Above: Students and teachers view presentations on sustainable project proposals for the VIU at the Green Ideas event in March. 📷 Dane Gibson
By contributors Linda Bracken and Don Alexander
St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated with creativity at VIU’s Green Ideas event held in the upper cafeteria on Friday, March 17. The event was designed to have a similar format to the wildly popular Dragon’s Den program; proposals and posters invited from the VIU community were judged by four green dragons: Don Alexander, Kim Sharpe, Avery Bonner, and Linda Bracken. Proposals on how to help VIU be more sustainable were vying for up to $1K for project implementation, and the top three posters were awarded prizes.
Several proposals were received and included Stephan Iwasawa (for himself and Serena Gaiga) presenting on Pedal for Power—a bicycle charging station for small devices such as cell phones; Addison Hermann discussing the idea of having a living wall at VIU; Caroline Alexander, who pitched a proposal for an Atrium Memory Garden inside bldg. 356 where people could memorialize those who have passed on by planting bulbs; and Edward Bracken, who recommended rehabilitating the Community Peace Garden by planting more native vegetation and having Facilities take over its maintenance.
The $1K funding for Green Ideas was divided between Pedal for Power receiving $800, and the Living Wall $200 for exploratory research. Posters were judged on a combination of votes from event attendees and judges’ decisions, with prizes awarded to the top three entries.
A cash bar featuring drinks festooned with edible four-leaf clovers, a tasty buffet, St. Patrick’s Day themed table coverings, and sustainability-themed banners created for the Education department by VIU’s Strategic Marketing Office added to the festivities.
Many thanks to the Sustainability Advisory Committee members (and especially Margot Croft) for the beautiful job they did in organizing and setting up the Green Ideas event. To learn more about the Sustainability Advisory Committee, please visit viu.ca/sustainability/SAC.asp.
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