Join our book club

Our next book club discussion is Sunday, September 29 at 2:00 EST. We will discuss Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Register to get the link to participate.

We will start our book club event by discussing the scientific mindset behind genetic engineering with Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher, a biologist and molecular geneticist based in the UK who has been examining the risks and impacts of GMOs on agriculture, the environment, and health since 1995. Ricarda recently returned from the Indigenous Environmental Network “Protecting Mother Earth” gathering in South Carolina, USA, followed by a global Tree Biotech scientific conference in Maryland, USA. Ricarda is a founding board member of the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) and brings together her expertise and scientific curiosity with a deep love for nature and profound scientific concern about genetically engineering organisms and its consequences.

Why a book club?

Proposals to release genetically engineered (GE or genetically modified) trees and other organisms into the wild challenge us to think about our relationship with nature and how it may be impacted by new GE technology in the years to come.

• What motivates us to protect nature?
• What does it mean for forests if trees are genetically engineered? What does it mean for us?
• Can GE trees be used for species restoration, or is this species replacement?
• Why are some conservation approaches valued more than others?
• What are our responsibilities to future generations?

Join CBAN for our 2024 book club to reflect on these big questions with other thoughtful tree-lovers from coast to coast to coast. Participation is free – register here.

How does it work?

Together, we will read three books over the course of 2024. Each book will help us consider our relationship with nature and technology from a different angle.

In March, May, and September/October, we’ll gather via zoom to discuss the book club pick for that month. In October, we’ll gather one last time to discuss our final takeaways and transform our learning into collective action. Register here to make sure you receive the zoom links and session dates.

Each month, we’ll be joined by special guests to help guide our conversations and deepen our reflection as we read.

September 29, 2024: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
October pick: Final club meeting – How do we move forward?

Past events:
March: Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. Click here to see our chat with Dr. Simard (March 3, 2024).
May: The Overstory by Richard Powers. Click here to see our chat with Ron Casier of the Canadian Chestnut Council.

Register here to get information about session dates and zoom links.

Participation is free!

We don’t want the cost of books to be a barrier to participation! Thanks to a generous donation, we will have book copies available for those with low or fixed incomes. Please email us at trees@cban.ca to request a copy of any of the 2024 book club picks.