On July 1, 62-year-old McGill mechanical engineering professor Larry Lessard set out on the journey of a lifetime. An avid cyclist and expert on recycling, Lessard plans to travel across three continents, 28 countries, and 20,000 kilometres in 400 days. Along the way, he’ll stop at universities and wind farms[Read More…]
Tag: recycling
A future with 100 per cent green energy
In 2015, all United Nations (UN) member states adopted the Agenda for Sustainable Development, which comprises 17 goals that address the social, political, and economic aspects of sustainability to be achieved by 2030. On Feb. 9, a panel discussion titled “Can We Ever Achieve 100% Green Energy?” was held as[Read More…]
Recycling centre closures are symptomatic of a larger crisis
The pile up of recycling in Montreal has reached a crisis which will likely continue to grow, as one of Quebec’s primary recycling operators plans to close two sorting centres in Montreal as early as Feb. 3. Unfortunately, China’s 2018 ban on several types of recyclables has caused a shift[Read More…]
Helium is an endangered element
The world is running out of helium. This may come as a shock, as helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but it is also a non-renewable resource that is rapidly being depleted. Helium is a light inert gas that belongs to a group of elements known[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: How to dispose effectively
The phrase “reduce, reuse, and recycle” is a staple of many elementary school classrooms. Students are often told to recycle their paper and plastic items, unaware that if they do so incorrectly, the whole batch of recycling can end up in a landfill. With the consequences of climate change becoming[Read More…]
Lobsters and crabs, here to save the oceans
While attempts to reduce plastic usage have taken many forms, including McGill’s plastic water bottle ban and much ado about straws, some McGill researchers are approaching the situation from a different angle, by replacing the controversial polymers with biodegradable alternatives. Audrey Moores, associate professor of applied chemistry and Thomos Di[Read More…]
The Tribune Tries: A waste-free week
It’s no secret that humans have a problem with waste. Globally, we waste CDN $31 billion on uneaten food annually. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 42 per cent of greenhouse gases come from the production of plastic packaging and goods. As a student, I’m prone to contributing[Read More…]
From the trash and back again: The importance of recycling on campus
From the shelf, the average recyclable is typically used, emptied, and hopefully placed in a recycling container. It then awaits collection and sorting, until it can be sent to the corresponding manufacturer to be reused in the most appropriate manner. The problem in this system lies at the very start:[Read More…]
