A8 Terrace Review — Wednesday, November 28, 1990 UNBC president on regional get-acquainted 1 tour The new University of Northern B.C. board of governors sent representatives to Terrace Nov. 20 along with the University’s recently appointed president Dr. Geoffrey Weller. The group met at the Mount Layton Hot Springs to exchange information and get a look at the region. Above are Weller, board chairman Murray Sadler, liaison committee members Dr. Peter Larkin and Dr. John Chapman, and Northwest Community College board chairman and UNSC board member Hans Wagner. ~ by Nancy Orr The Interim Board of Govern- ors of the University of North- ern British Columbia ‘made its first official visit to Terrace Nov. 20 and 21. And the weather welcomed them with a real display of a winter snow storm. The object of the board meet- ing in Terrace and Kitimat was to acquaint the new president, Geoffrey Weller, and members of the Board with the western section of its region. It was a continuation of the board’s sta- ted intention to familiarize the members with all the vast region it will serve. Last month the board met in Dawson Creek. ““We are dedicated to excell- -ence for this university,’’ said Professor Geoffrey Weller at a *“meet the press’’ session on Tuesday held to introduce the new president and members of the board who had arrived dur- ing the day for a scheduled meet- ing to the liason committee at the Mt. Layton Hotsprings. The laison committee is a group of representatives from the northern. colleges . charged ~ with examing the ways in which the university and the northern colleges can cooperate to expand the educational opportunities in northern B.C. On this commit- tee are three members from Nor- thern Lights College (NLC) in northeastern B.C., from North- west Community College (NW- CC) in northwestern B.C., from the college of New Caledonia (CNC) in Prince George, and members from UNBC. Hans Wagner, board member from Kitimat, introduced the chairman, Murray Sadler, Q.C., of Prince George; Dr. Peter Lar- kin, ,former. vice-president re- search at UBC; Dr. John Chap- man, retired professor of geog- raphy at UBC; and other mem- bers as they arrived for the meetings. ‘We must have a- good name,’? said Professor Weller, many times during the interview. ‘‘We want to work and study in an aura of excellence. Schedules and buildings are necessary, but top quality staff and program- ming are essential. ‘Hiring staff and deciding upon faculties go hand in hand,’’ said Professor Weller, when asked about the first steps to be taken. ‘‘We are looking at medical, forestry, natural re-_. sources, environment — we al- ready have advisory groups working in nursing, education, aboriginal studies, forestry and education. The field is so wide. But to begin, we will probably have modest arts and sciences. We will be small at first, but we expect to be excellent. “We are dedicated to making this university excellent,’’ said Weller, Staff is the most vital part of the university and we are already attracting attention from other parts of the contin- ent and the world. I found it hard to believe that there were letters of inquiry waiting for me already when I arrived. Good people who are interested in the challenge of a new facility. “Think of the building chal- lenge! What will we be building for? How many?. What facult- ies? How big? It really is an ex- citing time. ‘*And we are also dedicated to becoming as regional as we are able, At Lakehead University in Thunder Bay where I came All that garbage — cores om rave a7 suits their convenience. The i im- pending shortage of garbage dumps is not due to a dearth of logistically suitable landfill sites, says Brody. The ‘‘crisis’’ is due to an epidemic of NIMBY — not in my back yard — opposition. Urbanites refuse to look at their garbage. Out of sight, out of mind, that’s consumers’ modus oper- andi. Eliminating symbols of soci- ety’s excesses, hypothesizes Brody, is a subconscious at- tempt to assuage their guilt. Guilt that stems from their glut- inous consumption of not only food and drink, but also energy, forest products, non-renewable natural resources, and resultant air and water pollution. Many consumers’ concern for the environment only extends as far as their pocketbooks or per- sonal convenience. Examples of hypocrisy are ubiquitous. The same person who eschews over- packaged products at the super- market will buy lunch-to-go, packaged in convenient dispos- able containers, every day of the week. They also send 16 billion - disposable diapers, 2 billion ra- zors and blades and 1.6 billion pens and batteries to the dump each year, he says. Environmental activists, char- ges Brody, have failed to address the real root of the problem. They. bandy the ‘‘3-Rs”’. reduce, reuse, recycle — around like a mantra from a new-found religion. But they miss the point. Recycling only masks the truth. It’s tokenism. Although many packages are recyclable, they’re not actually recycled. The infrastructure isn’t in place. Neither is sufficient incentive. Until dumping fees become ex- orbitant and the recycling busi- ness profitable, recycling won’t catch on, says Brody. Then, and only then, can re- use occur on a large scale. Of course, bona fide money-mak- ing uses for this garbage still have to be found. Plastic wastes can be made into exceptionally durable fence posts, park ben- ches, lawn furniture, flower pots, or marine decking. Paper wastes can be burned to produce energy. costs involved in building a waste-to-energy facility, the slow pay-back, and strong oppo- sition from residents who don’t want such a plant in their back yard preclude near-term change. Like recycling, reuse gives people the false impression that they are doing all they can. The real solution, says Brody, is to reduce consumption. A great many products for sale at the supermarket are not essential for survival. Ceasing their con- sumption, however, may be. ‘North Americans consume 10 billion gallons of carbonated But the high capital — beverages a year, 500 million cans of hairspray, a wide variety of shampoos, deodorants, and cosmetics,”’ says Brody. There is no genuine ‘‘need’’ for rasp- berry flavoured vinegar, alco- holic beverages from abroad, microwavable TV dinners made expecially for kids, or many of the other items showcased at Food Pacific 90, much less the 10 billion cans, pouches, and bags of pet food required to feed United States’ 140 million cats and dogs, he says. Consumers must shoulder re- sponsibility for the mess they have created, instead of finger- . ing food producers and process- ‘ors, . Packaging originated to pre- serve and protect food. It's pro- liferation, though, continues be- cause “people don’t sit down to eat anymore.’’ Instead they eat on the run, in the car, at their desk, or the ball game. In so do- ing, they’re sending a clear mar- ket signal to food vendors that convenience outweighs environ- mental concerns, They’re send- ing the same signal with the ‘16 billion disposable diapers, 2 bil- lion razors and blades, and 1.6 billion pens and batteries’ they purchase and discard annually. For every finger consumers point at farmers, food pro- cessors and retailers there are to change their lifestyle if they want to clean up the environ- ment, says Brody. from, we served a region as large as this and made use of every sort of communication we could. “Research is a service of im- mense potential for this univer- sity. And we are extremely for- tunate to have Dr. Peter Larkin involved in our board.” Dr. Larkin responded to ques- tions about research. ‘‘We are gathering ideas from all quarters,’’ said Professor Larkin. ‘‘We expect to focus on a strong concentration of north- ern concerns, to be a leader in discussions on affairs in the north. Resource management is of great concern, wildlife, for- est, and water production are in- terwoven and overlapping. So- cial problems require search and study. “Our history must be docu- mented and preserved. We can begin some of these studies be- fore buildings are complete; there is much field work to be done too.”’ he said. Murray Sadler spoke of the plans to welcome earlier sup- porters to become part of the Convocation of the University, and of Alumni from other Uni- versities to become the founding Alumni of a university “‘that can have no alumni in the initial years”, “This university must grow and live from within,’ said Wagner, ‘‘It is only the com- munity support from within the region that will make it regional. The large population is in Prince George and there is a ground swell of interest there. But it is the full intention of the board that this will be a regional facil- ity. And this will happen if the community wants it, it will only happen if the initiative and com- mitment is here,’? - ; In the next few weeks, invita- tions will be going out to the original petitioners and news let- ters and advertisements will be issued. TERRACE ART ASSOCIATION AAA 1990 Christmas Arts & Craft Show Saturday, December 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Terrace Public Art Gallery (Located | in the Library Basement) aril. three fingers ‘pointing back the j other way. Consumers will have ADMISSION FREE Start your Christmas Shopping early!