Community Updates

Browse

Climate Action Week in the Library - September 23rd to September 29th

This post is 18 months old and may be out of date. View the latest from Library →

Library
By Michael Pollard

Posted on September 16, 2022 | Updated September 20, 2022, 3:45pm

Filed in Faculty, Staff, Students

Pictomark Wordmark Tagline Coloured

Climate Action Week logo

The colours of the Climate Action Week Logo are inspired by the #ShowYourStripes data visualization showing changes in global annual temperatures from 1850-present.

From September 23rd to September 29th the ECU Library will be participating in Climate Action Week.

Attention Emily Carr University Community! Drop by the Library between Friday, Sept. 23 and Thursday, Sept. 29, for Climate Action Week. Partnering with the British Columbia Library Association (@bclaconnect) and several other BC libraries, Climate Action Week is a time to ‘raise awareness, answer our communities’ growing needs, and articulate clearly that libraries are places to connect people and access resources on climate change.’

To kick things off, we will be hosting a sign-making workshop in preparation for the Sustainabiliteens March and Block Party for Climate Justice, which begins at Coal Harbour Park at 2 pm on Friday, Sept. 23. This festive sign-making event will take place in the library from 11am to 1pm on Friday the 23rd. We will have some cardboard, stakes, markers, and paint, but feel free to bring your own supplies as well. It's going to be a good time!

Sustainabiliteens March and Block Party Poster. Reads 'You're invited to the climate justice block party.'
Sustainabiliteens March and Block Party. Sept. 23. 2pm-6pm. Starts at the Coal Harbour Park.

Throughout the week, you will also notice a couple of changes at the front of the library. For one, we will have some recycling bins to the right of the entrance as you come in. We invite community members to drop off the following difficult-to-recycle items for transport to the Zero Waste Centre:

  • Cell phones; clean clothing and textiles including reusable bags, small electronics; foam and styrofoam packaging (no peanuts); household batteries; other flexible plastic packaging; plastic bags and overwrap; small power tools; small appliances; smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; and thermostats.
  • Before dropping off cell phones, make sure to follow these guidelines on wiping your device of personal information.
  • We WILL NOT accept large electronics, large power tools, or appliances larger than a blender. We are also not able to recycle any toxic materials such as household paint or liquids such as cooking oil. If you have any items that are not on this list and are wondering about bringing them in, please send us an email at library@ecuad.ca
  • Note that the Zero Waste Centre takes these and other materials, but the library cannot transport them. Follow this link for a full list of materials you can drop off at the Zero Waste Centre.
The ECU Library's Sustainability Resources Centre. A man in a orange coat holding a set of binoculars to his face in front of a book case featuring books and plants.
ECU Library's Sustainability Resources Centre features many books and fun items like birding backpacks and binoculars.

The second change you may notice in the library is the Sustainability Resources shelf at the front entrance. As Greta Thunberg said to the British parliament in 2019, 'we have to start treating the crisis like a crisis.' So, for one week, the climate crisis will be front and center in the library. Staff members have also written some helpful shelf-talkers sharing our favourite sustainability-related books.

Another way of mobilizing climate action, according to Seth Klein in his recent book A Good War, is through the arts. In this spirit, the library will be putting on an exhibition of art related to climate change and sustainability. Watch for a detailed call for submissions open to all students, staff and faculty in the next two weeks. We will aim to display this work in early April.

Finally, don't forget that we will be wrapping up Sustainability Bingo on September 29th! Bring your finished card to the library service desk to enter a draw for some great sustainability-related prizes! You can also fill out a PDF version of the card and send it to library@ecuad.ca as an attachment. If you haven't started already, it's not too late. You may already be 'ticking some boxes.' Regardless of how you fill it out, we will announce the winners in early October!