Unify Toronto Dialogues: A Retrospective
Toronto activists and change agents are working in uncharted territory to address the ecological, socio-economic, and spiritual crises of our time. But they are often stove-piped within their issue, and on the verge of burnout. Leaders and interested citizens need spaces and processes to help them transform despair and apathy in the face of overwhelming planetary crises into collaborative action, across issues and organizations, toward a life-sustaining society. They need a broader context for their social change work, one that will help them draw on reserves of energy larger than their own. They need a place to experiment with possible futures—a local lab for the Great Turning. That's where the Unify Toronto Dialogues come in. (Read more.)
Our current series: Project Drawdown--How we can reverse global warming and the part you can play
Project Drawdown, founded by author and environmentalist, Paul Hawken, is a scientifically based, comprehensive plan to implement the top 80 solutions to reverse global warming by 2050. Reversing climate change is not only possible, but feasible and eminently practical. The book sets out the solutions, the math and the economics of how we can actually do this in an inspirational and accessible way. It’s amazing!
Unify Toronto's 13-month program (Jan 2018-Feb 2019) aimed to generate enough activity to make Toronto a hub of Drawdown activity in North America. It included a series of introductions to Drawdown, sectoral events, and a course, that put vital information about how we can reverse global warming in participants' hands, connected them with other change makers, and galvanized their action with a new sense of optimism and agency. Drawdown Toronto has now been seeded as an initiative in its own right.
Check out www.drawdowntoronto.ca to stay informed.
Find out more about Project Drawdown at www.drawdown.org.
Learn about the Pachamama Alliance, creators of the Drawdown introduction and course, at www.pachamama.org.
Unify Toronto's 13-month program (Jan 2018-Feb 2019) aimed to generate enough activity to make Toronto a hub of Drawdown activity in North America. It included a series of introductions to Drawdown, sectoral events, and a course, that put vital information about how we can reverse global warming in participants' hands, connected them with other change makers, and galvanized their action with a new sense of optimism and agency. Drawdown Toronto has now been seeded as an initiative in its own right.
Check out www.drawdowntoronto.ca to stay informed.
Find out more about Project Drawdown at www.drawdown.org.
Learn about the Pachamama Alliance, creators of the Drawdown introduction and course, at www.pachamama.org.
Past Events
Awakening the Dreamer Symposium:
Saturday June 8 2019
Saturday May 11 2019
Introduction Blitzes in 2018:
Monday January 31, Tuesday February 27, Thursday March 22, Wednesday March 28, Wednesday April 4 2018
Month of June 2018 - Monday June 11, Tuesday June 19
Month of September 2018 - Friday September 20, Wednesday September 26
July 27 2019 - Introduction to Project Drawdown
Pachamama Alliance Drawdown Courses in 2018 and 2019:
Course 1 - Mondays: March 12, 19, 26 & April 30 2018
Course 2 - Wednesdays: June 13, 20, 27 & August 1 2018
Course 3 - Mondays: September 10, 17, 24 & October 22 2018
Course 4 - Mondays: April 1, 8, 15, 22, May 20/29 2019
GTA Drawdown Sector Summits in 2018-2019
September 28 2019 - Climate Week Drawdown (All Sectors) Solutions Summit
April 25 2018 - Food Sector Summit
May 16 2018 - Transport Sector Summit
July 25 2018 - Energy Sector Summit
August 29 2018 - Building and Cities Sector Summit
October 24 2018 - Materials Sector Summit
November 28 2018 - Land Use Sector Summit
June 27 2019 - Women and Girls Sector Summit (Gender & Climate)
Special event February 13 2019: The Nexus between Climate Action and Gender Equality: A Dialogue for international development professionals & students
Saturday June 8 2019
Saturday May 11 2019
Introduction Blitzes in 2018:
Monday January 31, Tuesday February 27, Thursday March 22, Wednesday March 28, Wednesday April 4 2018
Month of June 2018 - Monday June 11, Tuesday June 19
Month of September 2018 - Friday September 20, Wednesday September 26
July 27 2019 - Introduction to Project Drawdown
Pachamama Alliance Drawdown Courses in 2018 and 2019:
Course 1 - Mondays: March 12, 19, 26 & April 30 2018
Course 2 - Wednesdays: June 13, 20, 27 & August 1 2018
Course 3 - Mondays: September 10, 17, 24 & October 22 2018
Course 4 - Mondays: April 1, 8, 15, 22, May 20/29 2019
GTA Drawdown Sector Summits in 2018-2019
September 28 2019 - Climate Week Drawdown (All Sectors) Solutions Summit
April 25 2018 - Food Sector Summit
May 16 2018 - Transport Sector Summit
July 25 2018 - Energy Sector Summit
August 29 2018 - Building and Cities Sector Summit
October 24 2018 - Materials Sector Summit
November 28 2018 - Land Use Sector Summit
June 27 2019 - Women and Girls Sector Summit (Gender & Climate)
Special event February 13 2019: The Nexus between Climate Action and Gender Equality: A Dialogue for international development professionals & students
Graphic records of our 2018 Drawdown Toronto events:
Graphic record of the first Toronto introduction to Project Drawdown by Patricia Kambitsch, January 31 2018
Drawdown Food Sector Summit, April 25 2018:
Click here for larger images of the visual report and here for the event description and list of speakers.
Graphic record of the Drawdown Food Sector Summit, April 25, 2018, by Patricia Kambitsch
Drawdown Transport Sector Summit, May 16 2018
Click here for a report on the Summit.
Graphic record of the Drawdown Transport Sector Summit, May 16 2018, by Patricia Kambitsch
Drawdown Energy Sector Summit, July 25 2018
Graphic record of the Drawdown Energy Sector Summit, July 25, 2018, by Patricia Kambitsch
Drawdown Buildings and Cities Sector Summit, August 29 2018
Click here for an event description and list of speakers.
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Click here to download a pdf of the all the slide decks presented during the Summit, including presentations by Lloyd Alter of Ryerson University and treehugger.com, Urban Equation, The Atmospheric Fund, the Canada Green Building Council, Building and LandScape Development Association and Sustainable Buildings Canada, Commercial VRF and ERV Technologies, Humber College, and Sustainable.to. And click here for a video recording of the evening.
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Drawdown Materials Sector Summit, September 28 2018
Click here for an event description and list of speakers.
Drawdown Land Use Sector Summit, November 28 2018
Click here for an event description and list of speakers.
Graphic record of the Drawdown Land Use Sector Summit, November 28 2018, by Patricia Kambitsch
Drawdown Climate Action & Gender Equality Summit, June 27 2019
Click here for a full report of the Summit.
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Graphic record by J. Wallace Skelton
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Unify Toronto Dialogues have been running since March 2013. The sessions are gently guided by various skilled facilitators, drawing from a variety of methods and tools such as The Work that Reconnects, Art of Hosting, and Awakening the Dreamer, with the occasional guest speaker to inspire the exchange.
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The Dialogues are coordinated by David Burman (Unify Toronto) and Peter Jones (OCADU Design with Dialogue) with the participation of Natalie Zend (Unify Toronto) and Paul Overy (Unify Toronto). Jon Love and Satya Robinson (JLS-Global.ca) curate the Drawdown Toronto series.
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Gather with other Toronto shift-makers.
Find juice for your part in stewarding the emergence of the next culture. Renew inspiration and find connections and support for individual and collective action. |
There is an almost sensual longing for communion with others who have a large vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendship between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality impossible to describe. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” |