The Environment Week (EW) Finale last Friday in the South Building Council Chambers was a big success, leaving students at the University of Toronto Mississauga more aware of how to reduce their ecological footprint.
The party started just after 3 p.m. with everyone helping themselves to pizza and soft drinks, while photos taken during EW events were also shown on an overhead. Prizes were also handed out to UTM Green Team volunteers who filled out a ballot, and the winners got to choose their own prizes.
- UTM students Alyssa and Louise display their freshly made home worm (Photo/Matthew Filipowich).
Some of the events held during Environment Week include The Amazing Green Race, where 7 stations were set up across the UTM campus. Students answered questions about the environment at each of the stations and received points for answering them correctly. The event was organized by Jeffrey Fernandez, who is a member of the UTM Green Team.
The UTM Green Team is supervised by the Environmental Affairs Office, and consists of student volunteers who come from a variety of academic disciplines. Ashley Warnock, one of the UTM Environment Week coordinators, spoke about the mission of the UTM Green Team and its responsibilities, which includes carrying out a variety of projects such as encouraging the use of duplex printing (printing on both sides of a sheet of paper instead of using only one side in order to save paper).
Rohit Mehta, a first-year Environmental Management student who is also the Promotions Coordinator for the UTM Green Team, spoke about the personal development he gained from working with the group. He also explained the importance of some of the projects the Green Team has carried out, such as the waste audit conducted earlier this year. Another student, Anum Maqsood, a fourth-year Commerce and Marketing specialist, gained valuable work experience by taking the positions of Smart Commute Coordinator and U-Pass Coordinator.
The UTM Green Team also includes Tooba Shakeel, one of the Environmental Data Managers, Subin Yoo, who is the Volunteer Coordinator, Kristen MacEachern, another one of the UTM Environment Week Coordinators, and Aubrey Iwaniw, the Sustainability Coordinator, as well as over
