The University of British Columbia Food Systems Project

Acadia and University Apartments of the University of British Columbia (UBC) are home to some 800 families. Each month there is a heavy influx and efflux of families due to the temporary nature of the housing. As a result, it’s difficult to ensure composting awareness and practice remains steady among residents. To increase awareness of composting at UBC, and specifically in the Acadia Family Residences and University Apartments, we designed an informational article about composting, a survey for the residents of Acadia to evaluate their composting awareness and habits, and a children’s activity page. The adult information page, the survey, and the children’s activity page were added to the April edition of Acadia’s monthly newsletter and distributed April 1st, 2007. Upon return of our surveys (April 8th, 2007), it was determined that the majority of the residents were interested in improving composting practices in their residence. We collaborated with Carol Young, the Residence Life Manager at Acadia Family Housing, to provide practical solutions to increase the awareness and incidence of composting at this housing unit. We would recommend that upcoming students continue to strengthen this relationship and work together with Ms. Young to further facilitate composting at Acadia and University Apartments. We believe this is a relatively untapped population that can aid in increasing composting and decreasing waste at the University of British Columbia. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat