Western University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

During the week of November 19th 2012, the Ivey Sustainability Club launched an initiative to encourage students to reduce the purchase of single-use plastic water bottles. Six hundred refillable aluminum bottles were donated by Canadian Springs and water refilling stations were installed in classrooms. The initiative rose awareness of the negative environmental impact of plastic water bottles, as well as the economic savings from using refillable bottles.

For each single-use plastic bottle equivalent (500 mL) that students consumed using a refillable water bottle, Ivey's Centre for Building Sustainable Value donated $1 towards the purchase of a permanent water refilling station in the New Ivey Building. Over a three-month span, students saved approximately 2,200 MJ of energy, 500 kg of CO2 emissions from, and over $4000 from their reduced purchasing of disposable plastic bottles. Students learned that choosing sustainable habits not only offers environmental benefits, but economic benefits as well.

The Regreen Charity Social Event and Silent Auction in 2012, organised by two Master’s students in Environment and Sustainability, was to raise money for Reforest London, a charitable non-profit organization that engages individuals, groups and businesses in planting and caring for trees in neighbourhoods and natural areas throughout London. Guests included Western University students, faculty and staff, friends and family, and members of local organizations in support of greening London and encouraging sustainability. In April 2013, there was another Green Ball Charity organized by the Centre for Environment & Sustainability’s (CES) Environment and Sustainability Society (ESS), to support rare Charitable Research Reserve, an organization that conserves over 900 acres of land along the Grand and Speed Rivers. Guests included Western University students, faculty and staff, friends and family, and members of local organizations in support of greening London and encouraging sustainability. These events both helped attendees learn about the values of both of the organizations that they supported.

In April 2012, London businesses and artists donated gift certificates, jewelry, flowers and other merchandise, as well as objects of art, to the silent auction and raffle. After the silent auction winners were announced, guests were treated to an evening of dancing. The Regreen Social was a tremendous success, raising $2,450 for Reforest London through the generous donations of guests and proceeds from ticket sales. In April 2013, the Green Ball Charity raised $1200 to support rare Charitable Research Reserve, with the help of generous donations from Western staff, students, friends, family, and local businesses.

Eco-Action day on March 28, 2014, organized by Western’s London Youth Sustainability Network was a fun afternoon packed with sustainability-related activities, dialogue and videos. It was a collaborative event that aimed to encourage personal sustainability. The event engaged 80 students who pledged to commit to a Greener Campus. Campus Clean-Up Days: The campus clean-up day generally occurs around the same time as Earth Day and London's annual Clean and Green effort. Each year, staff, faculty, and students are encouraged to spruce up the campus and clear away the litter that appears as the snow retreats. The Western community takes great pride in the beauty of the natural features on campus. Campus-wide Clean-up gives everyone an opportunity to make a difference by enhancing that beauty. The measurable positive impacts are evident in the amount of litter collected: 500 lbs of waste was collected in 2013 and 400 lbs of waste collected the following year. The waste was sorted, and recyclable materials were diverted from landfill.