Happy New Year
Happy New Year
I wish you all a healthy, happy and sustainable new year! I am deliberately starting with this greeting recognizing that in most cultures, including our own there is a very short window of time in which this greeting is used. That means I will have to replace it with another blog soon. Is that my way of saying that I have made a new year’s resolution to blog more often….could be.
2010 is going to be an exciting one for sustainability at TRU. A new campus sustainability action plan, the start of car pooling, kick off of the sustainability speaker series, the introduction of mixed recycling…..the list is never ending. Am I dreaming..no!
The Campus Sustainability Action Plan Committee made up of representatives of all campus wide organizations will finalize the initial TRU Campus Sustainability Action Plan. It is based upon the TRU Strategic Plan and will form a framework for priority sustainability activities under three groupings, the built, natural and social/cultural environments. The full plan will be posted on this website following review and acceptance by the Environmental Advisory Committee.
Car pooling is now in place at TRU. As of January 1st 10 spots in coveted parking lots have been set aside for car pools. If you qualify go to the Parking website and sign up for your car pool permit which is half the price of a regular permit.
The Environment and Sustainability Speaker Series will kick of at 7 pm, January 14th in the Clock Tower Theatre with a Copenhagen Post Mortem. James Hunt, Czech Ministerial Representative to the process and Tria Donaldson, student environmental activist and Canadian Youth Delegate to the Conference will make presentations and participate in an audience led discussion. On January 25th there will be a “Lunch and Learn” session with Ken Ogilvie, former Executive Director of Pollution Probe the preeminent environmental NGO will address the role of NGO’s in the post Copenhagen environment. Ken is also a leading Canadian expert on sustainable organizations in Canada, having been a member of the National Round Table on Environment and the Economy and the provincial roundtables in Manitoba and Ontario. Later in the series we will feature a video conference presentation from Professor Peter Victor author of Managing Without Growth who has analyzed how the Canadian economy would fare under a more sustainable approach. Also Ted Manning, international expert on sustainable tourism who has advised such diverse audiences as the OECD and the Communist Party Central Committee of China will come to the campus in the second week of March. There will be others…stay tuned to this website for more information.
Finally, I want to let you into a little secret (it is ok to share because I suspect that there are not many of you reading this!) We are moving toward a comprehensive mixed recycling system on campus. In January it will start with paper and gradually expand to all recyclable materials over the next two to three months. Why gradually? The Facilities Department is working with the City to put the new system in place properly and that will take a bit of time. Kudos to both the City and the Facilities staff on this one!
Speaking of the facilities staff…I owe them one. I had to make a hasty and unplanned move just before Christmas (no it was not because I didn’t pay my bills!!). Jim,Mark, Norm, Per, Rick and Warren pitched in and moved me to Tobiano, and of course they are now giving me the gears for my carbon footprint. I have tried to explain to them that I have geothermal heating but being the purists that they are they are not buying it.
More soon!!!