A Sustainable Campus
I've watched with pleasure the last few years as the University has adopted a number of measures to make the campus more sustainable. You can read more about the policies here. There's still a long way to go - several sections of the sustainability outline are still blank, and most of the ideas tend more towards turning off lights and using recycled paper than more radical solutions. I'm still dreaming of energy-efficient buildings, permaculture gardens, and something other than plastic throwaway containers in the ref. But it's a start.
I've also been thinking a little about what I can do to make my little section of the university more ethical/sustainable. There seems to be this odd, liminal space around work...many people use earth-friendly detergents, save water, buy fairtrade, etc at home, and many people dedicate their lives to working on projects that make the world a better place. But when it comes to work-spaces, it can be easy to feel like you have very little control and it's someone else's responsibility (or at least, that's how I often feel). So I've decided to augment the university's policies with a couple of small steps of my own:
* I've put out a compost bin in the kitchen for food scraps and tea bags. There's a worm farm on campus, although it takes some finding (it's behind the centre for legumes), so every couple of days I take our compost there. It was looking a bit abandoned, so today I bought in some worms from home and set them free in there.
* A while ago one of the women in my department brought in a whole lot of fairtrade tea and coffee for the kitchen, as well as information on how to order more. It's a great idea, and a good way to introduce people to fairtrade products, so I'll restock the supply now and then.
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Image courtesy of Zombizi.