When History Meets the Environment

The 17th Canada’s History Forum
Hosted by Canada’s History Society — Posted February 13, 2025

The natural environment has always been central to the history of what is now known as Canada, shaping the lives, cultures, and economies of its peoples. From the animals that sustained Indigenous communities to the rivers and lakes that served as transportation routes, and from historical and modern land struggles to today’s climate crisis, our environment continues to define our collective story.

The 2025 Canada’s History Forum explored how history and education can help us understand and address environmental challenges. Through thought-provoking presentations and discussions, we examined:

  • how past interactions with the environment inform current issues
  • strategies for learning from land, water, plants, animals, and their surroundings
  • the role of history education in equipping students — and ourselves — to confront climate change
  • what insights Indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable practices offer for a better future

Presenters:

  • Tanya McCallum (land-based educator, Muskoday First Nation Community School)
  • Heather E. McGregor (Faculty of Education, Queen's University and founding member of Social Studies & History Education in the Anthropocene Network)
  • Pierre Lahoud (historian and aerial photographer)
  • Glen Thielmann (teacher and PhD candidate, University of Northern British Columbia)

Watch the presentations

Braiding Knowledges Together

Tanya McCallum shares her passion for teaching young people the value of environmental stewardship — while also finding common ground between Indigenous and Western perspectives.

Looking Beneath the Surface

SSHEAN founder Heather E. McGregor encourages thoughtful engagement with the environment through her research and experience — and offers words of wisdom about living in the Anthropocene.

Mon devoir de mémoire

Historian and photographer Pierre Lahoud presents his award-winning photographs and explains what can be learned by looking at the land from a "bird's-eye view."

The Power of Place

With decades of teaching experience, Glen Thielmann reflects on the storytelling potential of place-based learning and posits ways for students to explore these connections first-hand.

RECOMMENDED READING & RESOURCES

Reading

Atkinson, J., and Ray, S. J. (2024). The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators. University of California Press Books.

Grenz, J. (2024). Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey toward Personal and Ecological Healing. Knopf Canada.

Kretz, L., and Flavin, M. (2022). Eco-anxiety and Teaching for Emotional Well-Being: A Primer. SSHEAN.

Louv, R. (2005). Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books.

Louv, R. (2011). The Nature Principle. Algonquin Books.

MacEachern, A. "A Crash Course in Canadian Environmental History." NiCHE. 18 January 2024.

Oreskes, N., and Conway, E. M. (2011). Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Pinchin, K. (2023). Kings of Their Own Ocean: Tuna, Obsession, and the Future of Our Seas. Knopf Canada.

Research for the Anthropocene (SSHEAN)

Thielmann, G., Lewis, R., Martin, J., Pereira, J., Truant, V., et al. (2018). Thinking it Through: A Social Studies Sourcebook. Toronto: Pearson Canada.

Land-based Learning

Program: https://www.facebook.com/LandbasedEd (Tanya McCallum)

Program: https://www.facebook.com/DeadPineCollective

Project: Art for the Anthropocene (SSHEAN + Tiina Kukkonen)

Classroom Resources

Network in Canadian History & Environment

Teach Climate History

Teaching Resources for the Anthropocene (SSHEAN)

Websites

SSHEAN (Heather E. McGregor)

Historien, photographe aérien, spécialiste du patrimoine (Pierre Lahoud)

Web River, a Teacher's Journey through an Educational Landscape (Glen Thielmann)

Know a teacher who made a difference?

Nominate them today for the Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching!

 

But please note: the nomination is just a first step; once nominated, nominees usually finish the application themselves and require a reasonable amount of time to respond to questions and collect supporting documents.

 

The deadline for this year’s award is April 22.

Nominate

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