How Do We Make Flight Sustainable? We are on the move again. We live where we want, we work where we want, and for many of us, that means more time on the tarmac. But how can we reconcile all the jet-setting with the realities of the airline industry’s impact on our environment? What alternatives to traditional flight are emerging? In our episode Fly Right: How do We Make Flight More Sustainable ? Bianca – who has struggled with a lifetime fear of flying – speaks with Nathan Zvi, self-described ...
Dec 13, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Debunking the Myths Recreational cannabis has become ubiquitous, and with it, an entire encyclopedia of products and terms. Vapes, edibles, carbonated beverages, THC, CBD, terpenes — there’s a lot of lingo out there. In our episode Cannabis: Debunking the Myths , Bianca speaks with Michael Chan and Hazrah Moothoo of the BCIT Natural Health and Food Products Research Group to get a vocabulary lesson and a better sense of how the plant is being studied and brought to market. Then she’s joined by J...
Nov 29, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Building Resilience at School and Work Our approaches to school and work are changing. Success isn’t just about masochistically pushing yourself beyond your limits anymore — it’s about nurturing sustainable relationships with your studies and your career. At the same time, nobody said it was meant to be easy. In our episode Not a Contest: Building Resilience at School and Work , host Bianca Rego speaks with BCIT’s Gurleen Bhatia and Laura Vail, experts who are evolving our learning and working e...
Nov 15, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Building Climate Resilient Communities We’re already living with the devastating impact of climate change. Wildfires, torrential rain, and heat domes in British Columbia have caused billions of dollars in damage in just the last couple of years. But British Columbians aren’t going down without a fight. Cities are setting a new standard for climate resilient housing. Vancouver has promised to become the “greenest place on the planet,” partly by passing a new building code that says every new home...
Nov 01, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 4
How Gen Z is Redefining Real Estate Ziggy and Kate Linklater are both 27 years old and they’ve just achieved the impossible dream — owning their own home in one of the world’s most expensive cities. Surveys show that most Canadians under 30 have given up on the dream of home ownership. Host Bianca Rego talks to Ziggy about how he and Kate managed to purchase a 1,000 square foot condo without any financial help from family and friends. Finally, BCIT alumni Steve Jagger from Addy Invest talks abou...
Oct 18, 2022•17 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Career Connected Learning How do you know what you REALLY want to be when you grow up? And how do you make the jump from training for that career to actually doing it? One way is to check things out through “career-connected learning.” It allows you to test the waters of different jobs related to your field while still at school, so you can be workforce-ready the day you graduate. In this episode, Joan Pascual, Program Head of BCIT’s Centre for Workplace Education, tells Fireweed host Bianca Reg...
Oct 04, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Regenerative Travel Travel is back! As Generation Z heads out to explore the world again, they’re looking for ways to travel greener, smarter, and with less impact. In this episode, host Bianca Rego learns about regenerative travel — the movement that encourages travellers to leave their destination better than it was before. She talks to two Davids — BCIT instructor David Tikkanen and David Leventhal from the Regenerative Travel group of resorts — about how travelling can help make the world a ...
Sep 15, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Fireweed is the very first flower to grow back after the devastation of a forest fire. The quintessential British Columbian plant, fireweed represents resilience and adaptability—as do we. Fireweed is a podcast from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, created in collaboration with Vancouver-based podcast agency JAR Audio. Adaptability is now seen as a critical skill by leading employers across the country. But the trick is, we need to adapt in the right ways, ways that will help us mov...
Aug 30, 2022•2 min
We’re already living in the future -- the future of transportation, that is! Many of us are now opting for electric vehicles, but it’s still not the easiest choice. Plus, as more EVs come online, how will our infrastructure adapt to meet the demand? We talk to BCIT’s Clay Howey about the future of our power grids and the challenge of generating enough renewable electricity. We also speak with Mark Zacharias from Clean Energy Canada about when we’ll reach the tipping point for EVs….meaning when w...
Nov 29, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Technology in the classroom is nothing new, and it’s always evolving. Innovators like UBC’s Claudia Krebs are using technologies like Virtual and Augmented Reality to really bring course content to life. In this episode we hear from BCIT’s Associate Vice-President, Education Support and Innovation, James Rout who believes students and learning outcomes deserve to be ahead of technology - for technology’s sake. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 15, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Microcredentials and smaller “just in time” training options are helping workers upgrade their skills or switch careers entirely, without the need for a degree or diploma. Host Maria Vinca talks to Ryan Chynces from Hootsuite’s Online Education program about how their practical and quick courses help potential employees stand out. She also speaks to Tom Roemer, Vice President Academic from BCIT about the institution’s “agile learning” model that allows students to get the education they want, wh...
Nov 01, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Cybersecurity experts and IT departments warn us about it, but how seriously do we really take our online security? More time online means more time at risk...or does it? Host Maria Vinca speaks with Derek Manky, Chief of Security Insights & Global Threat Alliances for Fortinet about the dangers of doing business in our hyper-connected world, and ways in which industry is fighting back against cybercrime and fraud. Maria also explores a personal story of fraud first hand with Digital Cyber C...
Oct 18, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Building cities has traditionally meant altering or destroying the natural environment, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Cities along the Cascadia Corridor, like Vancouver, British Columbia, are setting a new standard in which people and nature can coexist, proving to have a beneficial relationship. We hear from Christina Olsen from the BCIT Centre for Ecocities about her vision for healthy urban centres, and from international rivers expert and founder of World Rivers Day, Mark Angelo, abou...
Oct 04, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Ryan Straschnitzki knows, first hand, what it’s like to adapt - he’s a survivor of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash, in which many of his Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club teammates were badly injured, or lost their lives. We talk to Ryan about life after the crash, learning to navigate a world that wasn’t built for him in a wheelchair. We also speak with Brad McCannell of the Rick Hansen Foundation about creating meaningful access in the built environment, and adaptive technology pioneer Jaimie Borisof...
Sep 20, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 1
After the devastation of a forest fire, the first plant to grow back is fireweed. A vibrant wildflower from the Pacific Northwest, it symbolizes hope, resilience, and adaptability -- things we could all use a little more of right now. Because the clock is ticking on big issues like climate change, social justice, accessibility, and cybersecurity. Not to mention the fact that we’re trying to recover from a global pandemic. Adaptability is now seen as a critical skill by leading employers across t...
Sep 08, 2021•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1
