Specialized Recycling at Western

A number of specialized items are particularly harmful when they end up in the landfill. Western has an extensive recycling program for these items including batteries, electronic waste, and ink toner and cartridges. All of these items can be taken to Recycling Stations located on almost every floor of every building. Read the tips below to find out how to reduce the environmental impact of these items, and how to recycle them at Western:

Batteries

Batteries release toxic heavy metals into the air, ground and water when they are thrown into the garbage. Statistics show that batteries account for 88% of mercury and 50% of cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. Luckily, special disposal practices can be used to mitigate harmful effects.

• To have the biggest influence, reduce energy consumption and use energy efficient appliances to extend the life of batteries.

• Use rechargeable batteries wherever possible. The impact of generating 1 kWh of energy using rechargeable or disposable batteries is comparable to the global warming impacts of driving a car 16 km and 457 km, respectively.

• Discard old batteries in designated bins at Recycling Stations – almost every floor in every building on campus has one! For more information on battery collection bins and services, contact Facilities Management at Ext. 88122. If you’re off campus, check out www.recycleyourelectronics.ca to find the nearest location to drop off your batteries.

Electronic Waste

Electronic waste contains substances that harm the environment when they are thrown into the garbage. Luckily, special disposal practices can be used to mitigate harmful effects.

• E-waste such as cellphones, laptops and cords release toxic contaminants into the environment.  Electronic waste also contains valuable material, so why not dispose of it correctly and recover the resources?

• On campus, electronic waste can be left on loading docks at the back of most buildings. Alternatively, there are several designated drop- office receptacles across campus for e-waste. Contact the Service Centre at Ext. 83304 for assistance.

• If you’re off campus, check out www.recycleyourelectronics.ca to find the nearest location to drop off your electronics.

Ink and Toner Cartridges

Out of printer ink again?  Take your empty cartridges to Island Inkjet in the UCC to be recycled or refilled. You can also drop them off with your designated representative responsible for Grand & Toy orders. The Grand & Toy representative will take all cartridges back. This helps reduce the environmental impacts of printer cartridges which can take up to 450 years to decompose in the landfill!

Pharmaceuticals

Parmaceuticals contain substances that harm the environment when they are thrown into the garbage. Special disposal practices can be used to mitigate harmful effects.

• According to Health Canada, incorrect disposal of expired and unused pharmaceuticals in the garbage or toilet is an increasing health concern. Evidence suggests that these substances can cause harm to aquatic species and vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, newborns, and children. If you have leftover prescription and over-the-counter drugs, they can be taken back to the Western On-Campus Pharmacy located in the lower level of the UCC.

If you’re off campus, contact your local pharmacy to see if they have a Medications Return Program.

Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day!

In 2013, the world will be celebrating its 43^rd annual earth day. During this day, environmentally-focused events occur across the planet, in an effort to unify the world’s population in the pursuit of a healthier, more sustainable earth.  But, the environmental efforts don’t have to end after this one day.

Earth Week is the week that encompasses Earth Day, and Earth Month is the entire month of April. These holidays are also meant to generate awareness for our planet’s most pressing environmental problems, shed light on great initiatives happening around the world, and encourage actions from everyone to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

To celebrate these holidays, there are many great events that Londoners can get involved in within the City.

Cycling

Tuesday, April 23^rd, 7pm: Bike Maintenance and Repair. The London Public Library will be hosting a demonstration on bike maintenance and repair, aimed at helping you prepare your bike for the coming season.

Wednesday, April 24^th, 7-8pm: “A Cycling Adventure in the Land of Midnight Sun.” Join cycle-tourist Dave Mitchell at the London Public Library as he talks about his self-sustained bicycle trip in Iceland.

Waste Reduction

Thursday, April 27^th, 8:30am-12pm: Veterans Memorial Parkway Clean and Green. Join MP Irene Mathyssen, members from the "Trees for Veterans" program, and other citizens to help clean up garbage along the parkway. Visit http://www.irenemathyssen.ca/node/545201 for more information.

April: Pizza Pizza’s Cells for Slices. This month, bring in your old cell phones, cameras, adapters, iPods and tablets to any of Canada’s 365 tradition restaurant locations and receive a free slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza as a thank you. Pizza Pizza ensures that all waste is disposed of properly, and all proceeds from the recycling of these devices benefit Food Banks Canada as part of its Phones for Food program.

Tree Planting

Saturday, April 27^th, 10am-1pm: Chelsea Green Tree Planting. Over 400 trees and shrubs will be planted in the park by the Thames River. Visit http://www.reforestlondon.ca/volunteer-tree-planting-opportunities for a list of many more tree planting events happening in London during the weeks to come.

Earth Day, Week and Month are wonderful holidays with a great purpose. In an ever-changing world, the importance of protecting the resources that we have cannot be over-stated. To learn more about what you can do to get involved, and why participating is so important, visit http://www.earthday.org/2013/about.html.

London Clean & Green Clean-Up is Saturday, April 20th, 2013.

 

It’s Time to Clean and Green Our City!

Are you looking for ways to become more involved in the London community?  If so, I have the answer!

Every year around Earth Day, the City of London coordinates the work of various organizations and community volunteers in picking up litter, removing graffiti and planting trees around the city. London Clean & Green is a local version of “Pitch-In Canada,” a national community clean-up program which happens every year across Canada to promote citizens to get outside and clean up their neighbourhoods. Some other cities who participate include Toronto, Mississauga, Waterloo and Windsor.

London Clean & Green includes a “20 Minute Makeover,” where businesses are encouraged to get involved and pick up litter around their property and nearby areas. Some businesses who participated in last year’s event include RONA, Western Fair and Friends of the Palace Theatre. Below is a list of some other highlights of last year’s event.

• Bags of litter and garbage were collected from approximately 150 locations across London.
• Between 7000 and 9000 volunteers participated.
• Mayor Joe Fontana participated in the clean up and gave his praises to community members for their hard work.
• Approximately 18 to 20 tonnes of litter were collected.
• London Police staff coordinated the removal of graffiti around the city.
• The Thames River Conservation Authority coordinated the planting of 1500 shrubs and trees on the following day.

Now, one of my only concerns about this event arose when attempting to find out some numbers pertaining to the amount of recyclables collected. On the City of London website it says, “If possible, we encourage you to put any recyclables collected in public space recycling bins or even take them home and put them in your Blue Box.” These options simply did not seem sufficient to me, so I sought out a representative to ask them if they thought the lack of provisioning of recycling bins for the event would encourage volunteers to simply place recyclables in their garbage bags with the rest of the trash. Erin Helm, an Organizing Committee Member for London Clean & Green and a member of the City of London’s Solid Waste Management team addressed my concerns.

“Because so many satellite sites were included in the event and recycling trucks do not operate on Sundays, recycling receptacles were only available at the 8 official meeting sites. This gives volunteers the options of either taking the recycling home with them or to one of the official meeting locations to drop it off.”

Although the recycling options for this event are not as convenient as those for trash, the City of London certainly does a wonderful job of engaging community members and providing them with the ability to participate in this great event.

We all benefit from having a cleaner community, so do your part to create positive change in the city you know and love! Register online to take part in London’s 2013 Clean & Green at http://www.cleangreen.london.ca/clean_green_London.html.

Western's Campus Clean Up

Western will be hosting a Campus Clean Up on Thursday, April 4^th! The event will be open to all students, staff and faculty at Western, and is a great way to show appreciation for the University’s beautiful campus.

Times: 10:30am, 11:30am and 12:30pm.

Meeting Point: Concrete Beach (Sunshine), or Mustang Lounge (Rain)

After each group returns from their clean-up, they will receive a free BBQ lunch!

If you are interested in participating, send an email to sustainability@uwo.ca, indicating which time slot works best for you.

Hope to see you all there!

Earth Hour - Saturday March 23rd 8:30-9:30pm

This Saturday, from 8:30-9:30 PM, is World Earth Hour!

During this hour, every person, business and city is encouraged to turn their lights out and reduce their energy consumption. World Earth Hour is the largest call for action on climate change in history and continues to grow every year. It has become a global sustainability movement, and we would like to encourage everyone here at Western to participate.

Before you leave work on Friday, make sure to shut off all computers, monitors and electronics. Close your blinds to increase insulation and reduce the need for extra heating. At home, light some candles and turn all the lights out at 8:30 PM on Saturday.

Celebrating Earth Hour is a great way to help reduce your individual environmental footprint, as well as the University's. For more energy saving tips and tricks, visit sustainability.uwo.ca.

Reducing your waste in the office

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Everyone’s heard it before, but the concept still gets lost on a lot of people. So what does reduce, reuse, recycle really mean? It should be thought of as a hierarchy rather than a statement. Reducing waste is the first and best practice, followed by reusing, and then recycling. By the time that’s all done, there shouldn’t be too much waste going to the landfill.

It’s interesting to think of this concept in terms of paper. All too often, people will say, ‘Oh, just print that document off.  Paper can be recycled anyway.’ But herein lies the biggest problem. Instead of thinking of ways to reduce paper consumption (like using emails instead of printing documents), a lot of people jump to the third most preferred option: recycling.

So what are some ways to reduce, reuse, and then recycle? Check out the tips below to find out:

Reduce

• Don’t print documents unless absolutely necessary
• Use email signatures such as ‘Think green. Keep it on the screen’ to discourage printing
• Increase margins on documents so that less paper is used when printed
• Set the default options on your computer to double-sided printing to reduce paper consumption by 50%
• Use small sticky notes or scrap paper if something needs to be written down
• Pack a lunch in reusable containers instead of plastic bags
• Use a travel mug instead of disposable coffee cups at break.
• Don’t use individual milk and sugar packages for coffee and tea. Use cartons instead, as these can be recycled.
• Completely remove or use smaller garbage bins in individual offices. This encourages people to create less waste
• Conduct a simple waste audit to see if people are recycling and composting correctly. If not, mention it at a staff meeting, or send a short email for encouragement.
• Make reusable bags available in communal areas in case someone needs to go shopping

Reuse

• Save paper that is good on one side, and use it again. Western Graphic Services provides a ‘Use The Other Side Scratchpads (UTOSS)’ service, to turn one-sided paper into notepads. These can be purchased with a voluntary donation to EnviroWestern’s GROW project. See http://www.graphicservices.uwo.ca/utoss for more information.

• Reuse office supplies like binders, file folders, and paper clips. You can keep used supplies in a common storage closet so that everyone has access.

Recycle

• Make sure to recycle paper once both sides have been used.
• Make sure to sort all the waste from your lunches. Tin foil, yogurt containers (with a number 1, 2, 4, or 5 on the bottom) and juice boxes are all recyclable at Western.
• Recycle toner cartridges and dead batteries
• Use Western’s electronics recycling service to dispose of old cords, monitors, cell phones, etc. These items cause a lot of harm to the environment if they are thrown into the landfill!  

Sustainable Valentine’s Day – Thursday, February 14th, 2013

This Valentine’s Day, show someone how much you care for them and the environment!

Utilize the tips below to reduce your impact on the environment while making your sweetheart happy this Valentine’s Day.

1)    While flowers make for a great romantic gesture, they can also have significant negative effects on the environment. According to Alie Visser, a Business Library Staff member at Western, 52% of Canadian males will buy flowers on Valentine’s Day, and UPS will import approximately 14.8 million fresh cut flowers into North America from Colombia and Ecuador. All of this transportation adds vast amounts of pollution to the atmosphere. This year, shop for locally grown flowers. Stop by the London’s Farmer’s Market, open every Saturday from 8am-3pm at 900 King Street. For more details about items sold at the Market, visit www.londonsfarmersmarket.ca. You can also check out the Covent Garden Market, open every day and located at 130 King Street in London. For more details about the items sold there, visit http://www.coventmarket.com/.

2)    Give delicious, locally produced chocolates. Not only will you be helping to reduce emissions from transportation, but you will also be supporting local business owners. There are some chocolate vendors at the London Farmers’ Market and the Covent Garden Market. Annie’s Chocolates is also a great shop located just two minutes north of London, where chocolates and other tasty treats are sold, like brownies and tarts. Visit http://annieschocolates.com/ for more information and location details.

3)    Send a free e-card. These little gestures really brighten someone’s day while also saving you money and reducing your impact on the environment. Check out www.bluemountain.com or www.hallmark.com to view their selection of free Valentine’s Day e-cards.

4)    Make dinner using local ingredients. Shop at the London Farmer’s Market or Covent Garden Market for supplies, and surprise that someone special with a romantic home-made meal.

5)    If you can’t think of any presents to give, take your Valentine out for an activity. Try skating in Victoria Park or heading to the movies. These gifts don’t require transportation to stores, packaging or wrapping. They are a fun, environmentally-friendly way to spend your Valentine’s Day.

6)    If you want to get really creative, create a coupon book for that someone special. Include activities instead of presents. These can range from homemade dinners, to massages and movie-nights in.

Be creative this Valentine’s Day! Utilize these tips to surprise your sweetie, save some money, and reduce your impact on the environment. 

Celebrate World Wetlands Day!

February 2^nd is not just Groundhog Day – it’s also World Wetlands Day.

The beginning of February sounds like an odd time to celebrate World Wetlands Day given that many wetlands are actually frozen in Canada! It is celebrated on this day because it is the adoption anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands which occurred on February 2^nd, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran.  The convention was adopted to improve wetland conservation, and every year, the Ramsar Secretariat provides resources to raise public awareness about World Wetlands Day.

Wetlands are an extremely valuable resource. Besides being great for recreational purposes, wetlands provide ecosystem services like water filtration, flood control, and food production.  For those of you with business oriented minds, the ecosystem resources and services that wetlands provide to Canadians have an estimated worth of 20 billion dollars annually!

There is also a huge array of species that make wetlands their home. Besides fish, there are unique wetland birds, frogs and toads, scaly reptiles, and cute, furry mammals. In London, the watershed is protected by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) and contains over 90 species of fish, 30 species of freshwater mussels and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians.  London is also the home to the threatened spiny softshell turtle which is limited to very small pockets of Southern Ontario and Quebec.

Unfortunately, many of these species are at risk. Even though Canada has more wetlands than any other country in the world, habitat destruction and fragmentation is taking a huge toll on the ecosystem.

Luckily, there are lots of ways to help conserve wetland habitats.  To help do your part, and to celebrate World Wetlands Day, here are some things you can do in London:

• Take a walk on one of London’s Conservation Area trails, and get acquainted with the local species and habitat. Remember to leave nothing but footprints, and take nothing but pictures!
• Reduce your water consumption by taking shorter showers, fixing leaky taps, turning off the water while brushing your teeth, and doing less laundry.
• Take any expired or unused medication to a nearby drug mart with a take back program. Medication that is thrown in the garbage or flushed down the toilet has a negative impact on wetlands.

Tell your friends about World Wetlands Day and invite them to celebrate with you!

Recycling at Western

With reduced landfill space becoming a bigger problem nationwide, waste diversion and reduction are becoming increasingly important. Last year, Western diverted 60% of its waste by recycling and composting. We are aiming even higher now, with a goal to become a zero waste campus by diverting over 90% of our waste by 2022.

Western has an extensive recycling program. Batteries and electronic waste, along with common recyclable items, can be taken to Recycling Stations located on almost every floor of every building. These stations are found near Green Boards (bulletin boards with sustainability updates). Each Green Board has a Recycling at Western poster that guides you through sorting your waste properly, and provides contact information in case you have any unique items (ex. furniture, hazardous waste, etc.).

General Items

Below is a list of important pieces of information you should know about in order to ensure you are properly recycling here at Western.

• Recyclable plastics are numbered 1-7. Here at Western, only plastics 1, 2, 4 and 5 are accepted. This is because that is all our waste hauler, BFI, can accept into their system. This means that you need to take extra care when disposing of your plastics. Always check the bottom of your plastic containers to ensure that they are a 1, 2, 4 or 5. All of these plastics, along with glass jars, metal pop cans, aluminum foil, milk and juice cartons, and other glass and metals can go into Western’s “Plastics, Cans and Bottles” stream, which is also known as the “Co-Mingled Beverage Containers” stream. Note: Tim Horton’s coffee cups and lids, plastic cutlery and straws are not recyclable at Western.
• Within Western’s “Paper” stream, you can put regular printer paper, newspaper, magazines, post-it notes, envelopes, thin cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls. Just make sure you collapse all boxes first. Note: Construction paper and tissue paper are not recyclable.
• Collapse all corrugated cardboard and tuck this behind the paper recycling bin. It will be picked up by Western’s caretaking staff.

In 2011, approximately 20% of Western’s garbage sent to the landfill could have been recycled. Waste sent to landfill emits greenhouse gases, polluting the air we breathe and contributing to climate change. This year, let’s work towards reducing the amount of waste Western sends to the landfill, save energy, and reduce the amount of emissions we create.

A picture of one of Western’s recycling centers.



Specialized Items

A number of specialized items are particularly harmful when they end up in the landfill. Read the tips below to find out how to reduce the environmental impact of specialized waste items, and how to recycle them at Western:

Batteries

Batteries release toxic heavy metals into the air, ground and water when they are thrown into the garbage. Statistics show that batteries account for 88% of mercury and 50% of cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. Luckily, special disposal practices can be used to mitigate harmful effects.

• To have the biggest influence, reduce energy consumption and use energy efficient appliances to extend the life of batteries.
• Use rechargeable batteries wherever possible. The impact of generating 1 kWh of energy using rechargeable or disposable batteries is comparable to the global warming impacts of driving a car 16 km and 457 km, respectively.
• Discard old batteries in designated bins at Recycling Stations – almost every floor in every building on campus has one! For more information on battery collection bins and services, contact Facilities Management at Ext. 88122. If you’re off campus, check out www.recycleyourelectronics.ca to find the nearest location to drop off your batteries.

Electronic Waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains substances that harm the environment when thrown into the garbage. Luckily, special disposal practices can be used to mitigate harmful effects.

• E-waste such as cell phones, laptops and cords releases toxic contaminants into the environment. E-waste also contains valuable materials which can be recovered if disposed of properly.
• On campus, e-waste can be left in or beside battery recycling bins. Alternatively, there are several designated drop- office receptacles across campus for e-waste, such as in residences. Contact the Service Centre at Ext. 83304 for assistance if you would like to schedule the pick-up of larger quantities of e-waste.
• If you’re off campus, check out www.recycleyourelectronics.ca to find the nearest location to drop off your electronics.

Ink and Toner Cartridges

Take your empty cartridges to Island Inkjet in the UCC to be recycled or refilled. You can also leave them with the representative in your office who takes care of the Grand & Toy orders. He/she will ensure they are given to the Grand & Toy delivery representative for proper disposal. This helps reduce the environmental impacts of printer cartridges, which can take up to 450 years to decompose in the landfill!

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals contain substances that harm the environment when they are thrown into the garbage. Special disposal practices can be used to mitigate harmful effects.

• According to Health Canada, incorrect disposal of expired and unused pharmaceuticals in the garbage or toilet is an increasing health concern. Evidence suggests that these substances can cause harm to aquatic species and vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, newborns, and children. If you have leftover prescription and over-the-counter drugs, they can be taken back to the Western On-Campus Pharmacy located in the lower level of the UCC.
• If you’re off campus, contact your local pharmacy to see if they have a Medications Return Program

Have a Holly, Jolly, Sustainable Christmas

This holiday season, your tree doesn’t have to be the only thing that’s green! This Christmas, try to reduce your environmental footprint by shopping, giving and decorating more sustainably.

According to Greenmuze.com, Canadians spend an estimated $30 billion at Christmas, with each person spending an average of $800 on gifts. Christmas is considered to be the most greenhouse gas intensive holiday in North America. This is due to the higher than average amount of trips to shopping centers, large quantities of gifts being purchased that were made in different countries and had to be shipped, and the vast amounts of packaging produced for these gifts. Also, sending Christmas cards, buying Christmas trees and purchasing and making speciality foods requires large amounts of resources and generates many greenhouse gas emissions.

Then there is the issue of wrapping paper. The majority of wrapping paper is not recyclable, due to the dyes, coatings, and adornments and sparkles that often cover the sheets. Although gift bags and tissue paper are not an entirely sustainable option, using them instead of paper is a better choice because they can be reused much easier. If you feel like taking it a step further, you can even purchase 100% recycled content and recyclable wrapping paper, bows and ribbons, but usually at a significantly higher price. If you are interested in viewing some of these recycled content/recyclable options, visit www.earthproducts.com. It is important to try to cut back on the amount of wrapping paper you use because the paper trade is considered to be a non-sustainable industry (no surprise there). However, something that might surprise you is that currently, less than 20% of the world’s remaining forests are believed to be intact. Urbanization, population growth and an increase in affluence have all put strains on the amount of land available around the world and have caused rapid deforestation. It is a shame to continue this trend of deforestation simply because people don’t want to reuse a gift bag.

If you want to commit to having a more sustainable Christmas, using some of the following tips might just help you add a little more green to your festivities this year!

1)    Send E-cards. In Canada alone, Canada Post reported that it will “take more than 575 daily flights to deliver all the 787.3 million cards, letters and parcels that enter the Canada Post system during the holiday season.” This amount of air travel produces astounding amounts of unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. For example, according to sciencefocus.com, a Boeing 747 aircraft releases over 33 tonnes of CO₂ during a 530km flight. To put this into terms that might mean a little more to you, that same amount of emissions would be produced if 336 cars drove that same distance! If we all cut back on the number of cards we send via mail, not only would we be reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but we would also be helping to reduce the number of trees that need to be cut down to produce these cards. As an added bonus, many e-cards are free to send!

2)    Use reusable shopping bags. Carrying a few cloth shopping bags around the mall with you does not take that much effort. Besides, many stores have begun charging 5 cents per plastic bag. That is an unnecessary expense – plain and simple!

3)    Give presents that are not objects. Some great ideas for gifts that don’t involve packaging, wrapping, or travel to get it to a store include: a dinner, a movie night out, tickets to a show, or even a spa gift card (I certainly wouldn’t mind one of those!).

4)    Don’t go overboard with food! People tend to pig-out during the holidays, eating more food than they usually would, and even throwing a lot of left-overs away. Figure out how many guests you have coming over and plan accordingly. You can always keep some easy-to-prepare foods at the ready in case you run out. Adjust your grocery shopping the weeks following a holiday to consider that you likely have lots of left-overs at home. Seeing food thrown away has always been something that has bothered me, considering that so many in the world go without enough food every day. Check your expiry dates once in a while and plan to eat the foods that are going to expire soon. You will end up saving yourself some money by doing this too!

5)    Research the stores your shop at. There are many companies out there who have less-than-ethical practices. By purchasing gifts from these stores, you are indirectly promoting these unethical practices. If you want to create a positive influence with the gifts you purchase, try buying from stores that donate a portion of their profits. A great example of this is Tom’s Shoes. With every pair of shoes that are purchased from Tom’s, another pair will be given to a child in need!

6)    Buy a live tree! Living Christmas trees come potted or in a burlap sack and can be planted after the holiday. This way, your tree won’t end up in the landfill, and according to “Tree Folks,” a single mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of CO₂ per year and releases enough oxygen to support 2 human beings!

Embrace the spirit of giving this Christmas and give back to the environment!

For more information on how to have a sustainable Christmas, visit: http://www.greenmuze.com/green-your/christmas/346-christmas-the-eighth-deadly-sin-.html.