Green Power, UNITE! UWENet News

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

UW Garden back for business

Interested gardeners!

Come out to a garden party and find out more and do some seed planting. Pizza provided.

Thursday at 7:30 in room 2105 of the SLC - March 8.

Contact Candace if interested: clstryke@fes.uwaterloo.ca

UW Community Garden Profile

The University of Waterloo Community Garden is made up of individual staff, students, and faculty who are striving to construct a common long-term gardening location on campus. The goal is to promote and practice local organic food production, offer an example of sustainable living on campus, and to educate participants about gardening and vegetable production.

The garden promotes sustainable agricultural practices as well as sustainable lifestyle choices. Urban, organic farming enables people to practice a more conscientious form of consumption: it makes unproductive land productive, diverts waste (via composting), reduces the costs of food production (both visible and hidden, environmental and economic) and improves local biodiversity (through increased organic material in the soil, propagation of a more diverse range of cultivars, attraction of bird, insect and animal life). The garden also provides a source of fresh healthy food for students on campus that may otherwise not have access.

The garden is located on university land just north of Columbia Lake on Westmount. The garden is to be run by community members associated with the University of Waterloo, each member taking on a small part of the work and responsibilities. The garden space and work is done communally. The idea is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between gardeners, of which encouraging new gardeners by providing them a support system. Two days a week are designated as gardening nights and members are encouraged to come out as often as they can. The produce is divided between the gardeners as it comes into season and excess is given to Food Not Bombs.

Several donations of seed and tools were made last year which was the first year of production. This year we were fortunately enough to secure $1000 from the Waterloo Environmental Studies Endowment Fund to purchase inputs for the garden for the 2007 season as well as to have canning parties, and garden/farm tours. The garden's focus is on sustainability and part of that is in promoting local food and food preservation.

One challenge of having the garden on campus is the fact that many students are gone during the summer. As a result, of approximately the 40 people that expressed interest in the garden only about seven gardeners committed to the garden during the growing season; many of these gardeners having never gardened before. The garden is always looking for new participants; if you are interested please contact clstryke@fes.uwaterloo.ca for more information.

There are high hopes for the 2007 season with more gardeners having been recruited and a greater awareness of the garden beginning to occur.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Green makes a good Roof

UWSP's Green Roofs Over Waterloo is hosting its first seminar of 2007!

"A measure of a green roof's wet weather performance as a stormwater source control"

UW School of Planning graduate student Kyle Vander Linden gives a brief overview green roof history and function. In addition, an investigation of a green roof in Waterloo, ON looking at the its ability to reduce the volume of runoff and improve stormwater quality.

When: Wednesday, January 31. 5:00 to 6:00pm
Where: RCH 302

Please email Emma at grow.uw@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Sign up to GROW's mailing list by emailing: grow_uw-subscribe@yahoo.com
GROW is a working group of the UW Sustainability Project.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Environment's our business, is it yours?

The University of Waterloo is hosting its first one-day Environment
and Business Conference. The aim is to promote the philosophies
concerning environment and business issues while exchanging ideas with
leading professionals, faculty and students. Also, featuring Bob
Willard as keynote speaker - a leading expert on the business value of
corporate sustainability strategies and author of The Sustainability
Advantage and The Next Sustainability Wave. The day will be filled
with workshops and panel discussions on topics such as energy
efficiency, green entrepreneurship and environmental management
systems.

Mark it down – Tuesday, March 27th 2007. To register online visit
www.ebconference.ca

Making the Environment your business … It just makes Cents!Envir

Sunday, January 14, 2007

What a neat conference!

A great possibility - for the UN Environment Programme...

Nomination Criteria
* For candidates to be considered their birthdates must fall strictly
between 8 September 1984 and 8 September 1992.
* Candidates must be nominated by their organizations and must be active
members.
* Only nominations from organizations working on or interested in
environmental and sustainable development issues will be considered.
* Each nomination must have two candidates - one female and one male.
But only one of them will be elected (Please note that applications will not
be considered unless the above is fulfilled).
* All nominations must reach UNEP on or before 28 February 2007.

For more details and to apply visit the website and complete the application
form:
http://www.unep.org/tunza/youthconference/

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Climate Change is real! What do we do?

UW Sustainability Project

The first general meeting of the term has been organized for Monday, January
15, 2007 at 11:30-12:30 AND/OR 3:30-4:30 in SLC 3103 (right beside our
office). The two times are set up to try and accommodate everyone's
schedules, so come when you can and find out what UWSP and its working
groups have planned for this term.


Tegan Renner
UWSP Coordinator
Email: uwspmail@gmail.com

North Campus Development - sports centre on Env Reserve?

The university of waterloo has approved the development of a sports centre on the environmental reserve on north campus. It is now up to the city of waterloo to approve the proposal. The final public consultation is being held at the waterloo rec centre on father david bauer drive. Come to share your thoughts on this issue.

Name: UW North Campus Environmental Assessment: Public Consultation
Last stand for social and environmental justice
Time and Place
Date: Thursday, January 11, 2007
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Waterloo Recreation Centre
Street: Father David Bauer

from Facebook (Nicholas Schwetz)
EMail darcyhiggins@gmail.com

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Have a couple hours this week?

If you have some time before the municipal election - Please help promote the Waterloo Moraine to the public.

Email David Wellhauser if you can help pass out flyers, so people will vote for groundwater protection in this election! Come out with a friend.
davidwellhauser@yahoo.ca

see Imprint: http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=442&Itemid=74&issuedate=2006-11-03

- Darcy

Friday, November 03, 2006

Tree Huggers!

Member groups in the UW Environment Network are once again walking/biking/dancing/hooping their way through the KW Santa Claus Parade this year!

Last year, students got together with community activists and had too much fun.

Details
We meet at King & University for a 10:00 start at 8:30 (can be after that time).

You have the opprortunity to ride one of the fun bikes:
http://www.bikeforest.com/
(New this year: pick-up truck bike)
EMail: brent@bikeforest.com

Wear santa hats and other fun christmas clothes - and dress up your bikes with flagpoles and enviro logos.

All info can be found by emailing Susan Koswan: dandelion@gto.net

Darcy - darcyhiggins@gmail.com

Climate Change Fair and Campus Sustainability events!



Check it out, November 7th and 8th.

Come by the SLC for lots of games, prizes, interactive booths, presentations and speakers from 2-6:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday night

Sustainable Design: Building For The Future
Tuesday, November 7th, 7:00-8:30pm in RCH 309

(more info at bottom)

Wednesday night

showing of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH in the Great Hall of the SLC at 7:00 and 9:00!
If you haven't yet seen it, or want to be inspired again!
http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Still time to volunteer to help with games - email Tegan:
uwspmail@gmail.com to sign up.

UWSP - Waste Management - Clearing a Path - STEP



>INTERESTED IN ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND SUSTAINABILITY? Then here is
an event you don't want to miss!

STEP is proud to present Sustainable Design: Building For The Future.
This seminar will be given by Ken Brooks of HOK Canada, an
award-winning architectural and interior design firm, and will be held
Tuesday, November 7th, 7:00-8:30pm in RCH 309.

Since the early 1990s, HOK has worked toward integrating
sustainability into its entire practice, driving sustainable design
for every building type, geographic region, and budget level. This
kind of integrated design is changing the way we think about
development. Learn about this exciting field from one of the world's
leading architectural firms.

For a more in-depth introduction to HOK Canada's projects,
achievements and philosophy, visit their website at
http://hokcanada.com/index.htm.

We look forward to seeing you there!

http://www.step.uwaterloo.ca

UWEN Minutes, November 1, 2006

UWENET Meeting:

1. In attendance: Alex Chunaco (GLOW), Tegan Renner (UWSP), Darcy Higgins (Campus Greens),
minutes: Justin Williams (ES Society)

2. UWSP Climate Change Fair (Tegan)
Tuesday and Wednesday next week
- They are in need of volunteers for the event (This Thursday at 3-4:30 in Rm 3103 in the SLC or during event)
- Events of the fair = pin the tale on the donkey, climate change jeopardy,
- Giving away trees, GRT bus tickets
- If you would like to help email Tegan or going to the Thursday meeting
- uwspmail@gmail.com
- Societies, please post to students in your faculty

3. Santa Claus Parade
- Last year UWSP / Campus Greens went with the bike forest group and local environmentalists to the Santa Claus Parade (mix students and community groups) – Called the tree huggers
- November 18th is going to be when the event is held
- Darcy will post the event online

4. The Progressive Alliance
- Last fall when UWENET was formed, there weren’t many groups like us
- Group at Ithaca College in the states formed (Activist organization)
The have events every other week – events are the Progressive Alliance and all the other groups there
- They might be a good model to look at
- Give the organization a broader mandate

5. U – Pass (bus pass)
- Likely referendum in February – Email Darcy if you would like to be involved
- Could also email Michelle Zakrison at pres@feds.ca – to express your interest

6. Sustainability Office – Clearing a Path
- Is progressing very well
- Justin and Darcy will report to the group when there is more information

7. Other Business
- Darcy mentioned that WPIRG is having two Climate change events

8. For Next Term
- Please send Justin your availability for next term! uwenet@gmail.com
- That way we can meet right away

Next meeting time will be announced.