How can I get involved in sustainability at Western?
How can I contact the Sustainability Team?
What should I do with my e-waste?
Where are battery recycling bins located?
What can be composted at Western?
What does the number on the bottom of plastic containers mean?
What types of plastics can be recycled at Western?
Can I recycle coffee cups or lids on campus?
Where can I dispose of old light bulbs on campus?
How can I reduce my paper consumption at Western?
Is there a way to track energy usage in different buildings on campus?
Something is broken/malfunctioning in my building. It is wasting energy/water. Who do I contact?
Sustainability is the practice of living in such a way that meets one’s own needs, without compromising the ability of others, both in the present and in the future, to meet their own needs. It is a responsibility to act in environmentally, socially and economically responsible ways.
There are numerous sustainability initiatives that students, staff or faculty can get involved in at Western. For example, students can join EnviroWestern’s team, and staff or faculty may decide to initiate the Green Office Program within their office. To view many other ways to get involved on campus, please see the Get Involved section of this website.
(top)The Sustainability Team works Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30. We can be reached by phone at 519-661-2111, ext. 86311, or by email at sustainability@uwo.ca.
E-waste stands for electronic waste and includes items such as computers, printers, televisions, cameras, and cords that have reached the end of their useful life. Items with chemical refrigerants like refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners require special handling and are not considered typical e-waste even though they are electronic.
If your e-waste is still functional, it can be donated to local thrift shops. It is a good idea to contact the donation centre ahead of time to make sure your item will be accepted.
If your e-waste is not functional, consider having it refurbished to help reduce waste. Otherwise, many e-waste items can be recycled. E-waste is accepted at Western in select locations across campus. Bins are set up each April within main common rooms in residences. To request the pick-up of large quantities of e-waste on campus, e-mail sustainability@uwo.ca.
To dispose of e-waste within the City, visit recycleyourelectronics.ca for a complete list of recyclable items, and to find an e-waste drop-off location near you. Any of the City of London Depots will also accept e-waste.
*It is important to remove confidential information from electronic devices that store data. Visit the Information Technology Services website for more information.
Western offers battery recycling bins in select locations across campus to encourage proper disposal.
Yes! Western has established organics collection within the UCC's Centre Spot and residence eateries. If you would like to request a collection bin for your office or residence room, e-mail sustainability@uwo.ca.
Most plastic containers have a recycling symbol somewhere on the package. In the centre of the recycling symbol (which looks like a triangle), there is usually a number from 1 to 7. This number indicates the type of plastic that the container is made from. For example, a number 1 plastic is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), and is used to make things like water bottles.
Western recycles plastics #1 through #5 and plastic #7. These items can be dropped in the 'CONTAINERS' recycling bins across campus.
Western does not accept light bulbs for recycling on campus. Incandescent and LED bulbs can be thrown into the landfill stream, but must be boxed first to ensure the prevention of injury from broken glass.
Because compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) contain small amounts of mercury, they must be taken to one of the London’s waste depots. There are four depots located in London, all of which will accept CFLs. The locations of these depots can be found online at: http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Garbage/Depots.htm.
It’s always a good idea to use online documents if possible. At Western, a number of documents are available online including parking permit application forms, library resources, academic calendars, and work order requests. If you have to print a document, use narrow margins, smaller font size, and double sided printing whenever possible. Graphic Services also provides a UTOSS (Use The Other Side Scratch Pads) service to reuse non-confidential paper and reduce waste.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is an internationally accepted rating system for the operation, renovation, and construction of high performance green buildings. Depending on the number of criteria met under the LEED rating system, a building may receive a LEED bronze, silver, gold or platinum certification.
Western will put forth its best efforts to undertake building design and construction projects in line with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standards. Currently, Western has 1 LEED GOLD certified building (Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavillion) and 2 LEED SILVER certified buildings (McIntosh Gallery and Stevenson Hall/Lawson Hall). Seven additional buildings are registered for LEED certification.
Western provides Green Tours of its top performing buildings, specifically focussing on environmentally sustainable features. Sign-up for tours here!
Yes. Western has developed an online Real Time Energy Dashboard so that everyone has access to building energy data. It allows you to compare real-time energy consumption of different buildings, and it archives data so that you can research a building’s historical energy consumption.
At Western, there are several undergraduate and graduate degrees offered that relate to the environment and sustainability. Visit the academic programs section of our website for a list or visit the Center for Environment and Sustainability (CES) website at:http://www.uwo.ca/enviro/.
If you live in residence and notice a problem in your building, report the problem to the front desk.
For building problems everywhere else on campus, fill out a work order request online at: https://fmeworq.adt.its.uwo.ca/, or call the Service Centre at 519-661-2111, ext. 83304 to report the problem.