Winners of the Every Day is Earth Day contest were rewarded last week with a lunch with Brian Tamblyn and representatives of the Environmental Sustainability Committee. Taking part were, from left, Dianne Corrigan, Tim Green, Cindy Mutchler, Romy Boorman, Cathy Neuss, Richard Thomson, Sara Tuck, Cathy Torella, Brian Muscat, Marina Morely, Brian Tamblyn, Andrea Cook, and Katie Peddell. Members of the Hairstyling Apprenticeship team were unable to attend.

Georgian President and CEO Brian Tamblyn sat down for lunch in the Georgian Dining Room recently with almost a dozen staff members to recognize their leadership in making Georgian departments greener. The employees were winners of the first Every Day is Earth Day contest, which encouraged staff to submit initiatives that they have implemented on the job.

The results were impressive, and for the inaugural contest, the Environmental Sustainability Committee granted three top prizes. Winners were:

• Housing, Residence Life and Conference Services for a wide-ranging strategy that includes battery recycling, reusable plates and cutlery, recycling of guest soaps and old towels, and an increase in electronic recordkeeping to significantly reduce paper use.
• Hairstyling Apprenticeship program for recycling foils and hair cuttings. The foils, which are covered in developer, bleach and colouring chemicals, are now collected for professional recycling. Hair clippings are also recycled for such uses as fertilizers and containment dykes for oil spills.
• Office of the Registrar for changes in the design and printing of major publications such as the Academic Calendar and folders containing acceptance information for new students, as of August 2010. Print specifications were changed to ensure the printer is Forest Stewardship Council certified and that recycled paper and vegetable-based inks are used. Design changes, paper size and page count were all changed to use less volume of paper overall.

Watch Staff News in coming months for details of the 2012 Every Day is Earth Day contest. All initiatives must actually be in use in your department at the time of entry submission.