by Félix Bachand, Justina Chu and Jean-Patrick Durocher | Environment
As you may be aware of already, climate change is a great threat for the future of humanity. It is causing extreme temperature, increasing the number of catastrophic natural disasters and forcing migration of millions of people. The Green Team has been working on multiple exciting projects to help the environment. Here is a summary of new and on-going projects since last year, including transportation, composting, beehive and greenhouse projects.
In Quebec, road transport represented 33.6% of the total of our greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2013 according to the Ministère du développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MDDELCC). Therefore, the Green Team is working on the valourization of green transportation means. This notably includes the creation of a universal public transport pass for students, the implementation of charging stations for electric vehicles and the support of active transport. Therefore, there will be a survey soon on Omnivox to know Champlain students’ transportation habits and your ideas to improve them!
As you may be aware of already, climate change is a great threat for the future of humanity. It is causing extreme temperature, increasing the number of catastrophic natural disasters and forcing migration of millions of people. The Green Team has been working on multiple exciting projects to help the environment. Here is a summary of new and on-going projects since last year, including transportation, composting, beehive and greenhouse projects.
In Quebec, road transport represented 33.6% of the total of our greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2013 according to the Ministère du développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MDDELCC). Therefore, the Green Team is working on the valourization of green transportation means. This notably includes the creation of a universal public transport pass for students, the implementation of charging stations for electric vehicles and the support of active transport. Therefore, there will be a survey soon on Omnivox to know Champlain students’ transportation habits and your ideas to improve them!
A project that has been going on since last year is composting. This method of depositing garbage aims to limit the amount of waste, which is one
of the greatest causes of greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH4).
This gas is around 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2). Just by giving a few seconds of your time to compost, you can make a great difference. Keep your eye out for the compost bins in the cafeteria!
Another ongoing project is the beehive project! After hearing that bees,
major pollinators, are close to extinction, The Green Team decided to do something about it: renting a beehive from Avéole. The bees' home for a while is in the garden, outside of the cafeteria. By
providing a home for bees, we can help them live and colonize in safety. Their
existence is indispensable to us! They are actually responsible for a third
of the food we consume. Their extinction can bring unthinkable consequences to
our daily life or even our survival!
And lastly, did you
know that Champlain College has a greenhouse? Until recently, virtually none of the student population knew about it; now The Green Team is working on using it! The big cabin, that is the greenhouse, is somewhat hidden, on the exterior premises of the cafeteria. There are plans to refurbish the greenhouse by the end of the semester. When the process is finished, the greenhouse should be able to provide
for students:
- Ability
to grow students' own plants
- Fun
workshop activities facilitated by the green team
- Ability to share with other students' their
own grown vegetables.
If you are
interested in any of these projects and want to help contribute to their creation/development, MIO this year's Green Team's executives: Jean-Patrick Durocher (for greenhouse project), Justina Chu (for beehive and composting projects) or Félix Bachand (for transportation project).
Join The Green Team to make our future look greener, as you gain
rich and fun experiences!
