Sustainability of RRU

Upon reading the sustainability plan of Royal Roads University, I gathered that it is very diverse and covers many areas regarding climate change, reducing waste, as well as implementing systems that would improve the sustainability of Royal Roads University. Key initiatives of the plan include reducing the GHG emissions by 50% by 2020, become climate neutral by 2010, Go off the power grid, and to identify the best practices in order to become a leader in sustainability. Earlier this week, we were introduced to a few representatives of Royal Roads University whom shared their inputs on the sustainability of RRU and what their groups were doing in order to accomplish this. One of these representatives was the supervisor of the Royal Roads custodial services. I was amazed at how one aspect such as janitorial/garbage services could put forward so many sustainable ideas. The custodial service at RRU really takes pride in what they do and how they can benefit the environment. There are no harmful chemicals or disinfectants used on campus and all cleaning is done using microfiber cloths and water. I was skeptical at first with this cleaning method but microfiber cloths absorb all bacteria in contact and are then washed using a specialized washing machine which sterilizes the cloths and makes no need for the use of detergents. Also, the microfiber cloths have a life of 500+ washes, which is by far much more sustainable then using paper towel to clean the hundreds of desks in the campus. Also, the paper towel which is generated from bathrooms, kitchen, etc is recycled and turned into compost instead of being diverted to a landfill. A full scale recycling program was put into effect and the money generated from refundable bottles was used as donations for scholarships as well as to various charities such as the united way.

Another part of RRU with regards to sustainability is the Habitat Café. They have also put forward many different ways in order to be sustainable and environmental friendly. The wastes are not left for the consumer to sort but instead are sorted in the back of the kitchen in order to eliminate the addition of unnecessary wastes which would not belong in the compost. The majority of the cups and cutlery are made up of biodegradable materials such as corn plastics and corn lined cups. Different incentives have been also discussed with regards to reducing the amount of coffee cup sleeves disposed of. Such an incentive that was introduced was to bring in a coffee sleeve to enter in for a draw. The kitchen also uses cage free eggs and prawns were eliminated from the menu due to this not being an ocean wise choice.

Steve Grundy also talked to our class with regards to the sustainability plan of RRU. He commented on the solutions for meeting as well as how progress was being made to do this. I felt that the overall success of meeting the criteria for the sustainability plan seemed very difficult. The major problem was generating the funding needed to put through a plan and that the solutions discovered were slowly eliminated due to the infeasibility of them. Solar power proved to not be very efficient due to the high amount of carbon present in the photovoltaic cells used. Wind power and wave power were also eliminated because there are not enough of either present on the campus to provide the necessary amount for efficient generation. Another solution was the anaerobic digestion of wood wastes which produced methane. The methane generated would be burned and the heat could be used as the source of power. However, this method also seems infeasible because the large amount of wastes needed for this project. A viable collection program would have to be introduced and the public would have to be on board for it to be successful.

All in all, I feel that Royal Roads University is putting forward many different and great ideas which demonstrate sustainability to the fullest. The janitorial and kitchen staffs have put forward many ideas and have put these programs into full force. This can aid in the overall sustainability plan of RRU and help it become a reality. However, I feel doubtful that the campus can meet all initiatives lined out in the sustainability plan. It can be done, but like all things, a source of money is needed to put this through. Also, the many different ideas discussed with regards to finding an alternative source for power generation have all been slowly eliminated from the list due to either the feasibility or funding needed for the project. RRU has put forward many green initiatives and is by far exceeding any other university that I have heard of trying to do this. However to be fully sustainable and meet the targets outlined in the sustainability plan for the campus, many factors must be solved which regretfully appear to be without a solution at this time.