Browsing articles tagged with " harm reduction"

Utilizing hemp will better the environment

Jan 26, 2011   //   by admin   //   Blog  //  1 Comment

This was written in response to the Daily Athenaeum article, “Ending our dependence on paper will better the environment.”

hemp

Last Wednesday, The Daily Athenaeum published an editorial urging West Virginia University to go paperless as a response to the devastating impact paper production has on the environment. While paperless is ideal, it is not realistic. There is however a way to make paper that doesn’t use wood. Paper can be made from a renewable, cheap, and fast growing resource; hemp.

The USDA reported that one acre of hemp produces as much paper as four acres of trees. And  unlike trees, hemp can be harvested annually. Hemp paper can also be recycled several times over (wood-based paper can’t).

The North American Industrial Hemp Council reports that hemp paper is pulped using less chemicals than wood.  Traditionally, the process of turning wood pulp into paper necessitates the use of whiteners such as chlorine and bleach, which contaminate local water supplies. Wit

Students for Sensible Drug Policy agrees that using electronic means to deliver coursework is a great forward-thinking idea. We all should be willing to work towards that goal, which will no doubt reduce paper waste at West Virginia University. However, a completely paperless university could never exist, and the problem of where our paper comes from keeps coming up. We need to look for more sustainable, and more environmentally friendly sources. It’s time for West Virginia to seriously consider hemp.



Make sure to leave comments on the original article on the Daily Atheneaum’s website! Ending our dependence on paper will better the environment

Student focus group on proposed wvu smoking ban

Nov 7, 2010   //   by admin   //   Blog, Events  //  1 Comment

The smoking ban task force wants your input on the proposed campus-wide smoking ban at WVU.

They are hosting a student focus group to hear how students will be impacted by the university’s policy change.
A campus-wide ban is a major policy change that will impact nearly 30,000 West Virginia University students, smokers and nonsmokers alike. These focus groups are an incredible opportunity for us to speak up and help create the policy that best fits us as a student body.
Each focus group will consist of 12-15 students, with a representative sample of male, and female, on campus and off, smoker and non.

Location: Lincoln Hall Theater, Evansdale campus (right next to Towers)
Time 1: Thursday, November 11 (7:00 – 8:50pm)
Time 2: Monday, November 15 (7:00 – 8:50pm)

Sign up here:

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Keepin’ Students Safe With Our Awesome Flyers!

Feb 15, 2010   //   by Sensible Mountaineer   //   Blog  //  No Comments

A Good Samaritan Policy at WVU

Feb 12, 2010   //   by Sensible Mountaineer   //   Blog  //  2 Comments

As we all know, WVU has always maintained an infamous reputation as a “party school,” annually topping the Princeton Review’s list of the top ten party schools in the nation. But this ‘enthusiasm’ can often put students in a dangerous position. Students in need of medical attention due to alcohol or other drug use can face harsh disciplinary actions from the University if their incident is reported. As a result fearful students often forgo necessary medical treatment for themselves or friends, sometimes with deadly consequences.

The introduction of a Good Samaritan Policy (GSP) at WVU would change university policy so that students in need of medical assistance because of alcohol or other drug use, and those attempting to assist, would receive amnesty against disciplinary University sanctions. These sanctions would be replaced with educational or rehabilitation services. The adoption of a GSP at WVU would further encourage a partnership between the university and its students as well as promote personal responsibility and educational attitudes about alcohol and drug use.