Kim Dong Yeon, the governor
of the Gyeonggi province — the
largest province in South Korea —
presented the 11th annual Sang-Yong
Nam lecture on democracy at the
University of Michigan Museum of
Art Monday afternoon. About 100
students and Ann Arbor community
members attended the event, which
was hosted by the Nam Center for
Korean Studies along with the Ford
School of Public Policy.
Kim earned his doctorate from
the School of Public Policy in
1993 and has served as a Korean
government official since 2014. After
serving as the Minister of Economy
and Finance and the Deputy Prime
Minister of the country, Kim took
office as governor on July 1, 2022.
The event is also where the Sang-
Yong Nam Award is presented,
which annually grants $3,000 to
a graduating senior or a recent
graduate of the Korean Studies
program.
Nam
Sang-Yong,
the
namesake of the Center for Korean
Studies, was the department’s largest
benefactor, having donated more
than $4 million to the program.
In
an
interview
with
The
Michigan Daily at the lecture, LSA
junior Jinny Kim said it was a special
event because it commemorated
Nam and his contributions to the
department.
“I think this event is really big
because it’s the one time that the
Nam family comes out to celebrate
(since) their father’s passing and also
just what he has done for our center,”
Jinny Kim said.
LSA senior Olivia Daniel was
announced as this year’s recipient
of the Sang-Yong Nam Award. LSA
Dean Anne Curzan presented the
award.
“The Nam Center shares Elder
Nam’s
commitment
to
create
important
connections
across
campus and around the world,”
Curzan said.
In
her
acceptance
speech,
Daniel spoke about how the center
facilitated her interest in Korean
studies and culture.
“I immersed myself in Korean
culture through Nam Center events,
studied abroad at Yonsei University
and
presented
at
academic
conferences devoted entirely to
Korean studies,” Daniel said. “I
am so grateful that I have been
able to contribute to this vibrant
community.”
Following the award presentation,
Kim Dong Yeon began his lecture,
with some parts given in Korean
and other parts in English. Korean
literature professor Ryu Youngju
served as a translator for the Korean
portions of Kim’s lecture.
Kim
began
the
lecture
by
discussing his experiences as a
Korean student studying in the
United States at the University
of Michigan. He said he hoped to
provide other students from all
socioeconomic backgrounds in his
country with the same opportunity.
Kim recalled visiting a group of
middle school students who felt
as
though
financial
limitations
prevented
them
from
studying
overseas.
“I asked myself, ‘Okay, I’ve given
them hope, but would they be able
to realize their hope if they have a
dream?’ ” Kim said. “The so-called
spoon metaphor — being born with
a silver, golden spoon in your mouth
— is increasingly characterizing
Korean society.”
Kim spoke about the “After You”
Program, which he created during
his tenure as the president of Ajou
University in the Gyeonggi province.
He said the program was intended
to provide funding for students who
want to study abroad, but might not
be able to afford to do so.
For the past two years, the Ann
Arbor-based nonprofit Live Zero
Waste has been on a mission to
promote sustainability through
its returnable container program
for
zero-waste
takeout.
The
program
allows
customers
to
order carry-out from participating
restaurants in reusable containers
instead of disposable packaging.
After use, customers can return
the containers to participating
businesses where the containers
are then cleaned and reused.
Founded in 2015 by brother-
sister duo and U-M alums Samuel
and Lydia McMullen, Live Zero
Waste provides information and
resources to those interested in
adopting a zero-waste lifestyle.
After
Ann
Arbor’s
Office
of
Sustainability
and
Innovations
developed a plan for a pilot
program, Live Zero Waste started
running the reusable container
program in February 2021. The
returnable
containers
program
also contributes to Ann Arbor’s
A2ZERO
plan to reach community-
wide carbon neutrality by 2030.
Samuel McMullen told The
Michigan Daily he believes the
reusable
container
program
has mostly been successful in
reducing waste and promoting
sustainability.
“I think this is a really exciting
project,” McMullen said. “I think
for a lot of people … this will be
the beginning of a conversation
and the start of a road to larger
discussions (about sustainability).”
A recent study conducted by
U-M researchers found that if even
a small percentage of customers
make extra car trips to return their
reusable containers, the program
could contribute more greenhouse
gasses to the atmosphere than
single-use
containers.
Because
Ann Arbor is a walkable city, with
15% of employees walking to work
on a daily basis, Samuel McMullen
said he still believes the program
may function well without creating
additional emissions.
“(We
have)
a
handful
of
restaurants
that
are
super
committed,
and
a
handful
of
customers
that
are
super
committed to doing (the returnable
containers program), which is
great,” McMullen said. “It’s a
really good start and … it’s proof of
concept for certain things.”
Businesses
currently
participating
in
the
program
include Zingerman’s Deli, Ginger
Deli, El Harissa and Cinnaholic.
Samuel
McMullen
said
the
returnable
container
program
offers consumers a tangible way to
reduce their carbon footprint.
“One of the places we see a
lot of waste come up is in food
packaging, and typically takeout
packaging,” McMullen said. “The
program started at a handful
of restaurants and continues to
operate at a handful of restaurants
with no fee for the service to the
restaurants (and) no fee to the
consumers.”
Live
Zero
Waste
recently
partnered with the Environmental
Consulting Organization at the
University of Michigan, which has
been helping with marketing and
outreach efforts. LSA sophomore
Gavin
Lichtenberg,
a
project
manager at ECO-UM, told The
Daily he was excited to work with
Live Zero Waste because it aligns
with his organization’s mission.
“Generally,
we
work
with
sustainably-oriented
organizations
whose
pillars
surround sustainability and we
work to improve their operations,”
Lichtenberg said. “In that same
vein, we work with different
organizations who are looking to
transition into more sustainable
practices.”
Yusef Houamed, manager and
co-founder of El Harissa, told The
Daily he was excited to participate
in the program, especially as the
restaurant continues to bounce
back
from
primarily
serving
takeout during the COVID-19
pandemic.
“During the pandemic, we,
— and most other restaurants —
had to double down on our most
wasteful
practices,”
Houamed
said. “We pivoted to exclusively
takeout until just recently, and
so the amount of containers and
single-use plastics we were using
skyrocketed … So it was just
kind of serendipitous that (Live
Zero Waste) reached out to us; I
jumped at the opportunity. Now,
for the past two years, we’ve been
working on making this a real
thing, a citywide thing.”
Evelyn
Patrell-Fazio,
head
of
business
management
and
sustainable development at Ginger
Deli, told The Daily she believes
Ann Arbor is an ideal site to pilot
the program.
2 — Wednesday, April 19, 2023
News
Korean Governor Kim Dong Yeon speaks on democracy
Ann Arbor businesses implement returnable take out program
GOVERNMENT
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
BUSINESS
UMich hosts Korean Governor Kim Dong Yeon to present annual Sang-Yong
Nam lecture on democracy
Ann Arbor business owners discuss participating in zero-waste
takeout program for two years
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the
Winter 2023 semester by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available
free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office
for $2. If you would like a current copy of the paper mailed to you, please visit store.
pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-edition to place your order.
RONI KANE and VANESSA KIEFER
Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com
Senior News Editors: Riley Hodder, Irena Li, Joey Lin, Rachel Mintz, Sejal Patil,
Carlin Pendell, Samantha Rich
JULIAN BARNARD and QUIN ZAPOLI
Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Deputy Editorial Page Editor: Olivia Mouradian
Senior Opinion Editors: Lindsey Spencer, Palak Srivastava, Evan Stern,
Zhane Yamin, Alex Yee
TAYLOR SCHOTT
Managing Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com
Deputy Editors: Sarah R. Akaaboune and Reese Martin
Associate Editor: John Jackson
ABBIE GAIES and DANA ELOBAID
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com
Senior Copy Editors: Tess Beiter, Leonor Brockey, Julia Brownell, Jackson
Kobylarcz, Lizzie MacAdam, Sabrina Martell, Sofi Mincy, Chloe Ranger-
Raimundi, Audrey Ruhana, Maya Segal, Jenna Weihs
DANIEL CHUANG and ANGELA VOIT
Managing Online Editors
webteam@michigandaily.com
HANNAH ELLIOTT and MYLES MURPHY
Managing Video Editors video@michigandaily.com
Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327
734-418-4115
www.michigandaily.com
ARTS SECTION
arts@michigandaily.com
SPORTS SECTION
sports@michigandaily.com
NEWS TIPS
tipline@michigandaily.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL PAGE
opinion@michigandaily.com
AARON SANTILLI
Business Manager
business@michigandaily.com
SHANNON STOCKING and KATE WEILAND
Co-Editors in Chief
eic@michigandaily.com
PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION
photo@michigandaily.com
NEWSROOM
news@michigandaily.com
CORRECTIONS
corrections@michigandaily.com
Senior Sports Editors: Jack Glanville, Lily Israel, Noah Kingsley, Josh Taubman,
Abbie Telgenhof, Spencer Raines
CONNOR EAREGOOD and PAUL NASR
Managing Sports Editors sports@michigandaily.com
MARTINA ZACKER and CHRISTIAN JULIANO
Managing Audience Engagement Editors socialmedia@michigandaily.com
Editorial Staff
Business Staff
ANNA FUDER and KATE HUA
Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com
Senior Photo Editors: Grace Beal, Sarah Boeke, Selena Sun, Jeremy Weine,
Julianne Yoon
IRENE CHUNG
Creative Director
CHRISTOPHER BROWN
Managing Podcast Editor podeditors@michigandaily.com
RILEY SULLIVAN
Sales Manager
ADVERTISING
wmg-contact@umich.edu
ZOE STORER
Digital Managing Editor zstorer@umich.edu
AKSHARA KOOTTALA
Chair of Culture, Training, and Inclusion accessandinclusion@michigandaily.com
ABBY SCHRECK and SOPHIE GRAND
Managing Design Editors
design@michigandaily.com
Senior Layout Editor: Lys Goldman, Fiona Lacroix
JULIA VERKLAN
Managing Editor jvmalo@umich.edu
SARAH RAHMAN and LAINE BROTHERTON
Managing Arts Editors
arts@michigandaily.com
Senior Arts Editors: Annabel Curran, Ava Burzycki, Erin Rose Evans, Hunter
Bishop, Jack Christopher Moeser, Kaya Ginsky
Senior Audience Engagement Editors: Avery Crystal, Matthew Eggers,
Aishani Moradia, Tina Yu, Cristina Costin, Steven Tukel, Parvathi Nagappala,
Emma Lefevre, Joey Goodsir, Cole Martin
DEVEN PARIKH and SAFURA SYED
Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com
Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Anchal Malh, Udoka Nwansi, Maya Kogulan,
Claire Gallagher, Sarah Oguntomilade
Senior Podcast Editor: Martha Starkel
Data Editor: Matthew Bilik
Engineering Managers: Vishal Chandra and Melina O’Dell
Mobile Managers: Marie Yu and Frank Wang
Design Managers: Jenny Do and Jingyi Fu
Senior Software Engineer: Eric Lau
SOPHIA AFENDOULIS/Daily
Former Minister of Economy and Finance and former Deputy Prime Minister Dong-yeon Kim talks about his life and public service in
an event called “Merry Revolt: A Proposal for Twenty-First Century Korea” at the Umma Monday night.
JOSE BRENES/Daily
Attendee’s view art created by the incarcerated LGBTQ+ individuals who are PenPal’s of Black and Pink at the Michigan League Thursday evening.
MARY COREY &
EMMA SPRING
Daily Staff Reporters
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
JI HOON CHOI
Daily Staff Reporter