Queen’s celebrates Sustainability Week

The 2015 edition of Queen’s annual Sustainability Week kicked off Monday, Oct. 19 with a tour of the Wolfe Island Wind Farm. Many more events are happening throughout the week, until Friday, Oct. 23, that highlight sustainability initiatives on campus and in the community.

“Sustainability Week is all about engaging the Queen’s community in sustainability through fun and informative events that highlight ways to lessen our environmental impact,” says Aaron Ball, Sustainability Manager. “New this year is a networking opportunity for students interested in careers in the renewable energy sector, and an expanded alternative transportation hub event with food and live music. I encourage everyone to attend.”

This year, sustainability week again features the theme “5 days, 5 ways," with each day highlighting a different way to live more sustainably:

One of the highlights of the week is the alternative transportation hub happening at the corner of Division and Union streets from 10 am – noon on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The event will feature live music, a food vendor, a number of sustainability-related booths including Transpass sign up, and electric vehicle testing.

Thursday, Oct. 22 will feature a career networking session for students interested the renewable energy industry, while Friday, Oct. 23 offers an eco-walk at the Queen’s University Biological Station. For more details about these and other Sustainability Week events, see the sustainability week calendar.

This week is also National Waste Reduction Week, which aims to educate Canadians about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling waste. Queen’s Sustainability Office, in partnership with the Alma Mater Society, is releasing new recycling posters and videos in an effort to simplify the waste sorting and disposal process.  In addition, a waste audit will be conducted on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in Goodes Hall, with the help of student volunteers, to provide information about the effectiveness of the waste and recycling collection program and facilities in that building.

Check out the full schedule for Sustainability Week as well as the Sustainability Office’s Facebook page.