The Sustainabilitree

It's hard to imagine the uOttawa campus without some of its most iconic buildings. It goes without saying that a building like Tabaret plays an instrumental role in the identity of the campus. Not only was it one of the first buildings on campus, but it also serves as the inspiration for the modern logo for the University (although there is missing pillar but we don't talk about that). The Tabaret building was even used as the setting for the movie Decoys in 2014. Another pretty iconic building is SITE . Built in 2002 as uOttawa's response to the massive tech craze of the early 2000's, there aren't many buildings with as many unique architectural characteristics as SITE. Big windows, stainless steel vents, concrete fins, exposed pillars and mechanical duct-work... it is one of a kind (except that Lakehead University built a very similar building a few years later). But I want to talk about another type of iconic building on campus. You see, an iconic building might ...

Can you imagine a world without garbage and landfills? In fact there is an easy solution to reduce waste and we can even make something useful out of it.  Composting! Maybe it doesn’t sound appealing at first; you know food scraps, banana peels, dirty napkins….but composting works like magic. Compost is made of organic materials (meaning that they are composed of carbon) and therefore will decompose and eventually, disappear (not quite, but it transforms into soil). To put it more academically: composting is a process in which organic matter is aerobically broken down into water, carbon dioxide, and some residual materials. It is Nature's way of recycling.   When food scraps and paper go to landfill they cannot properly breakdown, because they become buried and eventually run out of oxygen. Instead, they create methane (a potent greenhouse gas that is about 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth). After using public transportation and changing ...

Naviguer à 2 heures du matin. Acheter. Utiliser. Oublier. Répéter.  La plupart d'entre nous ont déjà vécu ce cycle où nous achetons impulsivement des choses parce qu'elles sont mignonnes, agréables ou tout simplement à très bon prix. Vous avez dans votre corps ce désir de vouloir quelque chose de nouveau, qui est intensifié par la surprise d'une livraison rapide. Mais... ce sentiment disparaît une fois que vous vous tannez de ce que vous avez acheté. Peut-être que vous êtes déçu parce que ce n'est pas exactement ce que vous vouliez, ou le vêtement n’est plus ajusté après un cycle de lavage. Et pourtant, vous le faites à nouveau. Comme nous passons plus en plus de temps sur l'internet, nous sommes soumis à de nombreuses publicités qui présentent constamment des produits et des offres spéciales, telles que : « 50% de rabais exclusivement aujourd'hui + livraison gratuite ». Parfois, nous succombons - nous sommes seulement humains après tout et aucun d'entre nou...

Browse at 2 am. Buy. Use. Forget about it. Repeat. Most of us have been in this cycle where we impulsively buy stuff because it looks cute, nice, or is just a very good deal. You get that rush through your veins of wanting a new thing which intensifies with the surprise of fast shipping, you’re excited. But… that feeling disappears once you’re tired of what you bought, or maybe you’re disappointed because it’s not exactly what you wanted. And yet, you do it again.  With more time spent online, we are subject to a lot of ads constantly showing off products and great deals, like those “50% off today only + free shipping”. Sometimes we fall for it, we’re only human after all and none of us is beyond temptation. But It’s important to think about where our hard-earned money is going and ask ourselves "Do I really need this?" Since it’s so easy to shop online, it can be hard to resist. But behind every item there’s the health and welfare of another human being and a cost to the pla...

Nous aimons tous quand tout est recouvert de neige blanche ou nous détestons quand il y a 3 mètres de neige, l'hiver est tout simplement imprévisible. La plupart des gens rangent leur vélo lorsque la saison du gel commence, ou peut-être faites-vous partie de ceux qui possèdent un vélo mais qui l'ont oublié. Dans notre réalité pandémique, le vélo est devenu une activité populaire qui n'a pas à s'arrêter juste à cause d'un peu de neige.  Honnêtement, je n'ai jamais fait de vélo au Canada et certainement pas pendant l'hiver. Je viens d'un pays où j'ai grandi en ayant peur du vélo, où il n'y avait pas de pistes cyclables (sauf si vous viviez dans un quartier très privilégié), pas de porte-vélos dans les autobus, et des conducteurs imprudents (j'ai vu beaucoup d'accidents). Ai-je besoin d'en dire plus ? Il s'agissait plus d'un sport extrême que d'une activité agréable. Mais ici à Ottawa, c'est différent. Il est plus facile ...

We all love it when everything is covered in white snow... or hate it, winter is just an unpredictable season. You might be one of those people who store their bikes when the 'frozen season' begins; or maybe you’re one of those people that own a bike but has not used it in a long time. But in our pandemic reality, biking has become a popular activity; one that doesn’t have to stop just because of a bit of snow.  Honestly, I’ve never biked in Canada before; much less during winter. I come from a country where I grew up afraid of biking; there were no bike lanes (unless you lived in a very privileged neighborhood); no bike racks on buses; and a lot of careless drivers (I've actually seen a lot of accidents). Let's just say cycling was more of an extreme sport than a pleasant day to day activity.  But here in Ottawa, it’s different. It’s easier to navigate through the city. Even during winter it’s possible to explore the surroundings and get you where you have to go. So I’...

It is safe to say that we are learning a lot of new things in 2020. We are learning about virus infection rates, how the economy works, and how to cook for ourselves. But not all the news you hear is "doomy". Canada is looking to ban some single-use plastics, GHG emissions are way down, and did you know that 91% of Canadians live within 15 km of a battery recycling drop-off site? That's according to Call2Recycle Canada , a not-for-profit group who want to recycle as many batteries as possible. I bet it's probably within your reach too! But why can’t we just throw them away? They may look small and insignificant, but the truth is they are harmful to our environment. Since batteries are made from toxic heavy metals, they cause problems when they end up in the trash without being recycled. So you definitely want to treat them carefully once they are dead. Do you remember the Samsung Galaxy explosions? This proves the dangers of batteries, and landfill workers know all ab...

  Let's take a moment to talk about the old proverbial green hat, more commonly know as a green roof. For years green roofs have been thought of as a nice to have but not really cost effective for most buildings. That perception started to change more recently; manifesting in new policies like the Toronto Green Roof Bylaw . Our campus got in on the action a little while back when we changed our building standards to prioritize green roofs as well. This autumn, the first green roof under this design paradigm is set to be installed on the Perez Building. Since the building is a bit older, our engineering assessment found that a green roof isn't appropriate everywhere, but along the north roof the conditions are just right. This works out fairly well since this part of the building is lower than the other roof sections; meaning that occupants will be able to see the roof from their windows. Stunning views of green roofs from an office or classroom window might be considered the c...

You can't imagine how many emails we get these days asking about the Free Store. Can we still drop off donations, when will the store open, what are you doing about COVID, etc... Well let's dive into some of those questions so that our community has a better idea of what is happening with the Store. In March, the Free Store experienced the beginning of the COVID crisis like everyone. News was starting to float around about the virus; some places were thinking of closing; should we close too? Just as the NBA decided to shut down, the Free Store decided that we didn't want to put people at risk and we closed our doors, uncertain about how long the pandemic would last. Fast-forward to July and the holding pattern for businesses was loosening up. At that point we decided to put together a plan that would allow operations at the Free Store to get going again. How could we not? We were getting messages every day asking about the store and how people could get access.  The Free St...

Le jardin communautaire de l’Université d’Ottawa, sur l’avenue King Edward, existe déjà depuis un bon moment. C’est un endroit où les membres du personnel, de la population étudiante et de la communauté de la Côte-de-Sable sont invités à faire pousser leurs propres aliments et à préserver les espaces verts. Tout le monde n’a pas la chance ou l’espace pour jardiner; c’est pourquoi il est très important d’avoir des jardins communautaires qui donnent aux gens la possibilité de cultiver et de se procurer leurs propres fruits et légumes biologiques. L’Université d’Ottawa a récemment aménagé sept jardinières surélevées en réutilisant des matériaux trouvés sur le campus (p. ex., de vieilles bannières de la Semaine des diplômés tiennent lieu de membranes imperméables). Les jardinières surélevées sont des bacs remplis de terre, situés au-dessus du sol, qui servent à faire pousser des plantes. Cette méthode de jardinage comporte de nombreux avantages. D’abord, les jardiniers souffrent moi...

The University of Ottawa community garden on King Edward has been around for some time. It is a place where staff, students, and Sandy Hill community members are encouraged to grow their own food and preserve green spaces. Not everyone has the opportunity or space to garden; it is therefore very important to have community gardens as they give individuals the ability to grow and have access to their organic fruits and vegetables. Recently, the University of Ottawa has constructed seven raised bed gardens, built with the help of some reused materials on campus (old banners from Alumni week are being used as moisture barriers). For those who don’t know, raised bed gardens are elevated boxes filled with soil separated from the ground to grow plants. This method of gardening comes with many advantages. First, gardeners tend to suffer from less back pain because they do not have to bend over as much to do their gardening. It also makes it easier to access if you are in a wheelchair o...

Animal welfare has multiple facets that are received differently by the general public. Veganism, being one outlet of animal welfare, has grown in popularity whether due to concerns for animal rights, personal health, or environmental reasons. Whether you believe in ‘ speciesism ’ or not, human industrialization of the animal agriculture system is one factor driving the climate crisis . It should be incumbent upon the University of Ottawa to take a stand against this industry that is detrimental to non-human animals,  human lives, and the environment. Wide-spread support for the idea of granting rights to animals has not materialized despite arguments dating back decades. As there are many reservations surrounding animal rights activism, the environmental argument for reducing meat consumption could be the key to protecting animals (and seriously who could be against widening the moral circle in an age where Beyond Meat burgers exist?). It seems like the perfect time to begin ...

This summer we are featuring a series of blog posts from students in the ENV 2301 course "History of Environmental Thought". We are super happy to highlight the thoughts and ideas of these bright young individuals. The New York Times - The Magic Kingdom is Going Green Climate change is a hoax! Climate change is going to kill us all! Okay now that I have your attention with these opposing opinions of climate change, let’s get into the whole point of this blog.  Climate change is neither of these things. Climate change, however, is responsible for loss of habitat,  floods, food and water shortages, and other issues worldwide... BUT we are not doomed and there are ways to stop this from happening! But how exactly can we do this? Well here are my suggestions, and they begin here at the University of Ottawa. My suggestion comes from when I took a trip to Disney World two years ago.  While I was driving to see everyone’s favourite mouse at the Magic Kingdom, I noticed...