The Simpsons vs. Recycling

“Can’t someone else do it?” For true Simpsons fans this was a memorable moment in television history. Okay maybe it wasn’t monumental but for environmentalists it was pretty fun. In short, Homer wants to become the sanitation commissioner of Springfield. As he struggles to come up with a slogan he stumbles upon the phrase, “Can’t someone else do it?”, which is likely the most insightful phrase about the human condition when it comes to recycling and waste management.

Now I am sitting here on campus and I am having the worst time in the world trying to comprehend how to get people to recycle. I have just come back from my second meeting today about trying to make people recycle more, and I should add that these meetings were initiated by campus community members (not me).

There is one monumental truth about recycling, it is hard. John Q. Garbagemaker won’t recycle just because the alternative is bad for the environment, or because our landfills are overflowing, or because it is universally accessible. Recycling is simply more difficult than not doing anything and as we all know the majority of people will follow the path of least resistance. The proof is in the pudding, everywhere on campus and around the world garbage abounds and people do little or nothing to stop it.

Update alert! I know that it seems that this post was probably written in one day but I have to confess that it actually took 2. So today I was approached by two more people who want to do more about recycling. One was an employee who wanted more recycling in the office and the other was a student working on a project related to why people don’t recycle more (how ironically appropriate!)

Well here is it, people don’t recycle because it is not convenient; there is no regulatory regime; and there isn’t enough social pressure.

Let’s start with convenience. Yes there are many bins on campus, yes they have labels, yes they are even colour coded. But the system is still confusing; there are several types of paper (fine paper, mixed paper, cardboard, etc…) and each of them goes somewhere else. There are bins outdoors but they have a different look and feel from the ones indoors. The recycling system in residences is different from the one in classrooms, which is different from the ones in offices, which is different from the ones in the cafeteria, and on and on we could go.

Two; regulation regime! What I am talking about? Well when I say regulation I am talking about taxes, about penalties, and about strict rules. There is no big brother watching over you making sure that you recycle the right things. If you choose not to recycle there is no polluter tax. Even the reward system in place for using your own coffee mug is pretty weak (more info to come).

And finally, social pressure. If you were to start barking like a dog in a crowded bus it wouldn’t be too long before you got some pretty nasty looks implying that you should stop. If you were to toss your aluminum can into a garbage bin even though a recycling bins was available, nobody would bat an eye. This is tragic considering the fact that social pressure is often the most effective means of getting others to participate in a common goal.

I am certain that I will be commenting further on these issues as time goes on but if there is anyone out there that wants to make recycling a reality ASAP… let’s talk.

Week in Review 1

So this week was actually super packed so please fasten your seat belts and place your seats in the upright position. We ask that you don’t try to get until we have reached our cruising altitude.

Last week the University of Ottawa was fortunate enough to have a visit by Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He delivered a lecture about tolerance and intolerance in a post apology area. I secretly wanted to hear someone mention that the land the University stands on is likely stolen land, but there was no such statement. Nevertheless the occasion was marked by the presence of several MPs, including Justin Trudeau.

A little known fact is that the University of Ottawa will be hosting 2 massive conferences this summer. Both the meetings have a firm commitment to be more environmentally friendly, green conference is the jargon of the day. On Friday I hired a new student to work solely on green conferences. It is always amazing how many small things can be done to make a big difference. I mean the ACFAS conference organizing committee has committed to have a bottle water free event and you would not imagine how everyone has gotten pumped up about it.

This weekend I was in Montreal. I was the fortunate guest of a good number of the Sustainable Concordia team. We went on an ice-fishing trip to a small town just outside of Trois Rivières. The night was fantastic, regardless of how cold it was, and I made some really good friends. You see the benefit of speaking to our sustainability coordinators is that you get a shit-load of really cool information.
For instance, this week our sustainability team was looking to find a new mechanical composter for uOttawa. Let’s just say that we were having some trouble finding something that is reliable in the cold weather, can compost about 200 tonnes a year, and isn’t going to break the bank. Well guess what, Concordia has one that does all that and more; and of course the icing on the cake… it is made locally.
My trip to Montreal ended off on a great note. Jenn, my counter-part at Concordia, gave me a tour of their operation and gave me a couple of good ideas that I want to explore soon.

By the time the new week rolled around I realized that International Development Week was in full swing. Music, dance, food, lectures, and one of a kind opportunities. I am thoroughly impressed with the organization this year. Essentially every night is being marked with another high caliber keynote speaker. Every day there are movies and information tables and of course some great discussions.

Wednesday was a pretty intense day. It started with an ACFAS meeting at which I was shocked by the enthusiasm of our organizing committee. This group is even more pumped than I thought. We took a look at what was organized last year by the organizing committee. I think that this year we will literally experience a quantum leap in the amount of green initiatives for the conference. Just as a teaser, aluminum water bottles, local fair-trade conference bags, recycled paper, fair-trade coffee, electronic registration, recycled pens, composting, recycling, …
When night came around it was another International Development Week event, an intimate night with Dr. Lloyd Axeworthy. This was a remarkable talk; Dr. Axeworthy is incidentally a former politician turned university president as well. His perspectives on international diplomacy and Canada’s role in the world was deeply intriguing. I spent most of the night in a hypnotic trance clinging to his many anecdotes. The highlight of the night was actually a bit of a stolen moment actually; as it turns out the students in attendance asked the most incredible and well thought out questions I and I am sure Dr. Axeworthy has ever heard. Not one question was off topic or slanted. Not one student took the opportunity to prattle on about their of thoughts or musings. I was quite taken aback.

Today was the second and final day of the Free Store for this month. It was also my Katimavik participants first time hosting this kind of an event. The Free Stores are always a lot of fun but this month was particularly important because of Recycle Mania. There were some scheduling errors but we persisted nonetheless.

Tricotes-moi une planète

So every once and a while I fully intend on having guess writers for this crazy thing called blog. This is the first. Thanks Katherine

-By Katherine Sullivan-

Afin de conserver un brin d’équilibre mental au centre de ce chaos qu’est la grève des autobus d’Ottawa, j’ai du me trouver un passe-temps agréable, afin de braver les bouchons sur la pont, coincée entre un personnage jasant de ses problèmes de couple sur son blackberry et un groupe de jeunes filles discutant le dernier épisode de Loft Story. La classe, je vous dis. J’ai donc essayé la lecture, mais la nausée me monte rapidement à la gorge, et je ne voudrais pas ruiner le manteau de poil de la dame à mes côtés. Les devoirs? Eh bien, je peux vous assurer que compléter un devoir d’harmonie dans l’autobus ressemble à essayer d’enfiler une aiguille dans le noir. Par la suite, il reste l’option de la musique, qui ne me suffit pas. Texter des amis pendant plus d’une heure? Bonjour la tendinite du pouce! C’est alors qu’en faisant un brin de ménage, je retrouvai une douce moitié, disparue depuis bien longtemps : mon tricot. Eh oui, j’avais débuté un foulard, sans toutefois avoir pu le terminer. C’est ainsi que débuta toute une aventure. Bon bon, j’en entends déjà qui rouspètent. Mais voilà, lorsque je tricote, ma posture s’améliore, mon corps se détend et j’oublie complètement ce qui arrive autour de moi. Donc, bouchon sur le pont? Pas de problème, mon ami, amplement le temps de compléter quelques rangées de plus. Une petite musique douce me caressant les tympans, et une laine chaude m’occupant les doigts.

Bon, ce n’est pas l’orgie des sens, on s’entend. Mais j’ai pu en tirer quelques leçons. Il peut être bien facile d’échapper une maille (surtout dans l’autobus) sans y prendre garde. Ce n’est qu’après quelques rangées plus tard qu’on remarque un trou béant. Quelle déception! Bon, c’est ici qu’un choix s’impose. On peut continuer et réparer le tout plus tard avec un peu de fil et une aguille, ce qui cachera bel et bien le trou, mais aura l’air d’une petite cicatrice. Ou bien, on peut défaire quelques rangées et réparer les dégâts. La deuxième option est un brin plus longue, mais nous permet d’avoir un foulard parfait. Avec un peu de recul, on peut comparer notre planète à un foulard. Le hic est que ce dernier se transmet de génération en génération. Chaque grand-mère a sa propre façon de tricoter, certaines prennent le temps de réparer les dégâts des autres, d’autres ne font qu’en ajouter. Quelle fierté auriez-vous à porter une paire de bas troués?

Enfin, imaginez, seulement un instant, que tout ce qui vous entoure a été créé par vous ou un proche et qu’il vous est possible de tout réparer, avec un peu de temps et de volonté. Allez, tricotez-moi une belle planète.