The concept is all about connections. Sustainability is a huge undertaking. There are so many little things to think about on our campus that it can be quite overwhelming. Where do you recycle your batteries, how far did this food travel before it got to my plate, is the paper in a textbook worse than the energy used in a laptop, why aren't there more trees on campus...etc. So how can we tackle sustainability on our campus if there are so many issues to deal with? Simple, increase the number of people that do sustainability on campus. Thus, we created an EcoNetwork. The University of Ottawa's EcoNetwork isn't a new concept, it was actually launched in 2010 and we just relaunched the program last month. The idea was to create a network of individuals that could share best practices about sustainability on campus. Things like setting your printer to double-sided printing, where to order environmentally-friendly office supplies, and how to pack a litter-less lu...

Riding your bicycle all year round can be quite the challenge. In the summer, some say that the rain and wind keep them from riding. In winter, others say that the snow, the ice, and the cold temperatures make riding sometimes dangerous. In both of these cases, many tools are available to either reduce risk or make your s ride more pleasant. Winter riding Winter riding can be dangerous, which is why it’s important keep your eye on the prize. Here are a few tips to make your ride more pleasant and safer: First, dress appropriately. If possible always have a wind breaker because it helps to keep warm when the wind blows hard. A good pair of gloves, pleather if possible, helps a lot because wind doesn’t pass through them. Bring an extra pair of socks if you feel the need or if the forecasted weather includes rain (or even worse.... freezing rain). Second, use a second hand bike. Salt and sand can destroy you bike during winter so if you don’t want to end up wasting money on re...

BRING US YOUR USED BRITA FILTERS AND COFFEE SACHETS! Vous ne savez jamais quoi faire de vos filtres à eau usagés et vos sacs de café? Et bien vous pouvez maintenant les recycler! Emportez-nous vos filtres Brita et sachets de café usagés pour être transformés en de nouveaux produits tels que des brosses à dents, bancs de parcs ou planches à couper. De plus, Pour chaque sachet Nabob ramassé nous pouvons faire un don de $0,02 à un organisme de bienfaisance de notre choix – La Banque Alimentaire. Les filtres Brita seront recyclés à travers le programme Preserve (pour plus d’info : http://www.preserveproducts.com/recycling/britafilters.html#canada) et les sachets de cafés seront recyclés à travers le programme TerraCycle (pour plus d’info : http://www.terracycle.ca/fr-CA/brigades/coffee-bag-brigade.html). Qu’est-ce que TerraCycle? Le but de TerraCycle est d’éliminer le concept de déchet. Ils font cela en créant des réseaux de collecte nationaux pour des produits traditionnellem...

The inspiration for this blog came to me yesterday as a couple of students and I were discussing their Living Lab project during our weekly meetings. The group is working on figuring out the percentage of disposable vs reusable mugs used on campus. The numbers aren't great and so group has been doing some discrete surveillance around the campus to see if the reusable mug use is on the rise. Spoiler alert... the numbers still don't look great. Somewhere in the realm of 5%. A very interesting question was asked by one of the volunteers. He wanted to know if he had to count Tim Horton cups twice. I was a little perplexed..., "Why would you count them twice", I asked. "Well" he responded, "everyone gets two cups instead one so that they don't burn their hands". Sooooooooooooo, can you see the problem with this? Tim Horton is the only place I know of that has not embraced the little cardboard sleeve that all other coffee chains use on thei...

When people say Humane Society you automatically know what they are talking about. You know that place where they care for lost and abandoned animals. You would never imagine the work and supplies that they require, as well as the supplies needed to care for the animals themselves. Places such as the Humane Society receive funding for particular things, but not others. I was shocked to find that they do not receive funding for office supplies such as files and binders. All of us at the Free Store are well aware that we have a large amount of binders that are just looking for a home. So, we took a little trip to the Humane Society and donated 50 binders to them. This goes along with 9 boxes of file folders that we donated to them last month. By doing this, they are able to save funds for office supplies, and puts it towards the most important thing: providing the best care for the animals. ~ michaela - free store coordinator photo credit - jonathan rausseo

It's about that time of the year again, you know... when you start taking a serious look at hanging up your biking shoes for the season. The wind stings a bit too much, you have to second guess every puddle (potential patch of black ice), and your ride is creaking and cracking all the time. Well I wanted to pound out a quick post to tell you to not give up... you can extend your biking season with some perseverance and a couple of tips. My boss has a rule of thumb, once the temperature drops to -10ºC, no more riding for him. And that's totally reasonable I think. As for me, I have biked through the last three winters and only recorded four bails during that time (and no serious injuries). Riding in the late autumn season does take a certain level of prudence. I know that you might not go right until the winter season, but if you want to try to keep riding until the snow falls, here are a couple of things you can do. Puddles aren't just pud...