Christina VarvisStudents will have a chance to re-up their knowledge on everything from the oil sands to cooking, as the eighth annual Sustainability Awareness Week (SAW) is set to kick off on Oct. 19.
Hosted by the University of Alberta’s Office of Sustainability, SAW will be coming to campus from Oct. 19 to 23. Involving a multitude of on and off-campus organizations, the event’s organizers aim to provide students with the opportunity to learn about environmental, social and economic stability.
Every event on the calendar is led by a different group when it comes to sustainability, Office of Sustainability Coordinator Lisa Dockman said. Groups on campus involved with SAW this year include Healthnuts, The Landing, EcoCar Team, Energy Club, Oilsands Student Delegation and Campus Vert, among others.
“That’s what makes SAW really unique, is the number of groups involved,” Dockman said.
SAW will commence with a barbecue in Quad, and events will range from film screenings to bike-maintenance workshops. Students can bring used clothes to the Clothing Swap in SUB Basement and have their old electronics recycled at the SUB loading dock. University faculty are also hosting a panel, and Dockman said she is excited to see them involved.
“There’s a climate change panel that profs from the U of A are hosting,” Dockman said. “They’re going to share their research and generate some buzz for the climate change talks in Paris later this year.”
In addition, those who sign up will be able to visit sustainability sites around Edmonton. Ranging from the Waste Management Centre to a tour highlighting the variety of trees on campus, Dockman pointed to a tour of the newly-constructed Mosaic building as something to look forward to.
“It’s Edmonton’s first net-zero commercial building, which means it generates as much energy via solar and geothermal as it consumes,” Dockman said. “Many people said that would be impossible in Edmonton.”
In scheduling all of the events for SAW, Dockman said that keeping options open for attendees was important.
“People can come to as many or as few events as they like,” Dockman said. “A lot of these things are designed as a taste of sustainability, and only last an hour or two.”
For students interested in adding to their academic experience, there will be various information sessions on sustainability-related courses, as well as the newly-minted Certificate in Sustainability program. In addition, networking events like Green Drinks at Dewey’s are also scheduled.
With the new Campus Sustainability Plan being released in early 2016, Dockman said the process of drafting the plan brought many new influences to SAW.
“In the process of making a plan like that, you talk to a lot of people,” Dockman said. “They learn your ideas about sustainability as an institution, and that opens doors for them to become more involved.”
Dockman also encouraged students who might be hesitant to come see what all the events had to offer.
“It doesn’t have to take a lot of time,” Dockman said. ”You could take a few minutes to come by the Sustainability Fair, or a few hours for the tour. There’s a lot of stud to do and ways to get involved.”
From his perspective, Office of Sustainability Communications Coordinator Trevor Chow-Fraser said he hopes that SAW’s events will make students broaden their horizons when it comes to sustainability.
“Something that will surprise people about SAW is the breadth of topics that are covered,” Chow-Fraser said. “It’s not just about energy saving and recycling, we talk a lot about social inclusion, community, and the economics of how it all works as well.”
