Western University recognized by The Princeton Review Soon after launching the sustainability strategy, ‘Creating a Sustainable Western Experience’, Western University was one of two Canadian universities to be profiled in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition.
in the last three years. Guided by the University’s pledge to embed sustainability in every facet of daily life, Western was also recognized for student-run organizations such as Enviro-Western and green infrastructure on campus.
The guide highlights 320 schools in the United States and two in Canada that demonstrate commitment to sustainability in academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation. Alongside University of British Columbia, Western University was featured for its commitment to energy related retrofits and renovations
With over 2,300 North American schools responding to the Princeton Review survey, Western has earned a spot in the comprehensive guide as one of the top Canadian institutions committed to advancing environmental sustainability on campus. To learn more about sustainability efforts at Western, visit our Sustainability website.
Fall 2013
Sustainability heads to Take Care Fair The Take Care Fair aims to introduce students to health and wellness resources available on campus, highlighting the importance of taking care of oneself and providing education in the area of health and wellness. Sustainability at Western will be hosting a booth as a part of the fair to promote environmental
sustainability on campus. The booth will provide information about waste management as well as energy and water conservation at Western, trivia and waste challenges, and ways to get involved in different sustainability projects happening in the Western community. There will also be some great prizes and giveaways for students. Be sure to check it out!
Take Care Fair Sept 19: Essex Hall, 5:30-7:30 Sept 23: Ontario Hall, 5:30-7:30 Sept 24: Saugeen-Maitland Hall, 5:30-7:30 Sept 25: Delaware Hall, 5:30-7:30 Sept 26: Med-Syd Hall, 5:30-7:30
If you have an article idea for this newsletter, or for more information, please contact Beverley Ayeni, Energy and Environment Manager, at sustainability@uwo.ca or visit the Sustainability Website at sustainability.uwo.ca.
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Environmental Events Calendar (September-November 2013) September September 22: International Car Free Day International Car Free Day (ICFD) first started in Europe in the mid nineties and is a global movement in over two thousand towns and cities in over thirty countries. ICFD promotes the awareness of alternative forms of transportation and the public health benefits associated with an active lifestyle. To celebrate this year try walking, cycling or taking public transit instead of the car.
September 25: National Tree Day National Tree Day is an opportunity for us to appreciate all of the great benefits that trees provide us- clean air, wildlife habitat, reduced energy demand and connection with nature. This year celebrate by purchasing a tree on campus September 24 in the McIntosh Courtyard.
October October 7-11: International Walk to School Week International Walk to School Week is an opportunity to be a part of a global event that celebrates the many benefits of walking to school. International Walk to School Week encourages physical activity, raises awareness, and allows for time spent with local community leaders. Try to walk to school this week! October 21-27: Waste Reduction Week
September 19-26: Take Care Fair The Sustainability Team will be talking to residences about campus sustainability during the Take Care Fair from 5:30p.m-7:30p.m. Swing by to learn more green tips and tricks and get some sweet giveaways!
Since its inception in the mid eighties, Waste Reduction Week calls on Canadians to reduce waste in all facets of daily living. The event has been organized by a coalition of non-government, notfor-profit environment groups and governments from 13 provincial and territorial jurisdictions across Canada. Remember to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! October 16 World Food Day Founded by the United Nations in 1945, World Food Day was established to increase the awareness of world hunger and poverty and to inspire solutions for change. Every year, World Food Day Canada hosts a variety of different
events to raise awareness. Check out their website to learn more. October 17: International Day for Eradication of Poverty Since 1993, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year and promotes awareness of the need to eradicate poverty in all countries. At the Millennium Summit, world leaders committed to cutting the proportion of people living in extreme poverty (less than $1.25 a day) in half by 2015.
November November 21: World Fisheries Day The United Nations reported that more than two-thirds of the worlds fisheries have been overfished and more than one third are in a state of decline because of loss of habitat, pollution, and global warming. Learn more about sustainable seafood on our blog.
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Creating a Sustainable Western Experience Earlier this year, ‘Creating a Sustainable Western Experience’, Western’s formal sustainability strategy was launched by the President’s Advisory Committee on Environment and Sustainability (PACES). The strategy aims to embed sustainability in four key areas of campus life: Operations, Community, Teaching & Learning, and Research. Four working groups have been established to achieve the goals outlined in each of the four areas. The academic components of the strategy fall under the portfolio of the Centre for Environment and Sustainability and they are required to report annually to the PACES committee. Community and Operations initiatives are led by Beverley Ayeni, Energy and Environment Manager at Facilities Management. With
the
establishment
a formal strategy and devoted working groups, Western is well on its way to creating a greener future for students and staff alike. “Creating a Sustainable Western Experience” can be found on our website, where you can learn more about the different initiatives and goals driving sustainability at Western.
10-Year Goals & 5-Year Outcomes for Sustainability
Volunteer! There are plenty of great organizations at Western that support sustainability efforts on campus. Why not get involved this year and make a difference in your community? Follow the links to get involved in some great initiatives for the upcoming year. Enviro-Western SOGS Sustainability
P
Environment & Sustainability Society
President’s Advisory Sustainability (PACES). November 2012
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Get it fresh from the market
Don’t miss out on Western’s annual Farmer’s Market! Every Tuesday starting September 3 to mid November there will be a Farmer’s Market in the courtyard across from the Social Science building. The market will be open from 10a.m-4p.m. This year vendors will be selling an array of products including honey, flowers, breads, and of course fresh produce. Be sure to stop by and support local farmers by picking up some seasonal treats! p. 3
Western LEEDs the way By: Kailyn Smith The 2013-2014 academic year welcomes two new buildings to Western’s campus, Ontario Hall and Ivey. As a part of Western’s commitment to sustainability, the University has vowed that all new buildings on campus will achieve a minimum of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. Both Ontario Hall and Ivey demonstrate environmental leadership in their design and operations. Ontario Hall is the newest residence gracing Western’s campus to meet a growing population of first year students requiring accommodation. The $90 million residence is expected to house 600 students this year with full occupancy of 1,000 students expected for next fall after construction wraps up at Christmas. The building is targeting LEED Silver and has been overseen by Project Manager, Boris Pertout. “This is my 1st LEED project and I have been just fascinated by the process. I am looking forward to getting all of the work done and seeing the final results” Petrout explains. Leadership in energy efficiency is the epitome of this building. Every room is outfitted with sensors that control lighting and heating based on occupancy, which is expected to be a huge energy saver. The building will also feature two water cisterns, one for providing water needs and the other for storm water management. The storm water management tank is capable of capturing approximately 580,000 litres of water. Other features include LED lighting, high performance insulation, and close proximity to bus routes and major amenities, which will award the building LEED
Construction of Western’s newest residence, Ontario Hall. The residence is pursuing LEED Silver certification.
credit for encouraging alternative transportation. In addition to Ontario Hall, Western’s new Ivey building opened its doors on September 9th. The $110 million dollar building is targeting LEED Gold and will include an auditorium with over 600 seats, lounge and terrace, 70 break-out rooms, conference rooms, and the Dean’s suite boardroom. The 270,000 square foot stone and glass building’s energy efficient design will certainly reflect Western’s commitment to environmental sustainability. LEED awards credits to buildings where at least 75% of the spaces meet a certain daylighting level and if 90% of the space has views to the exterior. The new Ivey building features ample windows and skylights to allow for natural lighting and is built around an open courtyard. The building also features daylighting sensors on the second floor as well as automated shades to ensure that sufficient
lighting needs are met. Ivey also features ‘displacement ventilation’, which is a first for Western. This is a ventilating system that distributes air from the floor level and then extracts it from above the occupied zone (ceiling height), providing more efficient and quieter ventilation for classrooms. Additionally, CO2 sensors have been installed as a control strategy to only ventilate areas when needed. Other features include locally sourced natural materials, a rain water cistern, non irrigation landscaping, and state of the art magnetic-bearing chillers. Undoubtedly, these two new additions on campus will support Western’s sustainability vision. Interested in learning more about LEED buildings on campus? Contact us to organize a tour!
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Western community takes on composting In an effort to minimize campus waste, Western provides extensive recycling and composting services for the campus community. Composting practices have become more prevalent and rightfully so considering that approximately 25% of the waste in U.S landfills could have been recovered through composting organic waste. At Western there are a couple of different ways you can compost on campus, one of which is our office program. This is a voluntary program where interested offices or departments can contact Western Sustainability and request a small green bin for food scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags. They are then assigned either a garden cone or organics drop off location and are responsible for disposing the organic waste. This summer, we are pleased to announce that we have recruited
four new offices to participate in the voluntary green bin program! Our new participants are located in the History Department, Philosophy Department, Faculty of Law, and in the University Student Centre. Additionally, Western’s suite style residences (Elgin, Essex, Alumni, and London) have all received a green bin as a part of their room inventory. It is hoped that first year students will become more aware of Western’s commitment to environmental sustainability, and will aid in the University’s mission to zero waste (90% waste diversion from landfill). We would like to thank our office participants for taking the initiative to make their offices a little greener by composting on campus. Interested in learning more about composting on campus? Head to our website or contact us to receive a green bin today!
Kara Brown contacted sustainability@ uwo.ca and initiated a composting program in the History Department this summer.
Hospitality spearheads water bottle free zone
The counters on the upper right of the Elkay water filling stations will help Hospitality Services track water bottles saved from landfill.
Hospitality Services has initiated a pilot test for a Water Bottle Free Zone this fall to address goals within Hospitality Services’ Sustainability Action Plan. The pilot test will take place in Elgin Hall and Medical Science with the elimination of Evian and Dasani 500ml bottles in an effort to reduce waste and encourage students to bring reusable water bottles instead of purchasing plastic alternatives.
taking inventory of the counters of the water refill stations in these locations. They will continue to monitor data throughout the pilot test as well as at the end to determine how many bottles were saved from landfill and track any changes in waste diversion rates. Additionally, Hospitality Services will be conducting focus groups in an effort to gain feedback and insights from students.
“The ideal goal is to divert more waste from landfill” Ruth Harland, Conference Manager, explains. Hospitality Services will be examining data prior to the pilot test, including previous waste audit information as well as
“This pilot test will be a great way to set targets for future goals” Anne Zok, Nutrition Manager, says. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact foodcomments@uwo.ca to share your feedback! p. 5
Facilities Management holds zero waste bbq On June 27, about 250 Facilities Management (FM) employees gathered for their annual summer barbeque. While employees mingled and enjoyed their lunches, our sustainability team was in full force to make the event ‘zero waste’. Of recent years the barbeque has been known to be a zero waste event, demonstrating Western’s commitment to environmental sustainability and providing opportunities to educate the community on proper recycling techniques. This year, two waste stations were in place, each containing a receptacle for organics, paper, plastics/glass/metals, and landfill. Careful planning ensured
that the barbeque plates were compostable, utensils recyclable, and other serving items reusable. As people went to discard their waste, our sustainability team helped FM employees sort their waste into the appropriate bins. Although overwhelming at times, many of the employees were eager to learn and take responsibility for sorting their waste items.
the employees who helped make this year’s barbeque zero waste! If you are interested in making one of your events zero waste, please contact us to get organized today!
We are happy to announce, that this year’s barbeque was indeed a zero waste event! With a total of 125 lbs of waste, we managed to divert 96% from landfill- a 5% increase from last year’s barbeque! Special thanks to everyone who made the barbeque a huge success and to all
Participate in the Million Tree Challenge The Million Tree Challenge is an initiative headed by Reforest London that encourages Londoners to plant one million trees to enhance environmental and human health in the city.
greener recreation areas. Londoners are encouraged to register trees they have planted since January 2011 to contribute to the count to a million, ‘any tree, planted anywhere, by anyone counts’.
ReForest London is a nonprofit organization that strives to empower community groups, businesses, and individuals to plant trees while improving London’s environmental health by naturalizing areas of the city. ReForest London aspires to leave a legacy of trees, an appreciation of the value of nature, and build strong community partnerships for future generations.
Western University has pledged to plant 75 trees every year to meet a total pledge of 500 trees toward the challenge. Western has already registered 194 trees in the count to a million since 2011. A wide variety of different species have been planted on campus, such as the Blue Ash, Red Maple, White Pine, Blue Beech, and Red Oak.
The challenge allows for organizations as well as individuals to plant trees and register them to count towards the challenge. To date, over 129,000 trees have been planted in London helping to improve air quality and provide
If you are interested in contributing to The Million Tree Challenge, Western will be selling indigenous trees and shrubs in memory of the late Jane Bowles. You can pick up your native tree on September 24 from 10 a.m-4 p.m in the courtyard across from Social Science. You can also pre-
order your tree online. Once you have purchased your tree, you can register it as your individual contribution to the challenge here and be in the count toward a million!
Western University has already planted 194 trees to meet their pledge of 500 for the Million Tree Challenge. p. 6
O-Week 2013 gets a dose of green This year, the Sustainability Team put on a special O-Week activity for students to learn more about green infrastructure on campus. The activity required students to visit four of Western’s greenest buildings: Claudette MacKayLassonde Pavillion, Stevenson & Lawson Hall, McIntosh Gallery, and Physics & Astronomy. There was a poster display in each building depicting sustainability facts as well as a question ‘key’ that students had to collect the answer for in order to be eligible for prizes.
prize draw at the Sustainability Booth on September 6. Later that afternoon, our sustainability team drew our 3 grand prize winners! 1.
Cathy Chen
2.
Dimuth Kurukula
3.
Lyn Brown
We would like to thank all of those who participated in the scavenger hunt! Be sure to check out our website for more opportunities to get involved with sustainability on campus and win great prizes!
Once students collected all four keys, they submitted them to the
Cathy Chen was the first place winner of the Sustainability Scavenger Hunt. She won a 2013 GIANT hybrid bike.
Lyn Brown was the third place winner for the Sustainability Scavenger Hunt.
Erin Kearney won a Western lawn chair from the sustainability prize draw.
Sustainability Programs Our sustainability team offers some great programs for enhancing sustainability education on campus. Whether you’re looking to engage your team in a fun workshop or infuse your office with sustainability, we have programs to deliver information on environmental initiatives on campus and ways to reduce our footprint. We also recognize individuals on campus who are dedicated to enhancing sustainability on campus. Follow the links to check out some of our programs. Sustainability Lunch & Learns Green Office Program Green Awards
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Did You
Kn w? Sustainability Tips, Tricks & Facts
Energy Dashboard Re-Launch Western University has recently re-launched the Real Time Energy Dashboard. In the past, the Dashboard has been instrumental in sustainability initiatives such as ‘Rez Powers Down’, allowing for students and staff to track electricity consumption. The Dashboard is currently expanding to incorporate water and steam demand of some buildings on campus. Additionally, the Dashboard provides historical data of electricity demand and includes green facts about Western’s campus. Check out the dashboard here.
Xchange 4 Change Over 5000 eco-tainers have been purchased for this year’s incoming first year students. The Xchange 4 Change program is an initiative run by Hospitality Services that encourages students to use re-usable ‘eco-tainers’ instead of disposable containers for food purchases. Each student will receive an Xchange 4 Change card at the beginning of the year, in which students can submit to cashiers in the cafeterias to receive their eco-tainer. Once the student is finished with their eco-tainer, they can return it to a designated drop off zone for cleaning in exchange for a new card. The Xchange 4 Change program will eliminate plastic clamshell containers and paper plates will no longer be displayed for purchase. It is hoped that the Xchange 4 Change program will reduce the reliance on disposable containers and waste to landfill.
Eating Locally Did you know that currently 43% of food purchases in residence operations are deemed ‘local’, meaning that they are produced in Ontario? Hospitality Services has been working hard to expand our local food programs on campus. This year in residences, they are launching ‘Field to Fork’ - a program that will encourage local eating by providing local menu options for students. Over 40% of Hospitality Services suppliers are local including Western’s main food distributor. Western always looks for partners that share our commitment to environmental sustainability. Hospitality Services is also working on many other sustainable food options such as vegan, vegetarian, and organic foods. p. 8