Waterloo Pharmacy Green Office Initiative

Leaving their legacy behind

Waterloo Pharmacy students gift tree on behalf of the School

Waterloo Pharmacy MSc student and team win Q4Environment Design Challenge Silver Award

Sustainable quantum dots detect lead in water

Preparing for a sustainable future

Planetary health workshop brings together faculty and staff across campus

Mealworms: an ethical solution to cell growth

Waterloo Pharmacy grad student wins $10k GreenHouse Social Impact Fund Prize

Prescription for change: Advancing sustainable practices in the pharmacy profession

CE Saturday keynote speaker Dr.Gruenberg spoke on the strong link between climate change and social detriments of health and how pharmacists can help patients adapt to changes they're already experiencing.

Going greener at the School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy’s Green Office Team was formed in 2019. From day one, they have been eager to implement changes to decrease the School’s carbon footprint and to launch projects to raise awareness about sustainability in the workplace.

Undergraduate affairs team goes paperless

Seeing the environmental benefits of avoiding unnecessary printing, the team has been inspired to transition to using technology in the place of paper-based documentation whenever possible.

Making your events environmentally friendly helps your guests navigate their personal preferences, shifts behaviour, and showcases leadership. Even better, you don’t have to bend over backwards to do it. Follow this simple checklist when planning an event to reduce its environmental impact as much as possible.

Provide local, healthy choices

• Ask guests about dietary restrictions if registering.
• Always provide vegetarian and vegan options.
• Ask caterer to source local food where possible.
• Ask caterer for Fairtrade or other certified coffee/tea.
• Ask caterer for eco-certified (organic, humanely processed) meat products.
• Order appropriate quantities to reduce food waste.

Strive for a zero-waste event

• Always have, at minimum, recycling next to every garbage bin.
• Collect organic waste where possible. Make waste signs specific to what you serve.
• Ask caterers to use jugs and ceramics instead of disposable beverages and creamers.
• Encourage attendees to bring reusable bottles/mugs.

Trim down printing and supply impacts

• Make your agenda and packages digital to limit printing.
• Provide overview brochure with relevant links.
• Provide only useful or reusable giveaways. Ask guests to return name tags for future events.
• Use digital check in for large events (i.e. Ticketfi, Eventbrite).

Provide green travel options

• Plan event in area well serviced by trails and transit.
• Advertise how to get to the event by transit, biking, and walking.
• Encourage carpooling for out-of-town travelers.
• Consider webcast options for long-distance travelers.
• Consider asking attendees how they arrived and offsetting travel emissions.

Don't forget to tell people about it

• People can be resistant to change. Advertising a Green Event before the day-of can help get attendees on-board and encourage them to participate.
• Remind people about Green Event features in the introduction and closing of the event.

Indoor plant guide

Research has demonstrated numerous benefits from indoor plants on the wellbeing and productivity of employees. Indoor plants have been linked with stress reduction, boosted moods, decreased sickness and absence rates, and in some cases cleaner indoor air quality.They have also been associated with increased productivity, creativity, attention span, and employee recruitment.

Getting started

Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering indoor plants for your office:

• Who will help to care for the plants?
• Are there any allergies in the office?
• Where will your plants be located? Light conditions/Temperature/humidity conditions

Recommended plant list

Here is a list of frequently recommended plants that are relatively low-maintenance and suited to low-light environments:

• ZZ plant
• Snake plant
• Devil’s ivy 
• Philodendron
• Spider plant
• Dracaena 
• Ferns (Bird’s Nest, Boston)
• Chinese evergreen 
• Peace lily
• Cacti

Community gardens and CSA guide

Gardening has been linked with higher levels of subjective well-being, resilience, and optimism, as well as improved physical, psychological and social health. Community supported agriculture (CSA) helps protect land and farmers from negative impacts of the global food market.

What is community supported agriculture?

Typically, a weekly/biweekly box filled with fresh fruits and veggies either delivered to your door or picked up from a central location. The produce is grown locally, directly supporting the farms/farmers. Some CSAs have other add-ons that include local pickles and other products.

What is a community garden?

A shared plot of land where community members can gather and grow fresh fruits and vegetables. They allow fresh, local produce to be much more accessible for those who may not have a garden of their own. They promote a shared economy, healthy lifestyles, and educational opportunities.

CSA and community garden list

Options for Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, and the townships (North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, Woolwich)

• Nith Valley Organics
• Pfennings Organic 
• Green Hart Farms
• Fertile Ground Farm
• The Working Center
• Little Fields Farm
• New Leaf Market Garden
• ReRoot Organic
• Young City Growers

Reduce

Avoid impulse shopping and use what you have or opt to borrow before buying new.

Resources: Zero Waste Waterloo Region, KW Library of Things

Reject

Avoid disposables or single-use products and look for items with sustainable sourcing or recycled content.

Resources: Eco-Label Index, Bring-Your- Own-Container Directory WR, Full Circle Foods, Zerocery

Reuse

Bring your own containers, bags, mugs and bottles, shop secondhand, repair items before discarding or replacing, and donate items in good condition.

Resources: Buy Nothing KW, Waterloo Region ReStore, 4RepairKW

Rot

Minimize food waste, compost all organic material, choose natural or biodegradable products, and donate or share extra food. 

Recycle

Stay updated on recycling rules in your area so you don’t contaminate your recycling bin.

Resources: A-Z Sorting Guide, Region of Waterloo Waste Whiz, Staples Tech Recycling

Cleaning

• Use natural or homemade cleaners such as vinegar, baking soda, and citrus fruits. This will reduce the amount of packaging materials as well as the amount of chemicals thrown into the water system
• Use cloth instead of paper to clean your kitchen by repurposing old towels, t-shirts and cutting them into small cleaning clothes

Home temperature

• Use ceiling fans or standalone fans instead of keeping the AC on high.
• Ceiling fans can also be reversed in Winter months to increase efficiencies and allow for
  better heat distribution

Lighting

• Switch all lightbulbs to high efficiency LEDs or CFL bulbs
• Turn off lights when not in the room and put light switches on dimmers
• Use natural light as much as possible by opening curtains and blinds during the day

Pet

• If you have a pet consider composting their waste instead of throwing it in the garbage. All pet waste and bedding can be composted but must be properly bagged in a certified compostable bag
• Dog waste can be picked up using newspaper, compostable bags or paper bags and then put in a lined green bin

Shopping

• Donate to and shop at goodwill or thrift stores. Purchase second-hand through kijiji, facebook market place, freecycle or other online outlets before buying new items
• If you have kids, consider buying their clothes second hand through consignment stores or parents getting rid of used clothing, toys and other items
• Support your local economy and shop at your local farmers market - don’t forget to bring your own bags!

Electronics

• Unplug electronics and small appliances when you are not using them
• When replacing appliances look for energy efficient models and use rechargeable batteries instead of disposables
• Use “sticky notes” or other note accessories on your computer/phone as a to-do list
  rather than writing things down on physical sticky notes
• Make grocery lists on your phone instead of writing them down on paper

Laundry

• Do only full loads of laundry and hang to dry when possible
• Wash and dry laundry during “off periods” such as nights and weekends
• Use a cold water cycle for your wash
• Consider switching dryer sheets to reusable dryer balls
• Use natural detergents that do not pollute our waterways

Mail

• Stop unwanted mail to save on paper and fuel in delivering them. For necessary mail, request the mailers to send online versions instead
• Switch to online banking and credit card statements and have bills sent electronically and use direct payments instead of mailing cheques

Printing

• Consider saving documents in an organized manner instead of printing things off. Review the document retention policy for your particular role and question whether documents really need to be printed or if a saved soft copy is sufficient
• Scanning and saving documents on your computer is a much better sustainable habit than making copies to file away

Solar

• Consider using solar lights in outdoor spaces
• If you have a pool consider using a solar pool cover to help warm your pool
• Use solar holiday lights around your home during the holidays

Use public transit

Try taking the bus, ION, or train for longer trips instead of your personal vehicle.

Benefits: Reduces emissions, saves money

Plan ahead to compare your options

Employees have access to the TravelWise platform for trip planning, where you can compare trips by time, distance, cost, emissions, and even calories burned.

Benefits: Saves money

Bundle trips

Set aside time to run multiple errands at once.

Benefits: Reduces the amount of trips needed and saves money

Use active transportation

Try walking, cycling, or another active mode for short trips and errands for the added bonus of boosting physical health!

Benefits: Promotes good health from physical activity, reduces emissions, saves money

Consider an electric vehicle

Before your next vehicle purchase, consider an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle to save on gas and emissions.

Benefits: Reduces emissions, saves money through low/no gas consumption

Try carsharing

Borrow from a selection of vehicles only when you need it.

Benefits: Access to vehicles when you need it, range of vehicles available