Cheryl
Sierra Speak Out!
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1019 17th Ave SW
Corner of 17th Ave & 9A St
Calgary, AB (map)
Sierra Speak Out! is an innovative regular event that introduces members and the general public to a stimulating series of discussions. Realizing that our members have a wide ranging breadth of knowledge on various environmental and ecological issues (but are not necessarily expert in a given field), Sierra Speak Out! lets you have your say.Each month, a member will speak briefly (maximum 15 minutes) on a topic that they are passionate about. We will then have a lively and respectful discussion, moderated by another member.
This is your chance to share some of your interests, concerns and knowledge with a like minded, respectful audience. Perhaps you have an organic garden (but aren’t a horticulturalist). Maybe you’re concerned about what’s going on in Fort McMurray (but aren’t a petroleum engineer). Or you’ve always wanted to tell someone about your experiences hiking in the back country. Sierra Speak Out! is your chance to share and shine.
Our next speaker is Ken Schmaltz. Ken is co-founder of CORA, where he leads hikes, scrambles, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing and–his favorite–kid’s hikes and snowshoeing. He is currently in the process of starting up Mountain Youth Experience, which will be a non-profit that provides opportunities for kids, teens and families to get into the mountains doing a variety of activities.
The title of Ken’s talk is going to be “If you want to save the earth, take a kid hiking”. He will talk about the benefits of getting kids out in nature (physical, emotional, intellectual), but also about its importance for the conservation movements. Everybody loves nature and mountains and forests and rivers, but how many people care enough about them to do anything meaningful to protect them? We only truly care about things that we understand, and understanding begins with experiencing.
Kids that get out into nature and experience it firsthand understand the importance of protecting it far more than adults who read about global warming or the decline of grizzlies in Banff or industrial pollution in the oilsands. Armed with that understanding, they’re the ones who will make the real changes in lifestyle and belief systems that will save the earth.
