BEDTalk Sustainability May 2014

Sustainability

BEDTalks State of the Union!

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What is Sustainability?

“Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” ~ United Nations    

Sustainable Campus:

“promotes the smallest possible ecological footprint by promoting a healthy ecosystem and supporting values of conservation”

~ Western’s Policy on Environment & Sustainability

The ‘Three Pillars’ of Sustainability

Economy!

Society!

Environment!

Water Waste Energy

Water

Virtual Water Consumption

Household Water Consumption

Canadians are the second highest consumer of water, using about 329 litres/day/family!

Waste

2.5 months

6 months

80 - 100 years

500 to 1000 years

500 + years

Energy

Energy Use on Campus

11,000

$50,000

Test your Knowledge

How many trees does recycling 1 tonne of newspaper save? !

A) 3 trees!B) 7 trees!C)15 trees!D) 19 trees!    

!

D) 19 trees It also saves 3 cubic metres of landfill space, 4000 kilowatt

hours of energy, 29 000 liters of water, and 30 kg of air pollution.!

How many pounds of sunscreen and tanning products do

swimmers contribute to our oceans each year? !

 A) 3 million!B) 1 million!C) 5 million!D) 9 million!      

!

D) 9 million It is important to protect ourselves from the sun’s harmful rays. At the same time, many chemicals in sunscreens can be harmful to coral and marine life! !!So choose biodegradable sunblocks that contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which are safer choices.!

True or False: Glass is 100% recyclable. !

!    

!

True

Glass can be recycled endlessly without any loss in purity or quality!!

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough electricity to operate a TV

for how long?!!A) 30 minutes!B) 1 hour!C) 2 hours!D) 3 hours!  

!

D) 3 hours

In general, recycling requires less energy than it would to manufacture a new product. !

Zero Waste Campus by 2022!

Thank You!

BEDTalks State of the Union!