Greening Biology Brainstorming Lunch – Summary
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 1. Recycling o Differences between cities re: whether it all goes together, etc. o Put recycling bins next to garbage cans to reduce contamination. o Garbage cans got stolen from 4th floor (used to be more of them). o Each lab could collect recyclables and bring them down (weekly) to a central drop-off location. o Disposal procedures in general not very clear – a way to integrate it all together? o Negotiate with janitors (to add more work for them – contract negotiations?) or do it ourselves within labs o Outside the building – groundskeepers; inside the building – janitors o What about big bin outside the restaurant? Does everything just go in there? o Need to increase the number/visibility of signs detailing what does/doesn’t go into each receptacle. 2. Bike Security & Storage o Bike lockers or secure space in parking garage to lock bicycles o More bike racks or bike racks that can fit a larger number of bikes (like in Europe) o Is there an organization in the city that will manage the bike racks? o Showers in the building would encourage more people to bike to campus – potential to convert one of the between floors bathrooms into a shower room? o Showers are available for use in the McIntyre Building o Are there regulations for how many washrooms there must be for a given number of people? o Talk to Anna McNicoll (Building Director) or Maria (Administrative Officer). o Would be good to have more covered racks o Garage is not completely utilized – would be space in there for some bike racks. o Put signs in bike racks saying “You’re being watched” or “This is under surveillance”, even if there is no surveillance, to deter thieves o Bait bike program o Where do bikes usually get stolen? Could focus security actions (e.g. dummy camera). o Security stuff takes time and somebody will have to be paid for that time – better to choose initiatives that don’t require extra work for somebody. o Montreal police will put a number on your bike so they can return it to you if it gets recovered after being stolen. 3. Composting o Mona Bissada has a vermicomposting station for BIOL 112 – she has one class/lab devoted to composting o Could coordinate something with Organic Campus or Gorilla Composting to sell the compost/fertilizer? o Could put the composter outside o Could just collect compostable material here and compost it off site – potential to partner with Gorilla Composting to do this? 4. Lab Waste o Paper towels – people use a lot, even though they are from recycled paper
o Could switch to more absorbent paper or get dispensers that encourage more conservative consumption? o Generic paper towels supplied by the University o Styrofoam – is there a way to recycle it? o Possible to return it to companies – find out which companies will accept them back o Could set up a fund for compensating lab expenses to do something more sustainable. o Create an award for the lab that improves sustainability the most o Chemicals and Equipment – often not used a lot by the lab that buys it o Create a central chemical database or equipment database o There already is one for radioactives o Saves money o Have one at Ottawa U – run through Science Stores, keeps track whenever someone orders a chemical o How to avoid contamination when lending chemicals? o Does Biology Stores have a database already? o Equipment giveaways/ needs – electronic notice board? o A way to recycle bottles for “bio hazards”? o Consider setting up a lab waste reduction program that would incorporate/involve different Departments (Biology, Biochemistry, etc). 5. Fair Trade Coffee o Can we have it available somewhere in the building? o Coffee machine in coffee room – ordering goes through administrative officer, coffee supplied by the company o Talk to Maria re: coffee machine o Talk to restaurant about offering it as an option. Key Items for Future Action o Recycling – education & more bins o Bike racks in the parking garage o Paper towels o Fair trade coffee – talk to restaurant o Styrofoam