TWU faculty and students are improving our campus environmental stewardship through Upcycling TWU—and they invite your help.
Assistant dean and professor of Biology Dr. David Clements, along with science students Sarah Demian, Rea Klar, and Lauren Mckenna, have been awarded a special grant to jump-start community initiatives that positively address climate change from a Christian perspective.
The grant is from the Faith Science Action program based in Westmont College (California, USA), where they joined a climate-themed workshop this past June.
Actionable, faithful responses to climate change
The grant aims to provide resources for teams to promote environmental knowledge and awareness within their communities and lead actionable responses to climate change informed by a Christian worldview and a calling to creation care.
To spark this adventure, the team hosted a guest lecture by science teacher and alumnus Tim Stephenson on February 5. Mr. Stephenson is the recipient of a 2018 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. This TWU event and upcycling project is presented with support from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.
The talk by Mr. Stephenson also marked the launch of a campus upcycling program called “Upcycling TWU.”
Upcycling TWU
“We want to show how faith and science work together to address climate challenges,” Rea Klar shares.
“Through our speaker’s event and the ‘Upcycling TWU’ program, we hope to bring greater awareness and invite community participation on this journey of environmental stewardship and creation care."
Upcycling TWU seeks to propel a number of environmentally-friendly projects, including installing drying racks in TWU residences to save energy and installing the first-ever solar panels on campus.
Recognizing the benefits of enjoying nature and spending time outdoors, the team also plans on increasing the number of bicycles that the undergraduate student association, TWUSA, has available for students to loan.
The team is excited to get started. “This grant enables us to demonstrate how small changes within our campus life can create positive environmental impact,” says Sarah Demian.
There will be many more activities to look forward to throughout the spring semester, leading up to the annual TWU Sustainability Week in March, hosted in partnership with the TWU Environmental Club.
See also: TWU Salmon River Trail Reopening
About the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences
At TWU, science education is delivered by capable, committed Christian educators who are not only experts in their fields but scholars who continually advance their disciplines through research. Mentorship is helped by our small class sizes—whether students choose to study biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computer science, geography and the environment, geology, mathematics, or physics. Learn more at the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.