Students earn cash prize for going green

Tamara Khandaker
Contributor
Regenesis@York has placed second in this year’s Go Green Challenge-TD, earning a total prize of $30,000 that will be used to help restore Glendon forest and educate the student population about sustainability initiatives.
With help from Campus Services and Business Operations (CSBO) and the Faculty of Environmental Studies, the team from Glendon College created a video about a four-step process that would help revitalize Glendon forest.

The video – themed on campus sustainability and stewardship issues – focused on the deterioration of Glendon forest due to overuse.
Overuse, according to Regenesis@York member Caitlin Langlois Greenham, happens when people walk off of the indicated trail paths in the forest, causing pressure on the soil that prevents the growth of new plants.
Glendon forest, which according to Darnel Harris, co-president of Regenesis@York, makes up about 48 percent of the Glendon campus, is greatly valued by the university and the community around Glendon.
“That forest really is like a living lab that could be used very effectively for some of the curriculum at this school as well,” said Langlois Greenham.
Harris noted coming up with the script for the film was the greatest challenge for his team due to time constraints involved.
“Setting the right tone for the script and getting the story out was one of the hardest parts,” he said, though he noted there were many people who helped out along the way.
Both Langlois Greenham and Harris are looking forward to their project continuing beyond this year, and are looking to eventually obtain more funding to expand their initiative.
Langlois Greenham envisions a program in which university committee members would volunteer to prep the soil, plant native seedlings, monitor their growth and lead a full revitalization of the forest’s plant life.
Harris is enthusiastic about York’s prospects in the Go Green Challenge in future years.
“It was a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend it to any other York student,” he adds.