The Panther Prints ¢%

March 25, 1997.

~ Red Cross Relay in preparation stages

Some UPEI Sports Cen- tre staff were canoeing re- cently at a Panthers’ basket- ball game -- but it was all for a good cause.

The eight hardy volun- teers -- including Operations Coordinator Neil Kinsman -- ran around the basketball court, cycled a lap and then carried a hefty wooden canoe around the makeshift course -- much to the delight of the half-time crowd at the Panthers game.

The mini-relay, as it was called, was designed to pro- mote the 1997 Atlantic Superstore Red Cross Relay. The Relay is an annual event on Prince Edward Island and this year, organizers are hop- ing to attract more UPEI stu- dents.

“Tt’s a perfect event for the university crowd,” says

Shane Toombs, chairperson of the 1997 Red Cross Relay.

“Tt’s a great way to kick off the summer and it gives you a good reason to get in shape,” Toombs adds.

Best of all, the Red Cross Relay is for a good cause. All entry fees support Red Cross water safety pro- grams on PEI. There is also the “Pump the Pledge” cam- paign -- where teams can raise money for water safety and even win a shopping spree at the Atlantic Superstore.

The Relay consists of five legs: two running, two cycling and 7.2 kilometre ca- noeing section. Teams are made of up to six members -- or for the truly ambitious, just two. This year’s Relay will start and finish at the Fort Amherst/Port La Joye Na-

tional Historic Site on Satur- day May 24th, at noon. Every- one who participates -- or vol- unteers to help on the relay route -- is also invited to “The 6th Leg”, a social at the Charlottetown Yacht club.

Shawna Garrett plays varsity soccer at UPEI and has been in the Red Cross Relay for the last three years.

“Our team made a day of it,” Garrett explains, adding that they particularly enjoyed the evening social.

“We even had fun train- ing. I had kayaked before but the relay was my first ever competitive canoe experi- ence,” she says.

Garret’s team for 1997 also includes UPEI soccer players Krystine Dunsford and Sherri Beaton, field hockey player Tara Costello and two

former Islanders who are back for the summer -- Leslie Trainor and Kristy O’Connell.

“We finished second in our division last year and we'd like to do even better this year,” Garrett admits.

“But really, we’re in it for fun. It’s such a great day. We all knew a lot of people in the relay,” she adds.

However, you certainly don’t have to be a varsity ath- lete to take part in the relay. Many faculty members are also annual participants. For several years, teams at the Atlantic Veterinary College competed for the infamous "Purple Pig" award, for the team with the best finish.

Ramona Taylor works at the vet college. Last year, her six team members were all “fourtysomething”. They in-

cluded one canoeist who had never canoed before -- and Ramona proudly admits that the relay distance was the far- thest she had ever run.

“Tt’s a fun event that anyone can enter,” Taylor ex- plains. “You don’t have to be super fit and you can still have a good time.”

This year, relay organ- izers have put together a train- ing programme for people who want to start getting ready for May 24th. It’s available at the Atlantic Superstore Red Cross Relay website: www3.pei.sympatico.ca/ redcross.relay or at the Sports Centre recreation noticeboard. And don’t worry if you can’t find enough people fora team because the Red Cross can help there too. There’s a Mix and Match Service to help put teams together for relay day.

Government not keeping green promises

By SAMERMUSCATI

(CUP) — Making envi- ronmental promises is easy for the federal government but keeping them is_a different story, according to a new re- port by Canada’s environmen- tal commissioner,

One of the govern- ment’s main problems is im- plementing their green objec- tives and meeting targets for key programs, says environ- mental auditor general Brian Emmett, in his inaugural report released March 5.

“As an employer, land- lord and purchaser, the federal government is the largest sin- gle enterprise in Canada. How it manages its day-to-day op- erations has significant impli- cations for the environment,” said Emmett, who was ap- pointed to the position during

the summer. He is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of envi- ronment strategies now

being prepared by 24 government departments and agencies.

After reviewing 42 ex- isting federal audits, Emmett found 70 per cent of them had problems with the implemen- tation of environmental meas- ures.

He says Canada faces significantenvironmental prob- lems including new toxic chemicals, urban smog, ground water contamination, high en- ergy consumption, and a high output of pollution and waste.

He also says Canada will fall “far short” of meeting its target for reducing green- house gas emissions which contribute to global warming.

During the 1992 Earth Sum- mit, Canada promised to re- duce emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by the year 2000. And in their elec- tion Red Book of 1993, the Liberals promised to make the reduction an “immediate pri- ority.”

But instead, emissions have increased 6 percent since 1990.

Between 1995 and 1998, Natural Resources Canada will see it’s budget of $1.42 billion disappear by 58.4 per cent to $592-million. Dur- ing the same time, 1,500 jobs will be eliminated from Envi- ronment Canada as the de- partment is slashed from $176 to $480-million. The 32.9 per cent reduction will thus make it the smallest department in government. .