SRC

Re-energizing the Sustainability Resource Centre

Overview:

The Sustainability Resource Centre (SRC) is a hub for sustainability collaboration, engagement and information located in Science B on the University of Calgary’s main campus. Operated by the Office of Sustainability, the SRC is a space where campus community members can ask questions about sustainability, find the information they need and share their own resources. It also serves as a venue for clubs, groups and individuals to host sustainability-related events and programs, however it is currently unavailable for bookings due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This co-curricular Peer Helper project aimed to re-invigorate SRC both with new programming and by making changes to the physical space. To complete the project, Peer Helpers collaborated with staff members at the Office of Sustainability. This project was an opportunity to encourage greater engagement in sustainability-related issues in a space devoted to addressing sustainability topics. The SRC already does an incredible job of collaborating with several student clubs on campus and external organizations, and it was a unique experience to be able to expand on the initiatives the space is directly involved in.

Outcomes:

  • Organized a panel discussion on Fairtrade in collaboration with the UCalgary student club Engineers Without Borders (EWB). This took several months of planning and collaboration with individuals from Fair Trade Calgary, Ten Thousand Villages, and UCalgary staff. This project was a learning experience about small scale event planning logistics.
  • Made the space more comfortable and created a welcoming atmosphere for students across campus. This included adding more plants to the desks and using the existing materials to make the room more aesthetically pleasing. With the use of the whiteboards and blackboards in the room, eye-catching illustrations were drawn to visually engage visitors upon entering the space. Small furniture upgrades will also be implemented such as bookshelves and a small lending library.
  • An ongoing photo collage of the people from the Office of Sustainability and students engaging with sustainability on campus is in the works, which will be displayed on one of the main walls of the SRC.

Next Steps:

  • TBD based on how COVID-19 campus precautions evolve.