Years ago, I attended the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Vancouver. WUF is a gathering of groups who are obsessed with urbanism and how, if done correctly, it could help solve many of the world's problems.  The gathering, hosted by the United Nations, really is a geekfest of policy ideas, new technologies, and networking opportunities. But the thing that really caught my eye while I was there was an installation representing an Edible Landscape.  For those who don't know, an edible landscape is basically a garden where all the plants are switched for edible varieties. By doing this, people can grow food and have a lovely garden aesthetic (existing in harmony rather than in opposition). Fast forward a bit more than a decade and edible landscapes are starting to take root at uOttawa. In 2021, the Office of Campus Sustainability started filling some planters on campus with edible plants instead of the traditional non-edible ones. An extension of the community gardens, the edible land...

The University of Ottawa is trying to create a clean air community. This is not an easy task and is often overshadowed by the other big air-related sustainability issue... climate change. But poor air quality is a huge issue and it has a direct impact on your quality of life. So we are going to discuss a few of the things uOttawa has done to improve air quality on campus, but first - a small history interlude! Imagine this, you just finished a long week of work and magically you have the entire weekend off... no reports to finish or class work to get caught up on... just time for you to relax. You decide to spend your day outside because you already spend so much time in front of a screen. So you grab your bike or your hiking shoes, choose a location, grab your water bottle, and head out. There's only one problem, when you get outside the air is dense and grey... in fact it's so thick you find it hard to breathe. It is a little hard to remember now, but there was a time in Otta...

One year in and we are can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel. With a COVID vaccine on the way, we can take comfort that many of the restrictions we see today will be toned down. But, with vaccines having an efficacy rate of up to 95%, that could still potentially mean  a lot of cases after everyone is inoculated. (5% of Canada's population of 35 Million = 1,750,000 potential cases across the country after vaccination, but herd immunity will slow down and prevent infections)  So it is prudent to think that there will still be the need for some COVID precautions after mass vaccine campaigns are finished. But beyond COVID, there are other reasons we might want to keep up some precautions. This time last year, Canada had reported over 26,000 cases of the flu, and this year there were 57 ... IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!!! Clearly, with a bit of prudence, there can be a significant drop in communicable diseases. At the start of the summer of 2020, people were venturing outsid...

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 ...

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...

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. Everyone cares about climate change. I mean, we’re all supposed to, right? Save for the climate change deniers a la Donald Trump mold, saving the Earth has been pushed to the forefront of social issues, and it seems like everybody cares. The real question is does everyone know what to do to help? Putting desires into simple daily practices is still an area where most people struggle to “walk the talk. A big reason for this is a lack of information and resources, but for some people it is just an issue of caring. The University has a responsibility to ensure that every student who leaves this institution is equipped with the knowledge to live sustainably and be able to think critically about climate change. Simply put, the University must try their best to g...

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. “To build a road is so much simpler than to think of what the country needs”. Aldo Leopold questioned the destruction of natural environments through economic pursuits. The University of Ottawa could learn a lesson from this quote as it has largely neglected the need for green spaces, despite some efforts.  Rewilding means letting nature take its course as it did before urbanization invaded. It is arguably one of the greatest solutions to climate breakdown through capturing carbon from the air, especially through restoring trees, and allowing animals to maintain balance within ecosystems. This act of designating space that species can re-inhabit inherently promotes the flourishing of biodiversity while protecting and preserving the land from development a...

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. With close to 50,000 members of the University of Ottawa, representing both staff and student, our university is responsible for a large influx of vehicles, electricity, food resources, and other consumables that help the university run. However, given this large population, the negative effects on our climate are inevitable with our current practices, and are unsustainable. While one university alone cannot change the scope of climate change, practicing climate and earth conscious measures can help promote a more environmentally conscious system to other private and public institutions, in hope of creating a cumulative effect. Thus, for this article I propose a solution to Earth well-being and climate change, to re-adjust 7:00 pm to 6:00 am scheduling in order...

So, you are thinking about going zero waste for a few weeks; WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! I know it may seem difficult and even impossible, but remember the goal here is not necessarily to be 100% waste-free for the entire challenge... it is about the experience; your journey towards zero waste. You will learn how easy (or difficult) making the switch to zero waste can be for some items. It will be an experience that will change how you think about consumption for the rest of your life. I highly recommend it. I have done it three times myself (once for 8 weeks and twice for 10 weeks), and truly enjoyed my experiences. And since I have done this before, I thought I would share some tips and advice I gathered over the years. The main challenges will be your daily consumables. You might have to stop and think about all the things you consume in a day, and figure out if these products create waste. Take for example chewing gum, is there an alternative that does not create waste? (yes...

It might be strange to think about this but often the most influential and impactful technology on campus tends to be older technology, especially when it comes to environmental sustainability. I was recently asked to speak at a course about Technology, Society, and the Environment. The idea behind inviting me was to speak to the group about how campus sustainability has been helped along by technology. I thought that I might share this list with you too so you could learn a bit about the new, the old, the unconventional, and the interesting technologies that helped shaped our campus over the past few years. The Living Wall One of the most popular pieces of technology is the University of Ottawa's living wall. In fact, the wall is not just a pretty assortment of 1500 plants, it is a biofilter which is being used to help filter the air inside the FSS Building. The wall helps cleanse 80-85% of the volatile compounds in the air  and it was also instrumental in helping soli...