Mark Butorac Environmental History 3991 Vanessa Butler September 18, 2022   My Personal Environmental History               This summer I watched my daughter grow her first tomato plant from seed and my son grow his first bean plant from seed. Seeing them literally plant their first seeds of vegetation, I hope will also plant the seed in their minds that homegrown food is superior to processed grocery store options. I come from a family who has supplemented their dietary needs with back yard gardens at least as far back as my grandparents; likely further. This is not to say that…

My mother’s family was located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, and her family was transformed by World War Two. My grandfather went to war and came back a changed person. My grandmother raised the family with her parents. My grandmother was one of the first female executives in downtown Toronto, working at Standard Life as a head underwriter. She told me many stories of unfair treatment and discrimination while performing her duties in a male-dominated profession. This was really important to my mother as she has always fought for women’s rights. They lived in an area called High Park, which had…

I have always been interested in my family history as it is so rich in culture and diversity. My mother’s parents are from Scotland and my grandfather still bears the thick Scottish accent, even after many years in Canada. My mother’s mum had passed away in her 50’s and my grandfather had remarried a few years later to my step grandmother. On my father’s side, my grandparents are from England and my father had immigrated when he was a child, spending his fourth birthday on a massive ship sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. My relatives have always had an accent…

Mathew Semograd Norman Fennema  July 12, 2022 History 3991 Environmental History My personal Environmental History My family history is from various different backgrounds, not just across Canada but from various parts of Europe. My great, great grand parents on both my mother and father’s side immigrated to Canada in the mid 1800’s, unfortunately I do not have an exact date as much of my family history from my great, great grand parents is quite obscure and not well documented. For the purpose of this I will be focusing on my mothers side of the family as I know more about…

My family are European settlers originally from Newcastle, England. Historical records indicate that the area was first developed as a Roman fort almost two thousand years ago1. After the industrial revolution, Newcastle became a town reliant on heavy industrial activities. This city’s economy is heavily dependent on the port, similar to Vancouver, and ship building and repairs are also conducted there.  Even though historically this city has relied on heavy industrial activities, their more recent focus now includes cleaner environmental initiatives. Newcastle is the largest city in the northeast region of the country. The city has released an action plan…