TWU steps up environmental efforts

Posted by admin on Dec 1, 2009 in News | 0 comments

Trinity Western University’s current composting site is at 57 Acres, across from Glover Road. Due to frequent composting, however, it will be moved to a new location between Seal Kap and the Norma Alloway Library beginning in 2010.

Karen Steensma, biology professor at TWU, hopes that awareness towards helping the environment, especially on campus, can increase.

“TWU initiating through the Environmental Studies (ENVS) faculty and students, as well as A Rocha TWU members, built and operated the food and garden waste composting system on 57 acres…ENVS is currently building the additional system behind the water treatment building,” said Steemsma. “The next step is to integrate the system throughout the campus, including all faculty and staff lounges and areas in which students typically eat.” This step will require help from the TWU community.

“We have applied for a Vancity grant to focus on the community garden and composting,” says Steensma. “This will help fund a person to not only promote and facilitate campus wide composting, but also will expand our community garden efforts…the garden will expand as an educational venture not only for our own students and staff, but also for the Langley community.”

The composting bins have been used in the past, and it was a great resource for breaking down foods (excluding meats) instead of throwing it out. Although Sodexo supports composting, it has not been doing it frequently due to the inconvenient location. But that does not prevent them from taking environmentally friendly options.

Chris Fox, director of food and services at Sodexo, stated that composting bins will be in the cafeteria early of next semester. Supplying these will prevent students from throwing away foods into the regular garbage when they should instead be composted. Fox also stated that Sodexo is doing its part by providing environmentally friendly styrofoam bowls and using fair trade coffee.

Jessie Dias, environmental studies student and president of A Rocha Trinity Western University (ARTWU), claims that transportation problems were the cause of less composting.

“Because the compost bins were across the road, the only way to get the garbage out there was by using a truck, which facilities allowed us to use for a certain period…unfortunately there was a change in policy for using facilities trucks which meant we would have to pay.”

Despite the issues, things will be looking up soon.“People can expect to see a [composting] bin ready to operate on campus by January, if not by the end of this fall semester. However… it will take some time to coordinate things with Sodexo again,” said Dias. “It will probably be a little longer until we organize something for dorms and apartments, but it’s our hope and goal to have that running sometime in the spring semester.”