All it took to spark Tyler Hamilton’s passion for clean technology was a trip to Iceland.
Hamilton, now widely recognized as one of the leading clean energy reporters in the country, initially focused his journalism career on the technology and telecom industries. But after a research trip to Iceland where he investigated work being done on geothermal resources, hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydroelectric facilities, he decided to shift his focus.
“The more I learned the more passionate and enthusiastic I became about clean technology,” says Hamilton. “I approached the Toronto Star about doing a regular column on the issues and they agreed.”
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Left: Tyler Hamilton
That weekly column, “Clean Break,” is now considered one of the country’s most important sources of information on green technology. Hamilton supplements the column with his personal blog, cleanbreak.ca, which provides even more in-depth analysis and information on clean energy issues and initiatives. He is sought as a speaker by schools, industry associations and governments. Now he has joined York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) as an adjunct professor.
This new connection between Hamilton and FES further enhances the Faculty’s position as a major centre for research and teaching on renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation. FES is already home to at least a dozen faculty members, adjunct professors and associated professionals with expertise in sustainable energy and technology and climate change mitigation, such as energy policy experts and Professors Mark Winfield and Jose Etcheverry.
“Having Tyler Hamilton as part of our community adds yet another dimension to the multi-faceted work our Faculty is doing on sustainable energy issues,” says FES Professor and Associate Dean Martin Bunch. “We’re delighted to be working with him.”
In particular, Hamilton will bring in-depth knowledge of what is happening on the industry side – and a strong sense of the importance of communicating about clean energy issues and possibilities.
“In the past a lot of environmental reporting was predominantly negative, focusing on events such as toxic spills and, basically, things going wrong,” says Hamilton. “However, there is a real demand for information about new developments that can change the way things are done and provide some solutions.”
As a new Adjunct Professor, Hamilton is particularly looking forward to getting involved with the student population – and facilitating connects between students and clean energy industries.
“It’s such a pleasure to work with people who are passionate about the same kind of issues you are,” Hamilton says. “It’s great to know that in ten or twenty years these students will be out there running the world. I’m hoping I can act as a kind of front-line connection for them—to address some of the disconnect that can sometimes happen between academia and the working world.”