The
      Campus
      Environment
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Natalie
      Pendergast
     
    
   
   
    
     
      According
      to
      David
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mackay
      of
      the
      Environmental
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Coalition.
      of
      Canada,
      the
      issue
      of
     
     
      our
      world’s
      declining
      ecological
     
     
      status.
      has
      not
      just
      disappeared
      sim-
     
     
      ply
      because
      some
      of
      us
      don’t
      have
     
     
      time
      for
      it.
     
    

    
     
      “[Students
      should]
      become
     
    
   
   
    
     
      spoken
      to
      about
      the
      issue
      are
      the
     
     
      ones
      who
      bring
      him
      hope.
     
    

    
     
      “You
      have
      got
      to
      be
      pes-
     
     
      simistic
      about
      the
      destruction
      of
     
     
      the
      environment,
      but
      when
      |
      talk
      to
     
     
      young
      people
      who
      are
      working
      on
     
     
      environmental
      issues
      I’m
      hopeful
     
     
      because
      there’s
      a
      lot
      of
      will
      to
      work
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Always
      remember
      to
      recycle
      your
      Rude
      Mechanicals.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      more
      aware
      of
      the
      environment
     
     
      because
      we
      are
      part
      of
      the
      environ-
     
     
      ment
      and
      our
      lives
      are
      supported
     
     
      through
      the
      ecosystem
      and
      envi-
     
     
      ronment,”
      said
      MacKay.
      Although
     
     
      he
      is
      concerned
      about
      the
      health
      of
     
     
      our
      earth,
      he
      feels
      it
      is
      the
      youth
      of
     
     
      today
      who
      will
      really
      be
      affected
      in
     
     
      the
      future.
     
    

    
     
      “From
      everything
      I
      read
     
     
      and
      all
      the
      research
      I
      do,
      things
      are
     
     
      looking
      very
      pessimistic,”
      Mackay
     
     
      said.
      If
      he
      were
      a
      student
      today,
     
     
      Mackay
      explained
      he
      would
      feel
     
     
      negatively
      toward
      the
      state
      of
      the
     
     
      environment,
      but,
      as
      he
      put
      it,
      “I
     
     
      always
      say,
      ‘I’m
      pessimistic
      but
     
     
      I’m
      hopeful.’”
     
    

    
     
      Mackay
      explained
      that
     
     
      some
      of
      the
      young
      people
      he
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      =
      eM
      Be
      ol
      Be
      a
     
     
      »
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ve
      8
      Th
      fe
      Radke”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      Oe
      err
      RP
      a
      ae
      me
      Me
      wi
     
    
   
   
    
     
      together
      and
      turn
      things
      around.”
     
     
      At
      the
      same
      time,
      Mackay
     
     
      stressed
      that
      he
      is
      worried
      about
     
     
      the
      students
      who
      are
      not
      -yet
      at
      that
     
     
      stage,
      the
      majority
      of
      young
      people
     
     
      are
      not
      as
      aware
      as
      they
      could
      be
     
     
      because
      of
      their
      view
      of
      the
      earth.
     
     
      “T
      think
      part
      of
      it
      is
      our
      mindset
      of
     
     
      believing
      that
      the
      world
      -
      the
      earth
     
     
      -
      is
      invincible,
      he
      said,
      “that
      it’s
      an
     
     
      infinite
      amount
      of
      resources,
      but
     
     
      now
      we’ve
      realized
      over
      the
      last
     
     
      ten
      years
      that
      the
      earth
      is
      indeed
     
     
      finite.”
      oh
     
     
      Mackay
      feels
      there
      is
      hope
     
     
      for
      UPEI.
      “A
      lot
      of
      universities
     
     
      have
      a
      program
      where
      graduating
     
     
      students
      make
      a
      commitment
      not
      to
     
     
      work
      for
      any
      companies
      that
      are
     
     
      destroying
      the
      earth.
      There’s
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      ee
      a
      er
      a
      SR
      Nice
      rm
      i
      ae
      a
      Mn
      Se
      a
      A
      Se
      Sen
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Green
      Pledge’
      that
      these
      universi-
     
     
      ties
      are
      taking,
      with
      the
      help
      of
     
     
      their
      student
      union.
      That’s
      some-
     
     
      thing
      I
      thought
      UPEI
      might
      be
     
     
      interested
      in.”
      Bu
     
    

    
     
      Mackay
      knows
      that
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      are
      busy
      and
      may
      not
      have
     
     
      time
      to
      get
      involved
      in
      such
      a
      time-
     
     
      consuming
      program,
      but
      he
      thinks
     
     
      there
      are
      ways
      people
      can
      make
      a
     
     
      difference
      in
      their
      day
      to
      day
     
     
      lifestyles
      without
      joining
      a
      com-
     
     
      mittee.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      think
      the
      most
      important
     
     
      thing
      is
      to
      think
      when
      [students]
     
     
      are
      buying
      a
      product,
      where
      that
     
     
      product
      is
      produced,
      how
      it
      was
     
     
      produced,
      whether
      it
      was
      produced
     
     
      under
      fair
      conditions
      for
      the
      work-
     
     
      ers,
      whether
      it
      involves
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      energy
      use,
      and
      whether
      it’s
      made
     
     
      out
      of
      recycled
      packaging.”
      —
     
    

    
     
      Mackay
      said
      that
      when
     
     
      people
      are
      buying
      a
      product,
      they
     
     
      have
      a
      choice
      as
      to
      what
      they
      are
     
     
      spending
      their
      money
      on.
      People
     
     
      have
      the
      freedom
      to
      stop
      and
      ask
     
     
      themselves
      whether
      they
      are
      pay-
     
     
      ing
      for
      something
      of
      a
      means
      they
     
     
      agree
      with.
      Everyone,
      as
      Mackay
     
     
      puts
      it,
      “has
      a
      vote
      with
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      Joonie.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Another
      thing
      students
      can
     
     
      do,
      according
      to
      Mackay,
      is
      buy
     
     
      non-bleached,
      post-consumer
      recy-
     
     
      cled
      paper.
      “There
      are
      a
      lot
      of
      trees
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -cut
      down,”
      he
      said.
      “If
      you
      look
      at
     
    
   
   
    
     
      how
      a
      piece
      of
      paper
      is
      made,
      ’
     
     
      there’s
      a
      lot
      of
      producing
      and
      man-
     
     
      ufacturing
      that
      is
      destructive
      to
      the
     
     
      environment.”
     
    

    
     
      “2.
      Mapothat
      caspect,
      WIPEL
      46
     
     
      doing
      something
      to
      help
      the
      situa-
     
     
      tion
      with
      the
      use
      of
      blue
      bins.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      approximately
     
     
      fifty
      bins
      and
      they
      are
      situated
      in
     
     
      the
      majority
      of
      buildings
      based
      on
     
     
      the
      occupancy
      and
      the
      use
      of
      the
     
     
      building.
      This
      allows
      the
      bins
      to
      be
     
     
      emptied
      on
      campus
      rather
      than
     
    
   
   
    
     
      transporting
      them
      individually
      to.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ad.
      auapendder
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Synpro,
      who
      recycles
      the
      paper,
      to
     
     
      be
      emptied.
     
    

    
     
      Neil
      Henry,
      Vice
      President
     
     
      Finance
      and
      Facilities,
      was
     
     
      unavailable
      for
      comment.
      —
     
    

    
     
      ;
      Dianne
      MacLean,
      his
      sec-
     
     
      retary,
      explained
      that
      the
      bins
      were
     
     
      originally
      intended
      for
      office
      use
     
     
      around
      campus,
      as
      the
      majority
      of
     
     
      recyclable
      paper
      comes
      from
      these
     
     
      areas.
      Therefore,
      she
      _
      said,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      “Awareness
      of
      the
      blue
      bins
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      been
      focused
      to
      the
      office
      users,
     
     
      but
      the
      availability
      and
      awareness
     
     
      to
      other
      potential
      users
      will
      expand
     
     
      as
      the
      recycling
      program
      continues
     
     
      to
      evolve.”
     
    

    
     
      Mackay
      feels
      the
      recycle
     
     
      bins
      are
      a
      good
      start,
      but
      he
      thinks
     
     
      that
      soon
      the
      university
      will
      be
     
     
      doing
      more.
      “[UPEI]
      will
      be
      doing
     
     
      more
      as
      a
      part
      of
      Island
      Waste
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Watch,
      which
      will
      be
      a
      separation
     
     
      of
      all
      material
      waste
      and
      organics,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      similar
      to
      what
      Prince
      County
      has
     
     
      been
      doing.”
     
    

    
     
      Peter
      Forbes,
      a
      fifth
      year
     
     
      Arts
      student,
      liked
      the
      Island
      Waste
     
     
      Watch
      idea,
      ”I
      think
      it’s
      a
      good
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      idea.
      I’ve
      seen
      it
      employed
      in
      other
     
    
   
   
    
     
      provinces
      and
      it
      seems
      to
      be
      catch-
     
     
      ing
      on.
      It’s
      becoming
      more
      of
      a
     
     
      mainstream
      thing
      to
      do,
      which
      is
     
     
      good
      because
      it’s
      saving
      the
      envi-
     
     
      ronment.”
     
     
      Forbes
      feels
      frustrated
     
     
      because
      when
      he
      needs
      to
      throw
     
     
      out
      his
      recyclables,
      at
      times
      there
     
     
      are
      no
      blue
      bins
      around,
      only
      trash
     
     
      cans.
      “I
      find
      more
      trash
      cans
     
     
      around,
      therefore
      I
      use
      more
      trash
     
     
      cans.”
     
     
      Forbes
      thinks
      that
      the
      only
     
     
      way
      to
      get
      students
      more
      active
      in
     
     
      preserving
      the
      environment
      is
      to
     
     
      set
      up
      a
      Waste
      Watch
      program.
     
     
      Island
      Waste
      Watch
      hopes
     
     
      to
      install
      it’s
      program
      in
      Queen’s
     
     
      County
      within
      the
      next
      two
      years.