Sustainability committee seeks members

A message from the President's Advisory Committee on Sustainability.

As the University of Waterloo continues to develop its leadership in sustainability, interested members of the campus community are invited to join the newly-created President’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability. This committee will represent a cross-section of Waterloo stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, and administration, to provide advice to the president on campus sustainability programs and policies. 

The co-chairs, Vice-President, Administration & Finance Dennis Huber and Dean of Environment Jean Andrey, are issuing an open call for participation for:

• Two staff positions;
• Two faculty positions;
• Two student positions; and
• One non-voting member from the federated and affiliated institutions of Waterloo.

If you are interested in joining the committee, please email Mat Thijssen, Sustainability Coordinator, no later than March 20, and include the following in a brief paragraph:

• Why you are interested in serving on the committee; and
• What strengths, experiences, or knowledge you hope to bring.

Members are expected to attend meetings, which will take place on campus at least once per term, and will serve for a period of either 1 or 2 years.  The approved Terms of Reference are available on the Sustainability website.

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Jackson Katz to speak on gender violence

The Equity Office is hosting a public lecture featuring guest speaker Dr. Jackson Katz entitled "Taking It Personally: Why Gender Violence is an Issue for Men" on Tuesday, March 10 at 4:00 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre.

"At the University of Waterloo we care deeply about the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff members," says President and Vice-Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur. "There is growing awareness in Canada that university campuses need to be vigilant about tackling sexual violence – both physically and culturally. In our commitment to fostering safe and equitable environments for all of our community members, I sincerely welcome this important lecture."

Professor Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist renowned for his pioneering work in gender violence prevention, education and critical media literacy. Katz speaks extensively around the world on topics related to violence, media and multiracial, multinational masculinities.

"Sexual violence is a global challenge – every person and every institution has a role to play in bringing it to an end, and that includes the University of Waterloo. In fact, universities have a special role to play in fostering dialogue and awareness to bring about the most safe and respectful environment possible for all students, faculty, and staff," writes Director of Equity Mahejabeen Ebrahim. "We very much look forward to Dr. Jackson Katz's contributions to our dialogue at the University."

There are still a few seats available, which can be reserved on the event's website.

A reception will follow the event.

Event partners include Campus Police, Conflict Management and Human Rights Office, Professor Diana Parry, Special Advisor for Women’s and Gender Issues, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, the Faculty of Environment, the Federation of Students, the Graduate Students Association, the Safety Office, the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel, the Status of Women & Equity Committee, the University of Waterloo Staff Association, the Women's Studies department, and Women in Engineering.

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Welcoming the Worm Wrangler

Steve Schaefer's got worms.

Well, sort of. Schaefer, also known as The Worm Wrangler, will be delivering a lecture on Friday, March 13 entitled "All About Vermicomposting" at 12:00 p.m. in PAS 3026. The event is being hosted by the Department of Psychology. Vermicomposting, as you might guess, is the process of using wiggly worms to convert food waste into compost.

"Worms are fascinating because of how efficiently they can participate in the recycling process of so much of what humans dispose of as “garbage”", says the talk's abstract. "They can eat our scraps of food waste and turn it into extremely nutritious fertilizer.  Through construction, erosion and other actions, we are losing our healthy topsoil in massive amounts."

"Worm composting along with other forms of composting encourages the replenishing of the soil. By using the castings (worm poop) from the worms as both fertilizer and catalyst for microbial action of the roots of plants, we can also produce much healthier plants."

The Worm Wrangler's talk will give some background to vermicomposting including anatomical facts about worms, and will also cover the reasons why worm castings are healthier and more nutritious for plants. Schaefer will also answer questions frequently asked about worm composting such as:

• Why use worm composting rather than regular outdoor composting?
• Is worm poop easier or harder to apply to plants than regular fertilizer? 
• How difficult is it to set up a worm composting operation at home?
• Does worm compost create strong odors and are unwanted bugs and other animals attracted by the composting process?
• What do worms eat?  What food is bad for them?
• Can one supply enough food for the worms from a family’s daily eating scraps?

So just who is the Worm Wrangler, anyway? Prior to moving to Toronto, Schaefer lived in Winnipeg, in a house with several gardens. Four years ago Steve retired from his school social worker position of forty years and moved to a condominium in Toronto with his wife. Each week he spends a few hours at the Evergreen Brick Works caring for the worms they raise there and talks informally with parents and children who come to see the worm composting operation. They started with six worm bins when he first volunteered to take care of them. Now they have twenty bins and would probably have more if they had more room in their small green house. 

This event is free, but seating is limited. Email Mare Appleby to reserve your seat. If there's enough interest, there will be an opportunity to participate in a "make your own worm compost bin" follow-up workshop.

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Faculty-based 3MT heats underway

Beginning on February 23, graduate students have been competing within their faculties for a spot in the University-wide Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) finals, which will be held on Thursday, April 2.

All are welcome to attend the competitions. Upcoming heats include:

• Science, Wednesday, March 11, 1:30 p.m., EIT 1015;
• Applied Health Sciences, Thursday, March 12, 11:30 a.m., LHI 1621;
• Arts, Thursday, March 12, 4:00 p.m., HH1106; and
• Engineering, Friday, March 13, 4:00 p.m., E2 1303.

The winners of these Faculty-based heats will compete in the University-wide finals, which will be held in the Humanities Theatre on Thursday, April 2. This competition is open to all members of the University community, who will be able to vote for their favourite 3MT competitor by participating in the People's Choice award. The winners will be announced at the competition after a short deliberation by the judging panel.

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Monday's notes

The Muslim Students' Association of the University of Waterloo (UWMSA) is inviting members of the University community to take part in Islam Awareness Week (IAW) events beginning today.

IAW is an annual, student-driven initiative "intended to raise awareness and remove stereotypes about Islam," says a note from UWMSA. "Such events take place on university campuses across North America."

A free Waffle Breakfast started IAW off at 8:00 a.m. today in the Student Life Centre at the University of Waterloo, and the week's other events include informational displays and booths as well as art exhibits, all of which will be taking place from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Course Selection Week winds down tomorrow, March 10. Students can request their fall 2015 course selections through their Quest accounts, and step-by-step instructions are available on the Quest homepage. Please note that course selection for the fall term is not available on Quest Mobile and must be done on the full site.

Students will still be able to adjust their schedules during the drop/add period from July 28 to September 25, and courses can be dropped without penalty until October 2.

Human Resources is reporting that retiree Mary Alguire died on March 2. Mary began working at the University in July 1980 and was the receptionist in the Library until her retirement in July 1996 under the Special Early Retirement Program.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "Myth vs. Fact" supplied by Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth: “Bulletproof Coffee” can supercharge your morning.

Fact: This concoction, and the diet book sold to promote it, is the brainchild of tech millionaire and non-scientist Dave Asprey. His recommended high-test brew contains special coffee (available only on his Bulletproof website) and several tablespoons of fats – grass fed butter and medium chain triglyceride oil (a blend of coconut oil and palm oil also available on his website). It is high in calories and saturated fat, and is not a source of protein, fibre, or of significant amounts any vitamins (except a small amount of Vitamin A) or minerals. His theories are not backed by either science or common sense; a quick scan of the research Asprey cites reveals mainly older articles and small studies. In fact, when I tried to check out the single reference cited on his website to support his statement “Saturated fat does not raise cholesterol levels over time. (32)” I was linked only to a blank page. While research continues to examine the health impact of saturated fats, a 2012 systematic review of 48 randomized controlled trials concluded that “all those at risk of cardiovascular disease and lower risk population groups should continue to include permanent reduction of dietary saturated fat and partial replacement by unsaturates.”

You could probably predict Bulletproof Coffee is not dietitian-endorsed. Savvy consumers can spot the red flag: this is a sales pitch promoting purchase of company products rather than teaching people how to make good choices from regular grocery store foods. A high fibre, protein-rich breakfast that contains moderate amounts of healthy fats, prepared with ingredients from your local market, is proven to enhance both energy and health.

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