The zero-waste movement, a project aimed at reducing the amount of waste we produce, has become increasingly popular over the years. In October 2017, the Dish Project, an organization on campus aimed at decreasing waste through lending reusable dishware to student groups, started a Zero-Waste Week at Concordia. This year, Concordia will be having another Zero-Waste week that will take place from October 22 to October 26. The week’s events will be hosted by the Dish Project, the Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR), Concordia’s Zero-Waste Program, and Sustainable Concordia. Zero-Waste Week will include several free events and workshops over the course of five days that encourage students to take small steps to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, shed light on the harmful impact excessive waste leaves on the earth, and educate students on sustainability.
“Our goal really is to start a conversation about waste reduction at Concordia,” said Maya Provencal, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at The Dish Project. “A waste audit done in the 2016-2017 school year found that Concordia was sending 966 metric tonnes of waste to the landfill annually.”
This year’s workshops are diverse and provide students with many opportunities to explore the zero-waste movement. Some workshops are more hands-on and involve activities like making beeswax wraps and reusable produce bags, and others are more educational, such as the Waste Justice 101 Workshop and a workshop about dumpster diving.
“While some workshops focus on individual change, like the composting workshop hosted by the dish project and the reuse and DIY workshops offered by CUCCR and the SHED [Sustainable Hands-On Education and Design], others look at waste reduction from a more global perspective, examining the world’s waste crisis as a product of systemic issues such as capitalism and over-consumption,” said Provencal on the workshops offered.
A sustainable campus and society start with small steps. Educating yourself on eco-friendly practices and why it is important is a fantastic way to start. Check out this year’s events and find out more information on their Facebook page here!
Edited by: Amanda Cloutier-Santos