Bon, alors je ne veux pas trop exagérer mais nous avons peut-être commencé un phénomène mondial connu sous le nom de la Gratuiterie. Oui, vous connaissez tous la Gratuiterie et vous savez peut-être même son histoire d’origine (sinon, consultez ce blogue). Mais une chaîne d’évènements nous excite ici, au Bureau du Développement durable. Premièrement, nous avons commencés en disant que c’était une affaire internationale. Alors voici comment le tout s’est produit; quelques étudiants arrivent à uOttawa et ADORENT la Gratuiterie, ils quittent Ottawa mais ne peuvent pas se défaire du merveilleux principe de la Gratuiterie. Donc, ils ouvrent une Gratuiterie quelque part d’autre. C’est ce qui s’est produit au Québec, à Hong Kong et en France où au-dessus d’une douzaine de Gratuiteries ont pris racine. Nous étions déjà au courant pour quelques-unes de ses Gratuiteries. À Grenoble, le Gratuiterie a été créé par une étudiante internationale qui a rapporté l’idée avec elle en France. La Gr...

Now I don't want to blow things out of proportion but we may have accidentally started a world wide phenomenon known as the Free Store . Yes you all know that Free Store, and you might even know how the Free Store got started (if not, here is a blog post from a little while back). But there have been some new developments that are really kind of getting us excited over at the Office of Campus Sustainability. First, I eluded to a world wide thing. So the story goes like this; a few people come to uOttawa and love the Free Store, they leave Ottawa but can't shake the awesomeness of the store and so they start their own Free Stores somewhere else. That's basically what happened in Quebec, France, and Hong Kong, where up to a dozen Free Stores are now taking root. Some of these Free Stores we knew about. The Free Store in Grenoble was created by an international student who wanted to bring the Free Store to France. The Free Store at the CÉGEP of Beauce-Appalaches was ...

I come from a bilingual family. Growing up, I’d speak French with my mom and English with my dad, went to school in French and was part of a youth orchestra in Ottawa (mostly anglophones). Hence, I did read Harry Potter in English and speak it fluently, but I had what some people called “a cute French accent” till I was about 14 and decided to get rid of it.  But this bilingualism thing made for some very interesting conversations now that I think of it. When I was hanging out with my friends at school, we’d be gossiping about who had a crush on who and so on. So when I hung out with my anglophone orchestra buddies, we’d do the same. But sometimes it just came out wrong : “So do you think he has a kick on her? He was totally cruising her!”. See, in French “un kick” is slang for a crush and “cruiser” is slang for flirting. Now that I think about it, it must have sounded very violent and weird. But I didn’t know better and was sure what I was saying was clear. I mean, they wer...

We just finished up D-Day (a.k.a Dump Day, a.k.a Dump and Run Day) and I really wanted to get this off my chest while it is still fresh on my mind. To all our staff members and volunteers... thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Over the past two days I have personally witnessed sacrifice, dedication, and determination. As a group we have been running around collecting waste from dumpsters, collection tables, private residences, and other nooks / crannies. At times this has been a true test of one's mettle. There have been smells that could wake the Dead. There have been taunts and disapproving stares from community members. There have been cuts; there have been bruises; there have been cramps; and there have been tears. In addressing the group today I said that I was touched. The blood, tears, and sweat shed by this group have not been in vain. We will clean the items collected and we will find them new homes. We will go to shelters and we will go to clinics and we will ...

Bonjour M. Ravignat, Je vous écris aujourd’hui pour vous exprimer ma déception concernant l’annulation des fonds fédéraux pour le programme Katimavik, ainsi que les autres coupures aux programmes environnementaux. Aujourd’hui, je suis encore une fois embarrassée d’être Canadienne. Je travaille au bureau du développement durable à l’Université d’Ottawa et nous avons toujours accueilli des participants du programme Katimavik; plus de 30 jeunes ont passé dans notre bureau depuis 2007. Comme vous le savez, les programmes écologiques sont presque toujours les derniers items sur la liste de fonds, et la première chose que l’on coupe lorsqu’il manque un peu d’argent (Table ronde nationale sur l’environnement et l’économie, le Protocol Kyoto…). Nous avons dû travailler extrêmement fort pour accomplir tous les projets, les nouvelles politiques, etc. écologiques à l’Université d’Ottawa. C’est très clair que nous ne pourrions jamais être l’a où nous sommes sans l’aide précieuse des parti...

WTF!?!?! I just finished reading the article "Katimavik Cuts..." from the Huffington Post ( click here to read ). I don't normally take many political stances but this is just too extraordinary to not talk about. The next federal budget could dictate the existence of the Katimavik program! If you know anything about our office you will know that Katimavik volunteers are the backbone of our operations. They literally make this place work. Without them.... actually I don't even want to think about that right now. Every time a new group of Katimavik volunteers start working for us, I give them the same speech. I tell them that "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" (thank you mister Thomas Edison). I tell them that anyone can have a good idea but making good ideas happen is what makes Katimavik so special. And "persperate" they do. Our participants are crucial to several of our programs. This past year we had Katimavik manage our Dum...

Je suis bénévole pour l’université d’Ottawa et je participe au programme katimavik. J’ai débuté en janvier et depuis j’aime bien ce que je fais, j’ai un travail très diversifier et physique et je m’y plais. Chaque lundi il y a le muggy Monday qui consiste a donner du café gratuit a tout ceux qui emporte une tasse réutilisable et ces vraiment drôle car la plupart des gens nous voit tous les lundi mais vont quand même acheter un café chez Tim Horton a la place de l’avoir gratuitement à condition d’avoir une tasse de café.  Chaque mercredi je vais cuisiner avec quelque autre personnes, des mets végétariens pour les distribuer gratuitement le midi, ces vraiment une bonne idée car si on n’a pas assez d’argent, ou on est trop paresseux pour ce faire un lunch, chaque mercredi on peut quand même manger. En plus ces toujours délicieux. Les vendredis je dois faire le tour des bâtiments pour m’assurer que toutes les stations de recyclage sont dans un bon état et que le recyclage e...

I enlisted in Katimavik hoping to get in right away, but I found out in July that I was on the dreaded 'waiting list'. I figured that was it; I’ll have to try again next time. And then, one day in august I decided to check my emails and found out that I got accepted into Katimavik's eco-citizenship and active life-styles. I quickly went from being so excited to being very nervous. I started thinking that I don’t know anything about being an eco-citizen! What if they judge me for not doing this "green stuff" back at home and not knowing everything about everything when it comes to the environment? When I finally calmed down (stopped thinking of the negative things) I thought well maybe I’ll learn... maybe this is something that I could bring back to my community and make a small difference. Honestly back in Prince Albert Saskatchewan there is not a whole lot of recycling or composting so most things go right to the garbage (or even, right on the groun...

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo This year is shaping up to be another incredible year for the Free Store. This initiative, originally started by the student members of Green Campus, has grown into a campus phenomenon. The premise of the program is simple; donations are collected and offered freely to the campus community. In 2006, the Free Store was just a small event where students would bring items they wanted to swap with one another. The whole thing was basically done on two tables and lasted like 2 hours. People liked the event but not too many people participated. The following year the Free Store got a boost from the Dump & Run . Items collected from the residences after students moved out were added to the tables of the Free Store. The event also started to give away more items than just clothing; morphing the format into a full day event. Three years ago, the International Office partnered with the Office of Campus Sustainability to create a special Free Store event exclu...

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo Remember that old saying? Also known as karma (or as I’d say in French “Faire sa b.a.” – bonne action). In this case, our food waste is what goes around and comes around. For example, you plant a few tomatoes on your balcony garden, pick it on a sunny afternoon, prepare it and then eat it. Now I could go into a lengthy (and gross) description of how it will end up in the sewer and be devoured by rats the size of Godzilla. Buuut, we’ll stick to the few bits and pieces going into the compost bin. Now, let’s say you don’t compost in your back yard (or simply don’t have one), but do in your apartment building, at school or at work. The University of Ottawa is lucky to have devoted Eco Champions who encourage their colleagues to compost/recycle/bike/be happy/spontaneously dance. Often more than not, employees will take turns emptying the pretty little bins into the Big Kahuna of a compost bin in a smallish and smelly cupboard. In our building, we usuall...

Photo credit: Embracing Bevin There’s something lurking in the Community Garden at uOttawa; a ferocious beast of the sort that haunts my nightmares (which could be due to my deep seeded fears of creepy crawlers but that’s beyond the point). Meet Mr. Cucumber Beetle, adorned in green and black stripes with a monstrous appetite for cucumber (obviously), squash, zucchini, beans and pumpkins. Mr. Cucumber Beetle has taken it upon himself and his minions (larvae) to devour all of Brigitte’s zucchini. Brigitte has slaved over her garden all season in all weather (most notably the recent 47 degree-heat-stroke-inducing-deathly weather) in hopes that she would be awarded with delicious veggies. So, when the day came that she noticed her zucchini was being munched on she was distraught and closely inspected her plot, noticing Mr. Cucumber Beetle. Being a lovely and environmentally conscious person, Brigitte attempted to remove the beetles using natural alternatives to pesticides including a home...

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo I joined Katimavik because I was sick: Sick of being a hypocrite. Sick of being an indirect activist. Sick of being unable to measure any sort of change. I felt like I was pointlessly trying to 'raise awareness' and motivate OTHER, uncaring people to become environmentalists so THEY could change civilizations' selfish and uncaring system while I myself did absolutely nothing. I wanted to stop wasting time and start doing something concrete with MY environmentalism. Well I guess substantial hands-on volunteer work that had me directly preventing countless waste and destruction and helping countless needy people in the same fell swoop was the cure. In 6 months, I've become an organic, localvoric, occasionally-freegan vegan and gone from the Canadian average 4.5-earth demands to less that 1. I've learned to live almost entirely off of recycled and second hand products and gone from spending $200-$400 a month to spending $20-40. I’ve cut m...

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo It's that time of the year again. As all the students head home for the summer there is a mountain of stuff left behind to prove that "I was here". Two years ago the Office of Campus Sustainability collected approximately 1.7 tonnes of stuff; last year it was about 2.3 tonnes; this year... who knows. One thing is for certain though, there will always be more stuff. The Dump and Run (yeah I am know... who named this thing anyways) is technically an annual campus move out event. In reality it is really a story of perspectives an realities. Perspective #1 - The Student (in rez) It is the end of the year, I have 5 exams and 2 papers to hand in. My last exam is on the second last day of the month. I have to leave on the first of May by noon and there are still 2 parties to go to and too many friends to say goodbye to. On my last day in rez my parents arrive and I have exactly 15 mins to pack everything into the car before we leave. I can't ta...

I am a Katimavik volunteer that has been placed in Ottawa to live with eleven other people in a house for 6 months. It is my second day of work and I am loving it. I got placed at the University of Ottawa in the sustainability unit with one other person from my household. Ottawa is definitely something to see, I am from a small town in Saskatchewan and not a whole lot goes on there. Today we went through the campus and placed paper towel recycling signs in the washrooms hoping that the students will take the time to look and agree that this is a good idea. If this catches on we can reuse the paper towel which adds up and would contribute to saving our planet. There is still so much to do, as I am slowly learning. Every Monday morning we have staff meetings where everyone touches on what they did during the week before. I am realizing there is so much that goes on in this work place and its neat finding out so much about what these fantastic people are doing. They are all over the place...

Photo credit: Jonathan Rausseo It’s been close to 4 months since I left home to embark on my six month national youth volunteer adventure. I had just graduated high school and wanted something to do. Traveling to three different parts of Canada with 10 other young people, totally appealed. With the program focus being Eco-Citizenship and Active Living, I couldn’t wait to get started. Having to create environmental contracts and having our work placements center around “green” organizations, I knew I’d be a changed woman. As a group, we made all sorts of decisions in hopes of making ourselves more environmentally savvy. We would buy local produce whenever possible, take shorter showers, start a vegetable garden and follow the “if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down” philosophy when using the bathroom. We recycle everything and about half of our fridge is filled with leftovers. Our house came fully equipped with enough bikes for everyone so there’s really no excuse fo...

This is the experience of myself, at a place I never thought I would work (or more like being volun-told). This is also my first real blog that I have done, so go easy on the criticism eh? I came late in the Katimavik Program and therefore did not get to experience life before the famous Dump-N-Run program that has brilliantly put in place by Jon and Brigitte; however I found the concept thoroughly intriguing. Getting people to donate (for them more like throw away) any old, used, or just unwanted things (whether it be clothes, books, bedding, bathroom accessories, dishes, electronic equipment, etc) instead of throwing it in the trash. So Eco friendly!! There has been MANY an hour sorting through clothes, washing and folding sheets and towels, doing dishes (ugh those nasty dishes!!) nonetheless I have quite enjoyed myself! (I know, odd eh? The act of enjoying this slavery has even mystified myself) I’ve met numerous wonderful people that I do wish to keep in contact with, and see again...

Photo credit: 3s.images.com Well I've never wrote a blog before so excuse the inaccuracies of how I am suppose to come about this. I never thought I would write a blog but within minutes of arriving on the job I stumbled upon the Eco team of Ottawa U mentioning Facebook, Twitter (which I've also never done), and a plethora of other informational vectors. Maybe I should write about my agreed slavery to Jon and Brigitte, or the fact that for the passed 30 minutes I've been taking out stitches one by one of a uOttawa jacket. But all that would be unnecessary banter. Sticking to the facts, my first week has been a blast. Arriving on the scene a little later than normal because of the unforeseen sending home of the last participant, it was my job to be the replacement. Throughout the week I walked around the large campus putting signs on recycle bins, composting for the Protection building which eventually goes into this huge worm pit (actually really interesting!), and other re...

À mes chèr·e·s cinéastes, Samedi j'ai eu la chance de passer six heures à regarder des films environnementaux. Oh que de culture! Oh que d'information! Oh quel mal de fesses! Le festival, organisé par le groupe Katimavik (des jeunes canadien·ne·s font du bénévolat pendant plusieurs mois dans différentes communautés au Canada), avait lieu à Rockland. Ils ont diffusé 12 films et de ces 12, j'en ai vu 4 que je partage avec vous. Les descriptions sont une gracieuseté du programme Katimavik **je rajouterai mes commentaires + tard; pour l'instant je vais me coucher!: 1) L’erreur boréale (1999) Réalisateurs: Richard Desjardins & Robert Monderie ||| Durée: 69 min ||| Français Alors que le silence et l'ignorance règnent en maître sur nos forêts, et malgré le discours officiel qui nous assure que le patrimoine forestier demeurera intact, ce documentaire choc soulève la question de la responsabilité collective devant la destruction d'un environnement unique au monde. L...

Students at the University of Ottawa may have noticed four teenagers scurrying around their campus lately, hauling bags full of sawdust or balancing cans of compost, keeping tabs on the environmentally friendly recycling bins or replacing old recycling signs with updated ones. Who are these mysterious people and why are they darting every which way around the campus? Katimavik has brought together eleven youth from across Canada to live and work in the city of Ottawa. It is a six to nine month youth volunteer program that lets youth from across the country experience diverse work placements and cultural differences, as well as being able to dapple in their program of choice, ranging from eco-citizenship to improving their second language to civic engagement. Working for the uOttawa’s Sustainability Department, four Katimavik participants are helping to implement environmental plans and spread the word that the entire uOttawa campus needs to make a difference to, well, save the world. W...