Earth
Week
forums
Panelists discuss
*environmental,
economic issues
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 4, 1990 - Page 3
highlight global issues
Engineering students
stress importance of
|g Earth Week activities
by Michael Sullivan
Daily Staff Writer
The University's Earth Week or-
ggnizers presented "Consumer
Choices: Economics and the Envi-
f onment," a panel discussion, last
Fight in Schorling auditorium. Pan-
elists offered three distinct perspec-
tives on economics and the envi-
ironment, to an audience of about 60
students.
Social philosopher Gaia Kyle, a
nember of the Huron Valley Greens,
attacked the concept of con-
sumerism.
"I don't believe it is possible to
be a consumer and an environmental-
lst," Kyle said, explaining goods be-
pome "consumables" if users don't
perceive them as "an integral part of
their life."
x Kyle offered five suggestions for
people who want to abandon con-
$umerism, including giving up cars,
television, and meat.
', "If you calculate how much time
you spend on your car, including
shopping, labor, etc. Your car goes
about six miles an hour," he said.
But John Epton of the Demo-
cratic Socialists of America objected
to Kyle's assumption that isolated
individual actions can solve envi-
ronmental problems.
"The attitude is that individuals
have to change. They have to be
more careful. They have to eat soy-
beans," Epton said. Instead, individ-
uals should organize in groups that
question the basic assumptions of
capitalism, he said.
"We have to ask who makes the
decisions causing environmental
damage," Epton said. "We have to
democratize thesdecision-making
process."
Panelist Stephen Landes, a
School of Natural Resources gradu-
ate, drew on his experience as a
Ford Motor Company employee to
defend the environmental protection
efforts of American companies.
The job of corporate officials is
"earning a high rate of return given
the restraints of the problem," said
Landes. "This is not an evil process
directed by destructive, greedy busi-
nessmen."
.II
L"0
By Mark Swartz
Usually when representatives from compa-
nies visit the University's School of Engineer-
ing, recruiting tops their agenda. But the six-
teen companies who came to the Environmen-
tal Technology Fair in the EECS atrium at
North Campus yesterday where here to pro-
mote environmentally sound applications of
engineering skills.
"Yes, there are job opportunities out there
for companies doing good work," said the fair's,
organizer Dale Jensen, an engineering senior
and a member of the Earth Week coordinating
committee. "We're glad to have all the engi-
neers here to learn about them."
Among the companies, Michigan Recovery
Systems set up a display outlining various
strategies in the field of environmental engi-
neering, which include fuel blending, solvent
recycling, and landfill gas collection. The lat-
ter, a recent development, generates electricity
from the gas emitted by garbage dumps.
Craig Yendell attended the fair representing
Chester Engineers, a Pittsburgh-based com-
pany specializing in waste water treatment sys-
tems. Yendell participated in the first National
Earth Day twenty years ago, putting on educa-
tional programs in Pennsylvania schools.
"People are more conscious about the envi-
ronment than they were back then," Yendell
said. "The environment is no longer just taken
for granted."
Yendell stressed the key role that the engi-
neers play in resuscitating the environment.
"Somebody's got to come up with a practical
way of implementing things," he said.
Amy Hochberg, a junior in engineering,
said the attitude of engineers is starting to
change.
Panelists cite danger of global warming
My %,at eriner ugate
Daily Staff Writer
Global warming is one of the
hottest topics of environmental con-
cern today. Last night, the Earth
Week 1990 Committee assembled a
panel of three experts to address the
subject to a crowd of 80 people in
Rackham Auditorium.
Beginning the evening by taking
the audience on a slide-show trip 20
years in the future, Dr. Perry Sam-
son, professor of atmospheric
science, said some areas of pollution
will improve. These reductions will
come from chemicals such as lead,
sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide
in the atmosphere and acid rain.
However,the Earth is headed for
trouble in other areas, Samson said,
citing increased ozone concentrations
and visibility degradation.
According to Samson, Congress
has not done much to improve air
pollution. He said although the EPA
budget has risen substantially in the
past twenty years, the amount spent
on research has dropped. "I would
hate to see this trend continue
through to 2010." Samson said.
Dr. David Gates, a botany profes-
sor, followed Samson with a dis-
cussion of the greenhouse effect.
Gates said due to increased carbon
dioxide emissions in the atmosphere,
the mean temperature of the Earth
will rise three degrees centigrade
within our lifetime, the largest jump
in the Earth's history. Although this
rise is speculation, Gates believes
that total and drastic global warming
"is here and we will be experiencing
it the rest of our lives."
Dr. Gayle Ness, the last speaker,
opened his talk by declaring that he
was "going to talk about sex." More
specifically, Ness addressed the prob-
lem of overpopulation.
CORRECTIONS
In yesterday's article on MSA's derecognition of the Cornerstone Chris-
tian Fellowship (CCF), we erred in stating that the it was a member of
CCF whose song many gays and lesbians found offensive. The singer was
sponsored by CCF, but was not a member.
In Monday's paper the Daily said that ACTION Party presidential candi-
date Jennifer Van Valey favors a mandatory racism class. In fact, she sup-
ports the proposal which would make a variety of courses on cultural and
ethnic diversity available to students.
Also in Monday's paper we incorrectly attributed a quote to Ben Feng,
when the speaker was actually Ben Chuang. The article was on the student
committee seeking to work out an antidiscrimination and harassment policy.
THE LIST
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
Trash disp
by Julie Foster
Daily Staff Writer
The belief that trash disposal is
not the problem of the individual is
a bunch of garbage, said about 100
students and residents who met yes-
terday to discuss the solid waste cri-
sis.
The seminar, held as part of Earth
Week and co-sponsored by Recycle
U-M, encouraged people to make an
active effort to dispose of waste
NEMA DIREC .
oasal: to pic
properly and to educate others.
A video presentation, featuring
Paul Connett, a national recycling
activist, introduced the group to the
problems of trash disposal as well as
past and future solutions.
The participants then divided into
three groups to discuss ways to get
involved in solving the problem on
the individual, community, and Uni-
versity levels.
The groups then met to discuss
obstacles such as the cost of imple-
menting new plans, getting people
to change their habits, and the feasi-
of group meeting
bility of proposed solutions.
Some of the suggested solutions
were recycling, boycotting environ-
mentally harmful products such as
Styrofoam, and voting on environ-
mental issues.
Ann Arbor resident Bryan Wein-
ert said, "Student areas are the worst
areas as far as participation rates in
recycling." He added that students
need to "take some ownership in the
community."
Some of the groups which were
represented at the discussion were
Recycle Ann Arbor, Recycle U-M,
and the Earth Week 1990 Commit-
tee.
Sue Oleinick, a School of Natu-
ral Resources sophomore and coordi-
nator of the program, said, "The fact
that all of these groups are begin-
ning to work together is really posti
tive."
DAILY
CLASSIFIEDSf
Meetings
Philosophy Club - meeting at 7
p.m. Philosophy Commons
Room, 2220 Angell Hall
UM Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do
Club - beginners welcome 8:30-
9:30 p.m. Martial Arts Room of
the CCRB
UM Taekwondo Club
beginners welcome 7-8:30 p.m.
2275 CCRB
East Quad/R.C. Social Group
for Lesbians, Gay Males and
Bisexuals - for students in
residence halls 9-11 p.m.; call
763-4186 for more information
UM Asian Student Coalition
(UMASC) - sexism workshop
at 7 p.m,. in Room D of the
Michigan League
Latin American Solidarity
Committee - meeting at 8 p.m.
in the Union; see desk for room
UM Hellenic Students
meeting at 8 p.m. in Anderson
Room A
UM Students of Objectivism -
reading exercise of an Ayn Rand
article at 8 p.m. in Union 2203
"Bounds on the LP-Norms of
Martingales and Quadratic
Forms of Independent
Random Variables" - Victor
De La Pena speaks at 4 p.m. in
451 Mason Hall
"The Reluctant Prophet" _ the
videotape will be shown in
conjunction with a lecture by
George Zabelka the chaplain of
the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
bomber crews at 8 p.m. in the Old
Second Ward Bldg. (310 S.
Ashley)
Furthermore
Free tutoring - for all lower
level math, science and
engineering courses in UGLi 207
from 7-11 p.m.; Bursley (E.
Lounge) and South Quad (Dining
Hall) 8-10 p.m.
Northwalk - the north campus
night-time walking service runs
from 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. in Bursley
2333 or call 763-WALK
Safewalk - the nighttime safety
walking service runs from 8 p.m.-
1:30 a.m. in UGLi 102 or call
936-1000
ECB Peer Writing Tutors -
peer writing tutors available for
help on papers 7-11 p.m. in the
Angell/Haven and 611 Church St.
computing centers
Women's Seder - join women
of the community for the first
Hillel Women's Seder at 5:45
p.m. at Hillel
"A Play About Love ... "
the Residence Hall Repertory
Theatre Troupe performs at 10
p.m at Markley
Michigras - Battle of the Bands
at 8 p.m. in the U-Club
"Vegetarianism for
Beginners" - an interactive
workshop from noon-1 p.m.in the
3rd Floor Conference Room of the
University Health Service
Environmental Health Film
Festival - Danger!
Radioactive Waste will be shown
from noon-1 p.m. in the
Auditorium of the H. Vaughan
Bldg. of the School of Public
Health
Auto Expo - see the latest GM
crrontrv t uin X50 0ttnwar.c
The UM Club of New York and
the Student Alumni Council
presents:
Speakers
-Jazz Lecture Series - George
Bedard and David Swain speak at 8
p.m. in Cheever Hall of Oxford
House
"Unemployment and the
Economic Status of Black
Women" - Florence Bonner
speaks at noon in Room 1300
Chemistry Bldg.
"Psychology and African-
Americans: The Decade
Ahead" - Reginal L. Jones
speaks at 4 p.m. in 1270 Business
Administration Bldg.
"Singularities and
Bifurcations" - V. I. Arnold
speaks at 4 p.m. in Angell Hall
Auditorium C
"The First Shall be Last? An
Assessment of Yugoslavia
Today" - Dijana Plestina
speaks at noon in the Lane Hall
Commons Room
"Sexual Harassment on
Campus" - Julie Steiner speaks
at noon in the West Lounge of
South Quad
"The Paae nf the Dni Rinae
A taste
Big A
of the
,pple
ii
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