For Trion’s Call

In today’s world, it is safe to say that recycling is something that is necessary, yet there are not as many people doing it as we would hope. There isn’t really a sense of urgency from the people to go out of their way to start recycling, unless of course if it is extremely convenient or practically effortless for them to do so.

If the island doesn’t do anything to change its habits when it comes to the amount of solid waste it produces, or to the amounts of plastics and glass that can be recycled that end up in the landfills, it will have to face the long-term consequences.

But, is recycling really the only solution to the island’s environmental problems?

Recycling is of course beneficial in a way that it protects the environment, reduces energy consumption, reduces pollution, alleviates global warming, as well as conserves natural resources. Like any other story, there are two sides to it.

According to Conserve Energy Future or CEF, there are quite a few disadvantages when it comes to recycling.

First of all, recycling is not always cost-effective.  Sometimes, there may be a need to establish separate factories to process reusable products. This may create more pollution, as they would go under the process of cleaning, storage and transportation.

Second, recycled products may not last for long. The products may not be of durable quality. Such items are usually made up of trashed waste, which could be fragile and overly used.

Third, recycling is not as widespread on a large scale. Although recycling is a small first step to minimize pollution, unfortunately this process is just a small part of long-term success. Recycling often occurs at small scale- homes or schools and has failed to be useful at a large level such as at industries or holistically at a global stage. Saving paper at schools cannot be compared to oil spills or massive tree felling at the industrial level.

Lastly, recycling has a high initial cost. Setting up new recycling unit involves high cost. This huge cost can come up as a part of acquiring different utility vehicles, upgrading the processing facility, educating residents by organizing seminars and other programs, disposing of existing waste and chemicals etc.

After weighing, the pros and cons of recycling, one can wisely take crucial steps involved in this process. Understanding the impact of recycling is essential on a large-scale which, if done effectively can bring in massive positive results, beneficial to mutual existence of human beings and the environment.

This is when innovation kicks in. Peggy Deneny of i*recycle has major plans for the future of Guam’s recycling scene. Denney explains,

“There is not much being done about glass on Guam. It is a very valuable piece of recyclable goods that could be manufactured into great things, yet we find tons of it broken up in the landfills.”

Denney plans on opening up a small warehouse in which it could be used to manufacture goods from recycled glass. “Innovations such as this would be great for the island and the people”, mentioned Denney.

This could also help create more “green” job opportunities as well. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, green goods and services have accounted for 3.1 million jobs in the United States in 2010 alone.

Else Demeulenaere, the associate director of the CIS (Center for Island Stability), had mentioned that she has noticed the youth of Guam taking creative action.

“I have been to a few schools where they hold little shops of gifts and trinkets made up of recycled materials by the kids themselves, which is a beautiful thing to see the children getting involved at such a young age.”

If we can work together as a community, whether it be creating job opportunities or pushing the imagination and creativity of the kids for the betterment of the island, it shouldn’t be too out of reach until we achieve the long-term environmental

https://youtu.be/Blpd8xN2rPY

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For Triton’s Call

Guam generates almost 8,000 tons of waste per month, according to the EPA. With this much trash, the island’s landfill will have collected an average of 96,000 tons of solid waste per year.

The island’s waste problem was highlighted by Governor Eddie Baza Calvo in his 2014 State of the Island address, Green Guam: Today & Tomorrow. Calvo stated,

“Guam EPA received 224 citizen complaints about solid waste pollution in the past two years alone.”

With limited available space for a landfill, and the environmental concerns, the recycling movement on Guam has gained traction over the past few years. Organizations such as the Guam EPA, i*recycle, the Guam Coastal Cleanup, and many other supporters have pushed forward the recycling movement.

However, despite concerted efforts proponents to make the public aware of the importance of recycling, some residents on Guam still do not recycle.

Indeed, with all the outreach the organizations do as well as the resources made available to Guam’s residents, such as recycling bins and trash pickup in the residential areas, why is it that waste has continued to build up on the island?

Peggy Denney, the administrator for i*recycle, which is an aluminum recycling program created for the benefit of Guam’s schools by the Guam Business Partners for Recycling, Inc., had mentioned

“I think the lack of education and awareness continues to be the major challenge when it comes to recycling on Guam. Although we are making great progress, there is still much confusion when it comes to plastics and which ones can be recycled on Guam.”

Additionally, much more education will be needed in order to help residents truly understand the importance of composting and biodegradables (and composting those biodegradables) instead of non- recyclable plastics like Styrofoam.

Guam generates huge quantities of plastics, and much of it is recyclable (plastics #1 and #2). Although recycling of those plastics is increasing, a tremendous amount is still disposed of in the landfill. The other types of plastic that we generally cannot recycle on Guam, plastics #3 through #7, obviously end up in the landfill, but I think we could reduce that volume significantly if we changed our habits regarding purchasing and reuse.

It is quite evident that Guam does need to be enlightened about recycling and its benefits to the island, it is still a matter of actually doing it. So what is it that would motivate the island to take on a more involved role?

Phillip R. Cruz, associate project coordinator of the Center for Island Sustainability (CIS), stated that, “These days people need motivation and incentives, and the incentive usually is money. Ideally, people should want to recycle and not have to be paid for it.”

Cruz’s organization, CIS, was founded by UOG President Robert Underwood, and developed for the purpose of serving as a model of sustainability, dedicated to the research and outreach of environmental issues that affect Guam and the Pacific region.

In order to motivate people to recycle, first of all, it needs to be extremely convenient.

“People want it to be effortless, so having the curbside pickup of their garbage at their homes is a very helpful first step.” said Cruz.

There are still ways to go as far as getting the community involved and changing that mindset that recycling is more of a “bother.”

“Maybe it’s a bit much to get people excited about recycling,” mentioned Denney. “Then there are the challenges that people may face, especially those who live in the south and are unwilling to take that drive up north to Harmon or any place just to recycle.”

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You’re so close to graduating, but that one class you need is completely full to capacity and the professor just won’t accept your override form. This has happened countless times to students of the University of Guam. So, what else is there to do? Well luckily, you can obtain credit for that class one way or another, you just need to know the right people to talk to and explore your options.

First things first, have a meeting with your advisor. This is crucial in exploring your options. Your advisor’s job is to see to it that you get the credits you need in order to fulfill your academic requirements.

Michael Griffin, an advisor to many of the University’s Communication students, who has been described as “very helpful” and above all, “caring”, shared his input on how one could obtain credit for classes he or she is unable to get into.

There are a few things students can do to gain that experience they need to fulfill the credit requirements. For one, students are able to explore the classes the Guam Community College offers that are similar to the ones they need to substitute the needed credit. This is sometimes difficult though, Griffin mentioned, because not all of the class credits from the Guam Community College are transferrable to the University.

Another option that not too many students are familiar with is “course by conference”. It is when a student and professor have a set schedule to meet at least twice a week to discuss the lesson plan in the form of a one-on-one conference. This is an even more rare occasion.

Michael Gunn, the Dean of the Enrollment Management and Student Services, also presented a few options students are able to go through with their professor or dean of their college.

Don’t be discouraged to talk to your professor or dean. Most of the time they are willing to work with you if it is within reason. You could have a talk with your dean about possibly opening up another section if there are typically ten or more students that need this specific class. There’s also the alternative to maybe take an online version of the course. Of course, students must get approval for this and that it meets the same requirements that the University has.

“Whatever the student wants to pursue, the key is making sure the University is going to accept it as a viable alternative source to the information.”

Lastly, if all else fails, it is up to you and your fellow classmates to pull together and get a petition going. If you are able to find enough students who need a certain class that won’t be offered for another year or so, you might be able to get a petition together so that the course could be offered within the following semester or maybe even as an intersession or summer course.

These are just a few of the options you can explore as a student trying to graduate on time or as an incoming freshman that thinks he or she is down on their luck. Have a talk with your advisor and see what else you can do to get yourself settled and out of college in time.

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Customer service. It is a crucial component in any establishment / business. It is how a business keeps its regulars as well as creates memorable experiences to keep the new faces coming back for more. Seeing as the University of Guam is a business in its own right and the students being the customers, the service provided to them should be considered a priority. College is already stressful as it is, from financial issues like paying for tuition and books, to studying for exams and writing papers, the list goes on and on. For those incoming freshmen, trying to tackle all of these issues without the proper guidance could be a very overwhelming task. Some may argue that, although we are all adults and we should be guiding ourselves, they must not forget we are all still learners.

If you have been a student at the University for more than a couple of years, it may not come as a surprise when you hear a fellow student going off about how he or she has issues with certain departments at the University. Whether it be how they were unable to get into a class they desperately needed to graduate in time or how their paperwork at the Financial Aid Office never seems to be complete.

Esther Manglona, a senior at the University pursuing a BA in Business explained that, “Overall, I would say that the customer service at the University is helpful and gets the job done, but they are not as efficient as their departments could be”. Manglona also suggested that, “they should have more efficient processes. Their offices should all be under the same roof. It’s frustrating having to go to numerous buildings, which could confuse students. I’ve put off paperwork for school simply because the overall process is confusing.”

Jeremy Copple, also a senior business student at the University had a similar opinion when asked about UOG’s customer service and how often he heard of complaints towards their departments. Copple compared it to what is called the “peak season” in the tourism industry. “The peak season for UOG is during the beginning and end of each semester. It is during these times when stress and confusion are most apparent for the customers (students). The most common complaints discussed in UOG are the back-and-forth commuting between departments, the prolonged duration of waiting, and the UOG staff’s unwillingness to exemplify students as true ‘customers’. This may have caused some students to feel as if they are a burden for trying to finish their academic endeavors.”

Although it is apparent that there is room for improvement as far as customer service goes for the University, there have been pleasant experiences as well.

Manglona, recalled a very helpful incident, “At the FAO, they actually sat me down and gave me a checklist of everything I needed to turn in. It made my job of collecting my paperwork a lot easier than getting a document and then coming back just to find out I was missing something else.”

Copple had also mentioned that, “Surprisingly, I have heard from a few individuals that certain employees went above and beyond to satisfy their needs and wants. Additionally, the occurrence of astonishing service only came when students are in dire need of service from the UOG staff. Only then do the employees tend to the student’s needs; whereas UOG staff should be proactive in the customer’s wants and needs of the institution at all times”. Ultimately, the job gets done, but not in the most efficient way possible.

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