Dalhousie Paper Purchasing, Products, and Practices

Rm. 304, Weldon Law Building

7:00 – 8:30 pm

Present:

Go-Round:

Patricia: live on eastern shore, forest watch, clear-cutting, 1st of Jan – pay stubs and financial not on paper anymore (electronic), people grumbling. Need to reduce before recycling, and that anything else we can do towards making the university paperless, concerned with issues for paper use and practices, how-to for students, etc. giving students incentives to do both sides. Can support any initiatives or be a representative for the department. We need more awareness. Students could do list of printers that can be double-sided.

Mary-Beth: Campus greening round-table was where this initiative really started. CESR is concerned with this (Andre and Kable looking into a proposal for green office supplies in general). NetImpact: network of MBA students who want to use their networks – starting a chapter: Campus Greening Program – going to do something with paper coffee-cut usage.

Kathy/Martha/Nature Conservation: looking to help in any way possible: learn about what you could do. Online petition. Do it together. Talking to the paper: like the Herald. Radio. Raising awareness within each department. Going to first year classes.

KJ: Documentary for Nature Conservation II. Filming sustainable paper use. Environmental Problem Solving class: paper use – group is doing it for Dalplex. Doing that proposal for Henry Hicks. Also heading up Better-side Notebooks. Need volunteers for a paper route. Awareness pamphlets at end of project.

Tristan: Paper policy at Dal is not good enough. Thought to do a petition. Original idea: to get posters up around campus to get people to sign a petition to switch over paper.

Zoë: Doing thesis on figuring out to which extent Dalhousie can move towards more sustainable paper products and practices in the most economic fashion.

Short-term Goal Brainstorm:

- 2 more departments signed up for recycled paper

- policy created at the administrative level

- posters for awareness, with how-tos

- focus in the learning commons/Killam

- programming all possible printers to double-sided

- Fundraise for cash to get new printers

- Prepping for Dal frosh pack next year

- Professors Paper Pledge (guidelines for class use)

- Contest for departments: who can reduce the most

- Website

Overall:

Institutionalizing reducing paper and increasing use of recycled paper. (i.e. making it policy within departments and/or administration)

4 track approach: Short-term goals (Operational)

1. Multi-media and brochure

This is to be done by via a class group project. Is creating movie on sustainable paper practices. Is also developing awareness materials such as brochures.

2. Research/admin/top-down

Student researcher is doing undergraduate thesis on whether Dalhousie can move towards sustainable paper practices in an economic fashion. Will compare scenarios and boil down to 2-3 possible directions for university administrative policy.

3. Secretary/Dept commitment with BIOL as a case study

A second class group project will look at what the Biology dept. did to make the change to 100% recycled paper. Will then target paper purchasers/secretaries of depts to ask them to make similar commitment. If the say no, group members will move to professors within the department to sign commitment petition to rally support.

4. Tristan: Student petitioning and attachment (Plan B, online)

Student to spearhead petition aimed at student body. (Potential for 3rd class group to join on board here). Petition will drum up awareness, support, and pressure on departments and administration to influence change. Petition will be online and on paper.

Long-term:

Building the policy into prof’s curriculum and overall campus culture