Let's take a moment to talk about the old proverbial green hat, more commonly know as a green roof. For years green roofs have been thought of as a nice to have but not really cost effective for most buildings. That perception started to change more recently; manifesting in new policies like the Toronto Green Roof Bylaw . Our campus got in on the action a little while back when we changed our building standards to prioritize green roofs as well. This autumn, the first green roof under this design paradigm is set to be installed on the Perez Building. Since the building is a bit older, our engineering assessment found that a green roof isn't appropriate everywhere, but along the north roof the conditions are just right. This works out fairly well since this part of the building is lower than the other roof sections; meaning that occupants will be able to see the roof from their windows. Stunning views of green roofs from an office or classroom window might be considered the c...

You can't imagine how many emails we get these days asking about the Free Store. Can we still drop off donations, when will the store open, what are you doing about COVID, etc... Well let's dive into some of those questions so that our community has a better idea of what is happening with the Store. In March, the Free Store experienced the beginning of the COVID crisis like everyone. News was starting to float around about the virus; some places were thinking of closing; should we close too? Just as the NBA decided to shut down, the Free Store decided that we didn't want to put people at risk and we closed our doors, uncertain about how long the pandemic would last. Fast-forward to July and the holding pattern for businesses was loosening up. At that point we decided to put together a plan that would allow operations at the Free Store to get going again. How could we not? We were getting messages every day asking about the store and how people could get access.  The Free St...

Le jardin communautaire de l’Université d’Ottawa, sur l’avenue King Edward, existe déjà depuis un bon moment. C’est un endroit où les membres du personnel, de la population étudiante et de la communauté de la Côte-de-Sable sont invités à faire pousser leurs propres aliments et à préserver les espaces verts. Tout le monde n’a pas la chance ou l’espace pour jardiner; c’est pourquoi il est très important d’avoir des jardins communautaires qui donnent aux gens la possibilité de cultiver et de se procurer leurs propres fruits et légumes biologiques. L’Université d’Ottawa a récemment aménagé sept jardinières surélevées en réutilisant des matériaux trouvés sur le campus (p. ex., de vieilles bannières de la Semaine des diplômés tiennent lieu de membranes imperméables). Les jardinières surélevées sont des bacs remplis de terre, situés au-dessus du sol, qui servent à faire pousser des plantes. Cette méthode de jardinage comporte de nombreux avantages. D’abord, les jardiniers souffrent moi...

The University of Ottawa community garden on King Edward has been around for some time. It is a place where staff, students, and Sandy Hill community members are encouraged to grow their own food and preserve green spaces. Not everyone has the opportunity or space to garden; it is therefore very important to have community gardens as they give individuals the ability to grow and have access to their organic fruits and vegetables. Recently, the University of Ottawa has constructed seven raised bed gardens, built with the help of some reused materials on campus (old banners from Alumni week are being used as moisture barriers). For those who don’t know, raised bed gardens are elevated boxes filled with soil separated from the ground to grow plants. This method of gardening comes with many advantages. First, gardeners tend to suffer from less back pain because they do not have to bend over as much to do their gardening. It also makes it easier to access if you are in a wheelchair o...

Animal welfare has multiple facets that are received differently by the general public. Veganism, being one outlet of animal welfare, has grown in popularity whether due to concerns for animal rights, personal health, or environmental reasons. Whether you believe in ‘ speciesism ’ or not, human industrialization of the animal agriculture system is one factor driving the climate crisis . It should be incumbent upon the University of Ottawa to take a stand against this industry that is detrimental to non-human animals,  human lives, and the environment. Wide-spread support for the idea of granting rights to animals has not materialized despite arguments dating back decades. As there are many reservations surrounding animal rights activism, the environmental argument for reducing meat consumption could be the key to protecting animals (and seriously who could be against widening the moral circle in an age where Beyond Meat burgers exist?). It seems like the perfect time to begin ...

This summer we are featuring a series of blog posts from students in the ENV 2301 course "History of Environmental Thought". We are super happy to highlight the thoughts and ideas of these bright young individuals. The New York Times - The Magic Kingdom is Going Green Climate change is a hoax! Climate change is going to kill us all! Okay now that I have your attention with these opposing opinions of climate change, let’s get into the whole point of this blog.  Climate change is neither of these things. Climate change, however, is responsible for loss of habitat,  floods, food and water shortages, and other issues worldwide... BUT we are not doomed and there are ways to stop this from happening! But how exactly can we do this? Well here are my suggestions, and they begin here at the University of Ottawa. My suggestion comes from when I took a trip to Disney World two years ago.  While I was driving to see everyone’s favourite mouse at the Magic Kingdom, I noticed...

This summer we are featuring a series of blog posts from students in the ENV 2301 course "History of Environmental Thought". We are super happy to highlight the thoughts and ideas of these bright young individuals. Everyone cares about climate change. I mean, we’re all supposed to, right? Save for the climate change deniers a la Donald Trump mold, saving the Earth has been pushed to the forefront of social issues, and it seems like everybody cares. The real question is does everyone know what to do to help? Putting desires into simple daily practices is still an area where most people struggle to “walk the talk. A big reason for this is a lack of information and resources, but for some people it is just an issue of caring. The University has a responsibility to ensure that every student who leaves this institution is equipped with the knowledge to live sustainably and be able to think critically about climate change. Simply put, the University must try their best to g...

This summer we are featuring a series of blog posts from students in the ENV 2301 course "History of Environmental Thought". We are super happy to highlight the thoughts and ideas of these bright young individuals. “To build a road is so much simpler than to think of what the country needs”. Aldo Leopold questioned the destruction of natural environments through economic pursuits. The University of Ottawa could learn a lesson from this quote as it has largely neglected the need for green spaces, despite some efforts.  Rewilding means letting nature take its course as it did before urbanization invaded. It is arguably one of the greatest solutions to climate breakdown through capturing carbon from the air, especially through restoring trees, and allowing animals to maintain balance within ecosystems. This act of designating space that species can re-inhabit inherently promotes the flourishing of biodiversity while protecting and preserving the land from development a...

This summer we are featuring a series of blog posts from students in the ENV 2301 course "History of Environmental Thought". We are super happy to highlight the thoughts and ideas of these bright young individuals. With close to 50,000 members of the University of Ottawa, representing both staff and student, our university is responsible for a large influx of vehicles, electricity, food resources, and other consumables that help the university run. However, given this large population, the negative effects on our climate are inevitable with our current practices, and are unsustainable. While one university alone cannot change the scope of climate change, practicing climate and earth conscious measures can help promote a more environmentally conscious system to other private and public institutions, in hope of creating a cumulative effect. Thus, for this article I propose a solution to Earth well-being and climate change, to re-adjust 7:00 pm to 6:00 am scheduling in order...

This month we are featuring a series of blog posts from students in the ENV 2301 course "History of Environmental Thought". We are super happy to highlight the thoughts and ideas of these bright young indiduals. An iceberg in Tikhaya Bay in the Arctic Circle, Russia.Sputnik via AP/Vera Kostamo It is officially the start of a new decade, and everyone is already losing their cool- literally.   Amidst the devastating wildfires ravaging through Australia, as well as recent reports on increasing rates of melting Arctic ice* , concerns are growing around the world about the effects of climate change on important issues such as the protection of land and biodiversity. Today, the University of Ottawa and many other communities are at a turning point to face climate change with new and effective solutions. How can this be done exactly? Here are three steps that present how the University Ottawa should protect land and biodiversity: Reduce Consumption- As society...

In honour of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we are sharing the University of Ottawa's top 50 sustainability accomplishments over the past decade. Of course some of these activities have been slowed down because of Covid 19, but we wanted to show everyone our dedication to sustainability and highlight the amazing work of the community. You can see all the pictures realted to these accomplishments on Instagram . The University of Ottawa placed 20th overall for RecycleMania 2020 . The University has been the RecycleMania champions of Canada 9 out of the last 10 years. The University of Ottawa has a Community Supported Agriculture program. Every week during the growing season, a local, organic, fruit and vegetable basket is delivered to participants on campus. The University of Ottawa collects unpurchased food at the end of the day and donates it to 4 local charities. The University of Ottawa became Canada’s 7th Fair Trade campus . Today, the majority of all coffee ...

En l'honneur du 50ième anniversaire du Jour de la Terre, nous partageons le top 50 des réalisations en matière de développement durable que l'Université d'Ottawa a mises en place au cours des 10 dernières années. Vous pouvez voir toutes les photos sur notre compte Instagram . L’Université d’Ottawa s’est classée 20e au classement général de RecycloManie 2020 . L’Université a été la championne canadienne de RecycloManie 9 fois au cours des 10 dernières années. L'Université d’Ottawa a un programme d’agriculture soutenue par la communauté . Chaque semaine pendant la saison de croissance, un panier de fruits et légumes biologiques est livré aux participants sur le campus. L’Université d’Ottawa recueille les aliments non achetés à la fin de la journée et les donne à 4 organismes de bienfaisance locaux. L’Université d’Ottawa est devenue le 7e campus équitable au Canada . Aujourd’hui, la majorité du café que nous servons est équitable! Grâce à l’association étud...

We certainly live in strange times. Not many people predicted the impact the COVID19 virus would have on the planet. People are coming together (metaphorically), to share resources and support one another. But COVID19 is also sharing an important message about the impending climate crisis. The big question is, are we listening. I am definitely not the only person asking this question, but is the COVID19 crisis a sneak peek of what's to come with the climate crisis? I want to explore what we can learn and how we might adapt. I don't intend to draw a link to the virus and changes in the climate (many people have already done that). But I intend to draw the comparisons between COVID19 and climate change. The first thing to consider is how the two crises are similar. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gets the point across. Both have a global reach; Both disproportionately impact lower economic / social groups; Both have disbelievers who think that it won't impac...