Articles from:November 2022

• ‘Tis the Season to be Sustainable

  Sunday, November 20, 2022 | By Amanda Smits

  

  By: Kassie Burns

  As snow starts to fall and holidays quickly approach, we thought it would be a perfect time to share 5 tips to create a more sustainable holiday season! Although holidays often bring friends and family together, it can generate incredible amounts of waste through food and décor. Luckily, there are some tips that can allow you to enjoy your company and give back to our environment!

  1. Cook for your guests and not the neighbourhood!

  If you associate turkey, lavish meals, and stuffed stomachs with winter holidays you are not alone, but it is important to consider the amount of food you make to avoid waste!

  • Try to plan ahead to know how many guests to cook for and if they plan to bring food.
  • Avoid buying in bulk and know the ingredients you have at home.
  • Think of people’s favourites so they want to eat it all and change up foods that were not a hit!
  • Tell your meal ideas to someone else to see if you might want to cut back on anything.

  2. Turn leftovers into new delicious meals!

  Sometimes leftovers are inevitable, but they do not have to be a chore to eat!

  • Have fun being creative to come up with ways to use your leftovers! For some inspiration head over to Insanely Good Recopies to turn holiday leftovers into meals you will definitely want again!
  • Try to utilize all parts of food, turkey and other meat bones are great for making delicious broths!
  • If there is food waste, make sure to compost it!

  3. Purchase ingredients locally and/or grow your own!

  • Buying local is an excellent way to help support your community!
  • Look for ethically sourced ingredients!
  • Go wild and choose plant-based ingredients only or reduce the amount of meat in your meal!
  • Visit Brock’s Seed Library to start growing your own ingredients at no cost! Things like herbs can be grown in doors anytime of the year!

  4. Leave plastic behind and decorate with organic material!

  • Why spend money on decorations this year when you can utilize beautiful pinecones, natural wreaths, assorted branch display and other greenery! After the holidays, these items can be saved or composted.
  • Save and reuse the decorations you already have!
  • Avoid using inflatable decorations to save energy (Nettos, 2020).
  • Consider alternative means of wrapping presents with cloths, tins, jars, reusable material found at home or paper!

  5. Enjoy the weather outside!

  • Skip time on screens and electronic devices and instead spend time outside this year on the amazing trails of Niagara! Click here for a list in your area.
  • Brock itself is situated on a UNESCO Biosphere and has several beautiful trails including the Bruce Trail. Learn more on trails that surround Brock here.
  • Have fun making snow angels, forts, and snow people!

  Share your sustainable winter holidays online with us @BUsustaibale on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to be highlighted on our story!

  References:

  Nettos, M. (2020, October 29). Five Tips On How to Have a Sustainable At-Home Halloween. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://brocku.ca/sustainability/2020/10/29/five-tips-on-how-to-have-a-sustainable-at-home-halloween/

  https://brocku.sharepoint.com/sites/ESRC2018/FM/Shared%20Documents/Communications/Photos/Campus%20-%20Outdoors/Seasonal%20Photos/Tree%20Branch%20with%20Berries%20Covered%20in%20Snow.JPG

   

  Categories: Student Contributor, Sustainability

• Taking Climate Action

  Friday, November 04, 2022 | By Amanda Smits

  

  By: Kassie Burns

  Day by day more horror stories continue to be released about the world being on fire or underwater and it is time we heard the earth’s plea. The International Day of Climate Action took place on October 24^th, where we were all challenged to participate in taking climate change actions. We list several ways you can make a difference down below, but first we thought it is important to celebrate the climate action achievements that have been undertaken over the past year. This year alone several major accomplishments have been made and we would like to recognize the hard work and dedication given through some of the many stories that exist across campus.

  Celebrating Climate Action Achievements 2022

  The first ever Niagara Climate Change Summit was held late June that brought together partners of Brock University, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, and hosted by the Niagara Region. The event was streamed online for all community members to view morning discussions that was followed by offline conversations of stakeholders to understand the local impact of climate change.

  International Development Week, was hosted by Brock that provided a week-long series held virtually that brought awareness to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

  Brock University continues to foster education in sustainability after the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre launched their PhD in Sustainability Science, the first of its kind in Canada. The inaugural candidates in the program started their studies this fall 2022!

  Additionally, a new program in Earth and Planetary Science Communication will be added for Fall 2023 that allows students to explore space and climate change while promoting global communication through storytelling.

  Brock University Master of Public Health student, Shannon Bird, has been developing an educational lesson plan to help engage youth in sustainability through artwork. The program allows youth to have their voice heard in conversations. She recently won the National Collaborating Centres for Public Helath Knowledge Translation Graduate Student Award for her work!

  On Earth Day, Brock University students in the course Climate Crisis raised funds to plant a Ginkgo biloba tree outside of Mackenzie Chown to help elevate some of the emissions caused from time spent on laptops.

  Baharak Razaghirad, research assistant, and Marilyne Jollineau, lead of Brock’s Lincoln Living Lab, created an urban tree canopy assessment for the Town of Lincoln in the summer. Together they communicated the socio-environmental benefits of trees, mapped current tree locations, identified priority locations in need of planting, and more to help the community adapt to climate change.

  New ground was covered in The Purdhommes Project as a workshop was held in June to develop a tool to assess multifunctional landscapes in the Town of Lincoln. It will specifically help the Town acquire criteria to establish these landscapes in hope to promote resilience and sustainable community development.

  Brock took great pride in announcing Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) was credited as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building! The certification is recognized globally that looks for efficient energy in carbon and green buildings, which is especially difficult to achieve with older structures.

  We hosted two sustainability challenges this year to encourage Brock students to participate in sustainable actions by everyday lifestyle choices. The challenge gave students the opportunity to track actions that also brought awareness to the impact individual actions. Together the last challenge alone saved approximately 15,000 kg of CO₂, diverted 1,100 kg of waste from landfills and saved 128,000 L of water!

  Two Brock University Master of Sustainability candidates received a grant from the World Wildlife Fund – Canada (WWF) to form a seed library. The seeds are available at James A. Gibson Library on campus free of charge! Students are kindly asked to plant the seeds and then return harvested seeds from the plants they have grown to continue the cycle. The library helps collect and distribute rare and native seeds to promote genetic diversity in the region!

  This year the winners of the Sustainability Poetry Contest was announced at a virtual event that created an inspirational discussion on sustainability and promotes the power of language in art.

  A webinar series to discuss the climate emergency and sports through a partnership with Brock University’s Centre for Sport Capacity and University of British Columbia’s Centre for Sport and Sustainability took place in February. The conversation took a critical lens at how sports will be impacted by the climate crisis and how to offset changes.

  Initiatives to Take Climate Action

  Everyone can act on climate change; see how you can participate today with some easy initiatives from the United Nations!

  1. Eat more vegetables
  2. Walk bike or take public transit
  3. Throw away less food
  4. Consider an electric vehicle
  5. Try repairing items instead of replacing them
  6. Reduce the amount you travel by airplane
  7. Use less water (be mindful of shower times, turn the tap off while brushing teeth, and use appropriate laundry load sizes)
  8. Be aware of eco-conscious products/services
  9. Save energy at home (unplug electronics, dress appropriately to lower heating/cooling, use LED light bulbs, wash clothes with cold water and hang them to dry)
  10. Let your voice be heard (seek out climate strikes, join clubs, vote for people who support the environment)

  Whether it is joining climate rallies or using less water, we all have the power to make a difference each and every day! Tag us at BUsustainable to shows how you are taking action and making a difference in your community.

  References

  United Nations. (N/A). Start with these ten actions. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/actnow/ten-actions

   

  Categories: Activism, Climate Change, Student Contributor