By Emily Huntington
Horizon Editor
Earth Day Waste Audit on campus
How much garbage does Whatcom generate in one day? On Earth Day, April 22, volunteers are needed for the Sustainability Committee-sponsored waste audit taking place on campus. Volunteers will sort through a day’s worth of garbage throughout half of the campus. The purpose is to find out what is going into garbage that could be going into other things such as recycling or compost.
Blanche Bybee, science prep lab supervisor at Whatcom, hopes that with the results of the waste audit, informed goals can be set for reducing Whatcom’s landfill contribution.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. and will go until about mid-afternoon, or until all the garbage has been sorted. Gloves will be provided. It will be held on the lawn in front of Syre.
To participate, please contact Bybee at bbybee@whatcom.ctc.edu, or by phone, (360)-383-3223. Students and faculty are also welcome to just stop by and help.
Earth Week Films
A film called “The Ecological Footprint: Accounting for a Small Planet” will be shown on April 20, from 11:30 a.m. to noon in Syre 105. The co-creator of the Ecological Footprint suggests that an essential step in avoiding depletion is to track our ecological assets. The 30-minute film shows the impacts of our current global situation.
Another film, titled “The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream,” will play from 12:10 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Through interviews with scientists and policy makers, this documentary explores the possibility that suburbs may soon become untenable.
Lunchtime speakers
On April 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be a handful of speakers from Whatcom, Western Washington University, the City of Bellingham, Bellingham Parks and Recreation, Sustainable Connections and Smart Trips. This event is titled “Community Sustainability and You,” and speakers will be giving short presentations about what sustainability efforts are going on in the community and how students can get involved.
Music club’s earth friendly events
Whatcom’s own music club will provide entertainment in the Syre courtyard on campus on April 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be back to perform more Earth Day music on April 22 in Syre auditorium from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
