Is a garbage-free Sheridan possible?

Stephanie Donison Sheridan News The Zero Waste Committee at Sheridan believes the college can be waste free by 2020. The group discussed ways to make that happen at a meeting March 14 at Trafalgar Campus. The meeting was a result of the committee realizing it needs to focus on specific areas to research and achieve their goals. Compost, binning and communications will be the three main areas of focus. Each group is focusing on waste: like garbage, recycling, organics, that type of thing. There are other initiatives that the college wants to take on, like zero waste in regards to water, or carbon footprint energy, but we are starting with waste because I think that (the committee) felt it was a good place to start, and I agree, said Pamela Shaw, a committee member and an academic database specialist at Sheridans Trafalgar Campus. The meeting was a stepping stone of whats to come and was focused on raising general awareness of waste production, cross contamination and organics. The end goal is for Sheridan to be 100 per cent waste free. So what if it takes until 2020, the point is getting there, and progressing along the way. I say we shoot for the moon, said Clair Ironside, one of 14 members at the meeting. Students are encouraged to become involved in this project. Currently, the committee is made up of just faculty. We are a design school, we should utilize our students to design, William Farkas added at the meeting. Posters, maps and other printed material designs are one way students can do their part. Bins and environmental graphics (signage), and web, video and game designing are other ideas on how to help as well. We want it to be a positive thing, saying that we can make a difference, said Angela Iarocci at the meeting. One message the communications group wants to covey is the idea that if you make it beautiful, you make it positive. We could show people landfills, and say look at what we are doing to the world. And we can show people negative images, and make them feel guilty. But is that going to motivate them to action? Or is that going to make them close their eyes and move on? Shaw said. So if we make it positive, then people feel good about what they just did, and maybe people are more likely to respond, as opposed to something negative. So foster positivity, and hopefully motivate action, she added.

Page 4: The Sheridan Sun, ThurSday, March 22, 2012

Victoria Skalin Anneeka Myers a 2nd year animation student at Trafalgar Campus, with battery recycling stations. The Engineering Club created the project.

Engineers set up campus battery recycling stations

nications Manager at Sheridan College, in an email interview. The Sheridan Engineering Club (SEC) created the battery stations as part of the Presidents Sustainability Challenge, but that quickly changed. It was originally a part of the presidents challenge but we didnt go through with it because the YMCA has been sponsoring us, said Albert Gostick, club president and third year electrical engineering student. The project was brought to our attention by a faculty member who has partnerships with the YMCA and Raw Materials Company, which deals with the safe recycling of batteries, so it was easier to just take that route, Gostick said. The YMCA asked the club to make an educational piece to

Members of the Zero Waste communications commitee during a meeting March 14.

Stephanie Donison

Victoria Skalin Sheridan News Over the past two weeks, battery recycling stations have popped up around Trafalgar Campus, thanks to Sheridan students. There are two stations currently, one in front of the Student Union and the other at the Sheridan Security Office, with more planned. The Student Union is working with the Sustainability Office and other departments on campus to make our campuses more ecofriendly. We are housing one of the battery recycling stations in our space and will be promoting this but the overall initiative is being run by the College, said Dan LaCute, the Student Union Marketing and Commu-

demonstrate how the battery recycling stations work. The educational pieces show what happens when you do recycle the batteries and what happens when you dont, Gostick said. If you dont recycle the batteries then they can end up doing a lot of damage to the ecosystem, such as bleaching the soil and adding toxins to the air. If you do recycle it helps to enrich soil and to fertilize and speed up the growth of crops such as a corn, Gostick said. The Sheridan Engineering Club is made up of about 20 to 30 people and was created by Tony Orlando, the faculty head of the SEC, four years ago. The club is now split into two separate groups, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

Leadership Council explores organic solution to waste

Angelo Rico Sheridan News Sheridans Leadership Council for Sustainability plans to meet its goal of 100 per cent zero waste by 2020 by implementing an organic waste system that may include an organic composting machine at Trafalgar Campus. The team met on last week to discuss ways to achieve 100 per cent zero waste by 2020. One of the ideas was buying an organic composting machine for the campus. Once we have the ability to compost our organics, food that is usually thrown out can be composted and used for soil, said Pamela Shaw, part of Sheridans Leadership Council for Sustainability. We have approached the on campus food service company, Chartwells, and are hoping to work with them on this initiative. Waste generated from the cafeteria doesnt have to go to landfills. It can be turned into compost and used to make grass greener, plants healthier and the soil richer. Composting adds nutrients to the soil and can replace fertilizer and it may save the college money to boot. It starts with us, said Shaw, who takes her organic waste home. I know I can compost there. Sheridans latest waste audit suggests students might not be aware of recycling procedures. Theres a lot of contamination in the recycling bins, said Shaw. Students sometimes throw out filled coffee cups and it spills onto the paper, making the contents unrecyclable. Shaw remembers passing by a food donation box that had trash inside. People need to become conscious of proper binning. Not every round bin is for garbage, said Shaw. By having a composting machine on campus, not only can we attain our zerowaste goal, but we save money by not using a waste company to take our organics, said Elaine Hanson, also part of Sheridans Leadership Council for Sustainability. Sheridan hopes to mimic the University of Ottawas organic recycling program. Its an idea of what were likely going into, said Hanson about the universitys composting system. The University of Ottawa has installed an electric compost machine on campus. It had an immediate impact. The largest food provider in the school stopped making disposable take-out containers and utensils and started making organic ones. I am very happy that the president is on board and is initiating these types of changes, said Shaw. The idea of organic composting is great, said Jeff Zabudsky, president of Sheridan College. Its an example of our leadership in sustainability. Were always looking to recruit new members, said Shaw. The Leadership Council for Sustainabilitys next meeting will be on March 28 at 12 p.m. in room C210.