Trent University Officially Bans the Sale of Bottled Water...

Trent University has hit a milestone shared by only a handful of post-secondary institutions across North America. Earlier this month, the school officially banned the sale of single unit bottled water on campus and will fully come into effect in the fall of 2011.

Over the course of the upcoming academic year, customers are being encouraged to reduce their consumption of individual bottles of water as the number of bottles available from cafeterias, vending machines and other sellers will steadily decrease, ultimately reaching none. Moreover, under the policy, no bottled water will be sold by "any member, club and group, organization or administrative or academic department at the university".

This is a major victory for Trent University and all groups fighting against the sale of bottled water. This is an especially important victory for Trent's Central Student Association and Sustainable Trent, the two student groups that have been fighting for this for several years. Several years ago, the likelihood of achieving such a ban was considered next to nil, considering the stranglehold held on the food services at Trent by Aramark. However, I first noticed a major shift in the tide at Aramark during a meeting one of its Reps had with Sustainable Trent in which he implied that a ban on bottled water might actually prove more financially beneficial to the food provider as the closest alternative to bottled water is the much more lucrative 'vitamin water', which is not covered in the ban.

Importantly, the school is providing an investment in water fountains on campus, which, up until earlier last year, were almost nowhere to be found on campus. In fact, under the food service contract with Aramark, it was able to place vending machines in front of old water fountains, thereby eliminating any competition between bottled water and water fountains.

It should be noted that the school's claim that the school will be "bottled water free by 2011" can not be fully achieved by the policy. Indeed, the sale of bottled water is not the same as providing it for free. As far as I understand it, this policy does nothing to prevent anybody giving away bottled water, which is not uncommon at conferences, sporting events, etc. However, one can hope that the ban emanates to these facets as well.

Congratulations, Trent.

Re: Trent's Green Grad...

My recent post on Trent's efforts to have a "green" graduation and my actual experience several days later highlights the difference between good intentions and real outcomes. Last week, Trent's three days of convocation ceremonies employed three different strategies to reduce the environmental impact of the graduation event. Unfortunately, all three strategies came away looking fairly chincy.

Its second annual "Bottled Water-Free" convocation was relatively successful and was highlighted by the stainless steel water bottles provided to each graduate. The water bottles, however, were of poor quality. The lids would not stay on properly and once just came right off when I picked up the bottle. Moreover, there were a few instances where the bottoms of the bottles blew off when they were dropped on the ground. I appreciate the effort Trent, but I'm not very confident that many of those bottles will be reused frequently in the future. 

The second lackluster effort fell on the shoulders of the student group, Sustainable Trent, of which, in the interest of full disclosure, I am an outgoing member. For several years, a handful of dedicated volunteers have worked to put together the Green Pledge, a voluntary pledge taken by graduates to keep the environment in mind when making major decisions in the future. Unfortunately, the main coordinator of the Green Pledge was unable to do it this year and wasn't picked up until the last minute. As I stood in line minutes away from procession, an ST volunteer handed me a pin and asked if I wanted to take the pledge. I knew what it was, so I took the pin. Another graduate behind me did not know what it was, but took it after a one line description. Unsurprisingly, very few graduates had a green pin on. It was a sad sight after such popularity in the past.

The third effort came in the form of free public transit passes to graduates and their guests. I'll admit that I didn't look too much into this and don't know how popular it was, but when looking into the logistics, it looked a little tedious. In order to ride for free, graduates and guests had to print out tickets from the website. Because many of the guests and graduates were coming in from out of town and staying in hotels, printing a piece of paper wouldn't be all that feasible and (forgive my assessment of human beings) most people wouldn't have thought about that ahead of time. Why not just make the Trent Express free that day for everyone? I would not be surprised, however, if the bus drivers just let everyone on anyways without the pass.

I hate to gripe about Trent's 'green' efforts, but they were hyped so much and yet so half-heartedly followed through on. And some people will likely tell me to not be so critical and just be happy Trent tried. But too bad. If you want to legitimize your 'green' reputation, do it with some effort.

But alas, this should not take away from the main occasion. A graduation is a special thing to celebrate, the ceremony was enjoyable and I offer congratulations to all the other graduates. It's a shame it couldn't have a been a little 'greener'.  

Trent's Green Grad...

This time next week, Trent's seemingly empty and idyllic Peterborough campus will be overrun by a swath of robed graduates and their guests. Tim and I will be among them, taking the famed walk across Trent's photogenic Faryon Bridge to accept our degrees.

It is convocation season around Canada. Graduates can range from only a several hundred at the smaller schools, to at least ten thousand at some of the larger schools. Families, friends and other guests flock to celebrate with the new grads. These are far from small functions.

For its part, Trent is trying to make the convocation ceremonies as 'green' as possible. Extending over a period of three days, the five-ceremony process has used approximately 5,000 single use water bottles in previous years. For the second consecutive year, Trent will employ a Bottled-Water Free Convocation, a move Trent pioneered among Canadian campuses. Each graduate will be provided with a reusable stainless steel water bottle -- already filled with clean tap water -- for the ceremony and potable tap water will be provided for guests in recyclable or biodegradable cups. Of course, for those who feel an unexplainably strong inkling for bottled water, it can probably be bought in a vending machine for three times the price of gasoline.

As an aside, did anyone happen to watch CTV News a few nights ago where it reported on the findings of a new study that found bacteria levels to be "revoltingly" high in many bottled water products? Relatively unpublicized studies are cited all the time by opponents of bottled water to little avail, but when the national news starts reporting on it, a major blow will be dealt to the bottled water industry.

Returning to Trent, the school will also be providing graduates and their guests with free passes on public transit to encourage the use of public transportation over cars. Mind you, Peterborough's public transportation system is not particularly impressive, so this might not be as popular as one might hope, but it's worth a shot. After all, transporting a couple of thousand people by car over bus is pretty inefficient. Can you imagine U of T or York providing free transit for its convocations via TTC? It would a very 'green' move, but I certainly wouldn't want the bill landing on my desk.

Trent's third major 'green' initiative is its Green Pledge, a pledge graduating students can opt to take where "they pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job they consider and will try to improve those aspects of the organization for which they work". For the informal commitment, graduates get to where a nice little green pin.

In addition to the initiatives at Trent, I certainly hope people get a chance to explore Peterborough. In the summer, it can be one of the most beautiful cities in Canada.   

A Proposed International Convention on Water...

This semester, Chris and I took a course called Global Environmental Policy. A large part of the course was focused on researching and becoming an expert on an international convention. Our classmates became experts on conventions such as the Basel Convention of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species just to name a few. There were a diverse range of conventions presented in our class which illustrated the course's interdisciplinarity and the great mix of research interests. Most of our classmates did their research on an existing convention and provided their own critiques, analysis and recommendations.

Chris and I took a different approach. We decided to explore and create our own convention on water. A convention on water would be a multidisciplinary forum for dealing with a wide range of issues including water governance, water pricing, distribution and access, treatment and much more. Initially, we we were interested in exploring the possibility of an international convention on water as a human right. Our approach however, changed overtime as we realized the complexity and multidisciplinarity of water resources.

Managing water, for example, involves (or should involve) many different stakeholders including civil engineers, politicians, planners, economists and environmental scientists to name a few. The private sector is also very much involved in water resources management.

Over the past four months, Chris and I have learned a lot about the politics, economics, management, ecology and societal aspects of water resources. We wrote a ministerial brief (a component of the course) addressed to various Canadian and Provincial government ministries.

In our brief, we highlight the main issue at stake and provide recommendations on how Canada can respond to water policy both domestically and internationally. Importantly, we provide analysis and some direction for the government and its potential involvement in an international convention on water. To view our ministerial brief, please click here.

We also made a class presentation about our convention. One of the recommendations we proposed was derived from an economist named David Zetland from UC Berkeley. In our final class, we called David via teleconferencing and he elaborated on his concept (water as a property right) and students had the chance to ask questions and seek more information about this very relevant and increasingly significant natural resource.

The Value in Maintaining a Good Health Care System...

For anyone interested, there is a special world affairs colloquium (WAC) at Trent today (Friday, March 19th) titled "The Value in Maintaining a Good Health Care System". It will be a panel discussion on Canada’s current health care challenges, opportunities and threats with local examples from Peterborough County and the Kawarthas. The talk starts at 1pm is taking place in the Gathering Space, First Peoples House of Learning, Gzowski College.

In terms of the details, the colloquium will explore some of the current challenges and opportunities that exist in the health care sector in Canada’s urban and rural context. Given the current health care debates in the United States, Canadians are beginning to understand that we too have our own health care challenges. This colloquium will feature a national approach to health care but also a local approach focusing on Peterborough Country and the Kawarthas. Topics will include illness and health, the geography of aging, the evolving role of voluntarism in rural health and discussion around hospital wait times, funding and how we can move forward.

The panel if composed of three speakers. Our first, Dr. Rosana Pellizzari who is the Medical Officer of Health for the Peterborough County-City Health Unit. Our second speaker is Mr. Paul Rosebush, the CEO of Haliburton Highland Health Services. Our final panelist is Dr. Mark Skinner, Trent Professor of Health, Rural and Social Geography.

It looks to be a highly insightful dialogue concerning our health care system and how it is evolving.

WAC - "Afghanistan: Rebuilding a Fractured Society"

For anyone interested, there is a special world affairs colloquium (WAC) at Trent today titled "Afghanistan: Rebuilding a Fractured Society". Nipa Banerjee will provide a critical perspective on Canada's involvement in Afghanistan i.e. should we even be there? And if we should be, how can we be more constructive and effective with our efforts?

It will be held in the Lady Eaton College Pit and will start at 3pm. The talk will run for about 1 hour, with 30 minutes for questions.

Nipa Banerjee is the former head of Canada's aid program in Afghanistan (2003-'06). She currently teaches at the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa.

"The World Affairs Colloquium is produced by-weekly by the Trent International Program and Trent International Students Association. As a committee we bring in speakers to discuss interesting topics and international issues.The World Affairs Colloquium is all about producing an insightful and informative dialogue between students, faculty and the community. The colloquium creates a forum for global citizenship allowing a dynamic conversation to take place within our university." Colloquium"

Trent's new Masters in Sustainability Studies...

In the fall of 2010, Trent will begin its brand new Master's Program in Sustainability Studies. According to Trent, the program will "carry out interdisciplinary graduate education and research that will improve our understanding of environmental sustainability, economic prosperity, and social responsibility. Program faculty are united by a common vision that environmental protection, resource conservation, positive social change, and sustainable economies are complementary rather than antagonistic processes. By integrating the efforts of business, government and civil society, we seek to promote an understanding of social, environmental and economic sustainability."


This interdisciplinary approach to the world's increasingly important social, economic and environmental issues is something that Trent University has emphasized for several years in many of its programs. Indeed, Dr. Don Markwell, Warden of Rhodes House at Oxford University and visiting Ashley Fellow to Trent, recently spoke to interdisciplinarity being the keystone to a liberal arts education, something Trent is renowned for.


There are very few other programs like this throughout North America and only a handful in Canada. With a relatively high acceptance standard -- the minimum GPA is set at 80% -- and a unique, yet highly applicable curriculum, this program is likely to attract top students throughout Canada and the rest of the world. 


What is particularly advantageous about such a program is its applicability to the real world. Firms and organizations in the private, non-profit and government sectors are increasingly looking for people to deal with environmental issues, but who also have a working knowledge of the economic and social issues associated with it. For example, if I am the CEO of Exxon-Mobil and I am looking to fill some kind of environmental policy-related position, it is difficult for me to know whether someone with a degree in simply Environmental Science, which is relatively specialized, will have the skills necessary to deal with the business realities of an oil company. A degree in Sustainability Studies would indicate to me that such a person has a well-rounded, yet educated skill set to meet my needs.


Quite simply, this program will be filling a job market that is in high demand, growing very quickly and increasingly important.


But I see one other area where such a program will bring huge benefits to Trent, and that is within its undergraduate programs. Trent is currently known for its spectacular graduate program known as the Environmental and Life Sciences (ELS) program. It houses some of the most dynamic and accomplished academics in the field. Students in the program are given teaching assistance positions for courses at the undergraduate level and those students in the undergraduate environmental science courses and provided with highly knowledgeable TAs.


But this setup is far from advantageous for the "studies" half of the ERS undergraduate program at Trent. That is, the people studying the policy, law, philosophy, economics and social issues related to the environment (of which both Tim and I are included). Because there are so many students in the ELS program, many of them are given TA positions in classes from the "studies" section, of which many of them have very little knowledge. Over my four years at Trent, I have taken several classes that were TA'd by students that were very bright, but knew next to nothing about what we were discussing in class. As you can imagine, this was not particularly helpful.


The other major graduate program related to the ERS program at Trent is the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies, which does not offer an environmental specialization. From time to time, a student studying at the Frost Centre will get a TA position in a "studies" class, but since there are so few of these students, such events are rare. However, I have had the luxury of taking classes with such students as TAs and they have been among the most effective and helpful TAs I've ever had.


With the new Arts-based students coming to study in the Sustainability program, I expect that the undergraduate program at Trent will improve enormously as a result of the introduction of this program, especially if the calibre of incoming students is as high as I predict. And while I will be graduating from Trent this spring and missing the chance to reap the rewards of this program, I look forward to seeing the Environmental Studies program at Trent, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, grow immensely successful.         


Information about the program can be found at: http://www.trentu.ca/sustainabilityma/

A talk on "Making a Difference in Haiti: Longterm development and Human Rights"...

Chris recently wrote an insightful and thought-provoking piece about the importance of prevention and the lessons we could learn from Haiti. The blog post captured many critical points ranging from infrastructure renewal, aid, development and preparing for future disasters. I am in complete agreement with Chris on the importance of prevention especially in a time of great climate change uncertainty.

In my own discipline of Environmental Studies, time and time again we talk about how a lot of action on the environment is reactionary. We always wait until something happens before we take measures (either trying to avoid costs, policy or prevention in general). Sometimes we don't like taking precaution because of the unknown risks, we just assume everything is going to be ok. I always like to use the example of water conservation in Canada where an abundance of water re-assures everyone that we have enough. Water conservation and disaster prevention are two different things. But the precautionary aspect is what I draw you to. The more water we consume the more pressure we put on our water infrastructure which eventually costs millions of dollars to fix.

These costs are then reflected in our bills, and then we understand why it is important to conserve. Worse yet, over-consumption can lead to the depletion of the resource (we all know that). So taking the steps now on water conservation (short-term pain for long-term gain) will help us dramatically in the future. You have to take these small steps so as to ensure the problem does not intensify in the future.

On the note of the talk, it is titled "Making a Difference in Haiti: Longterm development and Human Rights". The speakers are Professor Haroon Akram-Lodhi, Chair and Professor of International Development Studies and Anthony Anirud, LLM, Human Rights Advisor and Educator. The event will take place Thursday January 28th at 7pm in the Champlain College Council Chambers.

Both guest speakers will provide an expert perspective on two critical aspects that entangle Haiti. Both topics are important to consider when thinking about what can be done in response to the earthquake and in the longer term recovery.

The talk is being sponsored by the Trent International Students' Association (TISA) and World Affairs Colloquium (WAC) and is being presented as part of “Colleges Connect Cultures”.

It will be interesting to see if either of the speakers touch on the importance of prevention.

A report on Trent's Sustainability Performance...

This past summer, I worked in a team of three Sustainable Trent interns to research the social, economic, technical and environmental dimensions of sustainability for Trent’s campus. Using a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach, our team examined the challenges, successes and opportunities our campus faces with sustainability.

We just recently put together a 12-page summary report outlining most of our research findings. We submitted the report to Trent University's President.

To read about the project and our recommendations please see here.

A talk on El Salvador: Exposing Canadians to Conflict and Development

The upcoming World Affairs Colloquium at Trent features David Morrison who will be speaking about El Salvador: Exposing Canadians to Conflict and Development. A discussion will follow the 70 minute film which is the product of an educational trip to El Salvador. It illustrates reflections and images of the civil war in the 1980s and demonstrates how this experience continues to shape and scar contemporary development.

The event will take place this Friday January 22nd from 2:30 to 4:30pm. It will be held in the Lady Eaton College (LEC) Pit, located next to the LEC dining hall.

Refreshments will be provided to all of our attendees. We encourage you to come to this talk with questions, comments and constructive criticism of the speaker’s topic.

About the World Affairs Colloquium at Trent:

The World Affairs Colloquium is produced by-weekly by the Trent International Program and Trent International Students Association. As a committee we bring in speakers to discuss topics as diverse as climate change to the global food crisis to post-conflicted regions in Africa. The World Affairs Colloquium is all about producing an insightful and informative dialogue between students, faculty and the community. The colloquium creates a forum for global citizenship allowing a dynamic conversation to take place within our university.

A talk on how the economic crisis impacted food security....

The World Affairs Colloquium is hosting a talk next Wednesday (December 2nd) at 3pm in Trent's Alumni house. For those of you who have not been to the Alumni house, I would say it is the most prestigious building on campus so you should check it out. It is located in Champlain College next to the residence staircases.

The title of the talk is "Local Insight, Global Outlook" - How the Economic Crisis has Impacted Food Security on a Local, National, and Global Level. This talk will feature a panel of three speakers. For the local perspective, our panelist is Dave Ralph from the Kawartha Food Share. Our speaker on the national perspective is Paula Anderson from Peterborough Green-Up. Finally, Professor Tom Hutchinson will speak to the consequences that the economic crisis produced on the global scale.

More information about the speakers:
Prof. Emeritus Tom Hutchinson, Department of Environmental and Resource Studies, Trent University, is one of Canada's leading ecologists. Tom has extensive knowledge of sustainable agricultural systems and the biodiversity of old-growth forests. His distinguished international reputation is rooted in his extensive expertise and research as an ecologist.

Paula Anderson is the Waste Reduction Manager for Peterborough Green-Up, a local environmental charitable organization. Paula also teaches an undergrad course at Trent entitled "The Canadian Food System: A Community Development Approach".

Dave Ralph is the Chair of Kawartha Food Share, a broad-based community effort that coordinates community resources to provide emergency food in the City and Country of Peterborough.

Special talk on eco-psychology next week....

This coming Wednesday, the World Affairs Colloquium at Trent is hosting the 2009 Jack Matthews fellow, Douglas Blakey. The talk is titled "Eco-psychology and Educational Leadership: Bridging the Gap". It will be hosted in the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre (2505 Pioneer Road) on November 18th from 3-5pm. The centre is just south of Gzowski College. For a map of the centre in relation to the university, see here.

Douglas Blakey spent over 30 years as a teacher and principal of Upper Canada College in Toronto. Mr. Blakey has recently worked as an advisor on environmental sustainability for independent schools. Using a unique pedagogy approach based on “Learn it By Living It” concepts, Mr. Blakey uses these concepts to upgrade facilities and grounds with environmental technologies and integrates them with curriculum and organizational behaviour. Also working with local communities, Douglas Blakey has recently developed a fascination with eco-psychology and is interested in the interplay between eco-psychology and its positive impact on inspiring educational leadership.

The Jack Matthews Fellowship was created in 2008 to honour the founding contributions Jack made to to Trent University, Lakefield College School and the Canadian Canoe Museum.

It's going to be a great talk that you definitely don't want to miss.