Making the move to sustainability

Wylie with wrapped pallets of surplus electronics bound for recycling. Photo: Vivian Kereki

By Vivian Kereki

Many university units are about to move across campus into new buildings with extensive sustainability features, but what about the moving process itself? How can that be done in the most sustainable way?

UVic is addressing this challenge in the planning for two major back-to-back moves: the reallocation of offices and labs from five departments into the new Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Building and the upcoming move into the Support Services Building in November.

Bentley Sly, manager of grounds in the Facilities Management Department, has played a leading part in the waste management aspect of the moving projects. “We are trying to intercept waste as part of the move-out process and then get that waste into the proper recycling/waste stream,” explains Sly. “But we are only one small part of a very large and complex project.”

Kim Fawthorpe, move team lead in the facilities management projects office, is managing and leading all logistical aspects of both moves. Other move team members are Occupational Health and Safety, Campus Security, outside specialist move and hazmat contractors, Purchasing and Janitorial Services

Over the last several months, the projects office has held meetings with nearly 20 department move coordinators and 80 lab move coordinators in order to make the very complex move into the new sciences building a smooth one.

“One of the biggest challenges was identifying all of the different needs of the varying academic units,” says Sarah Webb, UVic’s sustainability coordinator at the Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability.

Four to six weeks prior to move-out day, all building occupants and moving coordinators received a facilities management handbook outlining items they can recycle and in what manner.

Over several months, Fawthorpe assessed the condition, safety and ergonomics of furniture from the old buildings and created a space plan re-using as much furniture as possible. Nearly 90 per cent of the existing furniture and business equipment from units moving into the new sciences building will be used in their existing locations or reallocated for use elsewhere on campus.

Furniture that is unusable at the university—due to poor condition, poor ergonomics or not meeting WCB regulations—is declared surplus and comes to Stephen Wylie, surplus asset coordinator in Purchasing Services, who disposes of surplus furniture and electronics in a sustainable way.

Using a cluttered room in L-Hut and 13 shipping containers, he sorts and organizes electronics, desks, chairs, shelves, millwork and filing cabinets. Some items are sold via bcauction.ca, at outdoor on-campus public sales, and on eBay. Many non-profit organizations and several public and private schools have been able to take advantage of the surplus.

All income earned from surplus sales is reallocated to general university funds after expenses are covered.
What doesn’t sell is then recycled. In the case of electronics, like televisions and computers, Wylie stacks them several meters high on pallets and secures them with shrink-wrap before they are trucked off for recycling. Wylie’s time-lapse computer shrink-wrapping video is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb0jXw63IHU.

For information on future surplus asset sales, go to: web.finance.uvic.ca/UVicProcurement.

Put your ideas into circulation

The Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability is undertaking a process to develop a new Sustainability Policy and Action Plan. Through 2008, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to submit their thoughts and ideas regarding sustainability on campus. And save the date of Saturday, Nov. 22 to attend the UVic Blueprint for Change Campus Sustainability Summit, a one-day conference providing an opportunity to examine and refine campus defined goals and set benchmarks for sustainability in more detail. For conference info and to provide policy input: uvic.ca/sustainability