When I go back and reflect on how all of this started, I have to be honest and start with disappointment. I did not get the sustainability coordinator job that I wanted (wink wink to my amazing colleague). Not off to a very good start, you might think. Well, life is full of surprises and three months later I got a call encouraging me to apply for the recycling coordinator position. I was passionate about waste, and it could not be that far from sustainability, so why not? Here I am, one year and a few months later, reflecting on this absolutely amazing journey.
I walked into the Facilities office at uOttawa with zero expectations and a very open mind. There, I found a sense of belonging and acceptance that has been quite refreshing, especially after a rocky career path since moving to Canada. I landed here in 2018 with two suitcases and a desire to pursue a career in sustainability. I have been blessed in finding jobs easily but finding my rhythm has been more complicated. The tasks either got boring or the space for creativity was quite limited. Thankfully at uOttawa, I got to work with several amazing teams who were very understanding and helped me shape my next steps. I discovered that I could tackle different tasks every day and be my creative and outgoing self while solving many challenges.
First things first, I have mild ADHD, so my working style is not exactly typical (pun definitely intended). For the longest time, I would not mention it during interviews. Now, it is the first thing I talk about to ensure whoever wants to hire me (and my 300 ideas at any given minute) is comfortable with how I approach work. The reaction of the uOttawa team was… “oh don’t worry we will have plenty of things to keep you busy.” And busy I have been indeed!
I began my job with a very hands-on mission: updating and changing the recycling station signage to make it last for at least the next 5 years. With this mission came my first dip into public procurement and recycling education. Being a recycling coordinator required a LOT of walking. On my biggest day, I walked 14 kilometres around campus to recycling bin infrastructure and signage. I learned all about items that could and could not be recycled...who knew it was so complicated!
Shortly after, I started my Excel journey. From padawan to mini-Jedi, one of my colleagues guided me through pivot tables and other functions I had never heard of. You might be wondering how recycling and spreadsheets fit together, as I am sure not many people think about the recycling process on campus and where it goes...I know I didn’t before I started in this role! Managing waste and recycling on campus requires a lot of coordination and tracking – weights of items for each waste stream, pick up dates, costs, extra fees for contamination, etc. Even though I consider myself a messy person, I found deep satisfaction in reorganizing our Excel schedules and files. I “Mari Kondo-ed" our archives in neat piles and discovered that I could focus on data management for three hours straight. Anyone who knows me personally can attest to how unlikely this appears to be. Data organization helped me understand the scope of my work, to get uOttawa closer to a zero-waste future. Using data, I could visualize the amount of stuff we saved from landfills thanks to the Free Store and the furniture reuse program.
Talking about visualization, if I had to pick one favourite day (technically two days) this past year, it would have to be the “Dump and Run”. The amount of stuff you are piling up in the Leblanc basement is absolutely wild! I must have walked 20 kilometres that day but I did not even notice. We were all running against the clock to salvage as many items from the landfill as we could. From coffee machines to mini fridges, to lamps, so much stuff is left behind, it’s honestly so sad. Seeing the literal mountain of almost brand-new clothing forces you to reflect on your own purchasing habits. I love “Dump and Run” days because they encompass everything my team is fighting for: a more sustainable and equitable future. A fight led with so much joy and kindness that it makes me hope for the best.
uOttawa changed me. I gained so much confidence in what I do, why, and how I do it. My team welcomed my creativity with absolute awe and allowed me to start so many new adventures such as creating tote bags from textile scraps or writing blog posts at random times of day (or night ahem). This year made me believe everything is possible with passion and patience (the latter I am still working on...).
So here I am, a year and a few months after my first day as recycling coordinator wrapping up my last week here at uOttawa with the impression of having started three days ago. Thank you to everyone who made my time here so enjoyable!
