Do you see a need to eliminate the sale of bottled water on our campus? Do you still buy bottled water? Do you think it’s easy to get an entire campus to boycott bottled water? Should we stop buying it to show the university that it should not be sold on campus? I certainly boycott bottled water, and know many people who do, but that wave takes a long time to catch on. Let’s try a more proactive approach. With all of the hard work that’s gone into water fountain infrastructure and Bottled Water Free Day, and even some of the municipal water ads the city has been putting out, we are close. Spread the word, just a thought. That’s it for now. Enjoyed Bottled Water Free Day this week on Thursday, March 11. There will be tons of events including water tasting, film screenings, and important discussions. And in the evening you can join our engineers and architects for the “no idea too green” discussion on the new student centre. Check out www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca for more info -sarah jayn...

‘Starting March 2010, SunChips® bags will be made from more than 90% renewable, plant-based materials – allowing it to completely break down in a hot, active compost pile in about 14 weeks.’ About the bag It is about time! There’s way too much packaging waste that comes with the foods we eat, and most of the time this packaging is not reusable, not recyclable nor compostable. These new bags are certified through the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), which means that they can be composted in many waste management programs (such as the Green Bin Program). I am not sure of the City of Ottawa will accept them; information will surely become available soon. I am going to be piloting a few in our new electric composter in the next couple of weeks. The organic waste spends about six to eight weeks in our machine, and then four to six weeks maturing in a pile. According to the information on their website, the bags should be gone by the 14th week. We will keep you posted on the developm...

‘À compter de mars 2010, les sacs SunChips® seront fabriqués avec plus de 90 % de matières végétale renouvelable. Ils pourront ainsi se décomposer entièrement en plus ou moins 14 semaines lorsque placés dans un tas de compost actif à « chaud ».’ À propos du sac Je crois que c’est à peu près temps! Il y a beaucoup trop d’emballages non-réutilisable, ni recyclable ou biodégradable (compostable) qui accompagnent notre nourriture. Ces nouveaux sacs sont certifiés par le BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute), ce qui signifie que ces sacs de croustilles peuvent être récupérés aux fins de compostage dans le cadre de nombreux programmes de gestion des déchets (tels que le programme de Bac Vert). Je ne suis pas certaine si la ville d’Ottawa acceptera ces sacs dans leur nouveau système – à suivre. Je vais bientôt faire un essai (projet pilote) avec notre propre composteur électrique. Les déchets organiques passent six à huit semaines dans la machine et un autre quatre à six semaines dans une p...

Wow, things are starting to get really busy... I might even venture to say ridiculously busy. Nope, maybe we are quite there yet, but we are close. My boss predicted that 2010 would be the year of sustainability and that we would become so busy we wouldn't have time to think as we got closer and closer to the tipping point. That being said, I suppose it didn't come as a surprise when I was asked to sit in on a planning meeting for the new Student Center. For those of you not in the know, the University of Ottawa and th Student Federation have been trying to negotiate a new University Center for years. The original Jock Turcot building was designed for a campus of about 15,000 to 17,000 students and I think that we are a little beyond that right now. So recently Physical Resources Services (PRS) and the SFUO have gotten together to finally design a new center. Just as an aside I wanted to mention the whole University Center vs. Student Center thing. The new center that is planne...

From March 1st to 12th an International Campaign called the “Teach-in for Climate Justice” is taking place, during which professors at Universities in BC, Ontario, and around the world are encouraged to put aside 20 minutes of class to discuss how Climate Justice is relevant to their discipline. Climate Justice brings together people of all different backgrounds and interests to recognize that those who will be, and already are, hit hardest by anthropogenic climate change are not the same as the industrial society that created the problem. Fewer days of frozen lakes make Canadian aboriginal communities that rely on ice roads less able to transport necessary supplies; drought in Sub-Saharan Africa is exacerbating the situation in already famine stricken areas; and sea level rising will soon leave millions of Bangladeshis without a home. In much of the industrialized world we have accumulated the capital to, at least preliminarily, buffer us from the effects of climate change. True Cl...

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...