Sep 5, 2013
Vancouver, BC – Canucks superfans “The Green Men” showed Langara how to think green today, when they crashed back-to-school festivities at the College to promote new environmental initiatives.
The "Green Men" demonstrate good recycling practices for students in the Langara cafeteria. Photos by Jennifer Oehler.
The infamous duo, who go by the names Force and Sully, are typically seen cheering on the Vancouver Canucks from behind the penalty boxes at Rogers Arena. But with hockey season still weeks away the pair decided to head to Langara to show students how to “go green” – by reducing waste and recycling responsibly.
“Everyone gets a little apprehensive during the first few days of school – we were the same way,” said Force. “So we thought, with the whole green recycling initiative Langara is going for this year, and the green men… Two idiots in green suits running around preaching about the ways of recycling. It’s a match made in heaven.”
The visit was meant to encourage students to engage with a new campaign on campus that’s focused on recycling all possible waste products, including soiled food containers and organic materials. Force and Sully spent the afternoon with Langara’s “green team”, showing students new recycling facilities around campus and demonstrating how to separate trash.
“I recycle – I’m leaving a green footprint,” added Sully. “We’ve collected a lot of cans on many occasions, and that paid for our tuition. There were a lot of cans.”
Langara has been working on energy management and sustainability initiatives for over 12 years, including converting organic waste into compost for community gardens and raising money through can recycling for student scholarships and bursaries. This fall, the College has doubled its efforts by partnering with Urban Impact in a bid to make Langara as close to a zero-waste environment as possible. New waste management initiatives include the construction of a new recycling depot, a new student recycling station, and targeted waste reduction in classrooms.
“I’m very excited we have been able to implement important sustainability initiatives this year,” said Wendy Lannard, Langara’s Director of Facilities. “Today’s kick-off event with the Green Men is a fun way to bring attention to recycling. It takes more than one person though, and I’d like to thank Joyce Robson, Deane Martin, and all of Langara’s student and staff volunteers for bringing this campaign to life.”
Sully and Force hit up the #thisislangara booth.
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Deborah So
Communications Officer, Communications & Marketing
Langara College
604-323-5672 | dso@langara.bc.ca