SUSB Sustainability Fund Projects

To date the Students’ Union Sustainability Board (SUSB) has awarded over $45,675 to a variety of student-led projects through its Sustainability Fund. These projects, while diverse, showcase how your Students’ Union (SU) is actively supporting students in creating a healthier, greener and more environmentally responsible campus.

SUSB Sustainability Fund Projects to date:

MacEwan Student Centre Waste Audit

A waste audit by 2cg Waste Management Consultant Services was conducted at MacEwan Student Centre (MSC) on March 27 and 28, 2008.

The goal of this audit was to determine waste composition, the effectiveness of current source separation programs and to identify additional waste that could be diverted. The audit also established baseline waste composition data for MacEwan Student Centre.  A final waste audit analysis was received on May 29, 2008.

This analysis will be used to determine benchmark levels of waste. The waste audit recommendations suggested that MSC set a waste diversion goal of 40%, which would require an estimated 92 tonnes per year of additional waste diversion, based on 2007 data. This additional waste diversion will need to come from current recycling programs and new recycling programs. SUSB is currently developing recommendations on how to improve current recycling initiatives and identify possible new initiatives that will decrease the amount of waste generated at the MSC.

Eat Dirt: Campus Composting Pilot Project

Organics collection is currently overseen by U of C Operations and Maintenance but was started out as a student-led project called Eat Dirt in September 2008. Funded by the Students’ Union Sustainability Board, Eat Dirt piloted organics collection at three pre-consumer food vendors and a post-consumer collection bin in ICT.

Students’ Union facilities staff assisted with transfer of the waste to the composting site that has been determined and approved by the university. The SU Sustainability Board (SUSB) and the  U of C Office of Sustainability provided technical support to the project group. To learn more about Eat Dirt visit http://www.ucalgary.ca/eatdirt

Fair Trade Fair

A grant was provided to the World University Services of Canada (WUSC) campus club to offset costs of educational material, advertising, promotion and sale of fair trade products in MacEwan Student Centre.

My Market

My Market is a student-led initiative which promotes sustainability through the sale of local goods.  This includes the sale of local and organic produce, as well as, local artisan works.

The market also provides opportunities to create awareness on various social and environmental developments and issues on and off campus.  Supporting student initiatives, such as artistic showcases, gives students an opportunity to get their work out to a larger community and create awareness of issues that matter to students.

With the sale of quality used goods My Market also provides an opportunity for low-income students to fill the income gaps they experience while also reducing waste on campus.

Bound and Copied Cloth Bags

In the interest of decreasing the number of plastic bags in landfills, your SU’s used bookstore, bound and Copied, successfully transitioned to the use of cloth bags thanks to funding from the SUSB Sustainability Fund.

Stor Composting

Decreasing waste is a priority of your SU. Your SU’s convenience stor, the Stor successfully implemented its own compost program to reduce waste in MacEwan Student Centre.

Greenlite Arts Festival

The Greenlite Arts Festival is a celebration of our local arts and environmental communities working together to increase awareness and affect social change. The festival’s mandate is to showcase the film and photographic works of students and local artists and provide an experience that goes beyond passive viewing through experiential learning. The festival will raise awareness of interconnected ecological, social, and economic themes at the local and global community levels to provoke dialogue and stimulate effective action.

The annual festival will serves to jump start Earth Week activities in April. The festival hosted the following environmentally-themed activities:

• Digital Photography Competition
• Film Competition
• All-Night 24 hour Eco Film Challenge
• “Tools of the Trade” Artist Program (TTAP)
•  Best in Show Exhibition
• Daily Short Exhibition Program  on NUTV’s CCTV network
• Eco-Themed Documentary Screening

Water and Electricity Usage

The SU is committed to continually improving its environmental performance and ensuring a safe and healthy environment.  There are more than 30 areas within the SU main offices that are controlled only by manual light switches. The SU has installed motion detectors on the light switches that will automatically turn the lights off when no one needs them, resulting in significant energy savings. All fixtures in the two washrooms in the SU office have been replaced with efficient water saving sanitary hardware and fittings including taps that stop water flow after a pre-set time and dual flush toilets that flush on either 4 or 2.6 litres of water, a saving of up to 52%.