One Million Acts of Green 2: Green Harder

Dalhousie brought down the axe on Acadia and won the One Million Acts of Green challenge—now we’re after Trent University’s Excalibur.

“They’re already trash talking us, but that’s okay – we’re ready to take them on,” says a smiling Rochelle Owen, director of Dalhousie’s Office of Sustainability. “People have been telling me how green they are, so we’ll have quite a fight on our hands.”

Dalhousie’s One Million Acts of Green challenge with Acadia University had barely gotten off the ground before it was over: both universities met their targets within one day. So, with an aim to keep the momentum going, CBC and The Hour proposed a new challenge between Dalhousie and Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., two of the most active groups on the One Million Acts of Green website. Now at 940,000, the national count is likely to go over the million mark with the Dal/Trent challenge.

This time, Dalhousie is aiming for 55,000 “acts of green” and Trent, at about half the size of the Dalhousie, for 30,000. Dal is already well on the way with 28,000 acts and 699 group members; Trent is close behind with 21,000 acts and 600 members.

An “act of green” is described as an opportunity to help the environment; it may be as simple as swapping old light bulbs for energy-efficient CFLs or something bigger like getting rid of your car and cycling to campus.

What's your act of green? "I do my laundry in cold water and hang it to dry." — Milena McWatt, master's student in Resouce and Environmental Management "I compost at home." — Keren Lifshitz, second-year student in International Development Studies. "I eat vegetarian and I try to eat local foods." — Amanda Klarer, four-year student, IDS and Environmental Science.

But even with the renewed battle cry, the competition couldn’t be friendlier. “Both of us like the challenge because it’s really about increasing interest and awareness on our own campuses,” says Ms. Owen.

“We obviously we want to kick your butts, not because we’re mean or anything, more because we’re both working toward environmental good and a healthy challenge means we’re all that further ahead,” adds Shelley Strain, sustainability coordinator for Trent University.

Ms. Strain says students at Trent are already very environmentally aware; even before her position was created a year and a half ago, student groups have been promoting sustainability on campus through composting and recycling, energy conservation programs, installing green roofs and caring for the university’s extensive natural areas. She says the university boasts its own hydro-electric power station which harnesses the fast-flowing water of the Otonabee River.

‘Pshaw,’ say Dal students active in the campaign. They’re psyched about taking on a worthy adversary.

“It’s a good initiative because it recognizes people who are already doing sustainable practices in their day-to-day life, but also gives you ideas of other things you could do to be even better,” says Milena McWatt, a master’s student in Resource and Environmental Management.

During each week of the campaign, a different act of green will be promoted. This week’s featured act is using a reusable mug when you get your java fix. On “Muggy Monday,” Feb. 2—the official first day of the new challenge—students will be giving away travel mugs and fair-trade coffee in the SUB. As the challenge progresses, other promotions will highlight the benefits of composting, recycling, organic produce, public transit and much more.

The key to getting involved is registering on the One Million Acts of Green and joining the Dalhousie group. Once registered, participants can check off their sustainable habits, home projects and community initiatives from the extensive list provided.

Want to do your part for the challenge? The first thing to do is register on the One Million Acts of Green website (http://green.cbc.ca) by providing your email address and a password. Then, you can join the Dalhousie group and start adding your acts of green to your personal profile.