County, Avon Maitland District School Board and others.

Sandra Tavares

Since 1995, Sandra's experience has ranged from local EHS management with small firms to global Corporate Social Responsibility management with large multinationals. Sandra, a certified Environmental Management System Lead Auditor, has conducted EHS management and compliance audits throughout Canada, the U.S. and Mexico; she has also recently been accredited by the California Air Resources Board as a Greenhouse Gas Verifier and Electricity Sector Specialist.

 Sandra is an active member of the Canadian Advisory Committees on Environmental Management and Social Responsibility; these committees provide Canadian feedback to the ISO Technical Committees who develop the ISO 14001 and ISO 26000 standards, respectively. Sandra is also a Director of the Board for the Small Business Centre located in London, Ontario. Sandra is a former member of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment's (CCME) Pollution Prevention Awards Advisory Board and the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Environmental Quality Committee and former Director of the Board for the Environmental Management Resource Centre for Business.

Sandra earned her M.Sc. (Plant Science/Environmental Science) from the University of Western Ontario, where she returned to lecture at the Masters of Environment & Sustainability programme.

Bruce Taylor, P.Eng.
President and Founder, Enviro-Stewards

Enviro-Stewards founder, Bruce Taylor, has 14 years of experience in the sustainability and environmental consulting industry. He has extensive experience in measuring the environmental footprint of organizations in industrial, institutional and commercial settings. He has managed wastewater characterization, treatability testing, treatment facility design and implementation, and facility decommissioning, and site remediation projects for semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, nuclear, petroleum, specialty chemical, mining, pulp and paper, electroplating, textile, and food industries.

Larry Freiburger

Larry specializes in facilitation, consultation and project management on LEED buildings, green design and building energy retrofits to integrate green building technologies into existing and new building systems. He has successfully consulted on a number of LEED projects and managed green building projects. 

He is a graduate of Construction Engineering Technology from Conestoga College of Applied Arts and Technology. He is a LEED Accredited Professional with the Canada Green Building Council and United States Green Building Council, an Energy Advisor with NRCan and has over 40 years experience in construction engineering, project planning, scheduling, budget costing and management. AET is a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting company that provides expertise in waste, ecology, building sciences, energy and environmental management. 

Associates

Conall Bolger, BA(Hons), IPMA, MSc (Environmental Sustainability)
Researcher, Sustainability Learning Centre

Conall Bolger recently joined the Sustainability Learning Centre as Research Associate. Conall has over four years’ experience in the renewable energy sector ranging from business development activities in Poland, and regulatory lobbying in Ireland, to project managing an offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom. A certified project manager, he graduated from Edinburgh University with an MSc in Environmental Sustainability. He researched embedding sustainable practices meaningfully into people’s daily lives. He is passionate about the Canadian environmental sector: volunteering with the Toronto Environmental Alliance; preparing research for Corporate Knights; and contributing to Alternatives Journal.

Katelyn McFadyen, BA (Hons) MSc (Environmental Sustainability)

 Katelyn has a strong passion for sustainable development, specifically within the social environmental sphere. Katelyn has experience in environmental education through creating programs to engage youth regarding environmental issues. As a graduate from the University of Edinburgh, she focused her research on strategies to assist communities in benefitting from Scotland's ambitious renewable energy goals. Specifically, she explored both the barriers and incentives for communities to become involved in the renewable energy sector in Scotland through communal owned wind farms. Katelyn has a strong dedication to the environmental sector, working as a field researcher regarding sustainable consumption for My Sustainable Canada and other advocacy within her community.

Deepa S Kumar, Certified Energy Auditor, B.Tech. in Electrical & Electronics, Diploma Business Administration,

Deepa, has been part of the energy efficiency professional community for the past 7 years. Having a strong passion for clean energy technologies she has worked with private, leading NGOs as well as provincial (state) government agencies in India. Her professional forte includes management of energy efficiency projects, energy audits in buildings, knowledge of renewable energy technologies (with special focus on solar PV and solar thermal systems), providing technical training on energy efficiency and renewable energy to a fairly diverse group and developing innovative projects and programmes for mass adaptation of clean energy technologies. Along with the technical interest in energy technologies she has dedicated time for aiding and supporting clean energy technology accessibility in rural India. She is a electrical and electronics engineering graduate and a certified energy auditor. She is also pursuing a master degree in business administration

Founding Members of Eco-Business Zone Alliance 

The Sustainability Learning Centre is a Founding Member of the Eco-Business Zone Alliance in collaboration with:

Since founding Eco-Industrial Solutions in 2001, Tracy’s work has been dedicated to planning and managing the development of eco-industrial parks, and to transforming existing business clusters into eco-business zones. Tracy led the development of the Partners in Project Green strategy to create the Pearson Eco-Business Zone and is currently the co-development manager/technical lead for the TaigaNova Eco-Industrial Park in Fort McMurray. Her work has been internationally recognized. She is currently co-chairing the industrial symbiosis track of the International Sustainable Development Research Conference in Hong Kong in June 2010, and has been invited to deliver workshops and presentations in Mexico, Ecuador, Taiwan, Korea, and China. Tracy has more than 15 years experience related to sustainability and industry. Eco-Industrial Solutions Ltd. has offices in Vancouver and Montreal, and affiliate offices in Toronto.

Anthony Watanabe, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Innovolve

Dr. Watanabe has been helping leading organizations successfully adopt sustainability strategies for more than 10 years. Working with organizations like Procter and Gamble, The Minto Group, Sustainable Buildings Canada, and World Wildlife Fund he uses the processes of integrative thinking to build sustainability strategies that align with core business drivers and crafts “truly ownable” sustainability agendas.

Dr. Watanabe is an accomplished speaker having delivered presentations on sustainability to business, government and civil society organizations in Canada, the United States and Europe.