Queens University, Belfast must improve its environmental performance and increase awareness of environmental responsibility among staff and students according to the newly formed QUB Greens Society. In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson, the Society, which boosts 134 members, has been particularly critical of the low number of recycling bins available on the campus and have called for the restoration of the Sustainability Advisory Committee.
Spokesperson Mark McCormick said: “Universities can be clean and green and if we need an example of best practice Trinity College, Dublin is leading the race through the e3 project. There is no reason why Queens can’t do something similar here. The affect is amazing, Trinity has managed to reduce its energy consumption by 7.2%, while we’re still arguing about recycle bins here.”
Mr. McCormick said: “If proper recycling facilities were introduced in Elms Village, The Students Union and the Campus we could easily match Trinity Colleges recycling of 44% total waste rather than the QUB figure of 17%.”
The Society’s spokesperson went on to say: “Students go through a lot of materials during a semester, we want all recyclable material to be sorted here before leaving the campus. That includes paper, dry recyclables, card board, glass, beverage cans, packaging, electronic equipment, toners and ink cartridges, batteries, mobile phones, timber and organic waste”.
Congratulating the QUB Greens Society’s initiative, Green Party MLA Brian Wilson said: “I sincerely hope the University listens to these young people who are showing great visions. If young people respect their environment then other social problems will become easier to eradicate.”
We have yet to recieve any reply from the Vice Chancellor regarding the universities environmental performance. Soon we will re-send the letter and if still we recieve no reply we will than take to more public forms of campaigning.
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