Major gap in sustainability at University Town
FEATURE by Gabriele Chlevickaite
Empty spaces and furniture covered in plastic greeted Vincent Kuo when he entered his new home for the semester. After having a look around, it became clear – shopping moved to the top of his to-do list, as it did for almost four thousand other students who were welcomed at the brand new University Town residences this August. Now, when the term’s end is just a few weeks away, the people are starting to wonder where all those nice things they bought will end up, and it is becoming clear that sustainable solutions are nowhere to be found.
Some students by this time have stumbled upon the rule that insists leaving their apartments just the way they have found them. This means that all personal items are to be removed or a resident might be subject to a fine. And while it is obvious that one cannot go on living without basic household items, it is also debatable whether students actually know what will happen to their belongings once they leave – it would be naive to expect everyone to read the Rule Book.
Even a small on-the-spot survey at U-Town Starbucks suggests this gap in knowledge. When asked their opinion on having to move all their belongings out when they leave the residences, some students were shocked. “It’s completely stupid. I can’t understand that, and I was definitely not aware of that,” says Matthias Russ, an exchange student from Germany. “If that is true, I disapprove of that, surely. It is such a massive waste,” adds Linda Stout, another exchanger. Overall, whenever students hear the question, the response is either disbelief, or downright irritation.
However, this is the general practice at NUS. Even though University Town is praised for its greenness, and the first one to be awarded the Green Mark GoldPlus District prize for environmental sustainability, the problem of residents discarding thousands of domestic items is not addressed. Besides, while it is a university-wide problem, it is especially important in University Town residences since they host a much larger proportion of international students. It comes as no surprise that it would not be feasible for them to bring their belongings home, hence, they need the solutions now.
And some solutions seem to be in arms’ reach. NUSSU SAVE, the main environmental student organisation at NUS, has implemented their Zero Waste campaign in Prince George Park residences last year. In eleven days, 454kg of clothing were collected for charitable recycling. Considering the number of students living in PGP residences is close to that in U-Town, the project seems to be transferrable. However, when asked what can be done at U-Town residences now, NUSSU SAVE members insist that nothing can be done yet because these residences have just recently opened.
Yet students have their own suggestions: “Give it away if possible,” says Vincent Kuo and adds, “I cannot understand why they couldn’t just leave the items in the rooms. Put the things in a box, so they do not bother the cleaners, and let the next person decide whether he wants to keep them, or throw them away.” Another student, Matthias Russ, has a more practical approach: “At least collect the belongings, and have a flea market of used gadgets, when new students arrive. Not everyone wants to use second-hand toasters or coffee machines, but I would buy one.”
While it is hard to predict when appropriate measures will be introduced to U-Town, the willingness of students to help seems promising. As proven by PGP charitable recycling, Zero Waste campaign could be carried out in the near future. However, for now it remains an issue that students living at University Town will have to solve for themselves.
Empty spaces and furniture covered in plastic greeted Vincent Kuo when he entered his new home for the semester. After having a look around, it became clear – shopping moved to the top of his to-do list, as it did for almost four thousand other students who were welcomed at the brand new University Town residences this August. Now, when the term’s end is just a few weeks away, the people are starting to wonder where all those nice things they bought will end up, and it is becoming clear that sustainable solutions are nowhere to be found.
Some students by this time have stumbled upon the rule that insists leaving their apartments just the way they have found them. This means that all personal items are to be removed or a resident might be subject to a fine. And while it is obvious that one cannot go on living without basic household items, it is also debatable whether students actually know what will happen to their belongings once they leave – it would be naive to expect everyone to read the Rule Book.
Even a small on-the-spot survey at U-Town Starbucks suggests this gap in knowledge. When asked their opinion on having to move all their belongings out when they leave the residences, some students were shocked. “It’s completely stupid. I can’t understand that, and I was definitely not aware of that,” says Matthias Russ, an exchange student from Germany. “If that is true, I disapprove of that, surely. It is such a massive waste,” adds Linda Stout, another exchanger. Overall, whenever students hear the question, the response is either disbelief, or downright irritation.
However, this is the general practice at NUS. Even though University Town is praised for its greenness, and the first one to be awarded the Green Mark GoldPlus District prize for environmental sustainability, the problem of residents discarding thousands of domestic items is not addressed. Besides, while it is a university-wide problem, it is especially important in University Town residences since they host a much larger proportion of international students. It comes as no surprise that it would not be feasible for them to bring their belongings home, hence, they need the solutions now.
And some solutions seem to be in arms’ reach. NUSSU SAVE, the main environmental student organisation at NUS, has implemented their Zero Waste campaign in Prince George Park residences last year. In eleven days, 454kg of clothing were collected for charitable recycling. Considering the number of students living in PGP residences is close to that in U-Town, the project seems to be transferrable. However, when asked what can be done at U-Town residences now, NUSSU SAVE members insist that nothing can be done yet because these residences have just recently opened.
Yet students have their own suggestions: “Give it away if possible,” says Vincent Kuo and adds, “I cannot understand why they couldn’t just leave the items in the rooms. Put the things in a box, so they do not bother the cleaners, and let the next person decide whether he wants to keep them, or throw them away.” Another student, Matthias Russ, has a more practical approach: “At least collect the belongings, and have a flea market of used gadgets, when new students arrive. Not everyone wants to use second-hand toasters or coffee machines, but I would buy one.”
While it is hard to predict when appropriate measures will be introduced to U-Town, the willingness of students to help seems promising. As proven by PGP charitable recycling, Zero Waste campaign could be carried out in the near future. However, for now it remains an issue that students living at University Town will have to solve for themselves.