KSA Hopes to Battle Climate Change By Signing Paris Pledge

Organization has many environmentally friendly projects on the go

The Paris Agreement is a global step forward to reducing the effects of climate change. Now the Kwantlen Student Association has stepped up to the plate by signing The Paris Pledge.

Mairi Lester, the KSA sustainability coordinator, says that by signing the pledge, the KSA has made a commitment to help combat global warming. Organizations that sign the Paris Pledge aim to meet or surpass the original goal of the Paris Agreement.

As stated on the Paris Pledge for Action website, the goal is to limit the global temperature rise to under two degrees Celsius.

Lester explains that, while the original Paris Agreement is good, it’s limited to national governments.

“If you’re not a national government, you can’t sign the agreement because you have to be a member of the UN,” says Lester. “This is a way for trade unions, student associations at universities, religious organizations, service groups, any other group of people including businesses who want to sign on, to make a similar type of commitment.”

Lester says the KSA has already put several things in place. The first of which is the university’s waste diversion program.

“So the organic bins that are on campus as of last September, we’ve been supporting that. We do that in our Grassroots Cafe,” she explains. “We also compost the organic waste behind the counter, like when we have ends of vegetables at the end of the day, or things that have to go in the compost because they’re no longer edible. We compost those on campus.”

The KSA also supports programs like Eco-Days and sustainability weeks on campus. Lester explains that these are designed to encourage students to learn more about their own personal environmental impact, and to teach them how to get involved if they choose to.

The Westerman Campus Garden on the Surrey campus, which was established in 2015, is another way for students to make an impact. Students grow their own vegetables, and learn about agriculture at the same time. The garden is expanding this spring to include 10 more plots, so they’re currently looking for additional gardeners.

Kwantlen has held two Bike to Work challenges, encouraging students to bike to school rather than drive. On Eco-Days, bike workshops have been held, featuring a mechanic to both repair bikes and engrave them. The engraving is useful in the unfortunate case when a bike is stolen. It’s much easier to deter theft when the name is engraved on it, because it makes it more difficult for the thief to sell the bike .

All of these initiatives represent the work the KSA has put in to combating environmental issues. Signing the Paris Pledge is a public declaration, a statement of accountability. The Paris Pledge was officially signed on March 7.