On ne peut pas se le cacher l’université  recommence et tous les travaux avec approches!  Pour plusieurs, tout comme moi, ceci implique qu’il est temps de déménager.  Pour ceux qui ne sont pas encore des adeptes du déménagement préparez-vous à gérer le stress de trier, de mettre en boîtes, et de tout entasser vos trucs dans une fourgonnette en direction de votre nouveau chez soi. Ce stress est à la fois excitant, mais à La Gratuiterie nous tenons à vous donner quelques conseils pour prendre le temps d’avoir un déménagement vert et responsable. Connaissez votre nouvel appartement. Ceci peut vous sembler ridicule, mais être conscient du nouvel espace dans lequel on emménage est nécessaire pour éviter d’amener des choses non utiles. Pour tous ceux qui déménagent dans les résidences conventionnelles, comme Marchand, Stanton et Thompson, il ne vous sera surement pas nécessaire d’amener des choses pour cuisiner. Avec la nouvelle cafétéria. Si jamais vous êtes mal pris...

So I know a guy, well actually he is a friend. And if you need the sweet stuff, he's got you covered. Last year Vince decided to start an apiary. He did some online research, spoke to a couple of people, and decided to order up some equipment and get going. Fast forward to last week and there I am paying a visit to Vince's bees. I learned a couple of really interesting things about bees including one important thing that I didn't know: bees don't usually sting you unless you are directly in their flight path. (Also, they will attack you if you threaten them, try to kill them, or try to steal their honey, etc.) This was a profound moment for me because I have always wanted to have an apiary on campus. But of course whenever someone brings up the idea of an apiary in a dense urban space, the first thing that comes to mind is the dreaded bee sting. I watched Vince as he inspected the hive and added a bit of smoke to scare away some bees so he could open up the box...

It was another great year at the uOttawa community garden , and for all intents and purposes, I think that it was actually one of the greatest years we've had to date. From my personal recollection, there were a couple of great things worth mentioning. First, the garden was given a much deserved face lift. A bunch of beautiful unfinished cedar planks were used to delineate the plot spaces, making them not only more visually appealing, but also more functional (setting clear limits for where to plant and where people can walk). There were also a few more work-bee parties, an opportunity for the community garden members to get together and help clean up the space as a group. And a few more garden meetings, a chance for members to discuss common issues about the garden space. And there were even a couple of social outings, you know... to grab a drink and talk shop. We got to do some experimenting this year, including experimenting with a hay bail garden plot! We also got a...

Last summer I wrote about my project concerning the Emerald Ash Borers in Sandy Hill- mostly how Jon pimped me out to a prof and his student to look into the situation (because of my mapping expertise). I spent some time hitting the pavement, plotting out where the ash trees were, and locating spaces to plant new trees to replace the canopy cover that would be eliminated by this pesky invasive species. After identifying the areas, we went door to door and spoke to residents about planting a tree on their property with the help of a City grant. It went pretty well, I had some neat conversations with residents, I was able to breathe some fresh air, and I had a change of scenery from the office. It was great to be done with that project, knowing that the Action Sandy Hill community group had my finalized map in their hands. Effectively they could go about informing more residents and even inoculating trees that were significant to the community and had shown no signs of infection. Ino...

It’s that time of year again, the time we all dread as students, where our days are filled with the sounds of turning pages, scribbling notes, slurping coffee, and punctuated by breaks for mowing down food. If you are anything like I was in first year while living in rez, you haven’t even started thinking about packing to go home because you have been so stressed with exams. If so, great! This means that when you are last-minute throwing your stuff together that hopefully you will have read this and rather than tossing unloved possessions into a big black garbage bag that instead you will put them aside for the Dump n’ Run. The things you leave behind could include clothes, electronics, kitchenware, office stuff, books, non-perishable food, or anything that is not too large (no big pieces of furniture, Jon’s back is bad as it is) that we will be able to donate to local charities. Last year we managed to pick up 3.18 tonnes of stuff and we hope to surpass that this year in terms of...

Photo credit: unknown Today is the second day of summer and as you head out with your family and friends to go camping this season it’s important to remember that when you roast your marshmallows over that campfire to start it with local wood. Your parents may be the stingy type, saving dimes and dollars by clipping newspapers for coupons, and they might think bringing wood they’ve chopped themselves is a great money saving tip. Personally, I can think of a few neighbours back home that would not think twice about the environmental consequences of such actions. The outcome is catastrophic to say the least; this is not an overexcited exaggeration. If you are from Ottawa, you may have noticed the ash trees in your neighbourhood die over the past few years. If you reside somewhere other than Ottawa, Dutch elm disease or Asian Longhorn Beetle may ring a bell. Needless to say, some time ago people thought it would be a good idea to move wood from an infested area to Sandy Hill and sinc...