Environmental Initiatives
From Umreg.org
Contents |
[edit] Environmental Awareness Week
Environmental Awareness Week (EAW) is an annual event created and put on by UMREG. The week is held to inform the people of the university about ongoing environmental problems, and the actions individuals can take to decrease their impact on the environment. It is held usually in the first week of Februrary, after UMSU's Celebration Week.
EAW lasts for the entire week, and each day the UMREG display table with leaflets, pamphlets, and sign-up sheets is displayed in the middle of University Centre where a large proportion of University students walk by. We also provide free fair-trade organic coffee for those who have re-useable mugs, and a free organic vegan lunch for those who come to the events.
Environmental Awareness Week is a four or more day series of events that include display tables, speakers (keynotes and local folks) and special events on campus with a goal of increasing awareness and action on environmental issues among the student and staff body. A large portion of our budget, time, and energy is dedicated to planning for and participating in Environmental Awareness Week. Volunteers are needed to help brainstorm and organize our events, and then be on hand during the week to make everything run smoothly. The event has happened in both late January and late March. Everyone in UMREG will get involved with this in some capacity.
[edit] Waste Reduction Week
Waste Reduction Week is held annually around the third week of October, and is an excellent opportunity to encourage waste reduction and resource conservation. Cities, towns, schools, companies, and community organizations are all encouraged to take part.
Waste Reduction Week has a national website, and in Manitoba is put on by Resource Conservation Manitoba
[edit] Campus Commuter Challenge
An annual sustainable transportation event usually held in the third week of September, designed to showcase, reward, and hopefully increase the commitment of the students and staff of Winnipeg's post-secondary institutions to using methods other than single-passenger motor vehicles to get to and from school. Cycling, walking, taking the bus, carpooling, and any other way you can think of are ways to take the Challenge.
Students and staff of Red River College, Collège Universitaire St. Boniface, Booth College, University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, Canadian Mennonite University and Brandon University are eligible to participate.
The annual event is coordinated by Resource Conservation Manitoba.
[edit] Past Projects
[edit] Idea List
UMREG has come together to create positive environmental change, and realize that we cannot do it by ourselves! The best way for things to get done is if many people combine their efforts in a motivated fashion to achieve some sort of end result.
We have compiled a list of cool ideas for projects that we think should get done on or off our campus. Feel free to come to UMREG and talk with the staff for help getting started, or to use it as a hub to get some of these projects done.
[edit] Resource Centre
UMREG's resource centre has reached a stale point- it has been started, but needs to be developed into a fully functional lending library. The intent of the centre is to attract people to our office, as well as make more environment-related information available on campus. There are currently a number of books that have not been data based (the data base needs to be more fully developed) and a system to record books leaving and coming back needs to be developed (as well as maintenance of such a system). This project would also include buying new resources for the centre, gathering different articles and other information, organizing the current space for the resource centre (going through all the old articles and publications), as well as providing publicity of the centre (once it is more organized) and about the resources it holds to the campus.
[edit] Manitoban Articles
There are opportunities to write articles about environmental issues for the paper. Talk to the editors of different sections and propose stories, and do research around different topics to write about. This is ongoing throughout the year, and is especially important around UMREG special events such as Environmental Awareness Week and other events as they come up throughout the year.
[edit] Composting
There is a project being undertaken by a graduate student in conjunction with members of the sustainable development committee looking to put in place a campus wide composting program for food waste. UMREG has already agreed to participate in some capacity, probably to include organizing waste audits to see where the most food waste is coming from, and possible collection of material for composting. This project could also include organizing composting workshops, in conjunction with others working on composting on campus, to promote backyard and vermi-composting in the home. Setting up and maintaining a "worm-trading" system to provide worms to different locations on campus could also be investigated.
[edit] Lunch Workshops/ Speakers/ Campaigns
Organizing speakers to come and talk about environmental issues on campus. To a certain extent, a number of people could work on this, as it is ongoing throughout the year. This would include logistical stuff such as finding speakers to come to campus, booking a room, refreshments, and advertising the event. This "project" can really be a part of any special project intended to publicize any environmental issue, and encourage students to take action on it. Some campaigns that UMREG could work on include Kyoto, Globalization, Water protection, etc.
[edit] LUG-A-MUGS
In conjunction with the waste prevention coordinator, publicizing the use of reusable mugs, with publicity materials that bring to light the waste of disposable paper and plastic cups. Making students buy and use the mugs is the key.
[edit] Carpool Registry
UMSU has developed a carpool registry on their website, and UMREG has offered to help with the publicity of the registry to encourage the use of mass transit and carpooling among the student and faculty body. This project could also include investigating alternative transportation to campus, including a universal bus pass (much the same as UVIC), perks for students that use the carpool registry and lobbying UMSU to come up with a better plan to deal with transportation issues on campus. An additional campaign on Kyoto, and Climate Change could be included under this guise.
[edit] UMREG Publicity
Raising awareness on different parts of campus about the recycling program and other environmental initiatives. In the past this has included: UMREG display tables- visiting different buildings on campus, handing out information, free coffee and cookies, setting up displays about recycling & certain environmental issues; classroom presentations- a great promotion & education activity where we arrange ahead of time with professors to very briefly speak to their class about the recycling program and upcoming events, the main goal being to raise UMREG's profile on campus by letting students know we exist, and reminding them to use the recycling bins; and posters campaigns advertising the group and things we work on, placed strategically near the actual recycling bins to help promote their use.
[edit] UMSU Environmental Audit/ Environmental Policy
There has already been some work done on this project, in particular, UMREG & Students for Sustainability agreed to work together last year to initiate an UMSU environmental audit of UMSU businesses, and come up with recommendations for improvements. This project is also being proposed for this year, and will hopefully be part of a larger plan to "green" UMSU. Kristina Hunter will be helping with this project, and UMREG could have someone involved to report back to the group to let us know how things are moving.
[edit] Food Service Lobbying
This project would include investigating current environmental aspects of Aramark food production, and then coming up with recommendations on how to make their services more environmentally friendly. This could include looking at their use of disposable everything, the amount of vegan/vegetarian options, organic food, and their full-page "taco-Tuesday" advertisements (among other things!). Meeting with Aramark to discuss findings and recommendations, finding out specifics of the contract the university has with Aramark, and getting other bodies on side (such as UMSU) would also be included.
[edit] Garbage Can Stickers
This project got underway in the summer of 2002, but was never completed. The idea is to create stickers to strategically place on garbage cans reminding people to recycle. Stickers have already been drafted, but details such as how big the stickers should be, how many to order, and obtaining quotes are still in need of doing. Discussion with many of the zone managers in charge of the garbage cans in their area have started to take place, however not all of them have been contacted (i.e. show them the potential stickers, get their approval to move ahead, etc.)
[edit] Fair Trade Coffee/ No Sweat Campaign
Fair trade promotes social equity, economic security for coffee farmers, and sound environmental practices. This campaign has existed for a long time within UMREG, and there has already been a large amount of work done on the issue. Taking on this project would mean going through all the work already done on campus regarding fair trade coffee, researching other campuses with a fair trade coffee option on campus to see what their strategies were, and contacting bodies such as UMSU, Aramark & the Administration to follow-up with the work already done. An extension to this project is a "No Sweat" campaign, which encompasses lobbying the bookstore, different student councils, and Bison sports teams to only purchase clothing made ethically and not in sweatshops. There has also been some work done on this already, and there are some contact people in the city really looking forward to this type of campaign starting at the U of M (which they have offered to help with).
