Eco-friendly Initiatives on Campus
The Globe & Mail Canadian University Report 2012 ranks UWinnipeg first in Canada for its environmental commitment. UWinnipeg adopted a comprehensive new sustainability plan aimed at strengthening eco-friendly practices in all aspects of campus life in January 2012, building on numerous initiatives already underway, including:
• An energy retrofit of our main campus over the next three years that we hope will reduce Green House Gas emissions from core buildings by 1,200 tonnes. This represents about 25% of last year’s total emissions.
• A major water retrofit project was started this year so all bathrooms on campus will be outfitted with low-flow toilets and sinks. Doug Foster, UWinnipeg’s plumber, developed and implemented a retrofit program that promises to save the University in excess of one million gallons of water every year.
• An in-depth LEED certification process by the Canada Green Building Council: McFeetors Hall: Great-West Life Student Residence and The University of Winnipeg Students’ Association Daycare Centre joined an elite group of eco-friendly buildings in Manitoba by achieving Silver LEED status in November.
• A partnership with the Forks Renewal Corporation to send all campus food scraps, containers and cutlery to the Forks to be turned into compost for landscaping, allowing for a neighbourhood-level solution to waste management.
• A hybrid heating system is being installed that will enable the University to replace higher-emitting natural gas with lower-emitting hydro electricity during off-peak times.
• A move to be the first university in Canada to ban bottled water for sale, eliminating thousands of plastic water bottles which had been sold on campus annually.
• Introduction of a sustainable, locally sourced food service on campus called Diversity Foods.
• Use of phosphate-free detergents and environmentally friendly cleaning products on campus.
Bike Lab ‘Carves’ Home For Cyclists On Campus
Photo credit: Jacqueline Young
The UWSA Bike Lab is a revolutionary cycling education and advocacy facility that provides the space, tools and support to allow students, faculty, staff, and community members to keep their bicycles running smoothly all year long.
Community outreach programs — including cycling repair, build-a-bike, and cycling safety workshops — will be running over the spring and summer as well as during regular community access hours on Thursday evenings from 4:00-8:00 PM.
For more information, contact bikelab@theuwsa.ca or
UWSA Outreach and Special Project Coordinator Ted Turner
at 204.786.9779.