Learning by Doing: Student Leader Kim Burgess helps to plan Western Canada Sustainable Campuses Conference at SFU

by Sarah St. John goBEYOND Campus Organizer SFU

This year the theme of the Western Canada Sustainable Campuses Conference is 'Campus as a Living Lab' - examining how students can take their education beyond the classroom and learn by implementing real projects in the community that make a difference. As a volunteer for the conference, Kim describes how planning the conference itself has been an opportunity for her to use the campus as a living lab. On the student planning committee, Kim has had the opportunity to design a conference that she would want to attend - a conference where students learn and collaborate together to strengthen initiatives happening on their campuses.

Kim's first experience getting involved in a tangible project for sustainability was in the SFU dialogue program. The topic for her semester was Energy Consumption and as part of the semester students organized a dialogue event which brought the community together to discuss "how to turn conservation from passive and unpleasant to something active and fun." In this program she learned that education wasn't as narrow as she thought - she learned that she could learn a lot by doing. Also, through this process Kim learned that she loved organizing events - specifically planning logistics.

This semester Kim has been using her talents in organization and logistics to contribute to the planning of the Western Canada Sustainable Campuses Conference. The conference will be happening February 16-19, 2012. In addition to providing an opportunity for students to share what they are doing on their campuses there will be a wide variety of workshops on a board range of topics including personal development, social media, fundraising, working with the university and academics and sustainability. Kim hopes the conference will foster leadership and help leaders empower leaders.

Interested in learning more or getting involved with the conference? Contact scc-info@sustainablesfu.org

Richard Kao: Composting at Camosun College

-by Luke Kozlowski, Campus Organizer Camosun College

Richard Kao is a man on a composting mission. In the fall of 2010, when he started the Environmental Technology (ET) Program at Camosun College, he ran in student elections for the Sustainability Director position and won. Since then, his main goal has been to implement a composting program to divert all organic waste from the regional landfill.

The initial idea came from another ET student, Becky Gradisar, who approached the Capital Regional District (CRD) about using anaerobic green cone digesters to process all types of food waste. As owner and operator of the Hartland Landfill, the CRD was eager to support the idea and decided to donate 10 digesters to the College.

Once the digesters were obtained, Richard enlisted the help of the Physical Resources Department, the ET Program Chair and ET students to install the digesters at various locations on the Lansdowne Campus. For over a year now, staff and students have been able to dispose their food waste into the digesters. However, since the composters had to be installed in areas of deep, well-drained soil, they were not conveniently located for students and organic waste was still ending up in garbage cans.

To address this, Richard, along with fellow ET cohorts Mitch Brost, Maddi Lussin, Ilsa Hildebrand and Luke Kozlowski, looked into setting up a composting collection and redistribution system. This system would see small compost bins installed alongside recycling bins all over campus and it would require the creation of the two part-time student employment positions to fulfill the composting duties.

After recent consultations with the administration, Richard is happy to report that the college will be rolling out the next phase of the composting program in the new year. It just goes to show that by working together and not giving up, our post-secondary institutions can reduce their environmental footprint. Thanks Richard!

Life in Layers

By Brittany De Angelis, BCIT Campus Organizer

I spent much of the month of November working with B.C.I.T. faculty and staff from the Heat Savers Team. This group of teachers promotes sustainability on campus, and their main campaign this year is to encourage people to wear layers instead of turning the heat up. Through working on this campaign, I've learned that most of the green house gas (GHG) emissions that my school produces comes from heating the buildings.

I hate being cold. Having lived in Calgary for 5 years I've learned to layer up to keep warm in the sometimes -40 temperatures. On November 23rd I helped organize a Lunch and Learn for staff with The Heat Savers Team. We brought in a local fashion expert to do a presentation on stylish ways to layer for warmth. She had tons of great tips and advice. For example, if you are worried about messing up your hair by wearing a toque, a cashmere fabric will do the least amount of damage. And wear your heaviest fabric, like wool, on top so it's easy to take off if you get too hot. Also, cotton is best worn close to the skin.

The Lunch and Learn was really fun and we want to keep promoting dressing for warmth throughout the winter to help reduce our GHG emissions. With a Sweater Day in the horizon, we hope to include some local designers as well because who said that reducing GHG emissions didn't have to be stylish? Looking forward to seeing your favorite sweater this holiday season!

Capilano Outdoor Rec students draw our attention outside

-by Tiare Jung, Capilano goBEYOND Campus Organizer

As students moving through our daily to-do-lists we could easily break down our days into a series of physical checkpoints; 1) transit to school 2) class for a lecture 3) computer to finish a report 4) somewhere quiet to study 5) the bus loop for a ride home... While we check in, we can also check out. We tend to loose the in-between-spaces between these check points and the lessons to be found there.

These in between spaces occur every time someone steps outside on the North Vancouver Capilano University campus. Outdoor Recreation Management students, Bethany, Jessy, Rachel, and Travis have collaborated with Joanne Cook, head gardener & former horticulture student of Capilano to create a tour through the secret gardens, hidden artwork, and BC rainforest surrounding our classrooms.

On this tour, staff and students can meander the grounds with blinders removed. With eyes open campus trotters are surprised and delighted to discover a hidden moss garden, a redwood tree with incredible pinecones, a giant rhubarb plant with leaves the size of an adult's arm span, a symbiotic relationship between a hidden network of fungi and a tree's roots, and many other unique natural spaces.

Through sharing the stories of these vital processes, the guides hope to re-root us with the environment we inhabit, introduce us to the wonderful creatures we share it with, and remind us of how we can preserve these things through sustainable action.

Check in at Capilano University, tour the grounds with this map, experience the environment and remind your self what your studies are all about.

Chanel Ly: Taking Steps towards Implementing Sustainable Food Policy at SFU

- by Sarah St. John, SFU goBEYOND Campus Organizer

Chanel Ly works with Sustainable SFU's  Local Food Project and recently applied to be a Campus Food Strategy coordinator for the Sierra Youth Coalition (SYC) and Meal Exchange.   Their goal is to train and support youth leaders in advocating for and implementing sustainable food policy at their campuses.

Chanel Ly first got involved in sustainability organizing as a participant in the environmental and social justice leadership program at her high school. As part of this program Chanel worked with other student leaders to expand their high school's organic vegetable garden. Their garden grew from just a few beds into a greenhouse that grew enough food to supply their high school cafeteria with vegetables during the growing season. Chanel said "I learned a lot about myself and how much I took food for granted." The garden was a place where students were educated about food's origins, how it grows and why it is important to eat local and organic. But more importantly, Chanel says the garden was an important place for students to connect and feel that they belonged.

Leaving high school, Chanel headed to SFU with a passion to continue learning about what is happening in the world and a commitment to make a positive impact in her community. She jumped right into volunteering with the Local Food Project in her first year and now in her second year she has joined the Board of Governors for Sustainable SFU and is the Chair of the Local Food Project. The Local Food Project runs a Harvest Box Program , a Pocket Farmer's Market, and an Urban Agricultural Skills Training Program. The Local Food Project team is also working hard to advocate for a community garden on campus.

Her recent application to be a Campus Food Strategy Coordinator would help Sustainable SFU engage at a higher level with the campus food system. It is an exciting year for Sustainable SFU because the contract for Simon Fraser University's major food provider is up for renewal - this is a great time to let the administration know what students want in terms of sustainable, healthy and affordable food choices on campus. Chanel and many others advocate for better, more sustainable food choice on campus.  After all, food binds us together and largely determines our future.

Thanks Chanel for leading the way!

- Sarah

Will and Richard: from their experience at University to a career path with purpose

Richard and Will trace their ecological awareness to their high school days.  Through the TREK outdoor education program, their learning took place in forests and oceans as well as desks and chairs.

Though they have known one another for years, Richard and Will’s friendship began only after they both arrived at the University of Victoria and were both interested in creating a sustainable economy.  Richard and Will found themselves together in a student organization called Common Energy. 

At the time, Common Energy was engaged in a comprehensive climate action planning process for UVic.  Working with the likes of Naomi Devine, Jamie Biggar and Mark Chandler, Richard and Will provided a crucial piece of the puzzle.  They developed a sustainable purchasing plan that, together with plans for food, community engagement and other aspects, guided a path for the university to go beyond climate neutral. 

Richard and Will’s experience in Common Energy has already carried them far.  Building on the skills they learned and the ideas they developed, the pair started a consulting firm focused on GHG accounting and mitigation. 

The organizations they work with are making a difference.  Will and Richard are making a difference.

Tria Donaldson: My struggle for social and environmental justice began in 5th grade

Since the fifth grade Tria Donaldson has fought for a more just and sustainable world.  From constructing indigenous plant gardens to organizing multiculturalism days, Tria’s commitment to justice began early.  Tria has always had diverse interests and her studies in journalism at Thompson Rivers University helped her begin to connect her efforts together.  Climate change quickly became a central theme that ran across, and exacerbated, all issues.  She began to see global warming as not only a threat but also as a chance to examine the society we have now and the one we want to become.

Thankfully, Tria wasn’t alone.  Through her work with the Sierra Youth Coalition she began to connect with others across BC and Canada who shared her vision.  Tria traveled extensively across the province and began to build a network centred on one captivating idea: that BC’s colleges and universities could do more, much more, to solve climate change and the larger social injustices that climate change makes visible.

If there was a single pivotal moment, it was certainly the Sustainable Campuses Conference in 2008.  It was there, at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, that students from all over BC came to collaborate on a province-wide climate project that was to become the goBeyond Campus Climate Network.

Tria can see the results of the students’ actions.  From U-passes to sustainability plans, students have achieved many victories.  But perhaps the biggest success has been the growth of a network of sustainability leaders such as Tria.  A network built on friendship, shared vision, trial and error, long bus rides and many, many emails.  This network now reaches in to planning and policy, to business, to education and more.  And it is just beginning.

Tria's skill and dedication to the campus sustainability movement attracted people's attention and, in 2010, she accepted a job with the Wilderness Committee as the Pacific Coast Campaigner where she works on environmental issues ranging from coal mining to forestry to fish farms. 

When asked whether she is hopeful, Tria quotes Paul Hawken: “If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse.”  Tria is surely one of those people who feels both fear and hope.

Small Changes Make a Big Impact at Camosun

Although there are many things at Camosun College that could be improved, one little corner of the college has risen to the challenge and become a “Camosun Green Zone”. Portable A, located on Interurban Campus, is home to the Employment Training and Preparation Program. The faculty and staff who support this program were able to make Portable A, a self-contained building, as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible.

When entering the portable you’re greeted by clear signs explaining the “Green Zone” policies currently in place. Staff and faculty ensure that lights, monitors, printers, and computers are turned off when not in use. As well, thermostats are closely monitored to ensure the temperatures never exceed 20 degrees during the day, and are turned off at night or when the classrooms will be sitting empty.

The portable also has excellent waste management, with recycling bins clearly labelled and even a compost for organic waste from packed lunches or the food preparation program. The compost is sent out to the worm bins (by the faculty and staff) that reside in the Greenhouses where students can learn valuable gardening skills. The gardening done by the program is organic and watered with efficient practices that minimize water wastage.

The individuals responsible for orchestrating these changes were honoured by Camosun with the first ever Outstanding Contribution to Energy Conservation Award.  The determination and perseverance of the portable staff members shows what can be accomplished if everyone works towards positive changes, no matter how small they may be.

The initiatives in place are ones I hope to one day see everywhere on campus at Camosun College: composting, accessible clean chilled tap water for water bottles, and energy conservation that tackles the excess heating and cooling of empty classrooms. Portable A has shown it can be done.

- by Tessa Goodwin

Il Mio Piano Verde

Anneliese Schultz was shocked by the IPCC's fourth assessment report in 2007. It was then that she realized she must do more in her classroom. Anneliese started small by awarding extra credit to her students for bringing a reusable mug or showing her their U-Pass. The next year she took her students to the UBC Farm where they discussed organic gardening and food security (in Italian of course). She began introducing green vocabulary into her Italian grammar exercises and encouraged her students to talk and write about sustainability. She thought: If they are going to practice their Italian on something, they ought to practice it on subjects that matter.

Every semester Anneliese has challenged herself and her students to dig deeper and now, after four years, she has incorporated sustainability into the very fabric of her curriculum. Il mio piano verde – My green plan. That's the essay that every student must write to pass her course.

Because of this Anneliese has engaged hundreds of students in critical conversations about sustainability and climate justice and has challenged them, and herself, to make personal, lasting changes.

Students are thankful. They feel they generally do not get enough opportunity to talk about sustainability in school and they appreciate finding it in such an unexpected place. Anneliese says:

“I've incorporated sustainability because I feel like it trumps everything. Ensuring our place on the Earth trumps absolutely everything! I've incorporated it into my own creative writing. If it can be incorporated into an Italian class then it can be incorporated into every class.”  - Anneliese

A Deluge of Green Ideas

Students at colleges and universities across Canada have submitted a deluge of great ideas about how to make their campuses more sustainable.  Greenhouses, market gardens, composting, alternative transportation, water bottle refill stations, reusable food containers - the list goes on and on.  The people's choice winner will receive $2500 from TD.  Please support your favorite schools and vote now until March 11, 2011.

Students across the province are Doing it in the Dark

This past November students at UBC's Totem Park residence participated in the US Campus Climate Nationals, a competition involving 39 American universities to see who could conserve the most electricity. Out of 40 schools UBC came 2nd. Liz Ferris, a M.Sc student at UBC and one of goBEYOND's board members, credits this success to the hard work of students concerned about climate change. Working together these dedicated students saved 9000 kWh of electricity and 750 kg of CO2.

In March goBEYOND will host BC's very own energy reduction challenge - titled Do it in the Dark. The goal is to foster communities of practice among students living in residence. By engaging students early in their careers we hope to inspire long-term behaviour change and climate leadership.