Varanan Sinnadurai
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 261 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO30minutesspent exercising
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UP TO60minutesspent learning
Varanan's actions
Share Your Story
READ Quebec's principles for a just transition AND/OR PARTICIPATE in the Sept 27 Climate March
For the week of Sept 25 to Oct 2, please read the documents attached AND IF YOU CAN, please attend the Sept 27 Climate March. Many people and organisations feel that the government is dragging its feet on the important changes required to meet our climate commitments. For your post, reflect on the value of mass demonstrations. Include a photo of a protest banner or slogan that you find effective (if you can't attend the event then find a photo on the web from other climate marches).
Land Sinks
Choose Better Wood Products
Forest Protection
I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.
Land Sinks
Forest-Friendly Foods 1
Tropical Forest Restoration
I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.
Transportation
Use Muscle Power
Multiple Transportation Solutions
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.
Transportation
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Smaller Portions
Reduced Food Waste
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn About Aquaculture
Improved Aquaculture
Each day, I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.
Industry
Choose Recycled Paper
Recycled Paper
I will plan ahead to use paper products only made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.
Share Your Story
SiA Homework for Sept 11 - Intro Post
Please write a short post to introduce yourself to the class. Mention some of your interests and what program you are in. If you have some ideas for your sustainability project this semester, please share - you might find a collaborator! Inspire others with the EcoChallenge actions that you are interested in trying out. Include a photo of yourself if you like.
Transportation
SiA Homework for Sept 4 - PRACTICE POST
Write an Ecochallenge POST to our team, briefly stating how you currently commute to Vanier. In Quebec, because we have a lot of hydro electric power, one of the main source of carbon emissions is from transportation. What commuting options do you have that would be healthier for you and the planet? Will you be considering any changes for this semester? If so, select or create an EcoChallenge action. If not, explain what your particular challenges are and what you could do to help other people in your situation (e.g. organise car sharing, propose a bus shuttle, etc.)
Share Your Story
SiA Homework for Sept 4 - PRACTICE POST
On Sept 4, we will have 3 guests come talk to us about sustainability initiatives at Vanier. In preparation, please read over VANIER'S 5-YEAR SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN 2018-2023 and then write an EcoChallenge post that includes the following: - What do you think about the plan? Is it ambitious enough? Is there anything missing or superfluous? From your own observation and experience, how well is Vanier doing? List some questions that you would like to ask our speakers regarding Sustainability at Vanier? - Identify at least 3 initiatives that you are potentially interested in contributing to this semester and explain why. (Note there is a column labelled student involvement.) For more detailed information, you can also consult the 2020 VANIER ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT in the links.
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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Varanan Sinnadurai 10/08/2024 5:53 PMEco challenge is going good, have been taking more walks around the neighborhood and city area, noticing how the infrastructure is built more for cars than walking or cycling. I have been biking or walking to nearby areas rather than driving. Although it feels better to bike, it becomes more difficult with the decreasing temperature, and it will soon be winter where it would be be tougher or impossible to bike through. I have also been reducing the amount of food that is served or on the plate, that way the food way is reduced. -
Varanan Sinnadurai 9/25/2024 4:43 AMI choose to give insight into a topic that I recently have been researching as part of my daily actions which is Aquaculture. Aquaculture is basically the farming of aquatic animals such as fish in a controlled environment. Aquacultures are beneficial to helping environmental conditions of wild fish populations because it reduces the need to deplete wild fish populations by farming them. It's also able to meet the demands of fish in terms of food that humans consume. Aquacultures are also used to farm and restock wild fish populations in areas that are depleted, which can have both positive and negative ethical issues associated with that, such as farmed fish being more prone to predation because of conditioning by being raised in an aquaculture.-
Richard Klopp 9/25/2024 7:17 AMHi Varanan,
You might explore this a little further to better understand what kinds of aquaculture are good. LIke with other kinds of animal farming, if it is too intensive it can lead to many problems, like high concentrations of waste, animal stress, disease, use of antibiotics, etc.
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Varanan Sinnadurai 9/11/2024 1:02 PMIntroduction
Hi, my name is Varanan Sinnadurai and I am in the Environmental and Wildlife management program. Some of my interests including birding and hiking. Some of my ideas for sustainability project ideas include, identifying species of trees and/or birds and creating correlation data between them, as to see what our campus habitat is like for them and what we could do to improve it. -
Varanan Sinnadurai 9/03/2024 5:12 PMSustainability Action Plan
I think the plan was definitely a great initial idea, and seems to state clear goals that it aims to accomplish. I did see some objectives that aimed to start around 2019-2020, but I am unsure as to if those objectives were actually reached. I think Vanier has certainly been more sustainable since the plan, as I have seen events where students can get free coffee if they bring their own cup or contests for knowing trivia about the environment to promote more awareness. Overall the sustainability plan seems to be concise, and works towards reachable goals with a possible time frame. I did also notice that most of the current status column were not filled. As time goes on the goals might be changed to better suit the current situation depending on how well it is received. Some questions I would like to ask include:
1. If an assessment was started in 2019 or 2020
2. How would they change the action plan
3. What goals are the most important.-
Richard Klopp 9/03/2024 8:24 PMIt is an excellent point about prioritising goals based on their overall impact.
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Varanan Sinnadurai 9/03/2024 4:55 PMMy Vanier Commute
The way I get to Vanier College, is by using public transportation. Since Vanier College is farther away for me and I am not in walking or biking distance of the college, public transportation is the only option and it is why I have been taking to for the majority of my time at the college. It takes roughly 30 mins for the bus to arrive at Vanier college. It is important to reduce our emissions as much as possible, so by opting for public transportation compared to personal vehicle, it reduces Co2 emissions.