Queen’s clubs take part in Sustainability Month

October marks the beginning of AMS Sustainability Month. This year, the student society has split the month into three different themes: agriculture, fashion sustainability, and waste management. 

 

Jessie Wile, ArtSci ‘22 and AMS Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability, spoke to The Journal about some of the events and programs students will be able to take part in, during the month.  

 

“The main goal of [Sustainability Month] is to celebrate these initiatives and give students an opportunity to come together as a community and show other students how they can get involved,” Wile said.

 

In recent years, the AMS has ratified some new climate focused clubs, including Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change (QBACC) and Greenovations. Wile said these organizations aim to promote sustainable lifestyles and climate advocacy in the student community.

 

“A bunch of clubs applied in September to lead their own event under sustainability month,” Wile said. 

 

One group, the Earth Centre—an AMS club and nonprofit store where students can purchase inexpensive eco-friendly products—is also hosting a green grocery grab. 

 

This initiative will provide some students with a few free grocery items and can be accessed through Earth Centre’s Instagram.

 

On behalf of the AMS, Wile has been heading a speaker series. 

 

The series will include a representative from Fair Trade Canada, a fashion professor from New York City, the operations manager from HuskeeCups—a reusable cup program where owners can pick up coffee and drop off empty cups at their nearest participating coffee  shop—and Myra Hird, professor at the school of Environmental Studies.

 

In addition, the AMS is bringing back its dumpster art contest, which invites students to submit visual art entries.

 

The top three applicants will paint dumpsters beforethey’re placed across campus and will win gift cards to Artnoise, a local art store on Princess Street. 

 

The year’s theme, consumer culture, encourages participants to reflect on how consumerism can result in devastating environmental impacts, according to Wile. 

 

“Applications for the dumpster contest went out yesterday. Queen’s students can apply with visual art entries that can be replicated on dumpsters we will be bringing to campus at the end of the month.” Wile said. 

 

“We’re going to leave up the dumpsters with the art on them, bringing a sense of beauty and different interpretations of a negative issue.”

 

Sustainability Month will also bring awareness to initiatives made possible by the Sustainability Action Fund, administered by the Environmental Sustainability Commission. In the 2020-21 year, the Fund disbursed $20,000.

 

Wile said the Fund, this year, has so far been used to acquire compostable materials for Common Ground, launch a buyback program for broomsticks used by the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) for orientation, support QBACC’s native species garden on recycled canoes, and run a slow fashion skills workshop.

 

These activities all coincide with the three sustainable themes.