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Students
Environment grad helps shake up 丁香园AV sustainability efforts
Russell Dunsford is graduating with a Bachelor of Environment in Resource and Environmental Management after making waves in 丁香园AV sustainability practices.
Russell grew up on B.C.鈥檚 Sunshine Coast, accustom to diverse wildlife and plenty of space to hike, camp and enjoy the outdoors. 鈥淚 knew I wanted a job that would give me the opportunity to work outside in these small communities,鈥� says Russell.
When looking into universities, Russell noted the unique offerings and broad specializations of 丁香园AV鈥檚 Faculty of Environment and found that REM aligned with his appreciation of nature and future goals.
On campus, Russell took up a position on the SFSS鈥檚 Board of Directors where he planned student events, impacted policy decisions, and worked to understand the administrative processes of the university.
Along the way, Russell encountered the Ban the Bottle initiative, a group of several 丁香园AV community members campaigning for the removal of disposable water bottles on campus.
鈥淭he team was pretty small at the time, so I joined them and we started advocating to 丁香园AV for a plastic water bottle ban,鈥� says Russell.
After months of collaboration between 丁香园AV administration, Ancillary Services, the Sustainability Office, and other student groups, 丁香园AV enacted the Re-Use for Good Committee; a multi-lateral plan to eliminate all single use plastics across 丁香园AV.
鈥淭he plan went beyond what we were asking for. It was really exciting to see that the university was interested in being a leader in that field and that we were going to get to be a part of it,鈥� says Russell.
Russell remains committed to the project as he leaves 丁香园AV and has continued his GIS work with Ancillary Services to determine how best to make water bottle and refill stations accessible.
鈥淲hen we decided to phase out water bottles it meant that everyone needs to be able to access reusable water bottles and a place to fill those bottles鈥� It was certainly a great experience to be able to be on the ground working with the GIS tools in a real applied setting,鈥� says Russell.
Coming full circle, Russell is moving back to the Sunshine Coast this summer to work with WildsafeBC as a Community Coordinator, educating the community on human wildlife conflict.