Hello readers! My name is Skye and I was one of the UVSP's work-study students this past year. I've just finished my first year in Anthropology at UVic, and have returned home to Manitoba for the summer months. I wanted to write this blog post to talk about some of the sustainable habits that I am striving to create this summer! These six habits will hopefully take me one step closer to reducing my environmental footprint, and create achievable practices for sustainable living that will follow me into the next school year.

When spring cleaning mode hits, I always accumulate piles of clothing items that I have been neglecting during the school year. Summer is a great time to get rid of unwanted items, and make some spending money. Using websites created for selling items secondhand, such as Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji, will allow you to curate your wardrobe, and keep clothing items out of the dumpster!

A small backyard garden can be a great introduction into sustainable food growth, and working in your garden can be a very rewarding summer activity. Raised garden beds can be found at stores such as Canadian Tire, or they can be a fun DIY project. Vegetables such as carrots and lettuce are super easy to grow, and are easily incorporated into every day meals. 
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Adding pollinating plants in amongst the other plants in your garden is a great way to increase the pollinator activity in, and around your area. Just make sure to pick plants that are native to the area that you are in! 

Volunteering with groups in your community is not only a great way to give back to your community and the environment, but it is also a great way to educate yourself. Environmental NGOs and volunteer groups that do various activities such as invasive species pulls and beach cleanups offer great opportunities to meet passionate peers and people who are experienced in their fields. Although books and documentaries are great resources for learning more about the environment around you, there is nothing like doing hands-on work.

Plant based meals can greatly reduce your environmental footprint  if you are intentional with them. Many people call themselves ‘Locavores’ and choose to primarily eat food sourced from their own communities. Local food sourcing is often easiest in the summer, boasting plenty of farmers markets with local vendors selling fresh food products. Understanding where your food comes from and how it was grown can increase your awareness of your carbon footprint and environmental impact, and respect for the places in which you live, work, and play.

Instead of throwing out clothing that has been damaged, summer break is a great time to learn how to either repair old clothing yourself, or find local clothing repair businesses. Watch tutorials on YouTube, or ask friends and family to teach you. This will not only keep clothing in your weekly rotation, but also add unique touches to your clothing items. You can even find some cool patches at thrift stores that can be added to larger rips or tears!

Summer break can be a great time to catch up on any reading goals that you might have set for yourself at the beginning of the year. I always take advantage of the nice weather and read outside before and after work days. Reading is also a great way to educate yourself and broaden your perspectives. The UVSP has created a Goodreads list that includes a great selection of books, perfect for reading on long summer days — which I think is worth checking out!

​This blog post includes the Q & A component of the Zero Waste Bulk Shopping Info-Session hosted by the UVSP with guest speaker Sally McIntyre, an employee at Zero Waste Emporium and the chair of Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Island. This event was hosted on December 14, 2020. 

​Look at your trash and see if there are areas where you can reduce your waste in
Use up what you already have first before going out to buy new zero-waste products
Share with one another useful tips/resources you find about living minimally

​Buy something that you’re going to use every day and is useful
A food container, especially ones made out of steel, as those are very versatile
Something to clean dishes with, such as a bottle brush with wooden handles
Things you can’t easily DIY
Beeswax wraps to help prevent food waste 
Bamboo toothbrushes (Side note: Only the bamboo handle is compostable. The bristles are plastic and has to be plucked out with pliers and recycled after finishing with the toothbrush) 

​Having a list before coming into the store 
Calling the store if they have it in stock before actually going in 
Come in with pre-washed containers or bags (Zero Waste Emporium has pre-weighed containers that others have donated that you can use, as well as jars for you to use that is by deposit)
Be prepared when coming in
Don’t be intimidated or afraid to ask questions; all the workers at zero waste stores want to help you 

​Sally came to Vancouver Island after the completion of her masters degree and began volunteering with Surfrider Foundation. She then worked with a consulting company, but realized that her workplace didn’t have the same values in terms of environmental conservation. She decided to switch gears last year and apply to Zero Waste Emporium. 
Sally talked of how important it is that no matter what work you do, that your work environment shares the same values as you. Since you spend every day with them, it’s important to make sure it’s healthy for you and you’re passionate about what you do. 
Sally works at Zero Waste Emporium because of passion and purpose. With working at Zero Waste Emporium, she is helping people transition their life and building community by talking about lifestyle changes.

“People that look at this movement usually see it as new and trendy, and people usually jump it on because it’s trendy and not making the connection between the environment and the movement. We need to recognize where these ideas come from in order to diversify and decolonize it. A lot of these ways of living have been around for thousands of years. For example, Sally has a friend from India who already had stainless steel containers. He came from a city where people were already living this way for generations and making things from the plants around them and not terminating anything. It is important to recognize the people that have done this for generations, and involve them more in conversations. To live how our ancestors did and the people who were on this land. When you look deeper, zero waste isn’t revolutionary. Zero waste is a lofty goal for us, and it’s hard to say that anyone’s able to fully do that right now.”

​Using materials you already have in the home, such as tea towels
Furoshiki- Japanese wrapping with cloth (looks pretty and is useful)
Newspaper
Craft paper (it’s compostable!)
Beeswax wrap (useful afterward)
Cloth produce bag (useful afterward)
Give the gift naked
Do it in a creative way, such as a scavenger hunt

​Depends on what it’s packaged in (ie paper wrapping is more sustainable)
Some people that shop at Costco thinks that it's less expensive but they're hoarding all this food and has to throw it out because they can’t finish it all in time 
“Is a sale great if you have to buy 5 and have to use it in time before it expires?”
“Where's the waste going to? Landfill or compost?”

​Seeing what you have already 
Do you really need it? Is it going to be revolutionary?
Don't be distracted when you go in; going in and leaving with what you need 
Depends on if the foods are organic and seeing what you can afford. This in itself can be a socioeconomic barrier on why some people cannot buy this food
Fill in the gaps of what you don't have that you need to buy
Being on track with what you need instead of being distracted 

​Change has to be on all levels. It’s hard because consumers have free will and can make choices on their own accord, but sometimes marketing can get people to act differently. Individuals' actions have an impact, but there has to be a bigger change on those that manufacture these products to find sustainable alternatives. We as a society have to analyze what's actually ‘sustainable.’ People think biodegradable plastics are sustainable, but they’re not because a lot of the composting facilities can not handle these materials. It’s on the producer to find sustainable alternatives and ask “what kind of society do we live in and how will the product add to people's lives.” Also, governments need to have regulations. A lot of recycling doesn’t really work because it’s mostly going to go into the landfill. In order to influence governments and producers, we need to put pressure on them and demand change as consumers. Companies want to hear what consumers want, and if they don’t hear feedback, they won’t change. Doing what you can individually is going to make an impact on your region and your locality. 

​Zero waste emporium carries silk floss by Ola Bamboo (it isn’t refillable, so you have to recycle the packaging) and Dental Lace (glass tub that you put the silk floss in, and you continue adding refills in).

Location of Zero Waste Emporium in Victoria, BC:

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and I hope you found this summary helpful! We at the UVSP hope to see you at our next event! Follow us on Instagram, FaceBook, and sign up for your monthly newsletter that can be found at the bottom of the Home Page to stay up to date on what we do. Happy New Year everyone!

There are lots of opportunities on campus all throughout North America for students to dive into environmental activities. But what if you want to broaden your reach, and be a part of something bigger? The University of Victoria Sustainability Project (UVSP) has always been a supporter in providing funding for grass-root environmental and social projects. We do have a limited budget, so we generally don’t provide funding a second time.

​We challenge students to be financially resilient after their initial start-up funds, and to get creative. Another funding priority is to allow youth to experience national-scale sustainable leadership trainings and conferences.  What can you get out of these training? Check out the descriptions and videos below to see how you can get involved! 

IMPACT! 

It’s one of the most popular beverages we crave in the mornings, during the day, and for a boost during those late nights of procrastination. But there is more to just a cup of coffee or tea.
Where does it come from? Who picked our coffee cherries? Do they really look like cherries in their fresh form? (Yes.) What about our rice, coconut oil, spices, vanilla beans, cotton, fruit, and everything we can so easily buy off the shelves in stores here. Where do they all come from?
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I’m part of the UVic Sustainability Project, which focuses on climate change awareness, outreach, global food systems and security, fair trade, and sustainable behaviour change. It’s a fabulous student-run organization to be involved with, and we are primarily funded through the Student Society (UVSS). We organized a trip on November 27 to visit a local coffee trading and roaster: Level Ground Trading.

Stacey Toews, co-founder of Level Ground Trading, speaks from the heartOne of the stand-out stories of the afternoon visit was how every year Level Ground invests a Direct Fair Trade community premium when they purchase Colombian coffee.

Since 1998, they’ve invested in Famicafe in Colombia, which has granted 1,184 academic scholarships so far to rural youth in Colombia, plus investments in infrastructure development in rural mountain schools. Learn more about Level Ground’s values.

Stacey also showed us photos of his small-scale farm (pigs, chickens, eggs, squash, vegetables, onions, potatoes, and more) which was inspiring to our team sitting around the wooden table. Stacey is very family-oriented, and it shows in all his actions both at home and abroad. Stacey and his team are all committed to making good and ethical money for deep social purposes.
Direct fair trade is driven by more than just a few tick boxes to make sure working conditions meet minimum standards. It is above and beyond. Stacey emphasized that international direct trading partnership is based on dialogue, transparency, and respect.

They acknowledge the hard work and risk involved with growing and selling crops, and they focus on giving farmers the opportunity to support sustainable environmental practices whilst increasing independence, education, and positive and safe work conditions.

It is hard to imagine something as simple as buying rice or coconut oil off the grocery store shelves probably required hundreds of laborious hours under unsafe working conditions thousands of miles away in another continent.
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Women sometimes have to walk more than five hours carrying sacks of rice or buckets of water equivalent to three times their body weight. It is hard to imagine, but it is the truth.
So the next time you are about to purchase something that is not grown locally in Canada, maybe pay a little extra attention to the packaging, labeling, and company. Your choice and your dollars can make a huge difference.