- Ph.D. Candidate in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia
- M.Sc. in Rural Planning, University of Guelph (2012)
- B.Sc. in Agroecology, specializing in Soil Science, University of British Columbia (2009)
Bio
Colin is an advocate for ecological sustainability built through a collaborative network of intercultural change agents. He is a community developer, a change facilitator, a researcher, a connector, and a lover of the outdoors. He has over ten years of experience in the field of community food security, agricultural planning, community development, and agri-food policy.
Colin has worked with multiple levels of federal government including Environment Canada as an Air Quality Planning Assistant and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as part of the Research Affiliate Program. He has also volunteered on numerous non-profit boards and municipal advisory committees including the BC Food Systems Network, the Garden City Conservation Society, Richmond Agricultural Advisory Committee, and Richmond Environmental Advisory Committee.
While running a youth and community development project (Katimavik) in Nova Scotia, Colin learned the importance of relationships and community to achieving social change. Subsequently, Colin was offered an opportunity to advance progressive food and agricultural change working at a non-profit organization in his hometown of Richmond, BC (the Richmond Food Security Society). As Executive Director, he worked on building community food security and civic governance among diverse Canadians. He has consulted on organizational development for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and for Young Agrarians (a new farmer initiative) and conducted research with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm examining Intercultural Food Security and Health Equity in Richmond, BC. This work inspired Colin to pursue his studies in the advancement and understanding of ethno-cultural food systems and the link to greater civic engagement through food and agricultural governance.
Colin’s professional Master’s explored scenario-planning for climate change decision-making in Southern Ontario, adoption of agricultural technologies to address water quality in Eastern Ontario, and community development programming in new immigrant housing at the University of Guelph. Colin is now pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. His research project is titled: “(In)Visible Minority Farmers & Canadian Food Systems in Transition: Governance & Representation.” In his spare time, he climbs rocks, hikes BC’s rugged landscapes, and samples Vancouver’s cuisine and microbreweries.
Selected Publications
Ostenso, V, Dring, C, & Wittman, H (2019).Planning for Whom? Towards Culturally Inclusive Food Systems in Metro Vancouver. J. Agyeman (ed). Immigration, Immigrants and Food in North America. MIT Press (in press)
Dring, C, Lee, S, & Rideout, C. (2019). Elementary school teachers’ perceptions of factors promoting or hindering use of outdoor learning spaces. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education. (in submission)
Dring C, Devlin J, Boag G, Sunohara M, Fitzgibbon J, Topp E, Lapen D. (2016). Incentives and disincentives identified by producers and drainage contractors/experts on the adoption of controlled tile drainage in eastern Ontario, Canada. Water Quality Research Journal. 51(1): 1-16.
Dring C, Yeung L. & Wittman, H. (2016). An Exploration of Intercultural Food Security & Health in Richmond, BC. 29. Centre for Sustainable Food Systems UBC.
Dring C, Khaledi B, and Fritz C. (2013). Richmond Foodland Asset Report. 39. Richmond Food Security Society.