Once Upon A Time it was the end of the year...

Well it is the end of the year and I guess this the ideal time to talk about the year that was, and what a year it was. Allow me to guide you through what happened this year in sustainability.

"2010 is going to be the year of SUSTAINABILITY" were the words of Pierre De Gagné, the Assistant Director of Engineering and Sustainable Development, and this pretty much set the tone for the entire year.

The year kicked off with RecycleMania, which saw the University of Ottawa defend its title as Canadian Champs and place 14th overall.

In February the SFUO's referendums produced 2 environmental outcomes, the Green Fund and the U-pass program. Both of which will have a dramatic impact on the campus.

Earth Hour in March again saw the University achieving a 12% reduction in energy consumption (double that of the City of Ottawa).

In March & April the University participated in Bottled Water Free Day.

May was the most successful Dump and Run we have ever conducted. Over 2 tonnes of materials were saved and redistributed.

In June the office celebrated Environment Week, including Bike to Work Day.

The second Community Garden officially launched in July and over 40 plots were up for grabs.

Most of August was just spent getting ready for the madness of September. In September there was the official launched of the SFUO's Bike Coop, amongst many, many, many other things. Oh yeah... did I mention the campus became bottled water free?

More recommendations and work was put into the Vision 2020 round table on how to Green the Campus (renamed environmental sustainability). The SFUO's Sustainability Center also held its first Open House.

By the time we get to November and December there are just too many cool things going on, including the Green Campus Green Lecture Series, the Tom's Shoes event, and the University being honoured by Hydro Ottawa for it's energy conservation.

So yeah a big year. Hopefully 2011 will be just as prosperous. But I did want to take a moment to thank all those people out there that made it happen. I can't even begin to name you all but I can say that you should have that smug feeling that comes with knowing that you helped make a difference.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

-jon

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/

Visualizations: Making statistics suck less, one picture at a time

Photo credit: Vedrana Martincevic Green Space visualization (www.manyeyes.com)

Let’s face it: there isn’t a single human being that willfully engages in the reading of 300 page reports filled with numbers. Some do it from necessity, but there’s hardly any joy to be found in analyzing countless statistics that eventually blur into little lines in front of your eyes. Yes, there are lots of useful numbers in there somewhere, but how do we extract them? How do we make this relevant to our target audience, and anyone else that may be interested? How do we dial back the agony of trawling through numbers for hours on end, praying they’ll end explaining themselves to you?

In today’s world, particularly in the world of business, people have very little time. Everybody wants to get in and get out, and get tasks over with. That’s why we have abstracts, executive summaries, blurbs, overviews, and all those differently-named things that are really cut from th

e same cloth. However, it is often difficult to synthesize significant amounts of information while keeping it relevant and in context…UNLESS you make it into a delightful visualization. I spent a good portion of my day today analyzing data without even realizing it!

http://www-958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/ is a delightful way of presenting data in an interesting way that allows you to filter through and create correlations. Take, for instance, the massive amounts of data collected by the students in Eric Crighton’s class. They put the effort in, and now they’d like to see the results, presumably. How many of them, do you think, will want to read a 30-page report on their findings?

….......

My point exactly. Now, take a gander at the visualization above. That is a synthesized version of the recommendations given to us for green space. Yes! All that data, those thousands of words, simplified into something that is visually appealing and accessible! The relationships are clear, the overall trends are visible, and most of all, it doesn't make your eyes burn after 15 seconds. Oh, the beauty. Don’t just take my word for it; play with the program when you have some free time, and see that everything can be made awesome if you try hard enough!

-vedrana

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/

THE HOLIDAYS APPROACHETH!

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo

I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but the fact that the Christmas lights and trees in the Rideau Centre have been up for weeks already alarms me to no end. It’s really difficult to get into the holiday spirit when I’m still wearing hoodies and carrying around an umbrella; not to mention the fact that midterms were still happening when the first wreaths went up. In any case, our lovely materialistic society is preparing to ring in yet another massive shop-a-thon season. Holiday hours are in effect in every mall and store, and I’m already overhearing people PANICKING about buying the perfect gift. Are you serious, people? But actually?

For those of us that don’t subscribe to the crazy person’s newsletter, there is a different way to go about things – it’s called: “Let’s not kill our wallets, the environment, or our sanity.” I read a lovely little article this morning (http://www.justmeans.com/Have-yourself-a-Merry-Green-Christmas/38049.html) that really opened my eyes to the less-obvious damage we do during the holidays. Everyone notices the blatant infractions: metres upon metres of festive wrapping paper, oodles of decorative ribbon, boxes, bags, cards, envelopes…the list is endless. What about all the lighting? The trees we select? You don’t have to drive yourself positively insane worrying about every last detail, but the important thing is to be aware. As it’s been said countless times before, the best present doesn’t necessarily imply the most expensive material good; bake a friend some cookies, make recycled cards, or organize a holiday swap party!

As stated in the article, the energy consumption of holiday lighting is brutal, for lack of a better word. Take it easy on the lights; you’re not looking to land a plane in foggy conditions. As for the remaining, more appropriate lights choose LEDs, which both cut down on energy consumption and will last longer than traditional lights.

So, that’s that. Enjoy your holidays, everyone!

-vedrana

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/

L'itinéraire à vélo sur Google Maps à Ottawa et Gatineau!

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo

Chers cyclistes,

Cet été, j’ai eu la merveilleuse occasion de me rendre à vélo jusqu’à une école où je travaillais située à l’ouest d’Ottawa. Au début, puisque j’étais incertaine de la localisation de l’école par rapport aux pistes cyclables, je décide de faire le trajet comme les voitures et d’emprunter les rues Sommerset et Richmond. Quel désastre: poussière, voitures, feux de circulation et paysage un peu trop urbain à mon goût... Après cette expérience, je demande les directions à deux-trois personnes et je reviens de l’école par la piste cyclable située le long de la Rivière des Outaouais. Je respire à pleins poumons, le ciel est bleu, les mouettes s’amusent et je retourne au centre-ville en aussi peu de temps que par la route!

Pourquoi je vous compte mon périple à vélo, pensez-vous? Eh bien, vous le savez peut-être déjà, mais le 22 novembre la Commission de la capitale nationale (CCN), ainsi que les villes d’Ottawa et de Gatineau ont dévoilé avoir été les premiers au pays à inclure leur réseau complet de pistes cyclables sur Google Maps! Oui chers cyclistes, nous n’avons pas seulement à choisir entre l’itinéraire en voiture (boucane, klaxons et feux de circulation), en bus (attente parfois un peu longue) ou à pied, mais nous avons bien l’itinéraire à vélo (pistes cyclables et voie réservées)! Pour ceux et celles qui hésitent à prendre leur vélo parce que vous devez regarder sur trois cartes différentes, votre vie sera maintenant facilitée grâce à cet engin de recherche. *Je vous invite à modifier les circuits en suivant les petites lignes vertes sur Google Maps puisque parfois ça va couper par la route assez rapidement.*

Pour en savoir plus sur ce que fait la CCN par rapport au cyclisme à Ottawa, je vous invite à suivre ce lien. Je vous recommande spécialement la présentation de Jan Gehl, architecte danois qui est venu nous parler de planification urbaine lors de sa visite à Ottawa en octobre 2010.

Pour ceux et celles qui font du vélo en hiver, Google Maps n’inclut malheureusement pas une option à savoir si les pistes sont déblayées ou non, mais on en a discuté à une présentation de la CCN, alors reste à voir!

Bon hiver,

- marie-pierre

http://mariepierre.livejournal.com/

Déposer et dégager pour une bonne cause!

Photo Credit: www.123rf.com (photo site)

La région de l’Outaouais connait année après année une croissance marquée du nombre de personnes qui sont dans le besoin. Centraide à estimé à 21,2% la population de l’Outaouais qui vit avec un faible revenu. Ceci se manifeste par une augmentation significative dans la demande de service d’aide au près des œuvres de charités. De plus, 7000 est le nombre total de personnes qui auront eu recours à l’aide des œuvres de charités.

Si vous voulez faire une différence et faire du ménage au même temps, prenez un petit 30 min pour jeter un coup d’œil dans votre garde-robe, bibliothèque et même cuisine. Mettez dans un sac ou dans une boite tous les articles que vous n’avez jamais utilisé et ceux que vous n’utiliseriez plus. Ajouter également à cela tout article que vous pensez jeter en pensant qu’il ne servira à personne. Rappelez-vous, la poubelle des uns est le trésor des autres!

Apporter vos articles à une des résidences (complexe 90 Université, à Hyman Soloway ou à Thompson) où une table est désignée spécifiquement pour cela. Je vous garantie que tous vos biens seront donnés à des œuvres de charités où ils trouveront une deuxième vie chez des familles dans le besoin.

Ce geste vous procure une grande sensation de bien qui vous détendra un moment avant la période stressante des examens!

Déposer…..Dégager….et faites vous du bien !

-amina

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/

Time to Dump: the 2010 winter edition

Photo Credit: Jonathan Rausseo

Yes it is that time of the year again. Everyone on campus hits the malls to start the holiday shopping, starts drinking hot chocolate religiously, and starts getting the skates sharpened for the opening, closing, opening, and closing of the canal (damn you global warming !!!)

But it is also the time of the year that sees the residences close for the holidays. As if exams weren't already stressful enough, the university also sends everyone packing for 2 weeks. Which is not such a bad thing from an energy point of view... but we can have that discussion some other time. This conversation is reserved for the Dump and Run.

So you are about to leave to go home for the holidays, but... you have a ridiculous amount of stuff. A couple of bags clothes that don't fit anymore (damn you taste desserts !!!) or that you've decided just aren't your style, a few boxes of swag (that stuff you pick up for free at tales but that you never really do anything with), maybe even some books that you don't want anymore. What to do with all this stuff?

Well the Office of Campus Sustainability has the solution for you, give it to us ! No we aren't just collecting the stuff because we are hoarders (although secretly I kind of am). We are going to donate your stuff to charity and to the Free Store.

All over residences this year you will see boxes labelled for donation. Donations aren't just new things to give away, they can also be things that you just don't want anymore. Think about it, an old pair of jeans might seem out of style for you but for someone else they could be the difference between comfort and frost-bite. So please take the time to dump some of the things you don't want / need anymore.

The Dump and Run isn't just limited to people in Residences either. If you have articles of clothing, appliances, electronics, books, anything... feel free to drop things off at the Food Bank or the SFUO office (both in the UCU).

Otherwise, contact Brigitte Morin (bmorin@uottawa.ca), the University of Ottawa's Waste Diversion Coordinator, to arrange something.

-jon

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/

TOM's Shoes... what's on your feet?

On Tuesday night I attended a pretty cool event organized by the Telfer Student Council about Tom's Shoes. I am going to stop right here and play my "full disclosure" card. First the event was organized by Danielle Perrault (a former employee of mine). Second, it was a teaser event for the Sustainable Business Conference, for which I am on the organizing committee.

But none of that should matter because the event was really cool for a couple of reasons. One, I had no knowledge about TOM's shoes before that night. Two, the event was followed up by a pretty good open forum talk that included Guy Laflamme (the VP Communications over at the NCC and a prof at the Telfer School). And three, about half of the event was conducted in French, making this event a pretty bilingual event.

The night started up by a documentary viewing of TOM's Shoes. The movie actually didn't rub me the right way at first. It really started out as a bunch of rich people playing polo and taking the typical "We need to save poor people" approach which can sometimes be perceived as pretty condescending. But the tone shifted and I can of started to think to myself, "Well at least these people are actually doing something positive". I would recommend this doc to others.

Then the movie was followed up by some comments by Danielle and Guy, and an open forum discussion by the audience. A lot of talk circled around two themes - is there a model that teaches impoverished people to metaphorically "Fish fro themselves" instead of making them depended on yet another handout? - and, "why didn't I get to learn about this stuff when I was in school", a sentiment expressed by several students who were just finishing up their degrees.

The night ended with an announcement about the Sustainable Business Conference (February 11th... tell your friends!!!) including the giving away of 3 tickets for the event, and one lucky participant won a pair of TOM's shoes. Now I have purposefully not mentioned much about the TOM's shoes concept because I do want you to go find out more and maybe see the movie or attend an event. But the principle is simple, if you buy a pair of TOM's, another pair is donated to children in need. It is a 1 for 1 deal. And so that means that a child in need will receive a pair of shoes because of the event on Tuesday.

I think the best part of the whole event is summed up in the little things, you know... those things that seem insignificant but that are actually the most important.

1) Danielle served free food for the event (to get more people to come), but she didn't cop out and get a plate of cookies and some coffee. Instead the event was catered by Krackers (a catering company that employs people with developmental challenges and serves healthy foods)

2) Everything was compostable... in fact there were no garbage bins at all for the event

3) The event was moderated by bilingual individuals. The conversation jumped from English to French effortlessly and it was a pretty cool environment.

4) Guy Laflamme, one of the 'moderators' had actually done some pretty cool social outreach projects himself. His students started the whole "Le Niger, c'est notre affaire" project

Kudos go out to Danielle and her volunteers. She has certainly raised the bar for the Sustainable Development Conference.

-jon

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/

La saga du sondage fait par la classe ENV 1101

Photo credit: Surveyonline

Il y a deux semaines, j’ai eu le plaisir de travailler sur les sondages de la classe du cours de première année d’environnement…oui! Vous l’avez peut être deviné c’est dans le cadre du cours ENV1101, enseigner par Éric Crighton. Moi, je m’occupais des sondages concernant le recyclage au campus. La grande aventure commençait lorsque mon patron, Jon m’envoie les résultats des sondages qu’il a reçu des étudiants. J’en recevais une dizaine à la fois…au point que ma boite courriel ne fonctionnait pas très bien car elle était saturée de messages.

Ma tâche principale était de s’assurer que les données sont bien rentrées dans les diverses pages Excel, pour en suite les jumeler dans un même document. Ça semble simple dit comme cela, mais la réalité était toute autre. Je vous explique. Les problèmes que j’ai rencontrés étaient soit que le fichier ne s’ouvrait pas, car il a été fait dans un ordinateur Mac, soit les données n’étaient pas complètes faute de tricherie de la part des étudiants, soit il y avait une erreur dans la programmation du fichier Excel. Dans tous ces cas, je devais envoyer un message à mon patron, qui lui envoyait un message aux étudiants qui manquaient de données ou autre. En suite, il fallait attendre la réponse de l’étudiant que mon patron m’acheminait….WAW oui tout ce la….Finalement, et avec l’aide de Vedrana, une collègue de bureau, on a réussit à tout compiler et à commencer l’analyse des données par une jeune spécialise qui travaille à Environnement Canada, qui fréquentait autre fois l’Université d’Ottawa.

Si le projet continuera de vivre, je propose que l’on crée un document accessible par internet par tous les élèves du cours, où ils iront rentrer leurs données une fois les sondages terminés. Ceci évitera la perte de temps en acheminant les courriels d’une personne à une autre et aussi évitera l’utilisation de différents programmes et version d’Excel que nous ne possédons pas au bureau.

Je vous promets de partager les résultats du sondage bientôt!!

-Amina

http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/