Sustainability Fest 2024

On March 20, in the ERC atrium, Sustainability Fest returns to campus, bringing sustainability-focused groups at Ontario Tech together to celebrate and promote sustainability.

Now in its second year, this annual event is an opportunity for everyone to learn about Ontario Tech’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, contribute meaningfully to a more circular economy, and participate in programs that help reduce our collective environmental impact.

This year’s participants include weCloud, OT Sustainability, Enactus, Engineering Outreach, and, for the first time, the OTU Book Club. Each group will have an interactive booth where students can learn and engage in sustainable practices, with plenty of goodies and giveaways for all!

The OTSU sat down with Hunter, Engineering Outreach Indigenous Program Coordinator; Nathaniel, VP of Book Club; Scott Dennis, Michael Bondarenko, and Humza Muhammad at Enactus; Isabel, at OT Sustainability; and Sonia, the president of weCloud, to ask them about this outstanding event.

OTSU: What does sustainability mean to you personally, and why do you think it’s important for everyone to practice conscious sustainability?

OT Sustainability

Sustainability means leaving a habitable Earth for future generations to come.

Enactus

Scott: Sustainability is long term thinking, it’s understanding how we can create something that will last a long time. Create a long lasting feedback loop with a big ROI. It’s important that we all think about it because it's really tough to make big things sustainable when everyone's not on board.

Michael: To me sustainability is a mix of personal action and team action. Sustainability isn't always the ‘right now’. It's about how we are going to help our future generations experience the same quality of life of even better. When we practice sustainability, it's about finding solutions that are going to be renewable and implementing them in a way that people are going to continue implementing for generations.

Humza: Energy is important because if we don't use it in a humanitarian way, we are going to run out of it.

We Cloud

To me, sustainability means living in a way that removes burden from others, while also ensuring that we are not adding burden to the environment. It is key to showing that we are not selfish, and are able to be mindful of others in all that we do.

Engineering Outreach

I think environmental sustainability is really important. Specifically when it comes to the interplay between understanding the environment and how we can use technology to benefit the environment. When it comes to the future and since technology is rapidly advancing, we have such a great opportunity to intertwine the two together.

OTSU: How does your organization address the need for greater sustainability in communities?

OT Sustainability

We incorporate sustainability into everything we do and we oversee sustainability for the entire university. That includes engagement, planning, reporting.

Enactus

Scott: Enactus is an international organization with teams across the globe. And what we do is social entrepreneurship, so we create different businesses, enterprises, and projects that really create some kind of positive impact.

Michael: I'm the Refind project lead. Refind is a project under Enactus that focuses on finding engineering solutions to worldwide problems.

We Cloud

Well, we help mobilize Ontario Tech students and faculty to easily practice sustainability within the campus, as we know life can get busy. Our initiative revolves around collecting a variety of donations, and cycling them through the student body using a thrift-store like format. But completely free of charge!

Engineering Outreach

We specifically promote STEM education to youth ranging from kindergarten to grade 12. Since we are ‘Engineering Outreach’, a lot of our work is engineering techniques and engineering design. So one of the main things we teach youth is to be a lot more friendly to the environment and mindful of the resources we are using as engineers.

As an engineer, we have to think critically and efficiently when it comes to the use of your materials. Some examples include our STEM entrepreneurship competition. Basically with that, students were faced with a challenge where they had to create a product that's very environmentally sustainable.

They had to be mindful of the products’ purpose and use of consumable materials. In addition, our agriculture and technology workshops help students understand the interplay between technology and the environment. Students were learning how technology, specifically digital skills, can be used in agriculture and harvesting.

OTSU: How can students get involved with your group’s sustainability efforts, and where can they go for more information?

OT Sustainability

We have a sustainability champion program which is like ambassadors. And a really good way to get involved if you don’t want to commit is to just come out and attend some of our events like Sustainability Fest. And all of our events are posted on our social media and website.

Enactus

Humza: If you want to find more about Enactus, we are located at ERC 2100.

Michael: The students in Enactus and in Refind are super friendly. Our whole club is in every faculty we have students ranging from but not limited to: business, engineering, and biology, nursing.

Scott: If you're not from our university, you can give us a follow @enactus_ot on Instagram and check up on our projects, our team, and what we have going on.

We Cloud

We primarily update students through Instagram @wecloud_otu—it’s really your one-stop shop for all things sustainable and all things weCloud. You can also drop by a donation booth on Mondays in Shawenjigewining Hall, or reach out to us with any inquiries. And of course, we’ve got awesome events on campus, with the biggest one being Sustainability Fest on March 20!

Engineering Outreach

Throughout the whole school year, we’re constantly looking for volunteers. So if you just want to test it out, and see what programs we run and what we do throughout the year, you're more than welcome to volunteer with us!

Engineering Outreach is currently hiring right now for their summer positions, information is on their website and Instagram page.

If you're looking for a job during the academic year, we start hiring around the end of July, beginning of August. If you're an undergraduate student looking for a co-op in the realm of STEM education, we do co-op for undergraduate students as well.

OTSU: Any final parting words of wisdom or something that you want people to know about this year’s Sustainability Fest?

OT Sustainability

So we’re going to have a repair cafe. And anyone could bring items that need repairing like jewelry, bikes even. And we have volunteer fixers  that are there not only to fix it for you; but, also teach you how to fix it. People are also welcome to bring e-waste and batteries for recycling.

Enactus

Humza: We want to showcase a bunch of projects from students of different faculties. We would like to collaborate with organizations and individuals that promote sustainability.

Michael: As well as that, we also plan to have a bottle drive so if you have any 2 litre plastic bottles or regular bottles bring them in and we’ll use our AI to sort and recycle them into filament that can be turned into pretty much any product.

One of the products that we are going to be giving away is a self watering plant pod!

We Cloud

At S-FEST, you can come and pick up ANYTHING you need or have been looking for. We’ve got clothes, electronics, textbooks, coffee machines, and lots more. Be sure to stop by, and remember, sustainability does not need to be a grand gesture, you can incorporate it at all levels through anything you do.

Engineering Outreach

Come down to our booth on March 20, during Sustainability Fest, you will be able to plant your own flower in one of the eight cartons that we’ll have available. So after you plant it, you're going to be watering your plants and you'll be able to detect the soil by using a Microbit. It's kinda like a little computer chip and  you'll have a chance to enter a draw to win your own microbit.