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Water, What’s it to You?

Even though National Water Week was at the end of March the topic of water is something that should be talked about continuously. Water is something we all use daily and many of us take advantage of the fact that water is readily available to the majority of us in the GTA.  Why should we care about water? Because everyone and everything needs it to survive.

H2O Bottle Sculpture

Sustainability at YorkU's H2O Bottle Sculpture

So many people in the world live without water and this is because many governments in many developing countries have capitalized water resources. This has led to many families water less because they can't possibly afford the high prices the government hired companies set.

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 I'm writing this post because I feel like so many people in all generations overlook this growing crises. Here I provide you with a few organizations that you can support in these pro-water initiatives. Consider clicking on the links and learning for yourself the growing problems of water!

1Drop is a non-profit organization that strives to provide water for everyone on the planet. Check out their cause here!

The Clear Water Initiative is another non-profit that helps to serve Uganda's water crises. Check them out here.

Water for Life is a global organization that strives to improve water availability and cleanliness to numerous countries. Check out their projects on their website here!

Here's a documentary about the growing water crises in South and North America, take a look it's incredibly informative... A World Without Water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egtKx24dat8

Sustainably Yours,
Tami


Spring Cleaning!

springcleaning

Most students are probably frantic about studying for their exams, and trust me I'm there with you, but sometimes it's nice to take a break or two just to de-stress. For me, taking some time to clean and organize my things helps me unwind from all the brain activity that goes on while reading and understanding my notes.

Spring cleaning can be two things: fun or not fun. It's all about how you see it and how you're doing it! Here are some tips I've looked up if you're keen on keeping clean this spring season.

Rethink Your Cleaning Products
Instead of buying those expensive cleaning products at your local store, consider purchasing cheaper green products that can clean just as well! Some of these items that make for great sustainable cleaners include white vinegar, baking soda and water (which if you think about it, is free!).

You'll be able to mix vinegar (1/4cup) and water (1quart) to clean glass. Mixing 2 parts of vinegar with 1 part baking soda and 4 parts water make for a great counter top and tile cleaner! For your floors you can combine 4 cups of vinegar with 1 gallon of hot water. If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you can add some lemon/lime juice to the mix!

A Few More Green Tips
With warmer weather approaching (hopefully sooner than later!) consider hang drying your laundry instead of using the dryer! It'll save you a bundle on your energy bills and will have much less of an impact on the environment!

microfiber

Also, think twice about purchasing single-use cleaning wipes or paper towels! Consider investing in a few reusable microfiber cloths to clean with! With these reusable cloths you'll be able to wash, hang dry and reuse them without adding to the landfill.

Honestly folks, there are way more tricks and tips to help green your spring cleaning! If you have any more ideas or tips of your own feel free to comment or give us a shout on our Facebook page.

Until next time!

Sustainably yours,
Tami


Sustainability@YorkU Presents An Earth Hour Concert

You're probably wondering what's been going on this past month or so... I'll begin by saying that it's been one heck of a month! Sustainability@York has been pretty busy this end of the school term with Earth Hour being our main event.

Earth Hour is an international event that dedicates one night to inspire change and action towards global climate change. With so many people, cities and countries getting involved with this mass movement of turning off their lights for an hour of one night proves that big changes can happen to better our environment. Earth Hour is not just about turning off your lights for one night it's about opening the doors for committing to a sustainable future!

In case you missed it, Earth Hour was on Saturday, March 23rd and Sustainability@York held quite a concert in Vari Hall! We had amazing student performers play songs of their choice which included original and cover pieces. The lights went out at 8:30 to 9:30 with live performances throughout!

Here's an amazing video composition and some photos of the highlights from the night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GsF_HAX87AU

Aggressive Pedestrian

Aggressive Pedestrian

Life Story Stranger

Life Story Stranger

South of North

South of North

Ruby Cikada

Ruby Cikada

Matthew Shepherd

Matthew Shepherd

Two Bad Habits

Two Bad Habits

Don't miss next year's event, it'll be just as fun and exciting! If you want to get involved e-mail us at sustainability@yorku.ca or check us out on our Facebook Page.

Sustainably Yours,
Tami


Energy; Make it or Break it

Upon browsing through the internet, I stumbled upon this awesome infographic.

 energy-comparison

It’s clear that looking at this example of how much energy it takes to power a lightbulb for a year varies between non-renewable and renewable resources. When it comes to energy, the topic of renewable energy vs. non renewables always comes up.

I am by no means an expert on energy, but from my own knowledge it’s clear that energy is something that we heavily rely on in North America. We use energy to fuel our cars, warm or cool our homes and so much more in our daily activities. Energy is important to us and we have to think about how we’re creating it and what we’re doing with it.

I’m sitting here wondering, how long do you think coal, nuclear or natural gas will last us? These forms of energy aren’t forever and people in North America should really be rethinking whether it is okay for us to destroy natural environments to obtain non-renewable resources for energy’s sake.

Let’s think about the future people! Unless someone creates some way for us to live forever, we can’t expect the future to always be looking for the solutions to the problems we’ve caused. What are your thoughts on energy? Do you think the North American society relies far too heavily on energy? Let me know what you think!

Sustainably Yours,
Tami


reYUse, the Lowdown on Getting Free Stuff at YorkU

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without! It’s all about the hand-me-downs.

The season is going to be changing very soon and what better time to get rid of your older items than during spring cleaning?

reYUse is a York University based website that allows you to obtain unwanted or lightly used possessions for free! And of course, you’ll also be able to post your own items on there too.

This online app is great to use for the eco-conscious, thrift-type folk. There aren’t many other universities in North America that have such a website, and as far as I know Berkeley is the only other post-secondary institute that has an initiative like our own.

It’s great the university has found a way to collaborate the concepts of community and sustainability into one neat package that we now call reYUse. From my own experience, it’s really easy to navigate. Signing up just calls for you to log in with your Passport York account and you’re ready to post almost any item you’d like! (I say almost anything because let’s face it there are items that could be posted that no one will want).

Here are some infographics I found on trashing your perfectly good items!

Mind Your Waste!

reuse_infographic-scaled5001

Remember it’s all about reducing, reusing and recycling! Let’s limit our trash and aim for zero waste.

Plus, be on the lookout for future listings of my own!

Sustainably Yours,
Tami

P.S. In case you missed the numerous links above... click here to check out reYUse!