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Show Feature 6 FORUMFORTNIGHTLY.COM ace esimmsie mG have all but disappeared behind a thick It isjust another day ofwinter in the valley. The students andfaculty on campus arefamiliar with this occurrence. The once blue skies and white, snowcapped mountains f . M Blue skies and white snowcapped mountains are no where to be seen behind a thick layer ofinversion over Converse Hall (above). Protestors at the clean air rally at the Utah state capitol (top right) Elanajadallah and Bryson Lovell Staff Reporters According to a CBS News article from Jan. 25, SLC had reached 130 micrograms of pollution per cubic meter the EPA cutoff for clean air is 35 micrograms. This measurement is used to measure the amount of pollution in the air at the time the data was taken. On the day the measurement was taken, SLC had the worst air quality in the entire country. Its absolutely disgusting, said nursing major Morgan Lendway. Exercising and being outdoors can become unhealthy and create health risks. Particulate matter penetrates deeper into the parts of the lungs that are more vulnerable to injury. According to Mark Feme, associate provost for student development and dean of students, commuter students make up 74 percent of Westminsters student body. Commuters have come from as far as Lehi, Centerville, Park City and Tooele, Feme said. The farthest commute for a Westminster student, from Tooele, is 78 miles round trip. Stanford University s carbon emissionscalcu-lato- r demonstrated that driving 78 miles round trip each day means commuter students could be emitting up to 47 lbs of C02 per day. According to utah.gov, mobile source emis sions (cars, busses, trains etc.) are the largest contributor of PM 2.5 forming emissions and particulate matter. Monica Ferreira, outreach coordinator of the Environmental Center, said, One option being explored is staggering days of commute from homework from home days. Ferreira said configuring commuter students schedules to two days per week is a way for them to reduce Westminsters contribution to the inversion. How to contribute less In order to meet Westminsters environmental alternatives and goals, environmentally-friendl- y incentives are offered to the student body. Bus Passes: Students have access to public transportation through the Utah Transit Authority transportation system. Each student ID also doubles as a UTA bus pass. This pass allows students to ride the UTA bus lines and TRAX lines anywhere in SLC for free. Lendway, commuter student, said she uses her pass, but she believes the system could be improved. We honestly have one of the worst public transportation systems compared to other large cities, she said. She said the system has limited hours, weird routes and doesnt follow the outlined schedules. Wa Bicycle Collective: Westminster provides the option to use bicycles for both recreation and travel purposes though the colleges Bicycle Collective. According to Westminsters website, the college and the SLC Bicycle Collective have teamed up to make this opportunity available to students for free. Students are also able to purchase certain bike items from the collective. Shaw Student Center: With the switch to the new dining service, Westminster is making an impact to reduce pollution. Bon Appetit uses locally-derivproducts, some even from the campus garden and bees. Although they are not 100 percent local at the moment, that is a goal, which they are hoping to soon achieve, Ferreira said Meldrum Science Center: Completed in 2010, the 60 thousand square-fo- ot science building is LEED Platinum certified, according to the Westminster website. This means the building is efficient based on categories such as sustainability, environmental quality and more. ed On any given winter day, mob pollution. i: |