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With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these surveys offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the summer of 2009. To access surveys from other schools, go to the surveys section of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.
Name: Yan Yu
Position (in student organization): Sustainability Coordinator 2009-2010, Main Campus Residence Council (MCRC)
Date survey submitted: July 18th
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
1) Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role.
Name of organization: Main Campus Residence Council Sustainability Office
Number of active members: (The Sustainability Office of the Main Campus Residence Council is a new branch of our residence student government. After a trial year last year, the MCRC has made the Sustainability Office a permanent part of its operations. This year will be the first official year that the Sustainability Office has been in existence. Therefore, membership is yet to be decided, but will include at least 40 or 50 members working on 5 different initiatives.)
Website: http://www.mcrcweb.org/v10/sustainability.php
Date of last meeting: During the trial year, the last meeting between the Sustainability Coordinator and Interns was held in April 2009.
Frequency of meetings: Meetings are held both officially and unofficially, on a weekly basis.
Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2008:
- Making the position of MCRC Sustainability Coordinator official and permanent.
- Weekly campus cleanups - students gather every Saturday afternoon and clean up campus for one hour. After the cleanup, waste is sorted according to recyclables and non-recyclables.
- Food waste reduction – a student group, Queen’s Students Against Wasting Food, was created to reduce the volume of student-generated food waste (plate scrapings, etc) in the Queen’s cafeterias.
Progress made on each issue/program since August 2008:
- The position of Sustainability Coordinator has now been made permanent and official, and more Residence sustainability efforts are being planned.
- Weekly campus cleanups have, in total, collected and recycled 746 cans and bottles; in addition to paper and other plastics. Moreover a proposal to change the campus cleanup program into a residence disciplinary sanction is in the works. This will increase the number of weekly participants and the area of campus able to be covered.
- Food waste reduction – On September 22nd, 2008, 1037 cafeteria users pledged to reduce their food waste. Food wastage was reduced from an average of 200g per person per meal to slightly above 100g per person per meal (data taken from the weight of organic waste composted during the weeks before and after the pledge in Leonard Dining Hall). On Feb 24th, 2009, the first ever trayless event was conducted in West Campus Cafeteria. Specific food wastage numbers from this event are still to be determined from the Cafeteria management. A food wastage Powerpoint presentation has been created to present to residents, in order to educate them regarding the necessity of not wasting food.
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND COMPETITIONS
2) Does your group organize any sustainability challenges/competitions for your campus and/or with other colleges?
[X] No (but we collaborate with the organizers of the Annual Residence Energy Challenge in spreading the word and helping to create competition between the residence buildings.)
[ ] Yes. Please list details for each competition.
(Information obtained from Residence Energy Challenge handbook provided to me)
#1 - Name of competition: Residence Energy Challenge (Organized by the REC group on campus – see other sustainability organization reports from Queen’s)
Year initiated: 2007-2008
Frequency of competition: Annual
Participants: All students of Queen’s Residences (approximately 3000-4000 people), versus the students in the residences of other Ontario universities (like Waterloo and Guelph)
Incentives: The winning university gets solar panels from the Sierra Youth Coalition. Also, the winning residence building within each university gets a Residence Energy Challenge Trophy, and gets to choose the sustainability project that will be funded by a percentage of the money saved from the REC.
Goal of competition: to reduce energy use and save money, and foster long-term sustainable behaviour in residents of residence.
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced: Queen’s residents used 40,816 kilowatt hours less electricity than residents during the same weeks of the previous year, equaling $3,960.00 of savings.
Lasting effects of competition: Hopefully long-term sustainable behaviour on the part of residents, and the realization that individuals acting together can make a difference.
Website: http://www.queensu.ca/pps/ResPower/index.html
SUSTAINABILITY IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT
3) Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?
[ ] No
[ X] Yes. Please describe:
The position of Main Campus Residence Council (MCRC) Sustainability Coordinator aims to make the MCRC the greenest student body in Canada. This will be accomplished in a number of ways.
One way is to improve the sustainability of MCRC operations, by increasing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of how we buy and use our resources. For instance, event supplies starting this year will be bulk-ordered, and will be either recyclable or biodegradable.
Another priority will be the greening of the MCRC Society (all Main Campus residents). A new, weekly recycling program and a food waste reduction initiative will be initiated in residence. Attempts to launch a vermicomposting trail program in residence will also be made. Moreover, weekly campus cleanups, started last year, will be continued and expanded this year. This will help keep our campus cleaner, and will also help build the foundations for behavioral change that will keep residents from unnecessary littering.
Moreover, the MCRC Sustainability Office will coordinate with other sustainability groups on campus to discuss and implement sustainability initiatives like the Residence Energy Challenge.
Further information regarding the general role of the sustainability Office may be found on the MCRC website: http://www.mcrcweb.org/v10/sustainability.php
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
- QSAWF – Queen’s Students Against Wasting Food – We are a group of dedicated and motivated people, whose goal is to inform students regarding the necessity of not wasting food in the Queen’s cafeterias. Queen’s has three cafeterias, each of which waste about 2-4 tons of perfectly edible food per week. Unfortunately, only one cafeteria has a composting system, and even that is not yet ready to fully accommodate all the cafeteria food waste. Thus, as a student group, we strive to reduce our collective food waste by changing student behavior. We conduct food wastage awareness events (such as a voluntary food waste reduction pledge and a Trayless Tuesday dinner), make posters and signs for the cafeteria, and help another student group, Soul Food, deliver overproduced food in the cafeteria to homeless shelters around Kingston, Ontario. As QSAWF Coordinator, I also meet with cafeteria management to discuss and implement food waste reduction ideas and possible initiatives.
5) Please list and briefly describe any other student-run organizations related to campus sustainability at your school, and provide URLs if available (e.g., student groups; student government committees; student-run food co-ops, gardens/farms, bike co-ops) and provide contact information of the student leaders, if possible:
Questions 6 is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
6) Please list any regional or national networks with which your group is affiliated (e.g., Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, Sierra Student Coalition, a state PIRG, a state student sustainability coalition):
- The Campus/Residence Energy Challenge
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