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Mining for a Sustainable Future at the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions (Vancouver, BC)

  • UBC Sauder School of Business | Robson Square Campus 800 Robson Street Vancouver, BC, V6Z 2E7 Canada (map)

Monday, May 27 from 4:30-7:30 PDT

The University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business Centre for Climate and Business Solutions and the Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining are excited to host "Mining for a Sustainable Future," a symposium on sustainable supply chains. This event provides a vital platform for exploring the complex role of mining in our society, emphasizing our profound connections to this crucial industry. We aim to unearth new perspectives on responsible mineral sourcing and discuss innovative practices that can revolutionize the sector. Join us for an insightful discussion that navigates the intricacies of the mining industry and its pivotal role in environmental sustainability and healthcare.


Agenda: (The event schedule is subject to change)

4:30- 5:00 PM: Networking

5:00 PM: Opening Remarks

5:10 PM: Keynote Speech (15 mins)
Christopher Pollon - Discussing the impact of mining on a clean future

5:30 PM: Keynote Speech (15 mins)
Katherine E. Standefer - Exploring the intersection of mining and health

5:45 PM: Panel Discussion & Q&A

  • Katherine E.Standefer, Author, Lighting Flowers

  • Christopher Pollon, Author, Pitfall

  • Scott Dunbar, Professor, University of British Columbia

6:45 PM Research Pitch
Presentations on innovative approaches to sustainable mining and supply chain

Scaling blockchain technology for supply chain transparency in the mining industry by Juliette Engelhart, Postdoctoral Researcher at UBC Sauder School of Business (Operations & Logistics)

(More to be announced)

7:00 - 7:30 PM: Networking


Christopher Pollon is an award-winning Canadian freelance journalist and author focused on the environment, business and the politics of natural resources. He is the author of two books, including “PITFALL: THE RACE TO MINE THE WORLD’S MOST VULNERABLE PLACES” (2023) – and “THE PEACE IN PERIL: THE REAL COST OF THE SITE C DAM” (2017). Covering a global beat of oceans, energy and mining, his writing has been published by National Geographic, The Guardian, the Walrus, Mother Jones, The Globe and Mail, and many more. He lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Katherine E. Standefer's debut book Lightning Flowers: My Journey to Uncover the Cost of Saving a Life was a Finalist for the Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction, a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice/Staff Pick, and shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Prize from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Lightning Flowers was also selected as the Common Read at Colorado College in '22-'23, featured on NPR's Fresh Air, and named one of O, The Oprah Magazine's Best Books of Fall 2020. Standefer earned her MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Arizona. She has been a Logan Nonfiction Fellow at the Carey Institute for Global Good and a Marion Weber Healing Arts Fellow at the Mesa Refuge. Her work was included in The Best American Essays 2016. She lives in a cabin in Wyoming near the Greys River.