First Time Katimavictim

Photo credit: 3s.images.com

Well I've never wrote a blog before so excuse the inaccuracies of how I am suppose to come about this. I never thought I would write a blog but within minutes of arriving on the job I stumbled upon the Eco team of Ottawa U mentioning Facebook, Twitter (which I've also never done), and a plethora of other informational vectors.

Maybe I should write about my agreed slavery to Jon and Brigitte, or the fact that for the passed 30 minutes I've been taking out stitches one by one of a uOttawa jacket. But all that would be unnecessary banter. Sticking to the facts, my first week has been a blast.

Arriving on the scene a little later than normal because of the unforeseen sending home of the last participant, it was my job to be the replacement. Throughout the week I walked around the large campus putting signs on recycle bins, composting for the Protection building which eventually goes into this huge worm pit (actually really interesting!), and other retrieval tasks.

The highlight would have to be the free vegan lunch I got on Wednesday by PRD which co-incited with my volunteering at The Free Store where I got an awesome picture of a tree! "Yes all these things are really free", some students just couldn't accept the simplicity of it all.

I came into Katimavik as my first stepping stone to my ultimate goal of, simply put, saving the world by doing the best I can. With the company of Brigitte and Jon it gives me real conviction and enthusiasm to succeed. Both ex students who had had enough of just talking about the problems on campus and decided to take matters into their own hands, I've told them both already, truly inspiring.

By and by it has been a most amazing week and I can only sit with an awaiting smile of what will be next. To all reading this, I hope I didn't make an "epic fail" on loosing my bloginity.

- david

LIGHTS OUT!

What were over one billion people in the world doing from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. last year on March 28? They turned off their lights in support of World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Earth Hour. In fact, over 10 million Canadians and thousands of businesses participated in more than 275 cities across the country to raise awareness about climate change.

Many joint efforts will be taking place from coast to coast. For instance, Hydro Ottawa will be monitoring the decrease in electricity used in Ottawa during the one-hour period. Many landmarks such as the CN Tower and Parliament Hill will switch off their non-essential lights. "Canada" wordmark signs and decorative lighting on government buildings across the nation will also be turned off in support of Earth Hour. Many events are taking place in Ottawa, such as the Earth Hour Ottawa Candle Light Vigil on Parliament Hill by the Ottawa Centre Green Party. You can also listen to acoustic music by candlelight while enjoying a fair trade coffee at every Bridgehead or eat by candlelight at Boston Pizza. Or you can always support Earth Hour at home with fun ideas and activities, like playing board games by candlelight.

Earth Hour is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on what we can do - at home and in the office - to lessen our impact on the environment. We encourage you to join others in turning off your lights at home on Saturday, March 27, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for Earth Hour.

This year WWF is organizing the Earth Hour Every Hour Contest with a great prize-a trip for two to see the Polar Bears in Churchill, Manitoba. All you have to do is upload a video or photo essay that explains what steps you are taking for the planet - big or small! You can also win weekly prizes just by voting for your favorite entry.

To find out more about Earth Hour on campus, visit the University of Ottawa's Earth Hour website.

Together, we can make a difference! Now, don't forget to turn off your lights!

- danielle perreault

ON ÉTEINT TOUT!

Que faisaient plus d'un milliard de personnes partout dans le monde de 20 h 30 à 21 h 30 l'année dernière le 28 mars? Ils éteignaient leurs lumières à l'appui de l'Heure pour la Terre du Fonds mondial pour la nature (FMN). En fait, plus de 10 millions de Canadiens et des milliers d'entreprises ont participé dans plus de 275 villes partout au pays dans le but de sensibiliser les gens au changement climatique.

Beaucoup d'efforts conjoints seront déployés partout au pays. Par exemple, Hydro Ottawa examinera la diminution de la consommation d'électricité à Ottawa pendant cette période d'une heure. Beaucoup de points d'intérêts comme la Tour CN et la Colline du Parlement éteindront leur éclairage non essentiel. Le mot-symbole « Canada » et l'éclairage architectural des immeubles du gouvernement de l'ensemble du pays seront éteints à l'occasion de l'Heure pour la Terre. De nombreux événements ont aussi lieu à Ottawa, comme une veillée par bougie sur la Colline du Parlement par le Centre du Parti vert d'Ottawa. Vous pouvez également écouter de la musique acoustique à la chandelle tout en savourant un café équitable à plusieurs Bridgehead ou de manger à la chandelle à Boston Pizza. Ou vous pouvez toujours soutenir l’Heure de la Terre à la maison avec des idées et activités amusantes, comme une soirée de jeux de sociétés illuminée par une bougie.

L'Heure pour la Terre nous donne l'occasion de réfléchir aux gestes concrets que nous pouvons poser, à la maison et au travail, afin de réduire notre empreinte écologique. Nous vous encourageons à éteindre vos lumières à la maison le samedi 27 mars, de 20 h 30 à 21 h 30 pour l'Heure pour la Terre.

Cette année, le FMN organise le concours Earth Hour Every Hour (offert en anglais seulement). Le gagnant se méritera un voyage pour deux pour voir les Ours polaires à Churchill, au Manitoba. Vous n'avez qu'à télécharger une vidéo ou des photos illustrant quels gestes - petits ou grands - vous posez pour la planète! Vous courez aussi la chance de gagner des prix chaque semaine en votant pour vos photos ou vidéos préférées.

Pour en apprendre davantage sur l'Heure pour la Terre, visitez le site Web de d'Heure pour la Terre pour l'Université d'Ottawa.

Ensemble, nous pouvons changer les choses! Et maintenant, n'oubliez pas d'éteindre vos lumières!

- danielle perreault

Climate Change: The End of Your Arabica?

Many University of Ottawa students only make it through paper and exam season with a little help from their friend caffeine. However, at the other end of that caffeine addiction, is a coffee grower who often gets little pay for her hard work growing your coffee beans. Luckily, fair trade coffee has emerged over the years, cutting out middle men and often allowing these hardworking producers to work in better conditions and get paid prices closer to what they need to survive. While, as many international development students will tell you, fair trade is still far from the ideal and often presents a whole new set of barriers for producers, it generally ensures that a little more of your coffee dollar makes it to those who grew it.

With the climate changing, the coffee equation is getting ever more complicated. Higher temperatures are affecting crops and making them flower prematurely, decreasing yield, and thus the amount of money that the producer makes. Growers are searching for creative ways to deal with the changing climate, by moving their plantations to cooler locations and higher elevations; but for many, there is only so far they can move. Some are also combating the temperature raise by switching to more resilient crops. This means that smooth and mild coffees, like the Arabica blend, will become ever scarcer as producers are forced to switch to darker varieties, such as the Robusta. Who knew that the coffee you drink in the morning is affected by what comes out your cars back end?

For fair trade coffee on campus, visit Caf Alt, one of the few places where you are assured a better deal for your coffee producer, not matter what variety you choose.

- tasha

Prévenez le Greenwashing!

Photo credit: TerraChoice website

La dernière année a bourgeonné de 'publicité verte'. À l'heure actuelle, les compagnies se font la compèt' pour tenter d'être les plus 'vertes' afin d'attirer la clientèle. On se bouscule pour écrire des trucs comme 'fait de produits naturels', 'biodégradable', 'nous vous offrons un produit vert', 'nous nous soucions de l'environnement', ETC. Tous ces mots apaisants pour le consommateur peuvent être catégorisés sous une pratique que l'on appelle la 'mascarade écologique' ou le 'Greenwashing'.

Terra Choice a publié son rapport intitulé 'Les six sept péchés de la mascarade écologique' (The Six Seven Sins of Greenwashing) où vous trouverez des trucs pour ne pas vous faire avoir par les compagnies qui tentent de vendre des produits en prêchant être aussi verts que des kiwis. Vous serez surpris pour ce que vous pouvez tomber...

Bonne lecture!

- marie-pierre (http://mariepierre.livejournal.com/)

Disposable Society?

Check out this post from an anonymous campus community forced to do a waste audit...

The amount of coffee cups contaminated at Fauteux Hall, in the Faculty of Law building, is shocking and depressing. How difficult can it be to properly empty out the left-over coffee from the cups and throw them in the correct bin? It may mean nothing to you but it means the world for the person sorting out these cups. Everyone complains about the environment, but some people still don’t recycle properly on campus.

Wondering what happens to your coffee cups after you are done drinking? I bet you’d say they are recycled, right?! That's true, except, many coffee cups still end up in landfills. Most coffee cups processed for recycling still have lots of coffee in them because people don’t throw out what’s left, which unfortunately contaminates the cups. The contaminated cups—where the coffee liquid has deeply penetrated the layer of the coffee cups— end up in garbage bags destined for landfills while those in good condition are recycled.

Unfortunately coffee cup lids are not recyclable so someone must remove these lids by hands and make sure all cups to be recycled are clean inside and not contaminated. The left-over coffee in the coffee cups are thrown out and the rest, recycled. Next time, to help save our planet, when you buy a coffee, please make sure you empty your coffee cups and recycle properly. We can’t do it without you, we need you.

Thank you!

- Anonymous

Idea: Fair trade campuses

Hopefully you know where to get fair trade goods on campus. Café Alt sells fair trade coffee exclusively, Chartwells locations have at least one choice that is fair trade. T-shirts purchased through the SFUO are fair trade...Not much else is offered on campus that’s fair trade.

Have you ever heard of Fair Trade Towns? It’s a campaign that essentially creates standards for a town to go entirely fair trade. There are criteria that a town must achieve, like passing a resolution at city council in support, and to using only fair trade coffee and tea at meetings and in the office. It’s then up to the businesses to offer fair trade products, and if enough do, you’re closer to becoming a fair trade town. Attract some media coverage and strike a steering committee devoted to planning for the future, and you have yourself a fair trade town.

We can replicate this model on university campuses. The student union and the administration passing motions and devoting themselves to fair trade products at official meetings and events, offering a variety of products for sale, and working towards increased awareness about fair trade. Seems pretty easy!

You can find uOttawa’s policy on ethical purchasing here: http://web5.uottawa.ca/admingov/policy_98.html

There is discussion about fair trade by both students and campus community members – so we are headed in the right direction. Clear standards and a stronger stance on purchasing need to be implemented. Universities buy a lot, and if a push to be entirely fair trade on certain goods is made, we can make a wave.

Here is the checklist for a fair trade campus:

1. The Student Union (or equivalent) and the university or college authorities both create a Fairtrade policy incorporating these five goals.
2. Fairtrade foods are made available for sale in all campus shops. Fairtrade foods are used in all cafés/restaurants/bars on campus. Where this is not possible, there is a commitment to begin to use Fairtrade foods in these establishments as soon as it becomes possible to do so.
3. Fairtrade foods (for example, coffee and tea) are served at all meetings hosted by the university or college and the Student Union (or equivalent), and are served in all university or college and Student Union management offices.
4. There is a commitment to campaign for increased Fairtrade consumption on campus.
5. A Fairtrade Steering Group is established.

Going fair trade on campus sets an example for more ethical practices and helps move other campuses forward. Students have been pushing fastest on this front they are leaders in the environmental and human rights movements. United Students Against Sweatshops (http://usas.org/) is an example of one organization pushing for ethical purchasing at the university level. Many others exist.

More info on fair trade campuses, click here

-sarah jayne

Want to get rid of bottled water?

Do you see a need to eliminate the sale of bottled water on our campus?

Do you still buy bottled water?

Do you think it’s easy to get an entire campus to boycott bottled water?

Should we stop buying it to show the university that it should not be sold on campus? I certainly boycott bottled water, and know many people who do, but that wave takes a long time to catch on. Let’s try a more proactive approach.

With all of the hard work that’s gone into water fountain infrastructure and Bottled Water Free Day, and even some of the municipal water ads the city has been putting out, we are close.

Spread the word, just a thought.

That’s it for now. Enjoyed Bottled Water Free Day this week on Thursday, March 11. There will be tons of events including water tasting, film screenings, and important discussions. And in the evening you can join our engineers and architects for the “no idea too green” discussion on the new student centre.

Check out www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca for more info

-sarah jayne

What was that?! Compostable chip bags?

‘Starting March 2010, SunChips® bags will be made from more than 90% renewable, plant-based materials – allowing it to completely break down in a hot, active compost pile in about 14 weeks.’

About the bag

It is about time! There’s way too much packaging waste that comes with the foods we eat, and most of the time this packaging is not reusable, not recyclable nor compostable.

These new bags are certified through the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), which means that they can be composted in many waste management programs (such as the Green Bin Program).

I am not sure of the City of Ottawa will accept them; information will surely become available soon. I am going to be piloting a few in our new electric composter in the next couple of weeks. The organic waste spends about six to eight weeks in our machine, and then four to six weeks maturing in a pile. According to the information on their website, the bags should be gone by the 14th week. We will keep you posted on the developments of the composting chip bag pilot project.

I am glad that at least one corporation is being responsible by taking interest in piloting their first compostable chip bag, and trying to find solutions for our enormous waste problem. Hopefully the project is a huge success and others will follow in their footsteps by using and improving the bags.

We have to start somewhere!

- brigitte

Quoi? Un sac de croustilles compostable?!

‘À compter de mars 2010, les sacs SunChips® seront fabriqués avec plus de 90 % de matières végétale renouvelable. Ils pourront ainsi se décomposer entièrement en plus ou moins 14 semaines lorsque placés dans un tas de compost actif à « chaud ».’

À propos du sac

Je crois que c’est à peu près temps! Il y a beaucoup trop d’emballages non-réutilisable, ni recyclable ou biodégradable (compostable) qui accompagnent notre nourriture.

Ces nouveaux sacs sont certifiés par le BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute), ce qui signifie que ces sacs de croustilles peuvent être récupérés aux fins de compostage dans le cadre de nombreux programmes de gestion des déchets (tels que le programme de Bac Vert).

Je ne suis pas certaine si la ville d’Ottawa acceptera ces sacs dans leur nouveau système – à suivre. Je vais bientôt faire un essai (projet pilote) avec notre propre composteur électrique. Les déchets organiques passent six à huit semaines dans la machine et un autre quatre à six semaines dans une pile à maturation. D’après l’information disponible sur leur site web, par la 14e semaine, les sacs devraient avoir complètement biodégradé. Nous allons vous tenir au courant des développements sur notre projet ‘sac de chip compostable’.

Bref, je suis contente qu’il y a au moins une compagnie qui a décidé de prendre action et essayer de trouver des solutions à notre problème de déchet. J’espère que ces sacs feront fureur et que les autres compagnies l’adopteront à leur tour ou même qu’ils l’amélioreront.

Il faut commencer quelque part!

-brigitte

Green the Student Center

Wow, things are starting to get really busy... I might even venture to say ridiculously busy. Nope, maybe we are quite there yet, but we are close.

My boss predicted that 2010 would be the year of sustainability and that we would become so busy we wouldn't have time to think as we got closer and closer to the tipping point. That being said, I suppose it didn't come as a surprise when I was asked to sit in on a planning meeting for the new Student Center.

For those of you not in the know, the University of Ottawa and th Student Federation have been trying to negotiate a new University Center for years. The original Jock Turcot building was designed for a campus of about 15,000 to 17,000 students and I think that we are a little beyond that right now. So recently Physical Resources Services (PRS) and the SFUO have gotten together to finally design a new center.

Just as an aside I wanted to mention the whole University Center vs. Student Center thing. The new center that is planned is meant to be completely student owned and operated; hence, Student Center.

Sorry, back to the story. So I was invited to one of the design meetings to talk about the potential green aspects of the building. The only problem is that the sky is the limit with these kind of things. So I said that "we can basically do whatever you want... so long as you want to do things that are good for the environment, good for students, and won't bankrupt the SFUO".

Now don't fret, PRS is going to make sure that the building is absurdly energy efficient, has a wonderful look and feel, and meets the needs of the students, but... when it comes to the other green elements of the building, the whole story isn't so clear cut. So in the end we decided to leave the decision to you!

On Thursday March 11th, at 5:30 in the UCU Couch Lounge, we are going to have a design charette (a community brainstorm) and you are going to decide what this building is going to have. Wind turbines, living machines, composting toilets, geothermal... no idea is too green. And although there is going to be a pile of free food, that's not why you should come. You should come because this is an important issue, this new building is meant to be for students and so it's green infrastructure should also determined by students.

Check out the Facebook event for more info.

- jon

Teach-in for Climate Justice

From March 1st to 12th an International Campaign called the “Teach-in for Climate Justice” is taking place, during which professors at Universities in BC, Ontario, and around the world are encouraged to put aside 20 minutes of class to discuss how Climate Justice is relevant to their discipline.

Climate Justice brings together people of all different backgrounds and interests to recognize that those who will be, and already are, hit hardest by anthropogenic climate change are not the same as the industrial society that created the problem. Fewer days of frozen lakes make Canadian aboriginal communities that rely on ice roads less able to transport necessary supplies; drought in Sub-Saharan Africa is exacerbating the situation in already famine stricken areas; and sea level rising will soon leave millions of Bangladeshis without a home.

In much of the industrialized world we have accumulated the capital to, at least preliminarily, buffer us from the effects of climate change. True Climate Justice could rectify this situation by creating a new global paradigm in which prosperous and sustainable lifestyles are accessible for everyone, additional anthropogenic climate change is mitigated, and those most affected have the tools to adapt.

As a site of idea creation, universities can play an important role in leading us towards Climate Justice; and because of the all-encompassing nature of the problem, people from all disciplines and walks of life must be involved in finding solutions. Therefore, all professors, regardless of their knowledge of climate justice, are encouraged to put aside a few minutes of their class to show this video, and hopefully also engage in a short conversation with students about how their discipline can contribute to a world with Climate Justice. For more information and a full faculty guide visit http://teachinforclimatejustice.com or contact Green Campus at greencampusottawa@gmail.com.

Everyone is also invited to attend a panel discussion on Climate Justice featuring engaging professors from four different disciplines on Wednesday, March 10th at 7pm in CBYB012.

-tasha