Some students take part in initiatives in collaboration with the Office of Campus Sustainability or the Students’ Union (UOSU) Sustainability Centre, while others act independently to promote sustainable development on campus. You too can be part of the movement!
Where should you start? Here’s a list of some projects you can join as a volunteer or that could inspire you to act to improve sustainability through small steps or deeper involvement.
Everything’s for free
The Free Store is our favourite on-campus thrift shop. Donate what you don’t use anymore or pick up some free items. You can also volunteer at the Free Store and help create a waste-free campus. The Free Store is located at 25 University Private, room 121 (in the Thompson building).
The Period Project provides free menstrual products at various locations on campus. The project is the fruit of a collaboration between various services, including Student Wellness and the Office of Campus Sustainability.
Fight food waste with Free Food Alert, an app that sends you notifications when you can get free food on campus. Subscribe to Free Food Alert.
Pollinator gardens
A pollinator garden is a green space that increases biodiversity and adds to human wellness. The Marion garden, developed by Victoria Rose-King and her team, aims to encourage community involvement with the environment. Additionally, there are the Simard–Hamelin courtyard and the Fauteux Hall Pollinator Patio, launched by students Danielle Pazdzior and Laura Casciaro through a Students’ Union sustainability grant. These initiatives help create greener, more sustainable spaces on campus.
Become a Green Rep
Get directly involved through the Green Rep program and take part in interactive workshops, plan events and lead interesting initiatives like making your own environmentally-friendly cosmetics! Beyond contributing to sustainability, you could receive a Co-Curricular Record mention and build your leadership skills.
No need to be an expert to sign up!
“Sustainability is a very cross-cutting field. It’s not just about protecting the planet. It’s also a question of human rights, communication, health care. You don’t need to be in a program related to the environment to get involved.”
Norah Bello
— Sustainable Development Centre Coordinator, University of Ottawa Students’ Union
Muggy Mondays
Wednesday mornings, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., student volunteers serve you free coffee, hot chocolate or tea at the Wellness Lounge. Bring your reusable mug or volunteer with Muggy Mondays!
Organic farmer’s box
The organic fruit and vegetable box initiative is an opportunity for you to receive local, fresh and in-season products right on campus, while supporting a Canadian producer. Inspired by Coraline, an international student from France, the box is proof that you can launch a project that’s a real improvement in campus sustainability.
Anti-collision windows for birds
In partnership with Bird Safe Campus at the University of Ottawa and the Office of Campus Sustainability, in 2021, Vanessa Hum and seven volunteers painted drawings on the University Centre passageway using oil paint markers. A year later, Maria Gomez Umaña and student volunteers covered an additional 18 glass panel mural with the designs of UOSU Sustainability Centre volunteers. You too can bring your markers and help protect birds from often fatal collisions, while turning campus windows into works of art.
Green roofs
The green roof project owes its existence to the contributions of students who worked for a long time to implement it. Today, the campus has eight buildings with green roofs, which cool them as well as offer shelter for insects and further sustainable development. Have you ever seen the Tabaret Hall green terrace?
Growcer
Founded by two students from the Telfer School of Management Enactus chapter, Growcer is a hydroponic food system able to produce up to 5,000 kg of food all year long. Learn more about the project. You can even take training to learn hydroponic growing basics.
Little Free Libraries
Students Élizabeth Lacroix and Makenna Cavarzan, recipients of a UOSU Centre for Sustainable Development sustainability grant, set up a book exchange project, encouraging both reduced paper consumption and access to reading. The “libraries,” made from recycled materials, have been installed at various locations on campus. If you notice one, feel free to take a book and leave a book to keep the initiative going.
Community gardens
There are over 50 community gardens on campus! Apply for your free plot to grow your food independently and support food sustainability.
Sustainability during Reading Week
Complete up to 30 volunteer hours in a week by taking part in a workshop on reducing campus overconsumption, to better understand waste management and share your ideas with us about University practices.
Course-based or extracurricular volunteeering
Some courses, like BIO 3115 or ENV 1101, give students the opportunity to have learning experiences in the field. To know which courses offer community service learning, log into the Community Engagement Navigator through your uoZone account and select Placements, Options and Courses. You can select a term, a specific course or the topic Environment.
To know what’s available outside the classroom, check the Community Engagement Navigator regularly as well and register for volunteer placements related to campus sustainability.
Other opportunities to get involved
To not miss out on opportunities to get involved, subscribe to the Office of Campus Sustainability’s volunteer newsletter and stay up to date on current opportunities.
Tell us about your ideas
Got an idea? To get support to implement your project, email the Office of Campus Sustainability at sustainable@uOttawa.ca.
University of Ottawa sustainable development objectives
The University of Ottawa has three main sustainable development objectives:
- Becoming a carbon-neutral campus by 2040
- Becoming a zero-waste campus by 2050
- Having at least half of uOttawa faculties and services offer sustainability-related volunteer or experiential learning opportunities
As Jonathan Rausseo, a campus sustainability expert, says, “Sustainable development isn’t a destination — it’s a journey.”
What’s more, even if the results aren’t immediate, the final goal remains an inspiration.