It's not easy being green
Kermit said it best when he
addressed the issue on Sesame
Street: “And green can be cool and
friendly-like/And green can be big
like an ocean/Or important like a
mountain.”
Sure, he wasn't talking being eco-friendly, but he's got the right idea.
In 2011, Fanshawe produced 337.18 metric tons of waste that ended up in a landfill. The same year, 61 per cent of campus waste was recycled.
Sustainability coordinator Mary- Lee Townsend said she hopes to up the ante to 70 per cent over the next two years.
“We're trying to figure out ways to do that. Is it signage, is it more events and awareness campaigns?” said Townsend.
In order to raise maximum awareness and efforts, Townsend is focusing her attention on the student body.
As the sole coordinator of sustainability at Fanshawe, Townsend hopes to rack up student enthusiasm by collaborating with the Fanshawe Student Union.
“The big thing that's missing is the student engagement piece,” she said. “It takes a lot of energy and I have to find the shtick that's going to work. I hope that in working with the FSU, we're going to see a little more uptake.”
Townsend said she believes the FSU will get more of a student following because it's “students driving students.”
Prior to turning to the FSU, Townsend has reached out to faculty in order to encourage student attendance at a sustainability speaker series. The result was underwhelming.
“I engaged the faculty and got the faculty to bring students,” said Townsend. “We did have a good turnout, but it was not because we got just student participation. It was faculty giving their students bonus marks if they came.”
“I do find that it is difficult to get the students engaged and active.”
Despite the lack of student enthusiasm, Townsend said Fanshawe does a “pretty good job at recycling.”
In September, Townsend is conducting an experiment with a visual unit she's put above waste bins in The Junction (D cafeteria). “It's actually a trial to see if that visual representation of what goes where helps people understand ... I'm going to do an audit on those bins come the first few weeks of school and we're going to see.”
Townsend also remarked that there are programs in Fanshawe doing a particularly good job of being green.
“There's a lot of different pockets of activity around the college. Like Horticulture Technician, they teach about sustainability in their classrooms. Tourism and Hospitality, they do the same thing.”
Because green living and green awareness continues to gain attention, Townsend said she hopes Fanshawe can join the ranks of post-secondary institutes like Sheridan College and Niagara College.
“I am green and it'll do fine/It's beautiful and I think it's what I want to be.”
Well said, Kermit.
Sure, he wasn't talking being eco-friendly, but he's got the right idea.
In 2011, Fanshawe produced 337.18 metric tons of waste that ended up in a landfill. The same year, 61 per cent of campus waste was recycled.
Sustainability coordinator Mary- Lee Townsend said she hopes to up the ante to 70 per cent over the next two years.
“We're trying to figure out ways to do that. Is it signage, is it more events and awareness campaigns?” said Townsend.
In order to raise maximum awareness and efforts, Townsend is focusing her attention on the student body.
As the sole coordinator of sustainability at Fanshawe, Townsend hopes to rack up student enthusiasm by collaborating with the Fanshawe Student Union.
“The big thing that's missing is the student engagement piece,” she said. “It takes a lot of energy and I have to find the shtick that's going to work. I hope that in working with the FSU, we're going to see a little more uptake.”
Townsend said she believes the FSU will get more of a student following because it's “students driving students.”
Prior to turning to the FSU, Townsend has reached out to faculty in order to encourage student attendance at a sustainability speaker series. The result was underwhelming.
“I engaged the faculty and got the faculty to bring students,” said Townsend. “We did have a good turnout, but it was not because we got just student participation. It was faculty giving their students bonus marks if they came.”
“I do find that it is difficult to get the students engaged and active.”
Despite the lack of student enthusiasm, Townsend said Fanshawe does a “pretty good job at recycling.”
In September, Townsend is conducting an experiment with a visual unit she's put above waste bins in The Junction (D cafeteria). “It's actually a trial to see if that visual representation of what goes where helps people understand ... I'm going to do an audit on those bins come the first few weeks of school and we're going to see.”
Townsend also remarked that there are programs in Fanshawe doing a particularly good job of being green.
“There's a lot of different pockets of activity around the college. Like Horticulture Technician, they teach about sustainability in their classrooms. Tourism and Hospitality, they do the same thing.”
Because green living and green awareness continues to gain attention, Townsend said she hopes Fanshawe can join the ranks of post-secondary institutes like Sheridan College and Niagara College.
“I am green and it'll do fine/It's beautiful and I think it's what I want to be.”
Well said, Kermit.
