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Show I te ns r ';; 10 rf7. , ; ' r HEALTH & WELLNESS GREEN FORUMFORTNIGHTLY.COM cx SCENE Waste Not Carson Chambers Sustainability Fellow Have you ever thought about how much waste Westminster sends to the landfill? Have you ever wondered how much Westminster students recycle? The Environmental Center Sustainability Fellows have been working to answer these questions. Over the past semester, the Fellows conducted a waste audit and a recycling audit to get solid data on the amount of waste Westminster produces. The Feland lows, along with the help of eco-re- ps volunteers, got down and dirty digging through the campus trash from the four main dumpsters collected over a period of several weeks. The results were pretty interesting. The total weight of trash came to 227.42 pounds and a volume of 430.5 gallons. Of this, only 43.4 of volume and 28.5 of weight was actual garbage appropriate for the land. fill. 53.4 of weight and 58.6 of volume were recyclable materials. 1.6 of weight and .09 of vol food ume was compost-abl- e waste. Shaw to-g- o containers and cups accounted for about 55 volume of the landfill appropriate trash. Paper towels made up a large portion of the volume of trash about 35 volume of real trash. Surprisingly, there were hardly any aluminum and tin products. In fact, the majority of recyclable materials were plastics, specifically plastic bottles. From the waste audit, it can be determined that 236.5 gallons and 149.2 pounds of Westminsters trash could be diverted if disposed of properly, meaning if recydables are recycled and compostable food waste is composted. The recycling audit showed that plastics accounted for the greatest volume at 57. We found hardly any glass contamination only 6 of total weight. However, the worst recycling contamination was in Hogle Hall, the freshman dorms. Those recycling bins had all sorts of landfill appropriate trash including an entire carton of eggs! The Sustainability Fellows are hoping to use this information to help promote and institute waste reduction strategies on campus. Ideas for reduction include a recycling education campaign, goosenecks to fill up bottles, to-g- o containers for the dining center and increasing awareness about paper towel consumption. . If you are interested in learning more about the findings or getting involved, you can visit www.westminstercollege. ble An alternative resource for students Peer Mentors for balanced lifestyles Keni Nelson Staff Reporter College is often a time of new experiences. Students make new friends, go to new places and experience living on their own. Another new experience a college student may have is the consump- tion of alcohol. The Harvard School of Public Health conducted a survey that revealed that 84 of college stu- dents have consumed alcohol in the past year. In a separate study by the Harvard School of Public Health, over 1,825 students have died of alcohol related injuries in 2009 alone. Because of the association of al- cohol and college, Westminster has taken a proactive approach to ensur- ing the safety of its students. They have done so by developing the Peer Mentors for Balanced Lifestyles. Managed by the Counseling Cen- ter and run by students, the Peer Mentors focus on educating students healthy drug and alcohol habits. We are a pro- gram, said Michelle Call, LCSW, a counselor in the Counseling Center, So were not an abstinence only land risk-reducti- ble of program. eduenvironmentalccntcr and click on Campus Sustainability then Waste Stream. tisvivtr on Jeffrey Zuckerman, a senior jus- studies major, has been a Peer Mentor for over two years. We really try to get students on board with healthy habits, he said. The Peer Mentors organize a number of activities on campus to engage students in learning about unsafe alcohol and drug use. We do various tabling events around campus, Zuckerman said. We do Resident Hall events that go through and highlight the dangers of drinking and driving and how you can engage in responsible drinking. One responsible drinking lesson Rule. The rule they teach is the -3 stands for zero drinks if youre driv- ing, no more than one drink per hour and no more than three drinks per 0-1- night. These events often pair some ed- ucation with a fun, alcohol free activ- ity, said Call A popular activity is Mario Kart with beer goggles. The goggles aim to mimic the effects alcohol has on vision. The goggles increase in distor- tion, ranging from one to two beers up to over seven. The activity aims to show just how much alcohol can impair ones abil- ity to drive and help students under-o- n stand that alcohol affects them more than they know, Not only do Peer Mentors help educate students on healthy lifestyles, resource for they are also a health concerns. Peer Mentors make their personal phone numbers avail-tiable to students. Every single student on campus has our phone number, and they are free to contact us at any point, Zuckerman said. Aimee Frost, assistant director of Residence Life, feels the Peer Men- tors are an important asset for stu- - dents on campus. Its a peer, its a classmate or a friend, she said. I think that helps being able to talk a little bit more openly than with an administrator from the school. The phone numbers are given out to encourage students to call with a health concern, especially if its related to drugs or alcohol, Students sometimes get nervous to or dont want to talk to an adult figure because they fear that theyre going to get in trouble, Frost said, To combat this and to ensure the safety of students, the Peer Mentors are the that students can reach out to with concerns, The Peer Mentors are completely will only contact an outside source if there is a major health and safety 24-ho- ur ce difference and help students out, he said, Students interested in finding more information or applying to be- come a Peer Mentor are encouraged to contact the Counseling Center, |