This is the old list of past projects. It’s out of date since spring 2007, so check out the new page or email us if you require some specific info.

2006-2007

• Bioneers Video SalonsThanks to UTERN’s generous funding, I was able to attend the Bioneers Conference 2006 in Marin County, California and then, with the purchase of the lectures on dvd, host two video salons of the amazing speeches back at U of T during the spring term. Bioneers is a gathering of activists, writers, thinkers, and doers at the frontlines of social and environmental justice, and every year thousands of people come away inspired by just what is meant by a “revolution from the heart of nature”. I was blown away by the ideas and passion I experienced while at the conference, and couldn’t wait to share them with fellow students and the U of T community. Bioneers is a way to get in touch with the wondrous things happening beyond the doors of the classroom and bring what we are learning all together. About 30 people combined attended the two video salons and we got to explore the topics of “How Mushrooms Can Save the World” as well as “Beyond the Bar Code: The Local Food Revolution”. The salons were also a good way to meet people and discuss important ideas in a free flowing non-academic setting. UTERN now owns a copy of the lecture series, and we hope more of them can be shown at a later date, as they have lasting significance.
• Blue Sky Solar Racingis a student directed program that applies higher education in advancing renewable energy technology and environmental decision-making. Blue Sky Solar Racing offers a unique learning experience not only through the design, construction, logistical operations, public relations and administration of a world-class solar race team, but also through the use of an intensely multi-disciplinary approach. Engineering, science, humanities, social science, and business students learn from each other how the varying decision making processes affect views on the environment and the role of technology.

This year Blue Sky has completed one of its most ambitious projects ever; the design and construction of a two seater solar powered car. This leap in technological innovation is helping increase the viability of environmental technologies. With the help of our supporters we are looking forward to showcasing the car is a variety of environmental events throughout Ontario this summer.

I have also attached a photo that you can use on your web site. Of course our website link iswww.blueskysolar.utoronto.ca

• U of T China ConferenceThe University of Toronto China Conference (UTCC) is dedicated to promoting intellectual exchanges in academics, economics, and cultures between China and the international community, notably Canada. It aims at providing students at the University of Toronto a medium to converse with leaders in academia, business and public services. We strive to enhance the overall awareness of the opportunities and challenges in China and promote understanding of the economic, environmental and socio-cultural issues in China.

The theme of the conference this year is China – Stepping up to Global Challenges. We have successfully organized a professional, open and objective environment for discussion on a range of topics including international relationship and foreign aid; climate change and sustainable urban development; and multinational corporations and entrepreneurship. Over 150 undergraduate and graduate students from different disciplines, faculty members, and corporate representatives attended our conference.

One of the key successes of this year’s conference is that we have marketed and organized UTCC as a socially and environmentally sustainable conference. We recognize ourselves as the agent of changes. We discuss environmental issues; we also act on them as much as we can.

• • We reduce
    • The amount of paper products requires
  • We reuse
    • Use of ceramic plates and metal cutlery
  • We recycle
    • All our posters and banners are printed on 100% recycled paper
  • We internalize external costs by
    • Purchasing organic, local produce provided by Wholefood Market
    • Purchasing fair trade coffee from Coffee Shed which is also a social enterprise
    • Choosing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified printing company – Thistle Printing Ltd. for printing all the promotional materials.

Making a conference “green” may require a little bit more research such as procurement and logistics. However, it does pay off. First, we cut cost on our budget by borrowing plates and cutlery from UTERN. The delegates were more aware of the practical one can do to protect our environment.

We are currently preparing a guideline about making conferences environmentally sustainable which maybe of value to other interested student groups.

• Engineers Without BordersHigh School Outreach
  Engineers without Borders (University of Toronto Chapter) visits high schools, elementary classes and camps, and delivers “Water for the World”, “Food for Thought” and “Energy Matters” High School Outreach (HSO) presentations. From September 2006 to March 2007, we presented to 52 classes and reached 1,296 students in the Toronto region. These free interactive workshops aim to raise awareness about global water, hunger and energy issues and what youth can do to make a positive change in their lives. The workshops challenge students to think critically and creatively with their peers while also giving them a chance to step into the lifestyles of people from less developed countries.
  These workshops are usually presented to science, geography, ethics and social science classes, and high school environmental and social justice clubs. They provide a great way for younger generations to obtain a practical and educational view of the developing counties and how people in other parts of the world live day-to-day.

Developoment Day
Development Day, on Saturday, October 14th, 2006, brought 25 students together for a day of workshops on issues such as of poverty and international development. Highlights included a workshop on the root causes of poverty, a presentation from a past overseas volunteer, and a learning carousel on fair trade. The event enabled students to engage more deeply in the issues than they could during a regular meeting and helped solidify new-member commitment to EWB for the coming year. The workshops were varied and tried to appeal to a number of different learning styles. Overall, the event was a success and we hope to run it again next year!

• Green PerspectiveWith our funding from UTERN, this year Green Perspective was able to reach thousands of U of T students across the St. George and UTM campuses. Our magazine provided a forum for dialogue on and the expression of exciting environmental ideas, while introducing students to new environmental issues and diverse areas of environmental thought.

Our 2006/07 issue themes: “back to work”, “hope”, and “environmental identity”, encouraged the exploration of complex themes and undercurrents in environmental, social and cultural issues both on and off campus. Green Perspective also provided an opportunity for students to participate in the publication process, learning more about the technical aspects of publishing a magazine. Our UTERN funding also enabled us to lead by example by printing on post-consumer recycled paper.

The magazine continues to grow, with a successful third online-only issue published this year beyond the fall and spring issues that have been published in past years. Our webmaster has helped to increase our online presence with a website and online archive available atgreenperspective.sa.utoronto.ca, which allows Green Perspective to reach a broader audience even with limited publication runs. Our magazine will also be continuing into the next year, and interested writers, editors or advertisers should contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to contact the current executive.

• Hot Yam!In January 2007, UTERN helped fund the first ever lunch project of the Hot Yam!, the new vegan food collective at U of T. The Hot Yam! was formed by a group of interested students who recognized the need and desire for healthy and ethical food on campus and wanted to help fill the void. We decided that we would try to cook one meal for about 50 people, see if it was a success, and if so, continue on from there. With about $300 dollars from UTERN, we were able to purchase not only high quality vegan and mostly local and organic ingredients from nearby stores and co-ops, but also some much needed cooking and serving supplies such as cutlery, plates, and other necessities to get us off the ground. The turn out to the lunch was overwhelming and we sadly had to turn people away, promising that while this meal was the first, it would not be the last. Since that day, we have been serving affordable, homecooked vegan meals just about every week until the end of the term. Because UTERN was able to help offset the costs of the first meal and supplies, we have been able to cover our costs for the rest of the semester, relying solely on volunteers and the generous use of space in the International Student Centre. The lunches have been venues for people to come together to cook great food and enjoy it and celebrate with friends every Wednesday. We at the Hot Yam! are thankful to UTERN for enabling us to stand on our own feet for the rest of the term, and we look forward to working with UTERN next year in whatever shape the Yam! takes.
• Networking BreakfastUTERN hosted a networking breakfast in November 2006. More than 50 people from various environmental and social justice organizations, and students interested in becoming more involved in the environmental movement at the University of Toronto came together at Trinity College. Several organizations gave short speeches, recruiting volunteers and members, and everyone had a good chance to strategize and connect over delicious muffins and bagels.
• ReSourceReSource is a unique, student-driven initiative focused on identifying, evaluating and implementing methods to reduce paper consumption by staff, faculty and students at the University. Unlike any prior paper study, ReSource will carefully evaluate through results monitoring the effectiveness of different methods to increase the reuse of single-sided paper and the use of duplexing, to communicate and store data without paper, and to change attitudes and socially accepted behaviours around paper use. This will allow the success of individual strategies to be evaluated.

This project will engage approximately 220 staff, faculty, and students at three U of T sites in implementing and testing two broad types of paper reducing initiatives. Technological initiatives will include efficient printing hardware, print management software and paperless record keeping systems. The project will address how individuals use paper using the Community Based Social Marketing method developed by social psychologist Dr. Douglas McKenzie-Mohr. This proven approach assists individuals adopt daily behaviors that both reduce paper consumption and create a culture of conservation. Results will be measured by metering paper consumption and pre and post surveys. The most effective measures will be developed into ‘toolkits’ that explain how to successfully implement a measure, and which can be implemented across the entire University. The results will also allow other universities and offices to develop evidenced-based programs and policies on paper use and equipment purchasing.

Item Funded: Print Audit Software: $2100

• • Provides detailed monitoring of printing habits by tracking 25 parameters including the printer used, length and copies, and use of duplexing
  • By tracking printing habits this tool will help identify where and what type of technological and behavioral interventions should be implemented
  • The tool will enable accurate monitoring of the impact of implemented technological and behavioral methods for reducing paper use
• RewireThe goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for students living in UC residences to learn more about global warming and learn how each individual and collectively as UC residence community can make a difference in the world. The event was hosted by Rewire at UC. The event consisted of a screening of “an inconvenient truth” was shown, followed by a short panel discussion forum. The panelists were Nona Robinson, the UC Dean of students,
• Southside Cafe RecyclingThe goal of this project was to improve student awareness of proper recycling practice and recyclable materials and thereby to increase the effectiveness of the recycling facilities at Southside Café.

Through general observation of student recycling behavior at Southside, as well as through the conduction of a student survey and with reference to the yearly audit of the Sidney Smith Complex, we learned that a vast quantity of recyclable materials are being thrown in the garbage or recycled incorrectly. We also learned that a significant factor informing this incorrect usage of the recycling facilities is student confusion about the current recycling system.

In order to address this confusion, a new labeling system was proposed and implemented at Southside Café. The labeling system was informed both by the survey, as well as by a focus group held involving students who attend Southside Café.

Our hope is that the new labeling system will eliminate much of the confusion which previously prevented conscientious students from recycling.

• Sustainable Energy FairThe goal of the Sustainable Energy Fair was to showcase ideas about our first steps towards a sustainable energy future through interactive and exciting exhibits from student groups, community organizations, companies, and researchers. Participants were educated on the consequences of today’s energy use patterns, the challenges posed by the coming transition, and the impact of their individual choices. We feel as though we were successful in our endeavor to spread awareness about sustainable energy. As the fair came to a close, we distributed thank-you cards to the exhibitors, and at the same time informally engaged them to gauge what they thought of the fair. All of the exhibitors questioned felt the fair was a success. They all mentioned that they were busy for most of the day, engaging people one-on-one. One particular anecdote was of a student who stated that solar power was only good for power calculators. The exhibitor engaged this particular student, who was then able to walk away with a much greater understanding of solar energy.

With an event like this, we have to change it up, and try new things, to keep it fresh and exciting. This year the fair was moved to Sid Smith. We feel as though it was a good, central location, and we had lots of visitors (as was evident by the large amount of nature burgers we distributed). One lesson we learned from moving the fair though was that we did not get the word out well enough to the engineering students, as many of them were unaware that the fair was occurring. We also split up the fair into 4 quadrants, 2 on the east patio, and 2 on the west. The west patio was busy all day, but the east patio seemed to have less visitors. We unfortunately had a couple of exhibitors drop out at the last minute, and they were all destined for the east patio. We also feel the density of exhibitors on the west patio helped to attract visitors.

Overall we feel as though the fair was a success, and we are taking the lessons we learned from this years fair and are already enthusiastically starting to think about the SEF in 2008.

• SYC ConferenceI arrived in Charlottetown at noon, on September 30, just in time for lunch. It was exactly halfway into the Sustainable Campuses Conference, and the cafeteria buzzed with energy as close to a hundred eager students tucked into their meals, fresh out of Regional Strategising Sessions. I was warmly welcomed, given a name tag, and ushered to a seat amidst fellow Ontarians. After lunch, we had the opportunity to explore a variety of different workshops. I chose a workshop put on by Sustainable McGill, in which they demonstrated the art of home-made enviro-friendly cleaning supplies, from baking soda and vinegar. The afternoon ended serenely as students perfected downward dog on the grass and sewed buttons to the “sutainability patches” that would make the first Sustainable Campuses Quilt. As dusk approached, we proceeded indoors for a session on “Improving the Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework (CSAF).” CSAF is a standardized tool in which to measure progress on campus sustainability. The keynote address of the night was Meinhard Doelle, Associate Director of the Marine and Environmental Law Institute, who spoke on the possibilities and likely outcomes of post-Kyoto international environmental policy. The conference wrapped up Sunday morning with a National Strategising Session, in which we put our heads together to brainstorm effective ways of influencing campus sustainability. Two particular campaigns were proposed and wildly applauded, including the Sustainable Campuses Climate Action, an initiative to screen An Inconvenient Truth on campus twice a year and provide a forum for students to write letters to their administration demanding energy efficiency and conservation. The official conference wrap came to a close, leaving me in utter awe. With conference participants hailing from all corners of the country, both the conference’s breadth and depth had opened my eyes to the myriad opportunities for student action.

Here are pictures.

• Food For All Community GardenThe Food For All Community Garden has big plans. We plan on growing big vegetables with big compost, big seeds and big tools. We could not have done it, however, without the big help of UTERN! We’re just moving into gear with the help they have provided and by next fall with a some big help from Mother Nature, students will be harvesting piles of veggies and returning their scraps to the ground they came from. We needed some coin to build a composting unit, acquire some much-needed tools and some planter boxes and potting soil to start our seedlings in the spring. The little green sprouts are now poking their heads out in the nice greenhouse-like tower in the UTSU building. This is everybody’s garden and you are welcome to come check it out anytime. Feel free to drop us a line at
  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Next year, we plan on expanding our garden, building some cold frames and installing some rain water barrels to catch the rain that falls onto the UTSU building’s roof. This university can use all the organic vegetable, fruit and herb gardens it can get – and luckily, UTERN agrees! So dream big and UTERN might make those dreams come true.
• The Real Dirt on Foodwww.therealdirt.ca
  This conference strove to bring students and community members interested in food sustainability together for a day of networking, discussion, and learning about the controversies behind the food we eat. The event received overwhelming interest from within U of T and beyond, spurring our decision to do this event again next year with more participants. This year’s conference was attended by approximately 130 people (80% students). We also put together a website prior to the event that a significant amount of attention in the weeks prior to the conference. Currently, we are planning on revising the website to serve a more activist purpose – we hope the site will be a forum for people to share information and update each other about projects and events. Later this year, we hope to gather interested students to work on food policy changes at U of T.

Over the summer, I will be compiling a manual on how to run such a conference that I would be happy to share with UTERN.

If someone is interested in helping with the conference next year or would like more information on the conference or food sustainability on campus, please contact me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Website: www.therealdirt.ca (Podcasts from several of the conference’s sessions are available for download here)
Contact:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Photos: Can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/logicbank

• Toronto GlobalistThe Toronto Globalist is a student-run, undergraduate international affairs magazine operating out of the University of Toronto. As part of the Global21 network, we are connected to 10 sister publications in university campuses spanning the globe. In addition to our online publication that currently reaches over 320,000 readers, we also produce a run of 1000 print copies that are distributed around campus, to media outlets and to policy makers.

The Toronto Globalist partnered with UTERN for our April 2007 issue to produce a magazine that not only discusses issues of global importance, but also does its part to leave as small an environmental footprint as possible. Our thanks goes out to UTERN for helping us to produce our most environmentally responsible issue yet, and we will no doubt continue to work together as we expand to reach more students every year.

http://www.global21online.org/toronto

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• Victoria College Environment WeekVictoria College’s Environment Week was organized with the aims to inspire youth to take action in helping ease their own environmental burden. The week’s events included an Environmental Clubs and Information fair, at which over a dozen exhibitors from within the University community as well as the broader Toronto community were able to interact with interested students, staff and faculty.

To further inform students about environmental initiatives or to provide tips for sustainable living, there were four varying eco workshops organized throughout the week. These workshops were highly successful and ranged from a City of Toronto presentation on Recycling and Toronto’s Garbage tales; a workshop on how to redesign old clothes to make new fashions; a BikeChain workshop on bike maintenance, as well as an informative session with Adria Vasil from NOW Magazine to address the issues of hidden toxins in our environment and how to go garbage free.

Furthermore, to diversify the message of sustainability, the Environment Week planning committee decided to take an active role in engaging students about consumption trends. The final result consists of a video wherein students pledge to change a behaviour in favour of environmental awareness and sustainability. This video of walk about pledges can be viewed here.

In continuing with an audio-visual component during Environment Week, we also featured the Edward Burtynsky film entitled Manufactured Landscapes and had an informal discussion which was complimented by fair trade tea and coffee as well as vegan treats. Some of the key concepts that were highlighted during our discussion were issues that were also depicted in the ’shock booth’ of information that was set up at various events throughout the week. The aim of this shock booth is to present shocking information and statistics which deal with climate change. There is also a space on the booth for community members to sign and pledge to change or improve on a behaviour(s) in order to further minimize one’s ecological impact on the planet. Next, there was a Captain Planet obstacle course challenge that not only tested the fitness capabilities of participants, but also tested their smarts in terms of proper recycling and eco trivia!

This was the first organized Environment Week at Victoria College, yet the featured environmental fashion show was in its second year since its inception in April 2006. This year’s fashion theme was Metamorphosis and the aim was to educate the approximately 200 audience members about the product life cycle of clothing. The focus was on 5 various stages of productivity:

• • Materials
    Featured clothes made out of soy, bamboo, hemp, or any organic/renewable material such as wool or cotton.
  • Production
    Featured hand-made products and/or fabrics dyed with organic or vegetable-based dyes as well as hand assembled and non-factory made designs.
  • Transportation
    Featured materials grown, processed, and sold close to or within Toronto, or products from companies that engage in carbon-offsetting strategies.
  • Useful life
    this section focuses more on what you design and less on the materials you use. However, environmentally-friendly materials (that fit into one of the above categories) are still preferred.
    Featured here were designs that are malleable (ie. have multiple forms or styles, for example a dress that can be worn six different ways, pants that can be removed to create shorts), have easily replaceable parts (ie. buttons are better than zippers, outfits than can easily be patched are better than those that cannot be), are durable and will be worn for a long time (ie. the fabrics are sturdy and long-lasting, the styles are classic and won’t be thrown out after one season).
  • End of life
    This last stage featured recycled materials (ie. from the clothing drive that was held earlier in the semester), organic/biodegradable materials, reused materials (ie. we featured old newspapers that were made into a dress), designs that can be easily taken apart to reuse the fabrics (ie. Make a shirt out of a square piece of fabric without cutting the fabric, so that it is possible for the shirt to be unstitched and the fabric reused).

Lastly, a presentation done by Ingrid Stefanovic, the Director for the Centre for Environment brought to a strong close the events of Environment Week at Victoria College. Her presentation on the issue of Ethics and Environment provoked a deeper questioning of wasteful behaviour.

The Environment Week committee is grateful for the kind support given by UTERN in helping to fund many of the week’s events and activities.

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