S'il y a une chose que j'ai apprise en tant que coordonnatrice du recyclage à l'Université d'Ottawa, c'est qu'en matière de déchets, la courbe d'apprentissage est très très raide. Si pour moi, dont le travail implique de m’occuper des ordures quotidiennement, trier correctement mes déchets semble compliqué, qu'en est-il d'un ou une étudiante ? Alors que j’injuriais une énième poubelle mal triée, j'ai commencé à me poser des questions. Le système était-il trop compliqué ou les gens n'étaient-ils pas informés comme ils le devraient ? Est-ce qu’ils n’en avaient rien à faire ? La réponse est "ils s'en soucient", dans la mesure où le système n'implique pas de détenir trois maîtrises pour s'y conformer. Selon le dictionnaire Merriam-Webster, un système est "un ensemble de principes ou de procédures selon lesquels quelque chose est fait ; un cadre ou une méthode organisée". Le seul inconvénient de cette définition est...

If there is one thing I've learned as a recycling coordinator at uOttawa is that when it comes to waste, the learning curve is very very steep. If for me, whose work involves going through garbage daily, correctly triaging my waste seems complicated, what about a student? As I yelled a curse-word at yet another mis-triaged bin, I started to wonder. Was the system too complicated or the people not informed as they should be? Or, do they just not care? My answer is “they do” seem to care...as long as the process is not so complex as to requiring them holding three masters degrees to understand it or taking an hour of their time to sort one item. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a system is “a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method”. The only drawback with this definition is that there is no indication to the amount of complexity people can handle. But, to no surprise, the more options you have, the more likel...

My first week living in Canada was spent sorting through trash, and I am so glad I had the chance to do it! As a new graduate student at the University of Ottawa, I made the decision to leave my job in Boston and make the move up to Ottawa during Reading Week. While looking for ways to hit the ground running, I found the Alternative Study Break program, and decided to spend my week volunteering with the Office of Campus Sustainability. We were tasked with performing a waste audit on the Friel Residence, then collecting and analyzing the data. Talking about the issues with waste, collection, and contamination was an eye-opening experience and having the opportunity to see for myself the amount of waste that is produced by one building felt like an urgent wake-up call. We found a staggering amount of waste contamination, as recycling and garbage were often placed in the incorrect streams. Surprisingly, the majority of waste was incorrectly placed, and this carries significant implication...