Combined Our Team has come up with the 27 following ideas to make our areas more power smart:      (scroll to the bottom to see the team)

 1. Continue cycling to work into fall

2. Book a major meeting into a room with an instructor station instead of paper handouts to use the projector

3. Encourage selection committees to review resumes online rather than print them out

4. Compostable items for meetings (e.g. Summer Social)

5. Lights off, monitor off (Many of us didn’t usually turn it off as I thought a flat screen just didn’t use enough to bother but I turn it off now)

6. New CUPE T&D database eliminates paper applications and we are now working on the reporting from that system to eliminate printouts.

7. Already had a reusable coffee mug, but now also have a great soup bowl w/ lid for fetching soup from the cafeteria.

8. Tough to work in a windowless office with the lights off, but light does seep through from above through the common areas.

9. Turning off the lights in the office kitchen when leaving is a new habit that will stick, as is turning off the lights in unoccupied washrooms around campus (although they will probably cease to be ever unoccupied once term starts again).

10. Continuing to use my new commute vehicle (scooter), which costs me $20/month in (premium) gas, and saves me from driving the car.

11. Continuing to work with lights off even through winter. I will be bringing in a lamp from home to light up my office once the weather gets stormy.

12. Continue to use our office compost bin – making sure we separate the garage and things that can be recycled.

13. Continue to make my area more power smart by being more responsible to the ideas I’ve read about during the Power Quest Challenge. For example, turning off the lights when rooms are empty, dimming my office overhead lights, and turning off my monitor when not in use.

14. I’ve been reminded by the Power Quest challenge of my responsibility to help make the planet more environmentally friendly. For example, I have taken steps to ensure that I recycle used batteries and pens. I do recycle the more common day to day items but I am now more conscious of recycling things such as used batteries, paint, etc. I walk to and from work and I intend to continue walking even during the rainy season.

15. I usually trash 2 disposable coffee cups per day but now I have purchased a reusable stainless steel cup to replace the disposable cups. These things may seem insignificant but I feel my contribution is one step closer to helping the environment.

16. I will continue to work in natural light, bring in my own water bottle and coffee cup

17. I plan to improve our air quality by bringing in more plants in the office.

18. I have to drive to work so I now have a Green Car ( green car of the year 2011) I would love to ride a bike but that wouldn’t work when I need to leave to meet donors!

19. Ideas I have planned to implement to make my area more power smart.

20. I plan to transfer the majority of my paper documents into electronic documents and to completely eliminate that middle step of printing the documents

21. I plan to edit all my documents on screen instead of printing them out for review.

22. There are people out there that care about the environment and that there are so many ways to help save energy that I had never even considered before. Until this challenge I didn’t even know that there was a ban on bottled water. Way to go VIU! I also learnt that it’s very easy to get into the habit of saving electricity.

23. I will continue to turn my monitors off at night and any lengthy time I spend away from my desk

24. I will continue to use my reusable coffee cup for my coffees and my reusable water bottle for water.

25. I will continue to turn the lights off when I’m not in my work space (no natural light reaches my space so I can’t work without them)

26. I will continue to take the bus or walk when possible to do so.

27. I will continue to unplug my mobile charger when it’s not being used.

Here is team Power Smart. As you can see we are all doing our part saving energy.

By:

1. Meeting outside for our team picture

2. Using the stairs and NOT the elevator to get to the second floor

3. Using digital vs. film camera to reduce waste and energy consumption

4. Using natural daylight and not the flash on the camera. (every bit counts right)

From right to left:

Ian- with reusable lunch kit

Angeline- with cloth bag filled with lunch

Carl- sporting the Power Smart keep me cool fan FAN (no AC here)

Craig- with reusable mug

Dave- hard to see but carrying his water container

Lenora- with her reusable beverage container

Simah- with compost, water bottle and Brita water filter

Kayla- with reusable mug and Power Smart FAN

Tyler- with sun had keeping him cool while outside means less AC when he comes in

Stefan- full of fans keeping him cool

After taking nearly a year to work up to it [mentally], I’m finally riding my bike to work. 

I watched with some envy (and guilt) as I saw others effortlessly gliding along the roadways with the wind blowing through their hair (or what I could see of it under their helmets) and thought, I should be doing that.

The distance isn’t particularly great, there’s only one hill of note, and much of the trip is along trails away from traffic.  So, even though it takes some planning (what outfit will survive being stuffed in a bag before being put on, where will I put on my makeup, what do I have to do after work and is there enough time to bike home before getting to that….), now that I’ve done it a few times, it’s a lot more fun!

I love zipping through the trail between the ice rink and Buttertubs (except for the slugs–so far have not mashed one of them) and then through Bowen Park.  The next hurdle will be to decrease my time and finding a pair of leopard-print tights to wear for the journey!

Margot

Linda wears recycled clothing picked up from consignment shops or elsewhere.

Monica brings her own cutlery — no plastic stuff to recycle.

Monica puts the composter into action.

Recycling envelopes.

“Inside VIU” is currently printed and put online. The printed version will hopefully soon be phased out.

Tina works with task lighting in her inner office.

Here we have some of the team in the lunch room keeping cool using the patented team power smart recycled paper fans. Allowing us to turn the AC off and enjoy our lunch.

Team PowerSmart

Carpooling has been a great opportunity to cut down on my carbon footprint. It also allows me to interact with my fellow employees. This gives me the chance to rant about the Olympics or chat about the fishing news. I also see some extra bonuses as I’ve gotten several free coffee’s out of it.

Dave Switzer

Here are a few simple green ideas…

University of Ottawa’s Green Rep program involves identifying student leaders in residence that guide their floor/area in green living initiatives. They also participate as volunteers in their Sustainability Office’s events.

http://www.sustainable.uottawa.ca/green-reps.html

UNBC’s Green fund utilizes $ from parking revenues to fund seed grants for innovative projects designed to create a more sustainable campus.

http://www.unbc.ca/green/fund.html

UCal Berkeley uses these green post it notes to catch people being green and has them comment about what they did in an online forum…great way to get people to tell their own story and promote sustainability

http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/pages/greenhanded/index.shtml

Tina (Linda’s CPR team)

**Thanks to Team PowerSmart for these extra ideas**

University of Alberta

 http://www.sustainability.ualberta.ca/GetInvolved/GreenPurchasing.aspx

 Green purchasing which means selecting items that meet certain environmental standards.

University of Guelph

 I really like the following ideas as it is something that many people can take part in and really does not take any kind of start up money to do. Although it may seem small in the grand scheme is still counts

1. U of G Students Move Out, Donate Food

May 1, 2012
Undergrad students moving out of residence during April participated in the Clear the Shelves donation drive

http://www.sustainability.ualberta.ca/GetInvolved/GreenPurchasing.aspx

 I’ve never heard of this before but I don’t see why VIU can’t join in 2013.
(VIU Residences currently donate to charities  at move out time as well as having an active item exchange throughout the year)

2. RecycleMania!

Feb 6 – March 31, 2012
U of G enters the North-America-wide RecycleMania competition for the first year ever in 2012. Over 500 universities and colleges compete to see who can recycle the most over an 8-week period, from Feb 6th to March 31st. Looking at traditional recycling only, as well as the brand new Ewaste Division, the competition requires schools to submit weekly results and be judged as to who has the highest recycling rate, the most tonnes recycled, and other categories.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to “Recycle to Win!” by keeping up good recycling habits, and making an extra effort during the competition. Convenient drop boxes for small electronics are being added in the UC, Library and AC, and efforts will be made to reward individuals “spotted recycling”.

3 .Enviro Reps

http://www.pr.uoguelph.ca/sustain/livinggreen/enviroreps.htm

 An Enviro Rep is the Official Environmental Person in their local community. This doesn’t mean that all environmental responsibility rests on their heads, but that they are the person from whom other students can seek guidance as a resource and role model. Enviro Reps are trained and lead by the Enviro Rep Co-ordinator Peer Helpers, who act as a link back to the Sustainability Office and its resources. Although the Co-ordinators help organize the Reps, decisions are made by the group, and ideas openly shared. Enviro Reps are equipped with a toolkit full of information, promotional materials, and contacts.

(We’re always looking for Power to Change team members!)

4. Take It Back Directory

This is really interesting idea. It allows anyone to browse by the category of good they no longer need and want to send for reuse within the community.

Organizations, retailers, and businesses can also contact the Take It Back program to get listed.

http://www.pr.uoguelph.ca/sustain/recycling/takeitback.htm

University of Saskatchewan

 This is really small but really cool to on the UoS sustainability page it has a rotating “Green Tip” blurb that changes each time you change pages within the sustainability site. Things like:

 A pitcher full of water will help your refrigerator keep your food cool more efficiently and you won’t have to run the tap for a cool drink

Crumple and place old newspapers in a suitcase for couple of weeks to remove stale odors.!

Make a bison burger. Once almost extinct, thanks in part to a rise in bison consumption, their population has risen to 450,000

http://facilities.usask.ca/sustainability/whatyoucando/

When I work at my other office I’m close enough that I can walk to work. This means that I not only get some fresh air but save time and money. The benefits of not having a long drive to work are enormous. On a slightly different note I’ve forgone the gym pass and begun walking to the grocery store and lugging my groceries home. This requires a backpack and a bunch of cloth bags I keep on hand.

Carl Ribble

Whenever possible I telecommute from my home in Nanoose Bay. From home I get the chance to work from my deck and enjoy the great outdoors. When I do head indoors for work my office is located such that I can work in natural daylight without any lights on. On those days that I do need to travel into work I take my Toyota Prius Hybrid which I have been driving since 2004.

Craig Stephen

P.S.  The Centre for Coastal Health has recently created the first international guidelines for invasive species. This topic has been deemed second only to habitat loss as stated by the UN Ecosystem investment.