About UMREG

From Umreg.org

UMREG Handbook

About UMREG

Administration

Policies

Shift

Finances

Special Projects

Contents 1 Overview 2 Goals 3 Mission Statement 4 Structure 5 Decision-Making 6 Responsibilities 7 History 8 How to Contact Us

[edit] Overview

UMREG is a student-run service group dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of the university through recycling, action, and education. UMREG operates through a $2.50 CDN levy applied to each student's tuition fees, granted by a $2.00 referendum in 1999, followed by a $0.50 increase in 2007. The funds are administered through UMSU, a representative of the student body, to whom we are accountable.

The Waste Prevention Office also works with UMREG to achieve better waste prevention.

For more information, please read our FAQ.

[edit] Goals

• Maintain and improve the beverage container recycling program on campus
• Identify and implement new environmental initiatives on and off campus
• Promote environmental sustainability, while addressing environmental concerns, through public education, awareness campaigns and other events

[edit] Mission Statement

UMREG advocates for the environment
by encouraging sustainability and cultivating awareness,
while supporting diversity in the global community
and inspiring individuals on campus and beyond
to live with respect for the Earth.

[edit] Structure

UMREG functions as a collective. This means each staff member must take on different responsibilities relating to the group, helping to ensure smooth operations during the year, and increased stability over the long run, as students have an inherently high turnover rate. If there is an issue that requires a vote, all staff members of the group have equal speaking and voting rights. However, consensus is the preferred method of decision-making.

[edit] Decision-Making

UMREG makes decisions through Consensus, which is a group decision-making process where all members are heard and the group works toward reaching a decision that is acceptable to everyone. The consensus process attempts to constructively deal with a range of opinions which naturally exists within any group.

Consensus only works when participants commit to using consensus, and are respectful and supportive of each other. Group members must be relatively like-minded as serious division of opinion on fundamental issues destroys the essential cohesiveness of the group.

Consensus is not unanimity. Reservations or differences on a particular issue may still exist within a group, and individuals may prefer a solution other than the one that is adopted. Consensus is reached if everyone in the group is willing to accept a decision and they feel it is the best possible decision which can be achieved under the circumstances.

[edit] Responsibilities

UMREG staff are responsible for beverage container recycling on campus, and are responsible for providing the University community with additional environmental education. Accordingly, staff are expected to initiate special projects and events which satisfy those themes.

Additional responsibilities of the group include: paper collection in four residences; assistance to the battery recycling program; assistance to the compost program; collection of glass, tin, and aluminium from Red River College; assistance with hard-cover book destruction; assistance to the WPO for waste audits and events; two members to the Waste Prevention Working Group; at least one member on UMSU's Sustainability Committee.

[edit] History

1988 - UMREG was founded, advocating for better recycling and environmental awareness on the campus of the University of Manitoba. It operated based solely on the labour of its volunteers.

Paper recycling was the first program to be started and was maintained by UMREG volunteers, along with staff and faculty members. Starting small, the paper recycling program expanded throughout the years as the volunteer base of UMREG grew. For over five years, dozens of volunteers gave hundreds of hours of their time to the paper recycling program, which later expanded into beverage container recycling as well. UMREG had at one time 125 volunteers who collected and sorted paper by colour and grade.

1990s - After gaining official student group status, UMREG started to receive small funding from UMSU and the sale of recyclables. In 1998 UMREG had to move its office from the demolished Bison Building to the Animal Science Implement Shed near U-Lot. At this time, UMREG received a budget of about $6,000 from UMSU.

Past Waste Prevention Coordinator Rob Altemeyer was intimately involved with the creation of UMREG. He conducted an environmental audit of UMSU businesses in the early 1990s, and found that there were many initiatives that could be taken to create a more environmentally friendly students' union.

1991 - UMREG volunteers created the now world-famous Global Change Game. The Game was originally developed with support from the Manitoba Council for International Co-operation, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), International Centre for Students at the University of Manitoba, and the University of Manitoba Students' Union. Over time, the Global Change Game has grown from these origins, and it now operates as an independent non-for-profit organization.

1994 - The responsibility of paper recycling was passed on to the Physical Plant Department after realizing that the program could only expand so much when dependant solely on volunteers, and the limited number of them available. At about the same time, the University of Manitoba Students' Union (UMSU) agreed to grant UMREG Service Group status and a baseline operating budget for the beverage container recycling program.

1997 - The University signed an exclusivity contract with Pepsi which led to a dramatic decrease in revenue for the recycling program, as Pepsi quickly removed aluminum cans in favour of the less valuable #1 plastic (PET) containers and glass bottles. UMREG was only able to continue to recycle glass containers thanks to the Physical Plant Department, which purchased a glass crusher for the group to use. UMSU also stepped forward to absorb the revenue loss from decreased aluminum sales, so UMREG was able to continue operations.

1998 - The Sustainable Development Coordination Office submitted a proposal on behalf of UMREG, calling for part of the new parkade structure to be allocated as a future recycling center. This proposal was accepted and incorporated into the design of the new building.

1999 - A big year for UMREG. 15 hours a week was being paid through UMSU to an UMREG Coordinator, and from 1988 to 1999 prevented over 1,000 tonnes of material from going to the landfill, saving the university $50,000 in landfill expenses.

At the UMSU council meeting on January 6, 1999, the UMREG referendum question was tabled and passed. This meant that during the UMSU election on February 9 and 10, 1999, there would be an additional question asking students if they supported a $2.00 per-student-per-year levy to support UMREG. The levy passed overwhelmingly, 2,850 to 614. Voter participation comprised nearly 23 per cent of student-union membership.

In the fall, after the successful spring referendum, 5 students were hired to work with the newly hired Waste Prevention Coordinator on developing and maintaining the recycling program.

Additionally in 1999, Rob Altemeyer stated that under the exclusivity agreement Pepsi was required to provide the University with recycling bins.

Maintaining the paper recycling program was a shared responsibility of several Physical Plant office staff until December 1999, when a new full-time Waste Prevention Coordinator position was created thanks to financial support from the STAR Plus Program of the Manitoba Product Stewardship Corporation (MPSC).

2000 - Three more students were hired after UMREG realized that there was much work to be done. The program has taken off from there

2001 - UMREG upgrades from its small wooden sorting table to a custom-built sloped metal sorting table with drainage, a vast improvement.

2002 - UMREG employs 10 students.

In the summer, UMREG makes an agreement with Red River College to pick up glass, aluminum, and steel from their route 90 location, with material sales to go to UMREG to offset costs incurred.

2003 - UMREG employs up to 12 students.

UMREG accepts an additional duty: collecting paper in the four largest residences; Arthur Mauro Student Residence, Mary Speechly Hall, Tache Hall, and University College Residence. For this year-round duty, UMREG receives financial compensation.

In partnership with a local worm breeder, UMREG and the WPO construct three vermi-composting bins from pallets for a pilot project. Several hundred pounds of compost are added before complications prematurely end the project.

2004 - As minimum wage increases each year and comparable employment garners a much higher hourly wage, UMREG members vote to increase wage from $8/hour to $9/hour.

Environmental Awareness Week 2004 revives the anti-fashion show and brings the Global Change Game back to the U of M.

Staff are paid for 70 hours/week during the summer and 130 hours/week during the winter.

Summer brings a major redecoration effort as the recycling area and lounge area are better separated. The resource centre is brought out of darkness and made more accessible.

The summer project takes a look at cost/benefit for an industrial-sized paper baler for the university.

The staff retreat in mid-September takes UMREG staff out to Birds Hill park. Topics for the weekend include: assignment of coordinator roles, review and revision of the staff handbook, orientation for new staff, and setting goals for the year.

2005 - UMREG makes two changes to streamline recycling operations: The collection schedule becomes a dynamic priority schedule, with more input from staff members; the time sheets for tracking hours worked and hours paid goes paperless, giving staff up to date feedback for their week's work.

Environmental Awareness Week 2005 brings Shiv Chopra and Percy Schmeiser to campus. Additional discussions explore Winnipeg's new insect control programme and organic farming.

New stickers for all sizes and colours of bins are ordered. The up-to-date and correct stickers were badly needed. Dan makes a timely update to the UMREG logo, smoothing and uncluttering the original blue-arrowed logo. Staff uniforms are ordered from MEC: black organic cotton t-shirts with UMREG logo in white done by a local printing company.

In the spring, UMREG lends space, truck, and staff time to the campus-wide waste audit. The results are somewhat unreliable, but hint to the challenge that university waste managers face.

The summer project researches conversion to mechanical sorting from manual sorting for blue bin recycling.

Four UMREG members travel to Vancouver for the Sustainable Campuses Conference in late September.

Staff are paid for 80 hours/week during the summer and 110 hours/week during the winter.

2006 - UMREG handles 44 metric tonnes of material, and employs 11 students as part-time staff members. In early 2006, a few UMREG members built the Bike Dungeon, a community bike shop for the University and the surrounding region, and is housed in the UMREG recycling area.

UMREG staff attend two staff retreats, both at Dana's cabin in Falcon lake; first in early February and then again in mid-September. Topics include: orientation of UMREG's interactions with the world, revision and recording of UMREG policies, assigning coordinator roles, setting goals for the semester.

The summer project involves a waste audit of several outdoor garbage cans to determine whether permanent outdoor recycling bins would be beneficial.

Staff are paid for 80 hours/week during the summer and 110 hours/week during the winter.

After the dissolution of the Sustainable Development Committee, UMREG, UMSU, the Sustainability Office, and the WPO form the WPWG to steer waste diversion efforts at the U of M.

Campus composting returns with a realistic program involving University Center kitchens, UMREG, and Physical Plant. Organics are assembled in a pile at the west end of campus and turned by front-end loader. UMREG has the small role of cleaning collection bins and contributing paper cups, low-grade paper, and organics from the recycling.

UMREG assists UMSU's environmental audit by conducting a recycling audit of UMSU and its businesses for one month.

2007 - UMREG employs 11 students.
For the first time, every populated building on campus has a recycling bin for beverage containers.

Environmental Awareness Week takes a year off to make way for UMREG Awareness Week. Though it sounds vain, UAW is quick, easy, and inexpensive for the group to prepare and makes a great promotion for the referendum petition. In three weeks leading up to and including UAW, the group collects over 1400 student signatures endorsing their request for a vote to give UMREG $0.50 more per student per year. Tables in campo anchor the week while a Styrofoam monster adds a little flair. The Bike Dungeon celebrates its first anniversary with help from RCM's MSTN, which held an alternative transportation film showcase. Sorting in campo makes a return, revealing the dirtiest job on campus. Degrees diner makes the switch from disposable unrecyclable take-out containers to Happy Planet biodegradable containers, and UMREG is mentioned in the news. The Daily Bread cafe in St. John's College also makes the switch to Happy Planet, but with much lower volume and no fanfare.

The UMREG referendum asking for a $0.50 increase to the student levy is passed during the February 28th - March 2nd election, with a 1100 to 740 Yes:No ratio. The Manitoban reports the pre-amble, election results, referendum summary, and editorial concern over student apathy

In March, UMREG begins tracking compost, paper, and beer containers that come out of blue bins. These three streams make up the final piece of UMREG's waste diversion scheme.

To celebrate World Water Day on March 22nd, UMREG and the WPO construct a ten-second tower to show the amount of bottled water consumed in Canada every ten seconds.

UMREG survives the 13 day CAW strike in October. Services across campus are halted until a October 21st deal is made. Garbage collection, paper collection, food service, and residence support most closely impact UMREG. A few staff members respect the picket line, leaving UMREG shorthanded. This also happens to be the week of the GoSA art exhibit. UMREG needs several weeks to recover from the disruption, as collections and material deliveries were triaged.

UMREG completes its heaviest year ever, recycling over 51 metric tonnes of material.

[edit] How to Contact Us

Phone: 474-9118

E-mail:uofmrecycling@gmail.com

Box 42 University Centre
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2

Or stop by room 157 in the Helen Glass Building.