The Sustainabilitree

Aujourd'hui, j'ai résisté. À quoi, me direz-vous? À l'envie d'aller sur Amazon et de profiter de la frénésie des offres prime day. Comment me suis-je retrouvée sur Amazon? Non pas parce que j'avais besoin de quelque chose, mais parce que, comme beaucoup d'entre nous, j'utilise les réseaux sociaux. En tant que magicienne de l'organisation, passionnée par la création de systèmes qui fonctionnent pour les personnes qui les utilisent (et non l'inverse!), je suis de nombreux comptes qui donnent des tas de conseils et d'astuces plus ou moins utiles. Oh là là, que j’aime une belle vidéo ASMR de réapprovisionnement, oui vous savez exactement de quoi je parle. Ces jolis frigos avec des contenants transparents, ces salles de bain avec de parfaits contenants sous l’évier, ces boîtes de taille parfaite pour vos tiroirs... Aaaaaah (profond soupir de satisfaction). Et avant même de vous en rendre compte, vous vous retrouvez dans la spirale d'une autre vidé...

Today I resisted. What you may ask? The urge to go on Amazon and get on the Prime Day deals frenzy. How did I end up on Amazon in the first place? Not because I needed something but because, as many of us do, I use social networks. As an organization wizard with a deep passion for creating systems that work for the people who use them (and not the other way around!), I follow a lot of accounts giving heaps of more or less useful tips and tricks. Oh my, do I love a good restock ASMR video, yes you know exactly what I am talking about. Those nice fridges with clear containers, those bathrooms with under-the-sink matching organizers, those perfectly sized boxes for your drawers… Aaaaaah (deep satisfied sigh). And before you know it, you get into the spiral of another video of this gadget you never knew you needed that will change your life forever. It takes a lot of self-control not to be tempted. Our brains are literally wired to crave the new. We basically are an evolved version of a ma...

Green roof on the Tabaret Building Our office has been working at improving sustainability on campus since 2006 and I am happy to say that we have had a lot of success. But one of the areas that we are still hoping to improve after all these years in our green space.  What is considered by many sustainability-minded institutions to be the crown jewel of their campus (lush green spaces) is a bit of a sticking point here at uOttawa. You see, a lot of older institutions were created through land grants or large land donations. This gave institutions the ability to finance the expansion of their programs by leasing and selling land. Not unliked these institutions, the University of Ottawa was founded based on a land donation by the Besserer family. But unlike some other land grants, it was a small parcel of land which means that since then the institutions has had to slowly try to buy up surrounding land. Sometimes this works... sometimes it doesn't. After years of purchasing land and ...

This semester, as part of the Green Reps, I learned a lot about waste, recycling, and compost. As part of the program, I participated in a composting campaign and audit in the Dining Hall. This is my second blog post, where I share my experience volunteering in uOttawa's Dining Hall.  In February, a team of Green Reps students volunteered for two days in the Dining Hall to help audit the compost created by consumers and to encourage behaviour change.  Why is a compost campaign and audit necessary? Most students know that the dining hall is zero waste, meaning that the only waste stream available is compost. This has positively affected the quantity of waste produced in the dining hall, but it hasn’t eliminated the problem of food waste. There seems to be a common misconception that composting is a good solution. Don't get me wrong, it is the best solution of all waste and recycling streams (and you should absolutely compost all of your food scraps), but that doesn't mean th...

A few weeks ago, on March 20th, I attended the Period Project ’s Reusable Menstrual Product Info Session. I walked in not knowing what to expect. I imagined graphic diagrams and tense, uncomfortable faces and strained conversations, but I found none of these things. The attendees were a mix of staff and students, some longtime reusable-loving folks, and others who had never tried a reusable product. It was a really cool mix and made for some great conversation. Here’s everything you need to know about The Period Project’s Reusable Menstrual Product Info Session and why you should sign up for the next one! Info session intro The info session kicked off with a game of sustainability jeopardy, led by Reanna from the Student Health and Wellness- Sexual Health- volunteer team. Reanna asked us questions about menstrual products and sustainability and if we got them right, we got a prize. Did you know that it takes a tampon 500 years to decompose? I certainly didn’t but after I learned that f...

This semester, as part of the Green Reps, I learned a lot about waste, recycling, and compost. As part of the program, I participated in a composting campaign and audit in the Dining Hall. This will be a two part blog, where I first talk about the problems of food waste, and then I'll share my experience volunteering in uOttawa's Dining Hall.  To start off, when I talk about food waste, I mean what is edible food that is not eaten, but instead is discarded into the compost or landfill. I am not talking about the smaller percentage of items that is inedible such as bones or banana peels.  How Bad is Food Waste Really? Food waste is one of the top contributors of greenhouses gasses and a huge source of emissions causing climate change. When food is wasted, it releases a gas called methane as it decomposes. This gas is extremely harmful to the atmosphere and has a large impact on the environment as well as the food supply chain, cost of food, and food security (Sanders, 2021). Wo...

Ce blog est écrit par un étudiant et ne représente pas les opinions du Bureau du développement durable. Le 5 février dernier, l'équipe du climate café a accueilli le club de Justice Climatique uOttawa. CJCUO s'engage à favoriser le changement sur le campus et dans la communauté. Des initiatives sur les campus aux campagnes environnementales plus larges, ce groupe dédié est à l'avant-garde de la lutte pour la justice climatique sur le campus, prouvant que le changement commence au niveau local.   Le changement climatique est l’un des plus grands défis de notre époque. Il menace non seulement notre environnement, mais aussi notre société, notre économie et notre bien-être. Face à ce défi, il est important de comprendre les enjeux de la justice climatique, un concept qui vise à réduire les inégalités et à promouvoir l’équité dans la lutte contre le réchauffement planétaire.   Qu’est-ce que la justice climatique ?   La justice climatique repose...

This blog is written by a student and does not represent the opinions of the Office of Campus Sustainability. On February 5th, the Climate Café team hosted the Climate Justice uOttawa club (CJCUO). CJCUO is committed to fostering change on both the campus and in the broader community. From campus initiatives to broader environmental campaigns, this dedicated group is at the forefront of the fight for climate justice on campus, proving that change starts at the grassroots level.  Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. It threatens not only our environment, but also our society, our economy and our well-being. Faced with this challenge, it is important to understand the issues involved in climate justice, a concept that aims to reduce inequalities and promote equity in the fight against global warming.   What is climate justice?   Climate justice is based on the idea that climate change does not affect everyone in the same way. Some groups a...

Dans le vaste monde de la conscience environnementale, le concept d'écoblanchiment émerge comme une ombre menaçante qui nécessite l'attention de chacun. L'écoblanchiment ou verdissage survient lorsque des organisations prétendent adopter des pratiques plus respectueuses de l'environnement qu'elles ne le font réellement. Dans ce blog, explorons de près quelques-unes des stratégies d'écoblanchiment les plus courantes et apprenons à les déceler. Étiquetage trompeur L'une des tactiques d'écoblanchiment les plus utilisées est le fait d’apposer des étiquettes trompeuses sur des produits. Les entreprises ont recours à des étiquettes attrayantes, ornées d'images idylliques de forêts; des expressions écrites en vert; des symboles qui illustrent le développement durable etc. Ces visuels captivants créent délibérément une fausse impression d'écoresponsabilité, faisant croire aux consommateurs que le produit en question a été conçu de manière écologique. Pou...

In the vast world of environmental awareness, the concept of greenwashing is emerging as a menacing shadow that demands everyone's attention. Greenwashing occurs when organizations claim to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices than they actually do. In this blog, we take a closer look at some of the most common greenwashing strategies and learn how to spot them. Misleading labelling One of the most common greenwashing tactics is the use of misleading labels on products. Companies use attractive labels, often decorated with idyllic images of forests; phrases written in green; symbols that illustrate sustainable development and so on. These captivating visuals deliberately create a false impression of eco-responsibility, leading consumers to believe that the product in question has been designed to be environmentally friendly. Yet behind this visual façade often lies the real environmental impact of the product or its manufacturing process. Vague and ambiguous claims Anot...

En automne 2023, le Centre de durabilité du SEUO a lancé un nouveau programme, les cafés climatiques. L'objectif était de mettre en place une session hebdomadaire où les étudiantes se réuniraient pour parler des questions climatiques. Il s'agit d'un espace de partage de connaissances, de chagrin, de peur et de rassemblement collectif pour parler de la crise climatique et se soutenir les uns les autres. Chaque semaine était consacrée à un sujet ou à un thème différent.  L'un de nos sujets préférés était la COP, la Conférence des Parties. C'était formidable de discuter de l'actualité au fur et à mesure qu'elle se déroulait et de pouvoir décomposer et comprendre ce qui se passait. La COP est un grand rassemblement annuel où les questions environnementales mondiales sont discutées par de nombreux pays et où des décisions cruciales sont prises pour lutter contre le changement climatique. La COP28 de 2023 s'est tenue à Dubaï et a promis d'être un tournant ...

In the Fall of 2023, the UOSU Sustainability Centre launched a new program, Climate Cafés. The goal was to have a weekly drop in session for students to gather together to talk about climate issues. It's a space for sharing knowledge, grief, fear, and to come together collectively to talk about and support each other in the face of the climate crisis. Each week was a different topic or theme.  One of our favourite topics, was talking about COP, the Conference of the Parties. It was great to discuss current events as they were happening and to be able to breakdown and understand what was going on. COP is a major annual gathering where global environmental issues are discussed by many countries globally and crucial decisions are made to combat climate change. The 2023 COP28 was held in Dubai and promised to be a turning point in the global quest for a more sustainable future. The Loss and Damage Fund In the early days of COP28, significant progress was made with the realization of th...