This past week, educational demonstrations were set up all over UBC as part of the #RippleEffectUBC initiative in an effort to encourage the UBC population to learn about issues related to sustainability; a growing and prominent concern today. Some of UBC’s Her Campus writers attended a few of these interesting events to keep you informed on how to make better sustinable choices and help others. Keep reading to discover issues on and off campus related to sustainability and to find out what you can do to help!
Monday:
Compost Worm Petting Zoo
This large green barrel composts waste from the SUB kitchens and turns it into useful soil for the UBC GeoGarden. Guess who does all the composting work? Worms! The bin uses a two-sided composting system to compost the waste material. Worms are moved periodically from one side of the barrel to the other. The end product goes to the bottom of the barrel and is ready to be used in gardens.
Currently only one of these compost worm systems is set up, but hopefully more are in the works!
Clear view of the top of the compost barrel with the newer materials. The finished product (darker soil) lies on the bottom.
Some of the worms dutifully composting waste from the SUB kitchens.
Map Your Happiness
UBC Psychology united with UBC SEEDS Program this week to discover the happiest places on campus and how specific environments shape our moods. Through the wind and rain in Koerner Plaza, UBC Psychology students beckoned passerbys to answer a single survey question: where on campus are you the happiest?
While the question seems basic, the process of scanning through your happiest UBC moments is a gratifying act in itself. The survey may be over, but the question is still an important one. Where on UBC have you been the happiest? How will you recreate that feeling?
Tuesday:
The Big Screen – Visualizing Sustainability
UBC graphic students and staff have worked together to create an exciting video game to help high school students learn about climate change. They created a realistic game map of the Delta area for players to complete quests and tasks related to carbon emissions and the impact of various vehicles and products on climate change. Over the summer, the game creators worked with teenagers from Delta who tested the game and made suggestions for improvements. The game is currently being assessed against the Science and Social Studies curriculum for BC schools.
The Sweet Decrease: Sorting Waste Efficiently at UBC
If you were at the bus loop at around 8am on Tuesday, you probably enjoyed a free mocha and a quick lesson on how to properly sort your cups from the UBC Sustainability Team.
Coffee cups and lids should be disposed as a recyclable container, while paper sleeves belong in the paper products bin. The efficiency of waste reduction at UBC starts with your decision at the sorting station.
UBC sends far too much to landfills on account of contamination — when compost is mixed with a large amount recyclables or garbage and needs to be sent to a landfill for disposal.
Often the most contaminated bins on campus are in the Irving K Barber Learning Center and the SUB. So please, take a look at the UBC sorting guide if you are ever unsure!
Photo credit UBC Sustainability
Food, Forests, and Fossil Fuels
Once upon a time, it seemed that there were only two types of people in the world: those that have ridden a Segway and those that have not. Tuesday’s event revealed a third, unique type – people that can ride Segways for two hours in the rain with smiles on their faces.
UBC Botanical Garden’s sustainability initiatives include educating the public about indigenous tree life, growing organic foods in the city’s oldest food garden, and promoting alternative fuels with its new Segway tours.
Dr. Tara Moreau explained that many students do not realize that their UBC Cards provide them free admission to the Garden, which can easily act as a study space on nice days. Even less commonly known is that the Botanical Garden offers Segway tours to students (and the public) for a fee.
To find out more or to inquire about volunteer work, check out this link here!
Wednesday:
UBC Bike Kitchen ReCycles
There are tonnes of abandoned bikes all over campus. Ever noticed them? Well, UBC’s Bike Kitchen has. In fact, they collect these forgotten bikes left to rust by their previous owners and give them a new life!
If bike parts are still useable, they can be used to make new bikes to become a part of the Purple and Yellow Community Bike Fleet for members to use all over campus. Other parts are sorted into appropriate categories (metals, plastics, rubber) and recycled.
Want to help the Bike Kitchen in their valiant efforts to recycle and repurpose bikes? Join them on the last Wednesday of every month for ReCycle Volunteer night from 6-9pm, or donate your old bike! (For more information about the Bike Kitchen and what they do, or to get involved, check out http://bikecoop.ca).
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By providing students with the means and motivation to live sustainably, #RippleEffectUBC reminds us that our seemingly insignificant choices such as separating a coffee cup from its sleeve, directly contribute to the state of the world we will work and live in. With its concentration of forward-thinking students, UBC provides an ideal setting to promote sustainability and pave the way for tomorrow’s innovations.
Wednesday’s UBC On Ice event displayed reusable water bottles in massive blocks of ice.