Showing posts with the label experiment

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What If I Just Forced Everyone To Go Paperless?

Very recently, my director has been talking to me about stretch goals. If you haven't heard of a stretch goal, it is essentially a goal that cannot be reached by incremental change. He tells me this story: "The emperor of Japan wanted the trains to go faster to move people around quicker. At the time, the trains were able to average about 60 mph and were limited to that speed because of the numerous mountains in the region... when a train goes around a corner at high speeds it tends to flip over. So the emperor asks for the trains to go quicker and his engineers and people in the Ministry of Transportation work on the problem and come up with a solution. Essentially they figured they could slant the tracks and help prevent the trains from flying off the track at higher speeds. They go back and tell the emperor that they can now get the trains to average 75 mph, which isn't too bad. But the emperor isn't exactly pleased. He says to his people that they don'...

Help us create an inspiring agricultural demonstration project this summer!

You can smell it in the air. The snow is melting, birds are signing, and before you know it, the very first buds will burst forth from the trees! SPRING IS HERE! Okay, maybe we aren't quite there yet but it certainly is time to start thinking about your garden. Devoted fans of our office already know that we offer community garden plots through a partnership with the SFUO and OPIRG. The plots are first come, first serve and I would be remiss if I didn't tell you to book a space right now if you want one. But this isn't a post about our community gardens, well not exactly. This summer, the Office of Campus Sustainability, will be conducting an agricultural demonstration project. We are hoping to prove that we can grow food on campus that could be sold on campus. At the same time we are also hoping to create a new green space. But rather than telling you what we are trying to do, how about I just show you what we have in mind. Now, there is no way that we are...

WINTER REST FOR THE COMMUNITY GARDEN

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...