Sustainability is one of those words you’ve probably been hearing a lot lately. That’s because, with issues like climate change, people are coming together to figure out what can be done to achieve sustainability.  

Changes can occur on the individual, local, regional or even international levels. They’re happening in Halifax.  

Campus causes for climate change and sustainability  

Environmental Programs (EPSS) 

A society run and comprised of mostly environmental science students; this society is a great place to meet people in environmental science who share common interests and views about the environment and sustainability. The members host networking events such as their annual wine and cheese, as well as promote sustainability by giving out free coffee to travel-mug-users at their weekly Wake Up Wednesdays. 

Your Environmental Sustainability Society (YESS)  

YESS is run mostly by sustainability students. It’s a great society to join if you’re a sustainability student and are looking to share your great ideas, or if you just want to talk sustainability. Members host events like clothing swaps, farmer’s market trips, various waste workshops and networking opportunities.  

Dalhousie Student Union Sustainability Office (DSUSO)

The Dalhousie Student Union runs the sustainability office. It’s unique in that it isn’t made up of one faculty or program because they like to have as diverse a group as possible. This society was created to address sustainability and environmental issues in the DSU and in and around campus. The society hosts all sorts of interesting events such as beekeeping and how to make a herbal salve.  

Dalhousie Urban Garden Society (DUGS)  

The Urban Garden Society is exactly what it advertises: a society solely dedicated to gardening in the city. It’s garden patches are located outside the Computer Science Building, and there are garden parties every Sunday at 11 a.m. Anybody is welcome to help tend the garden and share the bounty. These garden parties will run until about mid-October.  

If your interest lies in food sourcing, local produce and how to make your garden flourish, this is the society for you.  

Divest Dal 

One of the more talked about environment societies: Divest Dal. It’s lobbying for Dalhousie University to divest from stocks they have that support the fossil fuel industry. Members do this with activism like camping out for a week in Studley quad. Or in January 2017 when they ambushed Justin Trudeau in Java Blend during a selfie: calling him out on whether or not he’d be implementing United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  

Last year, Divest succeeded in getting the president of Dal to reconsider the schools’ relationship with big oil – a huge feat. If your heart yearns for a world–and campus–independent of fossil fuels, this is where you belong. 

The Loaded Ladle 

 The Loaded Ladle provides free, healthy, vegan, gluten free, nut free, and locally sourced hot meals four times a week located in the Student Union Building. It’s a great place for learning about what grows locally, as well as supporting local farmers and feeding the student population with something other than instant noodles and peanut butter.   

Halifax helps fight global warming 

The Ecology Action Centre  

The Ecology Action Centre is a charity that originated on Dal campus. They run programs in support of saving shorelines, creating positive food environments, marine protection and responsible forestry and work to educate corporations and individuals to work and live sustainably. If you’re interested they’re always looking for new volunteers.  

The Tare Shop  

If you’re looking to reduce your waste in any way, this new zero-waste shop opening will be able to provide you with the tips and tricks that go along with a waste-free or reduced-waste lifestyle.   

“Tare will provide customers a place to buy items in bulk that typically can’t be purchased without plastic packaging,” wrote Gabbie Douglas for the Gazette in April of this year. “Reusable containers to purchase food will be required; you can either bring containers from home or purchase them at the store.”   

The Nova Scotia Environmental Network (NSEN)  

The NSEN is a network for connecting about 60 organizations and groups that focus on the environment and sustainability. They primarily focus on creating meetings, caucuses and working groups to allow for discussion and sharing of ideas of how to better achieve environmental and sustainability goals. 

Outside of these groups and meetings, they arrange for workshops and gatherings around Nova Scotia. Their website, advertise open positions on their page.