One of the simplest and most effective things you can do for the planet and your wallet when purchasing food is to plan ahead. 

Making a food plan for the week and a grocery list will help you not buy more food than you can eat before it goes bad, saving money and preventing food waste.

Why buy local?

Two of the many reasons are:

1. Food tastes better, is fresher and more sustainable as it hasn’t had to be stored and transported thousands of kilometres
2. Your money goes to local farmers and supporting the local economy rather than into the pockets of a massive multi-national corporation.

How to buy local?

Shop at local stores or farmers markets. For a vibrant community feel and great prices, the Kitchener Market, open on Saturdays all year long, is a favourite for our Office. You can get there easily by bus or jumping on the ION. Alternatively, the Jacobs Farmers Market has a touristy environment that is great for a more adventurous outing.  

Over the summer, we even offer fresh produce grown on at our campus garden! Check out the Northdale Community Garden for more information.

How?

Take your own shopping and produce bags whenever you go shopping! This reduces your use of disposable plastic bags and saves you money as you are charged for plastic bags at the checkout. Additionally, you will soon have to do this at many stores. Sobeys is phasing out plastic bags in 2020.

Buy in bulk!

Buying from stores that offer bulk allows you to bring your own containers, preventing packaging waste. Waterloo has two fantastic options for this: Bulk Barn, just a 10-minute walk from campus, offers a Bring Your Own Container (BYOC) program and Zero Waste Bulk, a local store run by a UW graduate that specializes in bulk, local organic foods and zero waste supplies. At Zero Waste Bulk, it’s weird if you DON’T bring your own reusable container!

Eating meat is a key part of culture and heritage around the world, however, many middle-class societies are becoming meat obsessed. This has serious implications for the sustainability of our human society as the raising of cows, pigs and chickens generates GHG emissions equivalent to all the cars, trucks, and automobiles combined. Furthermore, clear-cutting forests for ranch space is destroying our forests.

However, as Greenpeace explains “We’re not advocating that everyone adopt a “meatless” diet tomorrow. But we all must develop “meat consciousness” and reduce the level of meat in our diets. Shifting to more plant-based foods is essential to combatting climate change, soil, air and water pollution, ocean dead zones, and myriad other problems caused by industrial livestock production. If we decide to eat fewer meals with meat or dairy each week, we can have a huge impact on our collective health and the health of the planet.”

When you are food planning and shopping, consider buying a little less meat and instead with fruits, vegetables and grains. Some great plant alternatives that still provide that protein element to your meal are quinoa, lentils, beans, seeds and green peas.

It can be challenging to change eating habits and move away from eating meat as often. One of the best things to do is look up meal ideas! This will provide new meals ideas you’ve never thought of and inspire you with the delicious photos. The Minimalist Baker provides wonderful plant-focused recipes, many that use 10 ingredients or less or just one bowl. Oh She Glows also offers many delicious plant-based recipes.

Use the Scraps

When we cook, we often throw out half of the vegetables we buy thinking we can’t eat parts of them. Instead, think of how you can eat the whole vegetable! Try making potato peel chips or soup broth out of vegetable ends.

Storing the groceries you buy properly can be the key to all those fresh veggies rotting in 5 days or staying fresh for 10 days. Storing food is a crucial consideration when avoiding food waste. Going Zero Waste has some wonderful tips on how to store produce to keep it fresh for longer.

After following all these steps, if you still end up with more food than you can eat, don’t throw it away. Instead, freeze it for dinner another time or share with a friend.

Despite following all these tips, you will still sometimes end up with food you can’t eat before it spoils and bits of fruits and vegetables you can’t use. At this point, compost! Composting is one of the single most important things we can do to support a more sustainable planet.

Check out how you can compost at Laurier!

Laurier Sustainability Office Giveaway Rules

No Purchase Is Necessary To Enter Or Win.

1. Eligibility: This giveaway is open only to students who have a valid Laurier ID number. Wilfrid Laurier University’s affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies (collectively the “Affiliates”), and Affiliate's immediate family members (parent, child, sibling or spouse) are not eligible to participate in the giveaway. The giveaway is subject to all applicable federal, provincial, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.
2. Agreement to Rules: By participating, the Participant (“You”) agree to be fully unconditionally bound by these Rules, and You represent and warrant that You meet the eligibility requirements. In addition, you agree to accept the decisions of Wilfrid Laurier University as final and binding as it relates to the content of this giveaway.
3. Giveaway Period: The challenge begins on Monday, October 26 at 9 a.m. EST and will end on Friday, October 30 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
4. How to Enter: The giveaway must be entered by following Food Services Laurier, the Canadian Fair Trade Network, and the Laurier Sustainability Office to qualify. In addition, entrants must comment what their favourite Fairtrade product is (1 ballot) and tag a friend (additional entry ballot). The entry must fulfill all giveaway requirements, as specified, to be eligible to win a prize. Entries that are incomplete or do not adhere to the rules or specifications may be disqualified at the sole discretion ofWilfrid Laurier University. You may enter only once. You must provide the information requested. You may not enter more times than indicated by using multiple email addresses, identities, or devices in an attempt to circumvent the rules. If You use fraudulent methods or otherwise attempt to circumvent the rules, your submission may be removed from eligibility at the sole discretion ofWilfrid Laurier University.
5. Prizes: The Student Winner(s) of the giveaway (the “Winner”) will receive one Fairtrade prize pack (worth $75). Actual/appraised value may differ at time of prize award. The specifics of the prize shall be solely determined byWilfrid Laurier University. No cash or other prize substitution shall be permitted. The prize is non-transferable. Any and all prize-related expenses, including without limitation any and all taxes, shall be the sole responsibility of Winner. No substitution of prize or transfer/assignment of prize to others or request for the cash equivalent by Winner is permitted. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for Wilfrid Laurier University to use Winner’s name, likeness, and entry for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.
6. Odds: The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
7. Winner Selection and Notification: Winner will be selected by a random drawing under the supervision ofWilfrid Laurier University. Winner will be notified by direct message within five (5) days following selection of Winner. Wilfrid Laurier University shall have no liability for Winner’s failure to receive notices due to spam, junk e-mail or other security settings or for Winner’s provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information. If Winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the prize within five (5) days from the time award notification was sent, or fails to timely return a completed and executed declaration and release as required, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate Winner selected. Receipt by Winner of the prize offered in this giveaway is conditioned upon compliance with any and all federal, provincial, and local laws and regulations. Any violation of these official rules by winner (at Wilfrid Laurier University’s sole discretion) will result in winner’s disqualification as winner of the giveaway, and all privileges as winner will be immediately terminated.
8. Terms & Conditions:Wilfrid Laurier University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the giveaway should virus, bug, non-authorized human intervention, fraud, or other cause beyond Wilfrid Laurier University’s control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the giveaway. In such case, Wilfrid Laurier University may select the Winner from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Wilfrid Laurier University. Wilfrid Laurier University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the giveaway or website or violates these Terms & Conditions. Wilfrid Laurier University has the right, in its sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the giveaway, to void votes for any reason, including, but not limited to: multiple entries from the same user from different IP addresses; multiple entries from the same computer in excess of that allowed by giveaway rules; or the use of bots, macros, scripts, or other technical means for entering. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the giveaway may be a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such attempt be made, Wilfrid Laurier University reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.
9. Limitation of Liability: By entering, You agree to release and hold harmless Wilfrid Laurier University and its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers, and directors from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, claim, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from: (i) such entrant’s participation in the giveaway and/or his/her acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize or any portion thereof; (ii) technical failures of any kind; (iii) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions, telephone, or Internet service; (iv) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Promotion; (v) electronic or human error in the administration of the Promotion or the processing of entries.
10. Disputes: This giveaway is governed by the laws of Canada and Ontario. As a condition of participating in this giveaway, participant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this giveaway, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court located in Ontario having jurisdiction. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances shall participant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to, punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including reasonable legal fees, other than participant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e. costs associated with entering this giveaway). Participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
11. This giveaway hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University and is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Located in the northwest of the Northdale Community Garden, the asparagus patch is an unassuming patch of delicious green vegetables that grow in a very neat row.

Asparagus is one of the first things that are ready to eat every year at Northdale! Though it takes three years to mature, with the proper care and time, asparagus returns year after year.

Located in the centre west of the garden space, the edible forest is a patch of food trees. Planted in 2017, this forest will take a couple more years to mature before it produces any food but it is coming along beautifully.

What is an edible forest you may ask? It is a forest of trees in which every plant produces edible fruit for consumption by the community. In the years to come, this forest will provide apples, pears, plums, and berries to enjoy in the summer and fall. Yum!

Located in the east of the garden, two different groups come together to offer space to local residents for gardening. There are always so many interesting plants to look at and people to talk to when you walk around this area. Say hello the next time that you are in the area!

Two Groups:

• KW Urban Harvesters
• Patchwork Community Garden

Located at the southwest of the Northdale Community Garden, our pollinator garden and bee spiral is a testament to our commitment to supporting struggling native pollinators. As they provide one in three bites of food we eat, it is important to support our native pollinators!

• The bee spiral provides native bee species with soil to nest in while being protected from human disruption.
• The pollinator garden features native plants for many different types of pollinators such as bees, insects and birds that pollinate our plants. This garden was installed in 2019 using a lasagna gardening method.

Fact: Did you know that honeybees are not native to North America? However, in North America, we do have over 4,000 species of bees that are native