Saviez-vous que certaines installations sur le campus recyclent l’eau qu’elles utilisent? Je parie que non. À condition d’appliquer un système de filtration adéquat, les eaux usées peuvent pourtant être nettoyées et réutilisées. Les installations aquatiques sur le campus l’ont bien compris. Pour souligner la Journée mondiale de l’eau, axée cette année sur le thème du gaspillage, nous nous sommes entretenus avec Bill Fletcher, gérant des installations aquatiques, pour découvrir comment celles-ci atténuent le gaspillage de l’eau ici même, sur le campus. Les installations aquatiques ont été conçues pour la recherche sur les poissons et les amphibiens. Il va sans dire qu’on y consomme des quantités d’eau faramineuses. (J’en ai profité pour demander ce que font exactement ces grenouilles. On m’a indiqué qu’elles se détendent, tout simplement. Je trouve le tout un peu inquiétant, mais qu’en sais-je?) Les installations consomment quelque 30 millions de litres d’eau par an...

L’idée de tout éteindre à la maison ou en résidence en refroidit plus d’un – l’idée peut sembler angoissante pour certains, et ennuyante pour d’autres. C’est pourquoi, largement inspirés par nos recherches sur Google, nous vous présentons ici quelques suggestions pour participer à Une heure sur Terre sans vous tourner les pouces dans le noir. *N’oubliez pas qu’il est interdit d’allumer des chandelles dans les résidences de l’Université d’Ottawa; or, les chandelles traditionnelles peuvent toutefois être remplacées par une lampe de poche ou des chandelles électriques. 1. Faites un pique-nique intérieur. Étendez une couverture au sol, invitez un ami ou deux, allumez des chandelles* et régalez-vous. Il n’y a rien de mieux que de relaxer avec des amis autour d’un repas. 2. Organisez une soirée cinéma. Cette option n’est pas entièrement sans faire appel à l’électricité, mais elle peut s’en approcher. Allumez la télévision, mais éteignez tout le reste. Certains étages en résidence ...

Did you know that uOttawa recycles water? As in use it, get it dirty, and use it again? I'll bet you didn’t. Now, of course, you can’t just use it immediately after dirtying it, but with the right filtration system, the water can be used over and over. That’s what they are doing in the uOttawa Aquatic Care facilities on campus. So in honour of World Water Day, with this year's theme being waste water, we spoke to Bill Fletcher from the Aquatic Care facility on how they are reducing water waste right here on campus. The Aquatic Care facility focuses on the research related to fish and amphibians, so you can imagine they use a lot of water. (I asked why the frogs were all like this. I learned that this is how they relax, a little creepy in my opinion but you know, I am not a frog). The facilities currently use 30 Million litres of water a year! Wow. But 85% of that water is getting reused right in the facility. How you might ask? One word: Bio-filters. ...

When faced with the idea of turning all the power off in your home or in rez, people kind of run away. The idea seems somehow terrifying and boring all at the same time. So we came up with (but mostly Googled) some ways to participate in Earth Hour without sitting in the dark and doing nothing for a hour *Please keep in mind that candles are not allowed in the residences at uOttawa and can be substituted by a flashlight or a electric candle. 1. Have in indoor picnic. Put a blanket on the floor, have a friend or two over, light some candles* and dig into some good finger foods. Chilling with friends and lots of food? Nothing better! 2. Host a movie night. This one is not going full 0 power but still pretty close. My floor and the floor below us in residence are having one for earth hour so that the only power used will be the tv, but all our rooms are powered down. 3. Sketch in the dark, then compare with friends when the lights come back on. Lots of fun and you might even...

As a long time fan of brushing my teeth, I was hesitant to adopt this popular zero waste lifestyle change. I love making things and I love trying new things, but most natural toothpaste recipes I researched called for simple yet not super appetizing ingredients. Baking soda? Bentonite clay? The skepticism was high even though most recipes called for a sweetening or flavour agent like essential oil or stevia. But then I looked closer at the ingredients in typical tooth paste and did a 'lil internet research. This is what I found: Triclosan : So this chemical is actually classified as a bioaccumulative, non-biodegradable pesticide! It is bad for the environment and our waster systems as it is very toxic to aquatic organisms. But it also isn't great for you, as it is linked to hormone interference and contributes to antibiotic resistant bacteria. Propylene Glycol : This chemical is often contaminated with known carcinogenic ethylene oxide and 1,4 dioxane during the manu...

Ces derniers temps, vous avez peut-être remarqué dans la salle à manger des affiches faisant la promotion de l’événement J’aime la bouffe, pas le gaspillage. Vous vous demandez peut-être de quoi il s’agit? Eh bien, nous allons vous l’expliquer! Qui : Étudiants bénévoles et Services alimentaires Quoi :  Semaine de réduction des déchets dans la salle à manger Où :  Salle à manger 24/7 Quand :  Du 6 au 10 mars, de 11 h 30 à 13 h Pourquoi :  Pour encourager la réduction des déchets générés par l’utilisation de la salle à manger Comment : Pendant la semaine et aux heures indiquées ci-dessus, des étudiants bénévoles se tiendront près des comptoirs de recyclage. Leur rôle consistera à récompenser les personnes dont les assiettes sont vides et à leur en demander la raison. Cet exercice aura pour but de comprendre pourquoi tant de nourriture finit à la poubelle, étant donné que la quantité de ces détritus alimentaires s’élève à 314 kg… au quotidien. Pen...

You might have seen promos around the cafeteria lately advertising the love food not waste event. You might also be wondering what even is this event? Let us explain Who Student Volunteers and Food Services What A week of promoting the reduction of waste in the cafeteria Where The 24/7 cafeteria When Mar 6-10 between 11:30-1 Why To reduce the waste produced through the cafeteria How During the week between the designated hours, student volunteers will be standing at the compost stations in the cafeteria. Their job is to reward those with empty plates and to ask the people with stuff on their plates why that is. The purpose of this is identify why so much food goes to waste (that number being 314 kg of food waste everyday). During the event there will be a table showing us what that much food looks like. The volunteers want to know if something was cooked wrong, too spicy or even just if you took too much food. Their goal is to identify the reasons food goes to wa...

There are scarce few things I enjoy more than making and sharing (and eating) food with people I care about. More than that, I love having the opportunity to change common misconceptions about vegetarians/vegan food items, food security and eco-friendly waste management through a medium as delicious as food. So I'd love to let you all in on uOttawa's best kept secret. This is an incredible initiative started and sustained by wonderful humans on our campus and in our community. It combines so many rad things like food, food waste, waste reduction and most importantly, a whole lot of love. The People's Republic of Delicious is a food collective run by student and non-student volunteers with a simple goal in mind: to Keep Campus Delicious. And this is done in such a simple manner. Anybody on campus can show up around with a reusable container and get a FREE vegan meal. Yes FREE and yes it's for anybody! The PRD used to be located in the UCU Terminus, but they ...