click here to see the full image Polythene bags are very popular with both retailers and consumers. They are strong, lightweight, functional and hygienic means of carrying items. Though they are a modern convenience that we cannot do without, they are a menace. Around the world, this menace is showing its impact now. Not totally excluding the impact of other reasons like green house gases, pollution and deforestation, polythene has a much greater impact. As for me being an international student at University of Ottawa, I’ve come realise a lot of things. When I was a kid, we had this old age tradition to take our own shopping bags even for little stuff may be just fruits or vegetables. We would have exclusive bags, could be handmade or recycled or cloth that were beautifully painted or embroidered. I never understood why my grandma was always against getting any polythene bag home. As I grew older, finding out why a polybag was not good, I came across a lot of strange facts that ...

Au début du mois de Février, je me suis engagée de vivre sans déchets pendant 2 mois. Avec assurance, je croyais finir ce défi sans problèmes et sans découragements. Je savais très bien que à ma maison j’avais un système organisationnel assez clair et efficace : dans toutes les pièces où se trouve une poubelle, j’avais aussi mis en place une boite pour le recyclage et une poubelle à composte qui réclamait une grande majorité des moussoirs utilisés. Donc, mes colocataires aussi indirectement participaient. Au travail, j’avais caché la poubelle, installé un bac de composte et réservé une espace pour les trucs à recycler. À l’école, c’était assez facile, il y a plusieurs stations de recyclage avec la possibilité de recycler tous les plastiques (oui, j’apportais mes plastiques de chez moi à l’école) et il y a aussi plusieurs bac de composte. Les problèmes se venus avec les sortis chez les amis et dans les restaurants. J’ai réalisé d’en fait je ne mangeais pas très souvent à la m...

Recyclemania is slowly coming to an end, leaving in its’ trail optimists, newly enthusiastic recycling addicts, guilt-ridden consciences and some very frustrated people. I’ve noticed that many people having taken the pledge realise how much we actually throw out (and buy), and how we could collectively make a difference. I absolutely agree and often get frustrated when I see paper in the trash can. But I think it’s time for some high fives and thumbs up. Anyone who took the pledge is awesome in my books. Anyone who became mindful about recycling and composting also get an A. And everyone who just tried a tiny bit to have better recycling habits is pretty darn cool. Why are all these people equally cool in my mind? Because we’re all different. We have different backgrounds, come from different places and don’t all have the same mentality. For example, in the music department, I often hear “purists” bashing about “wanna be musicians”. Which basically mean they do not accept someon...

It is that time of the year again, when millions of Canadians hold their breath, squeeze all their hopes into the pit of their stomachs, and roll up the rim to see if they win. The problem is that the only thing we are actually winning is a crappier planet. Roll up the Rim to Win has been the bane of my existence for the past decade. The University of Ottawa, like every other University, has a disposable cup problem: there are too many of them to put a fine point to it. Many, if not the majority of disposable coffee cups, are tossed directly into the garbage on campus. There is a general misconception that coffee cups are covered with so much wax that they can’t be recycled (I can’t blame anyone, what is that stuff on the inside of the cup that is super shinny and stops water from leaking out of it?). Otherwise, people understand that you can recycle them and they do just that... except that they do it while the cup is still half full of coffee. That means that the coffee so...

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...

While the Fulcrum’s latest sex-ydition and the Recycle Mania waste-free challenge that are plaguing my mind of late, I have to pose the question: “Environmentally friendly sex; is it possible?” Let me rephrase, “is environmentally friendly, baby-free, safe sex possible?” Answer after my research: Probably not. Option 1: The pill, one of the most popular prescriptions on university campuses, can be used to effectively prevent pregnancy and if you’re in a committed relationship where both partners are tested negative for STIs, it may be appropriate. Though, as recently covered in the  media , the estrogen in the pill is causing the feminization of fish and also, those plastic cases aren’t recyclable in your regular recycling (they are in our campus plastics program though). Option 2: Condoms, sitting out in front of Health Promo (if you are interested in some freebees) for the campus population, are also effective in preventing pregnancy and the transmission of STIs. H...

I joined the waste-free challenge because I thought it would inspire my colleagues to rethink their habits in the workplace. I already live a mostly waste-free lifestyle: recycling, composting, avoiding products with too much packaging, unplugging electronics when they’re not in use, turning down the heat when I’m away, turning off my computer screen when I leave the office, etc. This isn’t to say that I’m perfect or better than anybody. The point is that I make a conscious effort to reduce my share of waste. Sometimes it’s a hassle, but I do feel a sense of responsibility for my actions. Let’s be honest. There’s no such thing as a completely waste-free lifestyle. Humans live on this planet. We have a right to use our fair share of its resources. Sadly though, I’ve come to realize that a large percentage of people I meet simply do not think or care about using their fair share. My last job was at an environmental non-profit here in Ottawa. I was living in a bubble. All the thin...

On entend beaucoup parler d’écologie et des multiples moyens de devenir vert pour protéger, localement ou à la grandeur de la planète, l’environnement. Je crois que même s’il y a encore beaucoup à découvrir, nous avons fait des pas de géant sur les façons de devenir vert. Maintenant, pour préserver la beauté de toute la nature, nous y compris, il faut que nous mettions en pratique ces façons de devenir vert. Ce qui me préoccupe surtout ici, c’est notre motivation à adopter ce style de vie, ne serait-ce que pour ce qui a trait au recyclage. Reconnaître l’importance de prendre soin de notre environnement, c’est une chose, mais le mettre en pratique comme règle de vie, c’est autre chose. Idéalement, il faudrait que nous trouvions ce style de vie aussi naturel que de verrouiller notre porte quand nous quittons notre demeure pour aller à l’épicerie ou au travail ; une sorte d’automatisme. On ne se pose plus la question «Est-ce que je devrais recycler ? Utiliser moins de pa...

A summary of my first month living waste free: To sum up, I have pledged to live waste-free for nine weeks (from January 29th to March 31st) in the spirit of RecycleMania – and just to show that it is possible! What I mean by waste-free is that I will not be sending anything to landfill; I will be recycling, composting, and using my reusable containers! I have been waste-free for about a month now, and am finding it even easier that last year – now that the University recycles all forms of plastics! I am planning all my meals ahead of time, making all my own foods from scratch, and buying ingredients by bulk in jars and reusable containers. The first interesting experience I had was during my visit to the dentist. I hadn’t been in a few years, and forgot just how much waste they produce for a simple check-up: a disposable plastic ‘bib’ to protect my clothes, disposable plastic floss, a disposable cloth to wipe my face (wrapped in plastic), and a disposable plastic cup to rinse m...

Last semester, Sustainable SFUO made the decision to start hosting a Farmer’s Market inside UCU. There are a couple of reasons why this goes down as a solid bit of decision-making: supporting local vendors and farmers, promoting local and homegrown foods, and putting some fresh and healthy food into the hands of students. As Caroline Wall, a student at the University of Ottawa, states, “The quality at a farmer’s market is obviously going to be better, and you get to actually meet the person who made or cultivated [the food]”. However, the most important reason is probably this: it made Farmer’s Markets accessible to students. Of course, the Byward Market isn’t that far away, and it stands to reason most students could just amble over a couple of blocks and, through most months of the year, have access to all that fresh and local food that tastes so damn yummy. “If it’s accessible by bicycle or bus, I’m willing to go,” says Wall, and the market she most routinely visits is L...

If you have ever wondered where all the waste comes form on campus (who am I kidding, I am sure you probably haven't) ask no longer, the answer is essentially the UCU. Our long awaited Campus Sustainability Annual Report is ready to be posted, the final details are just being ironed out. A couple of months ago I said that I would keep you posted about the development of this year's report. We took a new approach this time and crammed out report full of interesting infographics for your visual consumption. Today I would like to highlight one of our waste infographics? This graphic actually tells us a lot about the production of waste on campus. First, let me say that the information represented here focuses mainly on the typical commercial waste on campus (the kind of things you would find in recycling centres and small garbage bins - not things like refrigerators or large pieces of furniture). Each square corresponds to the quantity of waste...

WARNING: this blog may offend some that invest time and energy into Valentine’s Day and realize that they are killing the planet after reading. Enjoy! I get that I am probably too late with this blog post to discourage you from buying your lover a plastic-wrapped, cardboard hidden, something or other that they probably will either devour/toss out in a few days/months/years BUT for next time around… here are some things to consider: $10 billion USD was spent in 2010 on cards which will most likely be tossed within a week after the 14th. Try sending an e-card, I found some hilarious Harry Potter ones today with Katherine. 189 million roses bought on a single day, which will wilt within a week or so and if that’s any type of metaphor for your relationship… hehe .Stick with something that is going to be around for an extended period of time like a potted plant (they can be pretty too, you know). 17$ billion dollars on chocolate- very delicious, I cannot formulate many arguments...

Our office is in a recyclemania/waste free type of mood these days and it’s seriously affecting my mind. I went for a skate on the canal at lunch time to try to clear my head, but it all caught up to me. Just as I was thinking of how sustainable it would be to skate around town (if I lived in Ottawa), my skates got stuck in slush and then a beaver tail wrapper. One word would sum up what I felt at that moment: EW. I can deal with the slush, the forgotten ice guards (I’m sure someone will eventually pick them up and use them) and the blood on the ice (it’s organic after all), but not trash. It seems that skating itself is sustainable (like walking or running), but not being a consumer on skates. Napkins, empty hot chocolate cups, beaver tail wrappers, lost mittens, a broken orange cone… it’s not the glorious Rideau Canal anymore, it’s 7.8 kilometres of dirtied ice! So this is my plight to all merchants on the ice (oh and say hi to the lovely lady in the Stone Soup Truck, she’s co...

I wear old man sweaters; not just because I am a filthy hipster or because I am thrifty and can get them for super cheap at the Bargain Box on Laurier (though, those are probably contributing factors) but because Ottawa is freezing and I am playing an active part in reducing my energy consumption. Back home, the weather is on average 10 degrees warmer and still my house is freezing. My dad is a big supporter of layers, and he gets exasperated when one of us tinkers with the thermostat. I guess that’s where my love of chunky knits started, stealing my dad’s, mom’s, or anyone’s sweaters to stay warm around the house or in the shop. Here in Ottawa, I don’t have the privilege of controlling my heat which is a major disadvantage of being a tenant, especially because I still end up forking out the money for heating bills. Last week our heat was out and I remembered what it meant to be constantly bundled up in woollen sweaters, even sleeping in them to stay warm. My boss mentioned tha...

For the second year in a row, I have decided to live waste free during RecycleMania. From January 29th to March 31st, I am pledging to not produce a single item that will end up in a landfill. Now that does not mean that I cannot use anything recyclable! Nonetheless I will try to keep this at a minimum by purchasing food in bulk with my reusable containers and jars whenever possible. Last year, I pledged for eight weeks, and my box of shame contained a Band-aid, a few pieces of plastic dental floss, and a piece or two of gum (I am seriously addicted to the stuff!). It was much easier than I had thought; waste-free versions of all the same products I use on a daily basis are out there, you just have to find them…and learn to cook a new thing or two!. My favourite finds were vanilla or almond extract in bulk, and compostable dental floss, which can be purchased at most organic food stores in Ottawa (Silk Floss). If you are unsure about giving it a try, I give a ‘how to live waste-...