It was really fulfilling to work on a project with others that I know would have a positive impact in our community

SUSTAIN 3S03 allowed me to be fully immersed in learning about sustainability in class and through our group project where we enacted real, sustainable change.

Not only did we have the chance to learn about implementing sustainable change from incredible inspiring instructors, but we were also pushed to create REAL sustainable change in our community.

What were you trying to achieve?

Re-Root Coffee Creatives has created an alternate pathway for waste jute material to be diverted from landfills with an ultimate goal of supplementing the income of coffee growers and creating flexible employment for under-served Hamiltonians. We have created a series of consumer and industrial products utilizing 100% upcycled material, including a reusable coffee sleeve, reusable jute tote bag, and soil-erosion guards. Re-Root has pledged to purchase waste jute material from Detour Coffee Roasters in return for all proceeds being directed to coffee producers in their native countries. Our reusable coffee sleeve and bag are poised to replace single-use products in cafes while providing customers with a responsibly sourced hand-made good that supports both the local and international economies. In our early growth stage, we have chosen to focus our efforts on developing a compelling reusable sleeve, with plans to expand production to our other products in the near future.

What was your biggest accomplishment by the end of the course?

By the end of the course, we managed to produce 25 coffee sleeves and 5 tote bags, bundle them up, and ship them off to 5 Detour-affiliated cafés across Canada. This was incredibly exciting for us, as it represented all of our hard work and dedication, gave us the confidence to move forward and create a real-life business, and enabled us to connect with potential customers and receive feedback.

What would you say to anyone thinking about taking SUSTAIN 3S03?

JUST DO IT! Our entire group can attest to the fact that this course has been one of the best, most valuable experiences of our undergraduate careers. Not only did we have the chance to learn about implementing sustainable change from incredibly inspiring instructors such as Dr. Michael Mikulak and Dr. Kate Whalen, but we were also pushed to create REAL sustainable change in our community. The deadlines associated with this course and the motivation we felt while working with such beautiful people for such a wonderful cause was just the push we needed to make it over the humps of doubt and concern that had brought all of our past entrepreneurial ideas to a screeching halt. This course helped us to learn that while we may be young, that does not mean that our experiences and ideas are inadequate. We now know that we are more than capable of following our passions to create sustainable change, and this course gave us the knowledge, confidence, and support we needed to do so.

You will have the opportunity to actively be a part of big changes in your community, as well as the chance to work alongside and connect with knowledgeable individuals in the field.

What knowledge, skills, and abilities did you develop in SUSTAIN 3S03 and continue to utilize in your personal and professional role(s)?
The 3S03 course allowed me to learn about interdisciplinary group work and the number of components that go into carrying out a large-scale project from start to finish. I was able to learn how to collaborate effectively in a team setting, which helped me to reach out and network with peers and professionals who could lend a hand in the planning and implementation stages of our project. Most importantly, I learned about the value of trial and error, and how to reflect and quickly adapt a project scope to meet an anticipated goal. Additionally, working on my 3S03 project taught me that having an open mindset and a willingness to listen, ask for help, and engage openly with others are assets in any role.

What was your most valuable takeaway from the project(s) you undertook during the course?
My most valuable takeaway from the project that I undertook during this course was in learning that positive support and encouragement don’t necessarily translate into environmentally conscious behaviour change. This value-intention gap is a common issue that needs to be overcome when trying to create forms of widespread change. This project was an ongoing learning process where evaluating each step and asking for constructive feedback helped us to improve on the project ideas and revaluate our expectations. Ultimately, asking tough questions and being open to reflection and feedback allowed us to come up with a product that was feasible and successful in the end.

If you could give any advice to a student interested in taking or enrolled in preparation for SUSTAIN 1S03, what would you say?
My advice to students who may be interested in taking SUSTAIN 3S03 would be to come in with an open mindset and a willingness to engage in discussions and projects. There is so much freedom with the projects that you will get to take on. You truly get to make them your own and the value you take out of this course is directly correlated to the effort you choose to put in. In 3S03, you will have the opportunity to actively be a part of big changes in your community, as well as the chance to work alongside and connect with knowledgeable individuals in the field.

This course offers a unique perspective to the world of sustainability and marketing that no other course provides.

What were you trying to achieve?

The initial challenge we were given was to promote composting on campus, as it seemed to be unfamiliar for many students. We wanted to go beyond this scope and extend towards reducing the use of single-use plastics and promote waste-free alternatives in addition to encouraging on-campus composting. This evolved into our idea of creating a compact, convenient, and aesthetically pleasing kit that encourages a positive behaviour change towards sustainability for students at McMaster University.

What was your biggest accomplishment by the end of the course?

We were pleasantly surprised and proud of the seven kits we were able to sell during the semester. We weren’t sure how much interest and demand there was for a product like ours, so it generated a lot of momentum and excited us to build more. Clearly there is a market for it and we are ready to dive head first!

What have you done since the course? 

We were recently accepted into The Forge’s Start-Up School, administered by McMaster Innovation Park, where we are currently learning about the essentials for business development, receiving guidance and delivering a strong value proposition. This has been such an incredible opportunity for us to jump-start our idea into a business! We have thus far received amazing mentorship and direction and would definitely recommend it to students coming out of Sustain 3S03 or any other students with a start-up idea they’d like to launch! We have also established our social media presence and created an online order form which has greatly increased the promotion and advertisement of our kit.

What would you say to anyone thinking about taking SUSTAIN 3S03?

This course offers a unique perspective to the world of sustainability and marketing that no other course provides. Through experiential learning, we’ve gained a significant amount of knowledge from interdisciplinary perspectives and were given the opportunity to leverage our innovative thinking skills.  Being able to connect with the community and explore viable solutions to make an impact, no matter how small, was the most rewarding benefit. Not only did we develop an impactful solution, we met so many inspiring people along the way which has made this experience worthwhile and helped us create invaluable connections.

The course provided me with an inspired interdisciplinary group of students who held many of the same interests as myself, but had vastly different skill sets and approaches to group work.

What knowledge, skills, and abilities did you develop in 3S03 and continue to utilize in your personal and professional role(s)?
Throughout 3S03, I have gained a thorough understanding of team management, goal-setting, and conflict resolution. The course provided me with an inspired interdisciplinary group of students who held many of the same interests as myself, but had vastly different skill sets and approaches to group work. Creating a work flow that allowed all of my teammates to excel and remain on the same page was challenging, but ultimately rewarding. Setting expectations and goals as a group allowed us to achieve an end result that we were all very proud of. As a medical student, I look forward to applying these skills in an interdisciplinary healthcare environment that demands open, clear, and honest communication.

Can you comment on the reflective learning you underwent in the course?
The reflective learning framework was a tool that allowed me to formalize the reflective process that I had naturally adopted as a student. In formalizing the process, I was able to identify concrete learning opportunities and the lessons that accompanied them. By repeating the process throughout, I not only learned from prior experiences, but I was able to set intentions before entering new experiences, with certain growth objectives in mind. This enriched the applied learning opportunity for me greatly!

If you could give any advice to a student interested in taking or enrolled in preparation for SUSTAIN 3S03, what would you say?
In preparation for SUSTAIN 3S03, I would recommend students create an inventory of the skills and experiences that they will bring to their future team. Conversely, honestly and openly identify areas for potential improvement that you may build while learning from teammates. Enter the course with the understanding that your own work flow may be personally effective, but there are different and equally effective ways to approach a problem. Create an open dialogue with all teammates and use this dialogue effectively from the onset. No issue is too small to raise in the appropriate manner and allowing yourself the space to do so will affirm the team’s joint expectations.