MARK 455 - Waste Free Edmonton 

Course: MARK 455 - Sustainable and Responsible Marketing with instructor Webb Dussome (Fall 2023)

Students:

Anna

Jillian

Mariia

Kavina

What was the experience like working in collaboration with your community partner, and what projects or roles did you engage in? 

Our team engaged in the project with Waste Free Edmonton, a non-profit organization working to significantly reduce the amount of waste created in Edmonton by stopping it at the source. Having calls with Sean, WFE's co-founder, we learned more about why WFE does what they do; by the way, WFE played a great role in pushing the Single Use Plastics By-Law forward, and they organize numerous environmental educational activities at schools. The task Sean reached out to my team was to spread the information about the Single-Use Plastic By-Law using social media channels. Our role on the team involved ideation, marketing materials, and final report creation, with a focus on customer analysis. We dug into the questions of who the WFE's audience is and who is "sitting on the fence" and analyzed the trends and lifestyle similarities among those who support WFE.

During your CSL placement, can you share the knowledge and skills you developed in relation to climate change mitigation or sustainability activities? 

The project with Waste Free Edmonton definitely inspired me to rethink some of my daily choices. I started habitually carrying my reusable shopping bag with me no matter where I went. In addition, I started refusing to take the single-use cutlery that I am frequently offered at the Food Courts.

How did you and your community partner meet project objectives that were aligned with environmentally conscious goals?

Meetings with a community partner and checking in points enabled us to be on the same wavelength and ensure the completion of the set objective.

Why should students consider being involved with CSL, and how does it enhance their academic learning?

We encourage you to try CSL courses for three simple reasons:

1) To understand the community you live around

2) To contribute to real projects and implement what you've learned at school

3) To strengthen your resume

In partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), and with support from the Government of Canada, CSL provides financial support to environmentally-focused community partners for their educational and mentoring roles with CSL students.