For those who are plugged into the zeitgeist, the number 10,000 probably has a lot of significance. The 10,000 hour rule is a controversial idea that it takes 10,000 hours to master something. 10,000 steps means that you are on your way to a healthy level of fitness. At 10,000 feet you gain enough perspective to see the big picture. But I think that one of the most import things is that it is preceded by 9,999, which as we can all agree is a pretty big number. A decade ago our office came across a really startling statistic... every day on campus 6,500 disposable cups were being used. We figured out a bunch of different ways of representing what 6,500 disposable coffee cups means... if you stacked them end to end it would be 7 times the height of the peace tower, they could fill up 10 tennis courts, it is the equivalent weight of 125 basket balls... etc. For the longest time we kept talking to people about what a huge number this was. The concept that our simple little campus ...

There are about 42,000 students at the University of Ottawa. What if each of them used just one single-use cup each day? 42,000 cups to dispose of? That is a lot of waste! Yes, single-use mugs are compostable (*not the lids!), but are students actually composting them? Not really… They are being put into waste bins, or worse, into paper recycling bins. Sometimes they still have coffee in them, which contaminates the paper that was going to be recycled. Sorting properly is one thing – (if you must use a single-use coffee mug, please put it in compost!), but how about trying to kick that habit? NO, don’t get me wrong, I would never suggest going a day without coffee! I am trying to say ditch the single-use for a month, maybe even just a week – YES, use a reusable mug! Your coffee will stay warmer, you save money, and you will help create a greener campus. Did you know you get a discount if you use a reusable mug anywhere on campus ? (Between 10 and 25 cents off your hot beverag...

Il y a environ 42,000 étudiants à l’Université d’Ottawa. Si chacun d’entre eux utilisait qu’une seule tasse jetable à chaque jour? Ce serait 42,000 tasses à jeter; c’est beaucoup de gaspillage! Oui, les tasses jetables sont compostable (*pas les couvercles!), mais est-ce que les étudiants les mettent vraiment au compost? Pas vraiment…Les gens les jettent souvent dans la catégorie ‘déchets’, ou pire ils les jettent dans la catégorie de recyclage ‘papier’. Parfois il reste encore du café ce qui contamine tout le papier qui aurait été recyclé. Bien trier ses articles est une chose (si vous devez utiliser une tasse jetable en papier, SVP la mettre au compost!), mais ça vous dirait d’abandonner cette habitude? NON, je ne ferais jamais la suggestion de passer une journée sans café! J’essaie de vous dire d’abandonner la tasse jetable pour un mois, ou même juste pour une semaine – OUI, utilisez une tasse réutilisable! Votre café restera plus chaud, vous allez sauver de l’argent, et v...

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...

The new Free Store is up and running and so far it is turning out to be a great success. Every day we bring another 10 boxes or so to the store and they are gone before the store closes. Funny thing though, no matter how much stuff we bring, there is always a hundred times more stuff waiting for us in our storage rooms. Sometimes it feels like a battle that can't be won. When you are trying to reduce the amount of things people consume, there is a tidal wave of entrenched conditioning to overcome. Think about it; every commercial is designed to get you to want something new. The first day of school means you need a new outfit. Going to a wedding means buying a new outfit. Want to take up yoga? New outfit. Want to turn over a new leaf.... new stuff is needed for that too. It seems that every time you want to do something new or different, or if want to mark an occasion or celebrate something, there is an understanding that a purchase is in order. And in case you aren't co...

Something pretty big is on the way and we think that you should be excited about it. The Free Store at the University of Ottawa is undergoing a change, or maybe a better way to say it is an evolution. But this evolution comes at a cost and before the end of this blog post, I am going to try to give you such a compelling argument that you will want to help us pay this cost. Because what comes afterwards might be the most fundamental shift in the way you deal with waste in a generation. Now that I have the hype out of the way, let's talk a little about history. uOttawa's Free Store was born from the dream of a place that could never really exist. It was a concept or an idea that people whispered about; more of an urban myth than an actual place. Think about it... a store where everything is free. What does that even mean? How could it sustain itself without an income? When I was a student back in the early 2000's, I had heard that there was a Free Store over at Carlet...

It shouldn't come as a surprise to many of you who like to cycle but bicycle parking sucks. They are the afterthought of urban design, something you add after all the important things have been considered. They are the parsley garnish on your plate, the very last thing you toss in there in the hopes it will make you look fancy. But it doesn't have to be this way. The Office of Campus Sustainability at uOttawa has just completed a full annual assessment of the bike parking spaces on campus and the results are... well they are pretty awesome. This year, an audit was conducted to determine the state of the bike racks on campus. The assessment included the number of spaces available, the proximity to a major building entrance, if they were covered, and the ease of access. These criteria were selected as measures of how attractive and effective the bike racks are to users. The report revealed that there are 58 distinct parking locations on campus, with approxima...

In her cozy office tucked away on the third floor of the University Centre, Maryann Moffitt is working on a project that could help significantly reduce waste on campus and nourish people in the community. Maryann is a dietitian at Food Services , the group on campus responsible for the managing uOttawa's food service contract. But since she arrived on campus just a few short years ago, she has also worn the hat of sustainability practitioner, a role that that  Chartwells added to the University's food service contract. But don't think for one moment that she has taken this adopted role lightly. Since the beginning, it has been a baptism by fire. Maryann has successfully worked on the uOttawa Fair Trade Campus designation, helped Food Services earn a certification from the Green Restaurant Association , and now she has helped create a process to help donate unpurchased food to local community organizations. Donating food is not as easy as one might think. The foo...

Admittedly, starting off with a title that includes the word "policy" is a really good way to lose readers. But wait wait wait wait.... don't go yet. I promise there is some really interesting stuff ahead. Stick with me for a bit. Ever since I started working at the University of Ottawa I have been chasing the holy grail of campus sustainability... a sustainability policy. No really, it is one of the most coveted things any sustainability coordinator desires. And now, uOttawa has adopted a new environmental management and sustainability policy . If really thing about it, a sustainability policy can... lend legitimacy to sustainability issues create procedures for the community to follow obligate groups to create sustainability plans Let's talk about legitimacy for a second. Now I don't want to give you the wrong impression and say that people don't take sustainability seriously, but often when times are lean people tend to rank environmental and ...

A few weeks ago I was sitting in a meeting with my boss going over the business case for why the University of Ottawa should change our building standards to build green roofs whenever possible (meaning so long as the building can take the weight). The crux of the argument came down to two things... is it better for the planet and does it save costs? Wait, this is too far ahead, I need to go back a bit. A few months ago one of our awesome student employee created a wonderful business case about why the University of Ottawa should install green roofs on campus. She created a case that took into account of bunch of factors, including construction costs, energy savings, storm water management, operating costs, and much more. Ultimately, she came up with a very important finding... Over the life-cycle of a building, it always makes sense to install a green roof over a conventional roof. Wait wait, I guess I should actually start at the beginning. Last year I worked with the ...