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Several groups at the University of New Brunswick have taken steps to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into Orientation Week.

“It is great to see so many groups on campus taking a leadership role in helping to make our campus community greener,” says Danielle Smith, UNB’s Sustainability Coordinator.

Ms. Smith and her colleagues in UNB Sustainability have supported and consulted on a number of the initiatives, but she says many of the ideas came from the staff and students planning the events.

“There is a growing passion on campus for sustainability and environmental issues. It is amazing to see that passion leading to mindful decisions across the university.”

Student Services chose to print their O-Week Guides and Schedules on 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper for the first time instead of choosing virgin, glossy paper. The International Student Advisory Office also aimed to reduce their impact by including all information packages on USB drives instead of printing the documents.

It wasn’t only staff groups making positive changes to their planning. The Student Union’s Orientation leaders took it one step further by incorporating sustainability as one of the pillars of the week.

“It is important to make sustainability part of our everyday lives,” says Brendan Finnerty, Student Union Orientation Chair. “With Orientation activities engaging every new student entering the campus community, it is a unique opportunity to set the standard for the rest of their time at UNB and help create a conscious campus culture.”

To achieve these goals, the Student Union Orientation Leaders have added green acts into the O-Cup competition and included reusable alternatives to single use plastics within their orientation kits, along many other initiatives. They also certified several events as green through UNB Sustainability’s Green Event Program, including their Red Shirt training.

The Graduate Student Association have also certified orientation events under the program along with including their information packages for students on USB drives.

These initiatives will significantly reduce the impact of this year’s Orientation Week at UNB. More information on sustainability initiatives at UNB can be found at unb.ca/green.