3 Orientation Week Events

Secondly, what’s the Deal with Orientation Week?

Orientation Week at Trent University is always such an exciting time for incoming students. It’s filled with new experiences, events, and, of course, opportunities to meet new people! When I was asked to be part of the Sustainability Office’s Waste Education initiative, I knew we had a unique opportunity to get students excited about sustainability right from the start. Alongside my co-ambassador, Symphorosa Gabriel, and a group of amazing student volunteers, I took on the challenge of teaching incoming students about proper waste sorting during all the fun events happening around campus.

The Goal: Sorting Made Simple

The goal was clear: I wanted to make sure students knew how to sort their waste properly from day one at Trent. By the end of Orientation Week, I was confident that students would walk away knowing how to separate food waste, recyclables, and compostable materials—making them pros at waste sorting right from the start! I really wanted to make it fun and approachable, so they didn’t feel overwhelmed by all the new information.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

With the help of 5 amazing student volunteers, I was stationed at various events throughout the week. We made sure to engage with students, showing them the ropes when it came to sorting their waste. I wasn’t just standing there telling people what to do—I got involved, had fun conversations, and really encouraged students to ask questions and get excited about waste sorting. It was so rewarding to see them start to take it seriously while still having a blast!

The Events That Made It Happen

I was lucky enough to collaborate with some super fun events during Orientation Week, and we made sure sustainability was part of the excitement:

• Trentchella (Sept 4th, 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm): It was a blast showing students how to be eco-friendly while rocking out to some music!
• Trent Kickback (Sept 5th, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm): After a long day of meeting new people, I got to help students unwind and learn about waste sorting.
• Trent Food Truck Event (Sept 6th, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm): Local food trucks + waste sorting = a perfect way to make sustainability feel easy and natural.
• Flavours of Peterborough Food Vendor Event (Sept 7th, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm): I loved seeing students interact with local vendors while also learning how to sort their waste properly.

Why It Was Important

For me, the most rewarding part of this initiative was seeing students actively engaged with the topic of waste sorting. I made it my mission to explain why it’s so important at Trent, and I could tell students were starting to see the bigger picture. The goal was to help them feel like sustainability was a natural part of campus life, and I’m proud to say that it worked! Students not only learned but were excited to be a part of a community that values the environment.