CREDIT: FSU COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS DEPT.

Did you know that according to a 2017 report from The Guardian, an average one million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute?

In Canada, about 11 per cent of plastics are recycled, according to environmentaldefence.ca; that is just two per cent above the global rate of plastics recycled.

Here at Fanshawe College, sustainability is very important. Our school is a member of the AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), which means that sustainability is very important to us.


Some of the wonderful things the school offers to help reduce your ecological footprint are various water filling stations that you can use to fill up your reusable water bottles, as well as many compost/ recycling bins around the campus. There are even pictures to help guide you of what can and cannot go in there.

According to the College’s sustainability web page (fanshawec. ca/about-fanshawe/corporate-information/ sustainability), Fanshawe’s vision is to embrace social and environmental responsibility while being fiscally accountable, to ensure a sustainable present and future for our community.

Oct. 28 to 31 is the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) Sustainability Awareness Week. This week discusses the importance of sustainability by giving tips on how to reduce our ecological footprints and maintaining a better environment. Fanshawe is dedicated to making the environment a better place.

On Oct. 29, students can avoid fast fashion by bringing in their used clothing (in good condition) and exchanging it for others’ used clothes in a clothing swap at Forwell Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

And as if saving the planet isn’t enough incentive, students who get “caught” recycling at both the London and Downtown Fanshawe campuses during Sustainability Awareness Week will have a chance to win a sustainability prize pack valued at $150. The more students recycle, the higher their chances of winning. To learn more, contact Joey Langdon, the FSU’s student life coordinator, at j_langdon@nullfanshawec.ca.

For more information on Sustainability Awareness Week and other FSU events, check out fsu.ca/events.