Douglas College goes green Maria Asselin-Roy Staff Reporter ver the past few years, many QO: us have noticed the “green” changes that Canadian society has undergone. This “Green Movement” (as it’s described by the Green Party of Canada) has been popularized in the past couple of years , with many items, such as Dasani bottled water, now advertised as “less plastic” and “eco-friendly.” Douglas College has also been keeping up with this green trend. The cafeteria has changed many of its disposable products as eco-friendly, and Douglas College facilities and students are taking a more active role when it comes to being environmentally friendly. About three years ago, the first environmentally dangerous product that the cafeteria stopped using was styrofoam. According to the Earth . Resource Foundation, styrofoam takes 100 years to naturally break down in a landfill, making the material causes dangerous health effects, and when in landfills it can be destructive to the environment (see www.earthresource. org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam. html). As an alternative, the cafeteria is now using cups made of sugar cane paper. This product is both compostable and a renewable resource. In addition, the cafeteria switched their plastic providers so that the new plastic (i.e. plastic food containers) is now BPI certified (Biodegradable Plastics Institute). The new containers are made from recycled plastics and are suitable for compost. Additional green- minded changes in the cafeteria include recycling, instead of disposing of, the 4 oil in the deep fryer and, in the future, an on campus compost collector. In previous months, the DSU has worked on banning water bottles on campus. They did this by promoting and giving out reusable water bottles to students who signed the petition to ban plastic water bottles. While the college still does not have an answer for the signed petition, it is likely that there will be events similar to this one in the future Another environmental change the . New West campus has made is adding greenery, benches, and walkways to the roof of the college. Having this roof helps the college to reduce energy costs during the summer by using the plants to absorb sunlight (instead of concrete) thus making the building cooler. Other advantages include reducing noise, increasing roof life, and adding more functional space. Douglas College has even worked towards improving the quality of the indoor air. Instead of using chemical cleaners, the college are now certified by a brand called Green Seal, which is “an organization that encourages companies to develop greener products _ and services.” The college’s cleaning crews have switched to microfibre cloths because they allow no chemicals to be needed. Adding to this change, the college has added more facilities to recycle coffee cups, paper, plastics, etc. It’s recommended that students look out for these opportunities to recycle instead of just tossing recycled material in the trash. If done by everyone, doing simple things like this can help dramatically reduce the amount of unnecessary items in the garbage that the college accumulates. For more information on “green tips,” check out the Douglas College website. About New Westminster skytrain station construction By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff Reporter hances are if you take the ( SkyTrain to Douglas College’s New West campus, you have noticed the massive projects that have taken place there over the past few months. Planning for this project began in 2005, with the actual construction beginning in 2010. So what exactly is SkyTrain stations across Vancouver. Residents of New Westminster and students of Douglas College can look forward to a movie theatre being opened up in this new retail space. Landmark Cinemas will have 10 cinemas, be open every day, and will be showing major motion pictures. The retail space will also be home to a new Shoppers Drug Mart, Safeway, RBC, CIBC, Bell Mobility, Flight “New Westminster Station will be integrating 200,000 square feet of retail space within the SkyTrain station, the bus terminal, and the four resident towers nearby.” being constructed here? It will change the SkyTrain station completely. New Westminster Station will be integrating 200,000 square feet of retail space within the SkyTrain station, the bus terminal, and the four resident towers nearby. This is a $60 million project, which is a part of the $250 million development in the area. In 2005, commercial developers discussed the concern over the amount of criminal activity taking place around SkyTrain stations such as New Westminster. Typically, in areas where there are more people there is less crime. The construction of this project is meant to revitalize downtown New Westminster, and turn the SkyTrain station into a community setting where people can feel safe. This project is meant to be an example of future retail projects at other Centre, Wind Mobile, International News Station, and more. Various food spaces will also be opening due to this development. Students can look forward to easily grabbing Megabite Pizza, A&W, Starbucks Coffee, sushi, Subway, Extreme Pita, and Bread Garden. Currently, New Westminster is home to about 95,000 people, and it is expected to grow to almost 111,000 by 2012. Incorporating the number of residents, over 100,000 people pass through New Westminster Skytrain Station every week. If you are interested in viewing how the station will look ‘once construction is completed, there is a seven minute video on YouTube showing what the finished project will look like. (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=InfnxRkximl)