Tuesday, March 24, 2026

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• Get ready to Bike Into Spring

• Canadians toss electronics at a concerning rate

• Writing and Communication Centre programming for graduate students
• Tuesday's notes

Get ready to Bike Into Spring

A message from the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA).

Prep your bike so you can enjoy warmer rides sooner! Bike Into Spring is a 3-day Bike Centre event designed to help you get your bike ready for spring, whether that means a tune-up, learning how to keep it secure, or just hanging out with the bike community.

Sign up on the Bike Into Spring website or message @wusabikecentre on Instagram if you have questions about the event.

What’s happening

• Tune-Up your Bike – March 24 and 26, 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., SLC Lower Atrium

Sign up for a time slot to get guidance and tools to tune up your bike and prep it for spring riding. A limited number of walk-in spots will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis. No bike repair experience is needed, just bring your bike and we’ll help you out!

Please note we are only able to accommodate fixes that can be done in 30 minutes or less for this event, anything longer will be directed to the Bike Centre.

Bring your bike in through the Bike Centre’s entrance and wheel it down the hall to the SLC lower atrium.

• Bike Movie Night, Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 p.m., SLC Black and Gold Room

Take a break and join us for a casual movie night to watch Premium Rush. Snacks and pop will be provided. Drop in anytime, no registration required.

Canadians toss electronics at a concerning rate

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

The first survey of Canadian consumers regarding their purchase and disposal of electronics reveals that 64 per cent of people replace their items for reasons other than the device breaking down or being obsolete. This behaviour points to the unrealized potential to reduce e-waste in Canada.  

Researchers from the University of Waterloo conducted a survey of Canadian households to capture electronic use, replacement and disposal patterns for seven common products: mobile phones, laptops or tablets, desktop computers, televisions, refrigerators, microwaves and laundry appliances. The analysis showed that just these seven products will generate around 2.3 million tons of e-waste from 2025 to 2030, which could fill 18 CN Towers. The team’s earlier research estimated that the amount Canada’s discarded e-waste had already tripled in the past two decades and was on a steady rise. 

Apart from precious metals — such as gold and silver — the e-waste also contains hazardous substances such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and acids, which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health if not properly managed. 

“If we increased the lifetime of consumer electronics by repairing them, it would result in so many environmental benefits from lower production of new products, including less extraction of mineral resources and the resulting environmental impacts,” said Dr. Komal Habib, professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo.  “We need legislation, such as Bill 91 in Ontario, that includes the right to repair for consumers and small business owners to help keep our products in use longer. Manufacturers would have to provide repair manuals, tools, software updates and replacement parts to consumers and independent repair shops.” 
 
Canadian consumers reportedly use their electronics for as long as or even longer than consumers in most other higher-income countries. The average lifetime for a phone in Canada is four and a half years. We tend to replace them not because they fail, but because they feel outdated, carrier plans encourage us to upgrade, and planned obsolescence limits software support, security and repairability. The researchers point out that one of the biggest hurdles in our take-make-waste economy is our strong preference for buying new products and our unwillingness or inability to repair, reuse and refurbish the devices we already have.
 
“Our findings can help guide better decision making in Canada,” said Dr. Elham Mohammadi, a postdoctoral scholar in the Faculty of Environment. “Practical steps, such as supporting repair, promoting longer product lifespans, improving access to refurbished and second-hand goods, and strengthening consumer awareness can help steer us toward a more sustainable future.

The study How long do consumer electronics last in Canada? appears in the Journal of Cleaner Production. 

Writing and Communication Centre programming for graduate students

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) is running several workshops, cafés, and seminars for graduate students this term.

Weekly Black, Indigenous, and Racialized Students’ Writing Café (in-person)

The Black, Indigenous and Racialized Students' Writing Café is a social writing group. Unlike traditional peer feedback-based writing groups, we don’t read each other’s finished writing: instead, we write together to create a community of writers who can cheer each other on during what is often an isolating, difficult journey! 

When: Tuesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (January 6 – April 28, 2026)

Where: SCH 228F

Weekly In-Person Grad Writing Cafés

Grab a coffee and get writing. Join our network of graduate student, postdoc, and faculty writers at the Grad Writing Café! Meet other writers, stay on track, and make progress on your work. Writing doesn't have to be solitary!

When: Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SCL 3216)

Rock Your Thesis 3: Revise and Submit

The third in the three-part “Rock Your Thesis” series, this workshop will equip you with the skills you need to revise your thesis or dissertation draft and plan to submit and defend it.  

When: April 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SLC3216)
Register on Portal

Design and Deliver Grad Studio

This three-part workshop series is designed to help master’s and PhD students develop their voices as independent scholars and give effective academic presentations with confidence. Sign up for just one workshop or all three!

Workshop 1: Planning and Preparing for Presentations

When: April 23 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SLC3216)

Workshop 2: Designing Slides

When: May 7 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SLC3216)

Workshop 3: Defending and Answering Questions

When: May 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SLC3216)

Register on Portal

Tuesday's notes

The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) announced last week that it has reached a tentative revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the University. The tentative agreement has been shared with UWSA members for ratification and includes a new framework for staff salary negotiations and an association grievance process. The MoA applies to most USG staff, not just UWSA members. To support understanding across the broader campus community, the Staff Association is hosting information sessions open to all staff. Details about session dates and times are available on the UWSA website.

The first of two Computer Museum Open House events takes place today from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in DC 1316. "At both events we will be showing off the exhibits in our renovated space in DC1316 with our new glass shelves," says a note from museum curator Lawrence Folland. "We have displays such as “Made in Waterloo”, “Curator favourites”, “Recent Acquisitions” and items from the recent “Tom Conrad Collection”. On Tuesday, we will also have some of the bigger, special items from the Tom Conrad Collection on tables outside the Computer Museum room."

The Religious Studies department, the School of Environment and Resource Studies (SERS), and the University of Waterloo Multi-Faith & Spiritual Resource Team (formerly the UW Chaplains) are co-sponsoring an event on Thursday entitled Faith and Nature: Respecting Our Reciprocal Relations. The event takes place from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Renison University College Room 3106.

"The Centre for Community, Clinical and Applied Research Excellence offers Staff and Faculty Fitness Programs for small-group, professionally supervised exercise sessions for University of Waterloo employees," says a note from CCCARE. "Designed for all fitness levels, the program combines strength, cardio, and mobility training in a supportive, on-campus setting."

Sign up today!