By Julianne Fox
Humber students said Thursday they’re doing what they can to raise awareness about sustainability. on campus.
“I recycle, I don’t liter, and I take the bus sometimes,” said Yousef Muhaire, Paramedic student at Humber.
“I reduce, reuse and recycle,” said Kimberly Viveiros, Humber Tourism Management student. More specifically, she said she uses tupperware.
“Throwing all my garbage out,” said Jackson Peters, Video Production student at Humber.
All of the focus on being green comes from the Humber Sustainability Coordinating Committee. It aims to raise awareness on campus and urges students to help promote sustainability.
“As we do more, the more we’re hearing back from students that want to be involved,” said Lindsay Walker, Manager of Sustainability.
With sustainability on campus becoming a more standard thing, more people are becoming educated on how to live their lives “greener.” The Committee encourages students to bring a positive change to our community by monitoring how they use up the earth’s resources.
“[Students] will leave Humber with not just a degree, but a little bit more information and education on sustainability,” said Walker.
The Committee did their first sustainability assessment last year with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) STARS program, earning a silver rating.
The rating program assessed the elements of sustainability at Humber, along with other universities and colleges in North, Central and South America. Humber is the first college in Ontario to get a silver rating.
“Definitely have a lot of work to do,” said Amelia Velasco, student at large.
The new initiatives created by the Committee hope to reduce the campuses footprint.
Next week is a kickoff to the Committee’s events for the school year. They will be hosting the Food Sustainability event, Sept 30, and the David Suzuki event, Oct 6.