Earth Day

To acknowledge Earth Hour and Earth Day 2015, the UOIT and Durham College Sustainability offices, together with the Student Association, hosted an Eco Showcase Pub Day at E.P. Taylor’s Pub & Restaurant on April 2. Participants had a chance to check out some live music, browse local vendors, taste the sustainably sourced meal options, and much more!

During this event, the university launched a 28-day Carbon Reduction Challenge, in partnership with the Oshawa Environmental Advisory Committee, Durham College and the Oshawa Public Libraries (OPL). The event continued until Earth Day on April 22. The goal of this initiative was to spread the word about how committing to small daily challenges can add up to big environmental and financial savings. Daily challenges were posted on the city’s website, Twitter (#OshEco) and Facebook pages. OPL also collected participants’ creative ideas on how to reduce carbon emissions, and provided information and resources to help them with the daily challenges. At the end of challenge, the best tipsters won eco-friendly prizes. For more information, please visit the City of Oshawa's Environment page.

In addition, the university partnered with the City of Oshawa to hold a free Earth Hour event on March 28 at the Regent Theatre in Oshawa, Ontario. Participants enjoyed a screening of the documentary No Impact Man, which follows a Manhattan, New York-based family as they abandon their high-consumption lifestyle to live a year without making any net environmental impact. They also had a chance to view presentations, check out display booths and receive green tips.

For Earth Day 2016, UOIT held a Thrift Swap, which was an opportunity for all students, staff and faculty to divert items from the landfull by swapping out, donating or recycling them. UOIT also held a Campus Cleanup, in which faculty, staff and students were assigned specific areas of the north Oshawa campus location to clean.