Last Wednesday during AMS Council, the new sustainability goals for the upcoming school year were discussed. The society is pushing for goals that are “time-bound, achievable and role-based,” said Kasha Foster, associate vice-president sustainability of the AMS.
But what exactly does that mean? Since the AMS’s Lighter Footprint Strategy was written in 2008, sustainability has become a shifting definition, and as a result, the AMS is redefining its targets. More students are becoming interested and aware of sustainability issues beyond recycling or composting, AMS VP Administration Pooja Bhatti explained, and the society is trying to adapt to that.
Many of the upcoming sustainability goals are concerned with reusable foodware on campus. This fall, Mugshare will implement a dispensing machine in the Nest that will allow students to borrow a mug with their student card. Bhatti believes that if reusable foodware is an option, there is no excuse for people not to use it. By the summer of 2018, it is hoped that this project will have expanded across campus in partnership with UBC Food Services.
AMS Sustainability is also working on changing the way that coffee prices are presented in Uppercase. Foster explained that consumers will see the price of the cups, sleeves and lids as separate additions to the price of their coffee.
“Changing the prices is not meant to be a behaviour change, but it’s meant to get people thinking,” she said.
The AMS hopes that this project will increase awareness and help consumers realize the environmental and economic costs associated with disposable cups. According to Foster, over one million disposable coffee cups — from both AMS venues and independent vendors — are used on campus annually.
Alternative recycling stations will be also added in the SLSC this year for students to dispose of light bulbs, soft plastics and batteries.
As AMS Sustainability advances with its goals, Bhatti hopes to see more people wanting to get involved in sustainable initiatives on campus. One of her personal goals for the year is to attract more first-year students to UBC clubs, and one way to get more students interested is “[to bring] exposure to certain groups on campus.”
“A lot of sustainability projects stem from student interest, and not just our office trying to push things forward,” said Foster. “It’s their interest and support that make things happen on campus and that give us the drive to get things done.”