2019-2020 Sustainable Hawk Fund Recipients

It's that time of year again to announce the winners of the Sustainable Hawk Fund! We're proud to announce that there are seven recipients who will use the funding to take on their projects. Applicants were required to submit an application in November including a budget, project overview, and intended impact. From there, applicants were invited to pitch their project idea in seven minutes or less to our Sustainable Campus Committee.

The recipients of the Sustainable Hawk Fund are:

• "Cut the Crap" Photo Installation, led by Kai Reimer-Watts. Illustrations from Pooja Dhingra's series "Cut the Crap" promoting individual action will be put up in a Sustainability Corridor on-campus. 

• Sustainable Menstruation Workshops, led by Brooke Dietrich. Proposed workshop to educate and provide alternatives to traditional menstrual products that are environmentally wasteful (i.e., landfill prevention equivalent to mass of 14 adult lions). The workshop would invite industry experts/representatives to discuss alternatives and destigmatize menstruation. 

• Battery Recycling Drums, led by Madeline McInnis. This project will look to get battery recycling stations on campus for students to have a place to safely dispose of batteries. With the lack of options to recycle batteries on campus, this project fulfils a need that currently isn't being met on campus. Funding will be used towards finding and purchasing battery recycling drums!

• HiRide, led by Akshat Soni. HiRide is a carpooling platform that was created for post-secondary students and young professionals to be able to travel long distances more safely, efficiently, socially, and conveniently. For every 5 carpools which we facilitate, we will plant a tree in Waterloo. Funding will be used towards marketing, communication, and some software/subscription costs.

• EarthSuds, led by Marissa Vettoretti. EarthSuds is a social business which aims to sell a substitute for travel toiletries that is free from plastic packaging. They are piloting in individual, stand-alone hotels but we are aiming to sell to hotel franchises/chains in the growth phase of the business

• LastXX Apparel, led by Lauren Barnes. Last20 Apparel integrates PET plastics into fibres, which is its sustainable clothing brand. PET plastics are commonly found in plastic water bottles and so every article of clothing has 6 recycled plastic water bottles in it. Last20 gives people the security that their purchase is making a difference, by: upcycling bottles before they end up in landfills and oceans; educating consumers about proper recycling habits; and creating amazing repurposed apparel, and giving bottles a positive end of life solution.

Thank you to all of our applicants and recipients of the Sustainable Hawk Fund!

A special shout out goes to our Sustainable Campus Committee members, who judged the pitch presentations:

• Kris Gilmore, EcoHawks Coordinator, Brantford 
• Lauren Burrows, Education and Inclusion Coordinator, Brantford
• Katarina Milicic, Outreach and Programs Coordinator, Sustainability Office
• Stephanie MacPhee, Manager, Sustainability Office
• Leanne Hagarty, Faculty, Business Department
• Shannon Leest, Students Union, VP of Finance and Admin
• Elizabeth LaPalme, Sustainability Advisor, Waterloo
• Rosemary Brockett, Sustainability Assistant

For more information about the Sustainable Hawk Fund, please contact the Outreach and Programs Coordinator for the Sustainability Office, Katarina at kmilicic@wlu.ca.