TOCW Book Club - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Join us for a discussion on Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass.
This session is inspired by the Toronto Ladies Sustainability Book Club, started two year ago, focused on local meet ups to discuss sustainability books. This event is open to all--everyone is welcome.
This book is the favourite overall book of the book club so far. We want to encourage people to read this book AND create connections to start their own book clubs. We will be sharing how to start your own sustainability or climate-focused local book clubs and encouraging attendees to find local members.
Note: It isn't necessary to have finished the book to attend. You will still be able get something meaningful out of our discussions.
The small registration fee will cover a tea bar with assorted teas and other beverages. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own mugs but we have some on hand as well.
Agenda:
6:30-6:45pm Arrivals and settle in - get a tea or other beverage.
6:45-7pm Group discussion on the book.
7-7:45pm Breakout groups discussion.
7:45pm to 8:15pm Facilitating the group to start their own local book clubs if desired including book lists, resources and tips.
8:15pm Wrap up and Connecting.
Publisher's Summary: As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowing together to reveal what it means to see humans as "the younger brothers of creation". As she explores these themes, she circles toward a central argument: The awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world. Once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings, we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides us and learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return.
About the Hosts:
Katie Elder started "Toronto Ladies Sustainability Book Club" group two years ago. Professionally, she is the founder of Good Principles where she supports purpose driven businesses on growth and coaching individuals looking to move into a career in sustainability. She brings 20 years of leadership in marketing and governance across CPG, retail, and eCommerce, including over a decade with P&G in Canada and Asia. Katie currently serves as Board Chair at Brightspot Climate, one of Canada’s pioneering Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). She holds a BComm Honours from Queen’s Smith School of Business and a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge (CISL).
Vanessa Brown is a Toronto-based community organizer and project management professional with a background in marketing, operations, and business leadership.
She serves as National Council Chair of For Our Kids, a Canada-wide network of parents and caregivers advocating for climate action. Vanessa became involved in climate work as a parent and is passionate about bringing people together to take meaningful local action. Her work focuses on community organizing, climate justice, and building resilience in the face of a changing climate. She is particularly interested in how collective action can transform concern into connection, courage, and impact.
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