OCTOBER 2020
Published since November 21, 1910 Circulation 1750 ISSN 0845-356X Suite 3-04 8900 114 St. NW University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J7 Advertising execdirector@ gateway.ualberta.ca Website www.gtwy.ca
SUSTAINABLE YOU
Editor-in-Chief Adam Lachacz
Opinion Editor Mitchell Pawluk
Magazine Editor Tina Tai
Staff Reporter Rachel Narvey
Art Director Sofia Capettini
Webmaster Hugh Bagan
Photo Editor Christien Ford
Executive Director Shayla Breen
Online Editor Pia Co
Business Administrator Sukhmani Kaur Saggu
News Editor Khadra Ahmed Arts & Culture Editor Tom Ndekezi
Marketing & Outreach Coordinator Emma Jones
Contributors Helen Aquino Sarah Bachmier An Bui Celine Caruso Dixon Pauline Chan Amanda Fernandes Janelle Henderson Jenna Jaikaran Daria Malin Amy Visscher MorningStar Willier Marie Yuan Nataly Zuria Cover Sofia Capettini
Copyright All materials appearing in The Gateway bear copyright of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. GSJS The Gateway is published by the Gateway Student Journalism Society (GSJS), a student-run, autonomous, apolitical not-for-profit organization, operated in accordance with the Societies Act of Alberta.
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The Gateway receives funding through the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations Grant
ILLUSTRATIONS NATALY ZURIA, "CAUGHT IN THE TIDE"
DEAR READER, Welcome to the October magazine! As classes pick up the pace and leaves begin to turn gold, we hope you’ll peruse through our stories of sustainability. For some of us, October brings midterms, assignment deadlines, and mental burnout. Read about the importance of rest and self care, and how our mental health is precariously balanced with productivity and achievements. Follow our writers as they explore what it means to be environmentally conscious, and the relationship between sustaining our surroundings and ourselves. Sustainability is multi-faceted, and its roots touch more parts of our lives than we realize. From the economy, to personal health, to socio-cultural conflicts — sustainability is more than simply reduce, reuse, recycle. Our writers have tips on how to get started with all these practices! g Take care of yourself and those around you, Tina Tai Magazine Editor
Sofia Capettini Art Director
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REQUIRED READING 4 8 12
Path to Financial Sustainability Gain some insight on the importance of being financially responsible as a student.
FEATURES 14
Saving the Planet From the Top-Down A top-down approach needs to be taken in order to create a more environmentally friendly way of living
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A Pause in Normalcy Leading a more sustainable lifestyle includes taking care of yourself.
Puff, Puff, Pass Read about how cannabis can be enjoyed with sustainability in mind. The Students' Guide to Sustainability Learn about the ways you can lead a more sustainable life on a student budget.
THE GALLERY 20
COLUMNS 6 30
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Photostory: A Day at the Farmers' Market Shopping is more personal when you can speak directly with the person who helped create the product you just purchased.
DIVERSIONS
Indigenous Column: Wâhkohtowin Read about the multiple levels at which sustainability is embedded into Indigenous identity.
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Horoscope Find out what your sign has to say about your personality.
Humans of UAlberta: Willow Dew An interview with the project manager of the U of A's EcoCar team.
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Crossword Test your knowledge on sustainability!
THE STUDIO
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Advice With Parker the Pepper Parker gives advice on the transition to online learning and connecting with people during a global pandemic.
i feel s.a.d. A collection of poems that express the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
REQUIRED READING
TEXT JANELLE HENDERSON ILLUSTRATION SOFIA CAPETTINI
Trying to maintain financial stability as a student sucks. From having good credit to proper spending habits — and especially having a student loan — you have to make sure not to rip through it completely in the first week of classes. I remember trying different methods to be financially responsible, and it took a while before I could find ones that worked for me and helped me achieve my goal of financial stability. First thing to figure out is where all of your money is going. It does not magically disappear. I realized this after a day at the mall by my house; I got food from Jimmy the Greek, a few outfits, and stationery supplies. I remember looking at my bank balance and noticed that it dropped from $503 to $270. It didn’t seem right, so I began to track my spending daily and weekly. Only then did I realize that I was ripping through a lot of money eating out and on unnecessary
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material things. Understanding where I was spending all my money was the first step to financial responsibility for me. For step two of my plan to financial stability, I began cutting the cost of spending money on food by packing leftovers from dinner/lunches for myself. This cut back on my spending exponentially because I began eating out less frequently. Another major expenditure was clothes. While packing away clean laundry into my drawers, I noticed that there were certain pieces of clothes that I bought, brought home and only wore once. This made me think of all the money I spent on clothes I don’t even wear. I would pull up these questions every single time before making a purchase, and it forced me to stop and evaluate the item before purchasing. I would ask myself: how much is it? Would I wear this to work? To school? Would I wear this in different seasons? Would I wear this to meetings and events? Most importantly, do I actually need this? The key to using this technique is figuring out what is a need and what is a want. If you need something, does it have to be brand new? From clothing to household items, you can seek out alternative sources, such as thrift stores and second hand
REQUIRED READING
shops. On the other hand, perhaps it’s more economical to invest in an item that has longevity and does not require frequent replacement. All this isn’t to say you should not spend any money at all. You’re allowed to treat yourself! Although it’s unhealthy to buy every shiny new thing we see, buying an item we want — rather than need — can be a treat for a job well done on that tough assignment or grueling midterm. Another helpful tip for financial stability is to look at your credit score. Here's what I learned about credit scores and why it's important: credit scores are basically a measure of how likely you are to pay back your debts. Higher credit allows you to take out mortgages, apply for larger loans, and give you access to more credit, making it easier to afford investments to help improve your quality of living. I started to improve my credit score by purchasing everything with my credit card. Although I could afford to buy things directly with debit, paying off credit card balances help to increase your credit score. After I started accumulating money, I opened a savings account to keep from spending all my money. I made a tax free savings account with my bank and it amazed
me how interest builds the more money you have in your savings account. It helped turn my mindset towards putting most of my income into savings. This way I did not feel like I had much money to spend and I indirectly limited myself. Unless there is an emergency, I try not to pull from the savings account. I remember my parents told me a while back that student loans are not as scary as people make it out to be. They’re an investment for the future, helping us during our studies so we can focus on school. Then when we get a job in our chosen carrier, the investment pays off the student loan. Balancing credit scores, student loans, and spending habits is definitely a challenge. Although financial sustainability may not be intuitive for those of us entering adulthood, it is something that can be achieved with these simple habits and tips. g
OCTOBER 2020 5
COLUMNS
wâhkohtowin
To be sustainable, according to Google, is “the ability to maintain at a certain rate, and/ or maintain an ecological balance through avoiding the exhaustion of resources”. Based on this definition, it would be correct to say that Indigenous people have been living a sustainable life for centuries. Realistically, sustainability can be relevant to any aspect of one’s life—from mental health and relationships to physical surroundings, like the Earth. Despite it being known that Indigenous peoples’ way of life naturally possesses sustainable practices before ‘sustainability’ was coined as an environmental movement, they are the most affected and most silenced when it comes to this type of societal issue (and quite frankly every single other one.) As a Cree student in my final year of bachelor of arts in Native Studies, this is what I know and believe. This focus on sustainable living, albeit a necessary one, is long overdue. For over a century Indigenous peoples on this land have been faced with the blunt force of consequences from society's unsustainable practices. This can be seen in the multiple pipelines forced through Indigenous lands and waters, contaminating not only the
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environment, but also their way of life. The presence of pipelines, forest cutting, and infrastructure on Indigenous lands is invasive and continuation of colonization and assimilation. Colonialism includes creating a relationship of dependency between the colonizer and the ‘colonized’ — exactly what is being done by the violation of inherent Indigenous rights through the forced implementation of pipelines, forest cutting, and infrastructure. The presence of these invasive materials halts any sustainable and traditional way of life that Indigenous peoples have such as hunting, fishing, gathering, while harming their access to clean water by causing further damage to the surrounding environment and wildlife. Thus, Indigenous peoples continue to be forced to assimilate and ‘depend’ on other ways of living to support themselves because they no longer have access to their own natural resources maintained within their community. The sustainable practices used by Indigenous peoples vary. In Jack Weatherford’s novel, Native Roots: How the Indians Enriched America, he discusses multiple ways Indigenous peoples interacted with the Land pre-contact. One technique used was controlled forest burning to optimize food growth, animal migration, and even prevent uncontrollable forest fires. This controlled burning classifies as a sustainable practice because it maintains a balance between nature and its dependents while preventing the resource depletion that would come from larger, unwanted forest fires. This practice is also commonly done amongst farmers and rural communities as well. When hunting, fishing, and gathering, an offering is always given to show gratitude and to maintain a respectful relationship with the Earth. When
an animal is killed, nearly every piece is utilized. A fish: for meat with the scales and bones used to create fish scale art; a moose: for traditional dishes with the hide generating clothes and antlers for tools. Through the understanding that you take only what you need and to share with your community and Elders, utilize everything you can with minimal waste, and the giving of an offering, it is shown how Indigenous peoples have a sustainable way of living on multiple levels beyond environmental. To expand on the idea of multiple levels of sustainability in Indigenous identity, it is important to discuss kinship, the importance of relationships, and how this follows that ‘sustainable’ route. Similar to the golden rule of ‘treating people how you want to be treated,’ it has been taught that if you take care of the Land it will take care of you. There are ways of showing this respect, such as the placing of offerings of tobacco. Placing this offering shows gratitude and respect for everything Earth does for us and offers us. If the Land is respected, it will return the favour. These respectful actions are mirrored in the possession of relationships and kinship ties. In Cree this is called wâhkohtowin, a dynamic understanding and belief surrounding the importance of all our relations. We respect those who show more knowledge and wisdom, and in return they offer us their guidance and advice; these are the Elders.Similar to Elders, women are seen as sacred and vital in Indigenous cultures. Indigenous peoples are traditionally matriarchal, meaning women hold power. Not only do they possess an inherent power, but these women also carry the life of future generations and are caretakers of their people, much like the Earth. Indigenous women are an important entity and piece of Indigenous life, as they hold the physical and spiritual ties to the Land.
COLUMNS
TEXT MORNINGSTAR WILLIER ILLUSTRATION DARIA MALIN & MARIE YUAN
The agreements between the First Nations and the Crown (yes, the Crown, not the Canadian government, therefore holding international precedence) were implemented in the form of Numbered Treaties to create a relationship between two sovereign nations. But there were two different understandings of these Treaties, and this is thoroughly explained in Sharon Venne’s 1997 essay “Understanding Treaty 6: An Indigenous Perspective.” She explains it can be understood which teaching of the Treaties one has endured based on how they interpret a section from Treaty 8. Indigenous peoples are oral storytellers, knowledge is shared orally and even nehiyawewin (the Cree language) is traditionally written using phonetic symbols. Given that Indigenous peoples did not read or write English when the Treaty making process was happening, oral agreements were documented through handwriting very differently. This difference in understanding Venne introduces comes from the oral agreement and the written agreement. When negotiating Treaty 8, it was orally agreed upon that “as long as the sun shines, the grasses grow, and the waters flow,” but in handwriting, it was documented as “as long as the sun shines, the grasses grow, and the rivers flow.” This is wrong because when speaking of waters, it is not bodies of water like a river, it is rather the water that flows prior to a woman going into labour. It was meant that as long as Indigenous women are giving birth to Indigenous children, this Treaty will be in place. It is with Indigenous women that the Treaties live. The abolishment of these women could equate to the abolishment of the Treaties. This all ties into the pipelines, forest cutting, and infrastructure introduced before. The foreign presence and implementation of pipelines, forest cutting, and infrastructure are unsustainable practices. They damage
the Land and pollute the environment while bringing about irreparable damages to Indigenous life and Indigenous women — introducing more strain on the Treaties thereby furthering the colonial agenda of complete assimilation. To be ‘sustainable,’ the important relationship that Indigenous people maintain with the Land, with Earth, must be acknowledged and respected. Sustainability goes above simple environmental practices, and these examples lie with Indigenous peoples. Protecting Indigenous peoples, respecting them, and listening to them is the first step in this sustainable society we are trying to achieve. There is no such thing as a sustainable society when, behind the scenes, Indigenous peoples are still facing attempts of eradication in the name of societal and economic expansion. This is the issue that needs to be discussed before any real advancements can be made. g
OCTOBER 2020 7
Photo supplied by Celine Caruso Dixon
REQUIRED READING
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REQUIRED READING
Puff, Puff, Pass TEXT CELINE CARUSO DIXON VISUALS SOFIA CAPETTINI
Puff, puff, pass, but make it sustainable. Since the Canadian government legalized cannabis in 2018 and edibles in 2019, more and more products continue to roll out. But, how do we consume cannabis sustainably? Let's take a deep dive into the world of cannabis and the sustainable ways that you can consume it. Most commonly, joints have led the way for cannabis smoking for a long time. But do you know what your rolling papers are made out of? Let me break it down. Rolling papers fit into 4 categories: hemp, rice, wood pulp, and "The Other." Hemp rolling papers are generated from hemp fibre. These are by far some of the thickest rolling papers that you can have and are heavier, rougher with a burn rate less than that of the other two. Rice rolling papers are made out of rice fibres. These tend to be very thin compared to other rolling papers, but they’re just as long lasting. Wood pulp rolling papers have been around for a very long time. These papers are made out of wood pulp and generally come in two different forms: bleached, which are white, and unbleached, which are more of a beige colour. These are by far some of the thickest rolling papers that you can have, and are heavier and rougher and their burn rate is less than that of the other two. And then there are "The Others." These come in a variety of flavours and colours, and can even be transparent. They can be made with toxic chemicals and aren't always the best to smoke with. And what about blunt wraps? These are made from tobacco leaves, which can give the blunt a chocolate aftertaste. These can be thin or thick depending on the company you purchase from.
For cannabis enthusiasts who are concerned about the environmental impact of consuming these products, you may be asking, “which is the best in terms of sustainability?" Hemp and wood pulp top the list for their ability to biodegrade quickly, with rice and blunt wraps coming next. Anything synthetic generally doesn't biodegrade well, so stay away from all of those fun looking ones unless they are natural! Unlike cigarettes, filters used in joints are made of hemp or paper. They’re typically tossed away after the joint has been consumed; but what if we want to continue using them instead of throwing them away? Companies like Meraki and Higher Standards have quality filters that you can reuse. Meraki's tips are terpene infused wood filters that can be reused twice. Higher Standards has glass filters that come in packs of four to six that can be reused multiple times with cleanings. As for other smoking accessories? Bongs and pipes can last years and are quite sustainable to an extent. While many bongs and pipes are made of glass, you can still find ones made of hard plastic, silicone, or a combination of the two. Stick to glass for higher quality products that won’t need to be replaced if you want to keep it sustainable! Vaporizers have also made a massive entrance on the cannabis smoking scene. Although vaporizers in other forms (such as Juuls) have been around for a while, cannabis vaporizers bring something new and fun to the scene. Disposable vapes might not be the most sustainable, but reusable ones like the
Pax Era 3, can be continuously used with a variety of different forms of cannabis. There are many reusable vaporizers out there that are similar to the Pax Era 3, but personally, this one took the cake for how well it works and how affordable it is. Many dispensaries have even started offering free engravings on the Pax Era with a purchase in-store. Another thing to consider in sustainable consumption is packaging. Many cannabis companies use oversized plastic containers, but there are brands like Solei and Sherbinski that use glass instead of plastic. However, for the companies that still have plastic containers, some dispensaries have set up recycling stations where they collect and recycle them for you. Most of the containers get broken down and remade into new containers for companies to use. The dispensary chain Spirit Leaf has definitely spearheaded this program with stations at almost all locations and well-trained staff who provide friendly reminders to take advantage of these stations. Some dispensaries have also taken the route of replacing plastic bags. Rather than using plastic bags, many dispensaries have opted for paper bags instead. Armstrong Block, a fairly new dispensary on 104th street just off Jasper Ave, will pack your products in a paper bag which sometimes includes a friendly note from their staff as well! The key to sustainable consumption is to look at how your small choices can produce big results. Maybe it's refusing that plastic bag, or maybe it's buying cannabis that comes in glass containers, or smoking with hemp rolling papers and glass filters, or opting for edibles. Whatever your way of being sustainable is, it has to be suited to you! Have fun, stay safe and happy consuming! g
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THE STUDIO
TEXT AMANDA FERNANDES ILLUSTRATION HELEN AQUINO
A compilation of poems that demonstrate the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
the caterpillar just like a caterpillar in his cocoon, know that you must take time to heal, and transform. the caterpillar knows there is more to become, he uses his period of darkness and loneliness, hidden underside from the world, as an opportunity to learn and grow. and you might wonder does the caterpillar forget to love himself during his chapter of quiet? no. know that just like the caterpillar, there is a better version of you. do not be afraid to leave your worries behind. have the strength and the courage to outgrow your sheltered cocoon, and welcome a new light and a new tomorrow.
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the mind wanderer it starts with a downwards spiral of emotions, and transforms into a rampant flurry of thoughts leaving you tossing and turning at night. it is your mindset at 2:38am weighing against a nightmare that is in fact, reality a drop in serotonin, and an imbalance of melatonin a beautiful thread of chaos you turned out to be, don't you know, overthinking is self-destructive?
THE STUDIO
temptations is there a recipe to fight the temptation to fear? a nibble on a savory chocolate crumble to soothe the nerves, another pair of levi jeans that cannot hide your curves, tell me does the mirror show you your anxiety? your hormonal imbalance? your insomnia? no. your body is meant to change just like the seasons. be unapologetic for your lethargy, the weighing down of your limbs, and the thickness in your thighs and hips in February. go after what you truly desire, take pleasure in eating the foods you love, and do not be ashamed of your cravings. because sometimes the mirror can deceive you in more ways than one.
rainbows there is always tranquility after a storm You know what they say i know you do. because after every bad thunderstorm, there is a rainbow somewhere, a mosaic of calmness everything will be better soon.
changes i hope the change in the colours of leaves teaches you how to forgive yourself despite it all gives you the permission to reach a state of mind where the snowflakes melt on your cheeks instead of tears, a season that guides you through a new journey of resilience, showing you that healing requires rays of energy, a constant effort on your part, to realize you are the only brightness on the darkest of days, be mindful of this new season; the gift of a new beginning, and a chance to forget all your pains of yesterday. g
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REQUIRED READING
The Students' Guide to:
SUSTAINABILITY TEXT PAULINE CHAN ILLUSTRATION JENNA JAIKARAN
Environmental sustainability means different things to different people. Some define sustainability as fulfilling our needs without depleting the resources of future generations. Others may define it as a lifestyle that considers the interdependence of environmental, social, and economic aspects. There is no single right answer and everyone’s view of sustainability may be slightly different. My definition of sustainability focuses on reducing resource usage within a limited budget. Being a student, environmental sustainability may not always be feasible. This is especially true when finances are involved. “Green” alternatives often come with premium prices that are usually unrealistic on a student budget. And although being environmentally conscious about our purchases is one way to reduce our impact on our planet, it’s not the only way. Throughout my past three years as a university student, I have been able to explore many practices that incorporate sustainability with frugality. Here are my top six tips on saving money and the planet!
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1. Reusable bags This is one of the most popular practices that anyone can easily incorporate into their lifestyle. Bringing reusable bags to go grocery shopping, textbook buying, or even clothing shopping can reduce the need for single-use plastic bags. There have been many debates of exactly how many uses of a cloth bag would offset plastic bags but it ultimately depends on the material of the bag. The main goal is to use a cloth bag until it’s on its very last thread. Keeping a foldable bag in a convenient place like your backpack ensures your reusable bags are always within reach!
2. Grow your own food What better way to save money and offset carbon footprints then growing your own food at home! Edmonton’s spring and summer seasons are warm enough to keep a variety of vegetables thriving for the entire season. Tomatoes and lettuce are some good options for beginners. On the other hand, housing edible indoor plants is a great way to maintain a variety of herbs during colder seasons. One of my favourite indoor hacks is regrowing green onions from their cut ends. With proper care, you can get a minimum of two batches from the comfort of your own home!
REQUIRED READING
3. Utilizing excess water
4. Reducing clothing waste
Being in Canada, we are extremely lucky to have access to clean and abundant water sources. This further reinforces the fact that we shouldn’t be abusing that privilege. We need to redefine what we consider as waste water. Aside from common water reducing practices such as taking shorter showers and shutting the tap when we are not using it, we can take a step further and utilize excess water. Some examples include using leftover water from bottles to water plants or reusing pasta water to make breads and soup stocks.
As fast fashion slowly dominates the market, we need to be conscious of our shopping habits more than ever. The fashion industry is both a major polluter and contributor to global waste. There are many ways to alleviate these detrimental effects but it is up to us to take action. The most simple tip I have is to buy less clothes. Invest in durable articles of clothing that will last years. Try thrifting or borrowing clothes from friends and family. The list goes on and on, but the main goal is to simply reduce clothing consumption.
5. Reducing food waste
6. Eat more vegetables
Tossing food isn't just a waste of food, it is also a waste of the resources associated with bringing that food to your table. This includes all the water and energy invested in preparing, storing, and transporting the food items. Reducing food waste relies on planning ahead of time. Consuming foods in order of expiry drastically decreases the amount of food that will be destined for the trash. Other strategies include buying only what you can consume. As a student, the freezer will be your best friend. Freezing extra food will lengthen its shelf life and keep a good supply of food when grocery shopping is the last thing on your mind.
Animal-based food products are notorious for their land and resource use. Adopting a vegetarian diet is one way to decrease impacts on the environment but it may be impractical on a student budget. It is also very important for students to eat a balanced diet with a variety of different foods. An emerging trend in the sustainability community is adopting a flexitarian diet. A flexitarian diet puts more emphasis on plant-based food items without fully excluding meat consumption. With a student budget, I often find myself involuntarily adhering to a flexitarian diet which, in all honesty, I don’t mind at all. Being a flexitarian allows me to save money and reduce my impact on the environment.
Sustainability is about making choices that are both beneficial to yourself and the environment. There is no “perfect” when pursuing a sustainable lifestyle. Especially with the current pandemic, many sustainable practices have been put on pause. However, it is ultimately up to us to be creative and improvise. Being sustainable is not a onetime action, but rather it requires a long-term adoption of different initiatives and efforts. Whatever your budget may be, sustainability is a practice that can be incorporated into any lifestyle. g
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FEATURE
TEXT TOM NDEKEZI VISUALS SOFIA CAPETTINI
Despite the buzz surrounding the federal government’s carbon tax since it was first proposed in the buildup to the 2015 election, passed as the Greenhouse Pollution Pricing Act in 2018, and then fought by provincial governments all the way to the Supreme Court this fall, as far as legislation goes, the tax is fairly timid. The federal carbon tax initially imposed a $20 per tonne tax on carbon emissions starting in 2019, with the price rising $10 every year until reaching $50 per tonne in 2022. Federal estimates projected that the tax would help decrease greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 8.3 per cent nationwide, although that still wouldn’t put Canada on a trajectory to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord (fun fact, most of the other signatory countries aren’t reaching them either). The tax was also only meant to be a minimum standard, with provinces encouraged to formulate their own carbon pricing schemes that matched the federal plan or surpassed it. If the incentive for provinces to formulate their own plans is a carrot, it’s because the carbon tax is the federal government’s progressivelyimplemented, moderately-priced stick. For provinces like Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, that stick looked a little too much like a constitutional overreach. Within weeks of the carbon tax coming into effect in Alberta in January 2020, it was already being struck down as unconstitutional in a 4-1
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provincial court majority ruling. That ruling stood in stark contrast to rulings from Ontario and Saskatchewan’s court of appeals which found the establishment of minimum environmental regulations a matter of national concern, and therefore within the federal government’s jurisdiction. Nationwide, provincial justices are split 8-7 regarding the carbon tax, with the majority upholding the federal government’s claim that the tax falls within their powers to legislate on issues of peace, order and good government. The final word remains with the Supreme Court, which was set to begin hearing appeals from Ontario and Saskatchewan’s conservative governments regarding the tax’s constitutionality last month, although at the time of writing the court has begun proceedings. According to Andrew Leach, an economist and associate professor in the University of Alberta School of Business, there is every chance that the split in Canada's top court could be just as messy, and have serious repercussions on the federal-provincial relationship going forward. “If we find that this legislation is valid federal legislation, what does it say about our balance of federalism? What does it really say about what the federal government can and can’t do?” Leach said. “If Canada’s lawyers can paint it as the federal government wants to do this very narrow thing and it’s not going to disrupt the balance of
FEATURE
OCTOBER 2020 15
FEATURE
our federation, they probably succeed. If the provinces succeed in painting this as a federal Trojan horse to invade very different aspects of historically provincial jurisdiction, then the provinces succeed.” All that political messiness complicates what is, from an economics perspective, a very simple reality: top-down policies like carbon taxes work. There are debates as to whether carbon taxes work better than other emissions reduction strategies like coal phaseouts or cap-and-trade systems in which large emitters buy and sell emissions credits, but among economists, there’s a relative consensus that carbon taxes reduce emissions. “The point of the carbon price in general is to put that cost into transactions, and then the upshot of that is once you have to pay the cost of the climate damages there are some things that you would no longer choose to do,” Leach said. “[There are] trips I might not take, or commutes I might not make. I might [move] away from driving to ride my bike in certain applications because of having to pay those costs. So it changes behaviour.” Ultimately, the question at the heart of the carbon tax case is one that has plagued debates regarding environmental action for centuries. When it comes to something as commonly held and individually experienced as the environment, who calls the shots? When does my business become your business, and our business the world’s business? That age old dispute is currently manifesting itself between
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the federal government and a handful of Canada’s provinces, but the arguments raised by both sides regarding environmental ownership and sovereignty have parallels to ones heard in legislatures, courthouses, classrooms, and playgrounds all around the world. A complicating factor in the wider conversation about environmental management and regulation is that historically, the loudest voices in the environmental movement come from and are found in the West. Western nations also tend to set the agenda regarding global environmental action, despite their cultures being steeped in individualistic understandings of ownership and the environment (look up the debacle of the 2009 Copenhagen Summit to see what happens when environmentalism inconveniences the United States). Don’t forget that many of these nations — Canada included — are holdovers from a colonial age that didn’t just spend 600 years wiping out nations and reorganizing the planet, but also spread the individualistic ideas about property rights, consumption, and ownership that hold prominence today. Those individualist ideas are also something that modern environmentalism has had to contend with within its ranks, especially considering that the environmental movement has tended to be very white, very rich, and incredibly advantaged. That latent individualism also helps explain a lot of environmentalist messaging in the 20th century and into the early 2000’s.
FEATURE
“Once you have to pay the cost of the climate damages there are some things that you would no longer choose to do... So it changes behaviour.”
For example, most university-aged Canadians can probably remember growing up being taught to save the planet through individual actions like recycling, composting, and abstaining from littering. What that approach doesn’t mention is that according to a 2017 report by The Carbon Majors Database, 71 per cent of global emissions since 1988 didn’t come from private individuals, but just 100 transnational corporations. The reality that localized, individualistic approaches to environmental action can only do so much is unfortunate, but true. That being said, the idea that widespread issues might require widespread solutions often stokes libertarian fears of power-hungry socialists crawling through their exhaust pipes and into their pocketbooks. Those apprehensions towards top-down environmental regulations can make it difficult to move the conversation beyond individual action and towards widely-implemented policies, something which fourth-year political science student and Climate Justice Edmonton organizer Talia Dixon thinks is often necessary. “What we need to have is large, systemic change that will actually enable people to live a more sustainable life,” Dixon said. “But not just help people live a more sustainable life by providing them with the infrastructure to do that, but actually [stopping] corporations from destroying the planet.”
That sentiment was also shared by Akanksha Bhatnagar, former Students’ Union president and the representative for the Sustainability and Capital Fund at the 2020 Students’ Union election. The Sustainability and Capital Fund is a Students’ Union fund supported by a $25 fee per student per semester that is aimed at addressing deferred maintenance in the Students’ Union Building and supporting sustainability projects around campus. The fund is part of the Students’ Union’s goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050, and Bhatnagar hopes that it can be one example of a top-down policy that helps make sustainable decision-making easier for students. “I’ve always been a believer that climate action is collective action, and that individual actions do matter, but it is the big picture issues that you really want to tackle,” Bhatnagar said. “We want to make it easy for students to make sustainable choices everyday in a simplified way… When the whole collective is doing it, when 30,000 undergraduates are doing it and 10,000 graduate [students] are making those choices, it definitely does add up and make a big difference.” The increased efficacy of uniform, coordinated approaches to environmental action is something that not only applies in student governance, but even on the national stage. One of the strengths of nationally applied regulations like a federal carbon tax is that it is a comparatively affordable emissions reductions strategy. According to Andrew Leach, much of that cost-effectiveness is the result of coordination.
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FEATURE
“We want to make it easy for students to make sustainable choices everyday in a simplified way… When the whole collective is doing it, when 30,000 undergraduates are doing it and 10,000 graduate [students] are making those choices, it definitely does add up and make a big difference.”
“[If] you think of, across the economy, there being a portfolio of emissions reduction opportunities, some of them are really cheap, [and] some of them are extremely expensive,” Leach said. “The cheapest overall climate policy we could have is if we do all of the cheap things and none of the really expensive things. If you coordinate your policies across all of the individual provinces, now we’re doing all of the cheap things and none of the expensive things, everywhere in the country.” For many Canadians though, that isn’t something they want to hear. One of the goals of uniform policies like a federal carbon tax is the attainment of relatively uniform results, nationwide. The problem with that is there’s little room left for provinces to carve out a competitive advantage in relation to the rest of the country, something which governments like Alberta’s United Conservative Party have been bullish about since taking office.
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“One of Canada’s reasons for arguing that we need a national carbon price is because there are economic gains from coordination, and a sense that we won’t have a race to the bottom,” Leach said. “So we won’t have one jurisdiction saying ‘Hey companies, if you want to emit a lot come here and do it for free.’ We see that a lot in other types of fiscal policies and we certainly see it in Alberta with corporate taxes.” Whether it’s Donald Trump pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement because it is “unfair, at the highest level, to the United States,” or Jason Kenney calling the federal carbon tax part of a “hostile federal agenda,” individualistic approaches often undermines efforts to take unified action on environmental issues. Rather than recognizing that when tackling issues as expansive as the environment, the collective chain is only as strong as its weakest link, we live in a landscape where private interests are just as loud as the public good, and space must be made for environmental protection and degradation, simultaneously.
FEATURE
The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear Ontario and Saskatchewan’s appeals regarding the federal carbon tax last month, although there’s every chance that the hearing suffered even more delays due to COVID-19. At the time of writing this, the Court is yet to begin sitting, and the fate of one of Canada’s most notable pieces of environmental legislation remains uncertain. Whatever the outcome, the precedent set by the Supreme Court could send a very loud message regarding what environmental action in Canada looks like going forward, and who gets to have the final say. On one hand, there’s the option to keep approaching environmental regulation the way it’s always been done. Individuals, cities, provinces, and countries can continue to take only as much environmental action as they’re comfortable with and create a patchwork of management plans, all with varying degrees of intentionality and commitment. On the other hand, this could be an opportunity to buck that trend in favour of an approach that recognizes that communal problems need communal solutions — and there is arguably nothing more communal than the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on.
It’s unclear if the Supreme Court will also see things that way. As previously mentioned, even sound economic policies like the carbon tax become muddled the moment politics is introduced. Societally though, the conversation seems to be shifting, and the days in which collective environmental action was viewed as veiled totalitarianism and reaching the minimum standard was considered good enough are fading fast. Whether or not that shift happens fast enough remains to be seen, but one thing is clear. Even if we don’t adopt unified, coordinated approaches towards environmental action, when it comes to reaping the consequences of our environmental degradation, we’re all in this together, whether we like it or not. Note: The Alberta Premier’s and the Justice and Solicitor General’s office did not respond to a request for comment at the time of finalizing this feature. g
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THE GALLERY
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Before the pandemic hit I went to the farmer's market because it was good for my health, the environment, and the local economy. But recently I realized there's more—there's something special about the place where you can chat with the person who has invested so much of their effort and passion into grow-
ing that cabbage you just bought. It's much more human, something that I never experience at some faceless corporate grocery store. Now we're living lives of isolation and endless schoolwork it's easy to forget about how therapeutic shopping for groceries can be. g
A Day at the Farmers' Market THE GALLERY
TEXT & PHOTO CHRISTIEN FORD
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A Pause in Normalcy TEXT PIA CO ILLUSTRATION AN BUI
FEATURE
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s a femme presenting person of colour, I personally have spent my entire life feeling as though I had something to prove. For a really long time, I put my mental health and resting on the backburner — it always felt as though the things I endeavored to do were more important and bigger than myself. I had to learn the hard way what happens when you don’t think twice about personal sustainability. In my third year of university, I fell and hit my head really hard. The sound of skull meeting linoleum reverberated in my small basement suite’s kitchen area, more of a crack than a thud. What followed was a high pitched whistle, almost exactly like the corny sound effect of a flash-bang grenade in an action movie. The reaction to such a fall was immediate — my roommates sprung to action, asking me if I was okay. They checked if I was conscious and asked me if I felt hazy, if the room was spinning. Somewhat I guess, and no, not at all. They sat me up, offered me water, and made absolutely sure I wasn’t bleeding. I wasn’t bleeding and I could speak. My head hurt, but that was to be expected. A few minutes later I was back on my feet, refilling a glass of water at the kitchen tap. Despite the insistence that I go to a doctor immediately, despite the very reasonable advice that I take it easy for the next few days, I went to work at my shiny new sought-after internship the very next morning. I had spent my undergraduate degree thus far resume-building to get into an ultra competitive criminology program with internship modules. I spent weeks and months juggling multiple poor-paying jobs, relevant extracurriculars, and sleepless nights pushing my academics from A minuses to A pluses. That morning I woke up feeling groggy. I was determined to impress my superiors at work early into my internship, so I sucked it up and took an Uber to the office. Clad in my black cable knit sweater and breathable office pants I had excitedly bought weeks earlier in anticipation of a professional work environment, I sat in my desk chair.
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I worked in data analysis. I even brought a roommate’s extra monitor from home to better assist with the numbers I was crunching. The excel documents from both screens, the week prior, were already reaching 1600 lines. I was ready to work on line 1601. I cannot articulate even now, what the screens looked like to me. The numbers and words I had worked extremely hard to organize seemed like a jumbled, nonsensical mess. I couldn’t understand what I was looking at, I couldn’t form thoughts about the information. I was undeniably heavily concussed. From then on, that semester carried what felt like a lifetime of heartbreak. I had to drop out of school and rescind my internship. I had been offered a summer position by a tenured professor at school, doing relevant and interesting research in prisons that would be helpful to building the case for more rehabilitative programming in the criminal justice system. I had to refuse the position. My physical capacity was limited, and I found myself in bed in the dark for hours as I gained weight from inactivity. Most harrowing, however, was the toll this had on my mental health. I went into a spiral. As a lifelong ambitious workaholic, I watched as all the things I had worked towards in my life fell out of my hands. My future was horribly uncertain, and I didn’t have enough mental energy to come up with the backup plans I was always so used to making. I could barely do simple math, let alone replan my entire future. And thus began a grand fermata. A cosmic breath, a pause in normalcy. I was so used to working until my hands were quite literally raw, to prove something to myself and the world. For the first time in my life, I had to take a break and rest. When one is tired, it seems obvious that they ought to take the time to rest and sleep. The solution does work to some extent, and it isn’t a bad suggestion, but for many people sleep is harder than it sounds.
FEATURE Cressida Heyes, doctor of philosophy, a professor in the department of political science and a current Henry Marshall Tory chair spoke to me about the politics of sleep. “My project is called Sleep is the New Sex. [Sleep] takes the discursive position that sex used to,” Heyes said. “It’s the idea that sleep is something everybody talks about, but at the same time nobody talks about. It may seem as though everybody is getting more of it, and it’s better. The project aims to show how sleep is represented, but also how it is experienced in ways that have a politics, particularly in gender and sexuality.” As a person who has struggled with sleeping soundly all of my life, Heyes’ comment struck me. From struggling with sleep as a child and having to get a strange white noise machine to hypnotize myself into sleep, to spending nights worrying about my sexuality, my sleep problems transitioned as I aged, due to lack of addressing them meaningfully. “I think that people need certain things in order to
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be sustained,” Heyes said. “I think that they need rest, which can be as literal as sleep. It can also be the experience of time spent without the expectation of being productive.”
I think that people need certain things in order to be sustained... I think that they need rest, which can be as literal as sleep. It can also be the experience of time spent without the expectation of being productive.” However, simply not doing anything is not enough. Heyes posits that there has to be intentionality behind rest. “In order to truly sustain yourself, you have to do it in real ways,” Heyes explained. “I once heard my colleague Janine Brodie give a talk about resilience, and how it has been co-opted by contemporary economic language to convey the idea that people need to have the ability bounce back from most any bad treatment.” “So, I’m a bit suspicious sometimes of the discourse of resilience, or of avoiding burnout to keep yourself going,” Heyes continued. “Sometimes it seems like the goal is to make us into productivity machines for someone else.” The idea of rest existing solely as a way in which one can recuperate for work, is simultaneously prevalent and pernicious.
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FEATURE affects our sleep — and subsequent mental health progresses — mindfulness and community based programming to strengthen mental health have also gained more traction. To the students that make up the University of Alberta Jack.org chapter, good mental health is absolutely central to success. Jack.org is a student led organization that runs across Canada, which trains young leaders to revolutionize mental health. Joyce Tan, fourth-year business student with a specialization in human resources, and co-President of the UofA Jack.org chapter, explained the literal physical effects of personal sustainability. “Personal sustainability, to me, means that an individual is able to keep themselves going through their day to day activities without experiencing tiredness or physical degeneration,” Tan said. “I think that it’s really imperative that students focus on their mental health and emotional wellbeing,” Tan expressed. “If a student is struggling in their
I thought back to how I once held down two demanding jobs at the same time. I was so tired I slept on the transit ride between jobs, and I had to eat in the 10 minutes before my next bus came, standing on the street. I would rationalize the feasibility of my lifestyle because I was still eating and resting, despite how obviously tenuous it was. Heyes explained to me that employers and corporations have begun to capitalize on trying to appear like workplaces that are safe to rest in. “In a certain genre of job, usually desk jobs that require high cognitive functions, there have been a lot of discussions about the workplace nap. There are some employers now who have little rooms where you can sleep for half an hour,” Heyes said. “I’m curious about what this achieves — it’s a way of keeping people at the workplace longer and fresher, but it’s also good for the employer.” To Heyes, sleep and personal sustainability has to be more than a tool for work. “Personal sustainability has to come from doing things you really want to do for yourself and others — not just in the service of keeping the little productivity machine in yourself ticking over.” While research into the complex politics of what
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mental and emotional wellbeing, and still pushing to reach their goals, I feel that just leads them down a downward spiral.” “Mental health and emotional health are basically on the same line as physical health, even if the repercussions are often less visible,” Tan explained. I’ve learned the importance of knowing my limitations through my concussion. I think students broadly should be active in learning these as well; I, like so many others, was just too used to pushing myself to my absolute limits. “Let’s say that there’s a person who wants to become a track runner and compete, and they sprain an ankle,” Tan said. “Obviously, they’re going to put time into letting that ankle heal before they start training again. If they started training despite having the sprained ankle, it’s going to injure them even further.” Tan’s words really struck me, as I remembered being so keen on working after hitting my head. Despite the clear reality that I had hurt myself, I was completely insistent on continuing to try to work because I had set expectations high. Even when I did force myself to work for a while post-concussion, the results were poor. Jack.org also stresses the ways in which culture influences the ways in which people experience mental health struggles. They have specific programming aimed at addressing this intersection. “I think culture really
Personal sustainability has to come from doing things you really want to do for yourself and others — not just in the service of keeping the little productivity machine in yourself ticking over.”
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FEATURE
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helps shape who an individual is. It impacts their goals, values, and even their work ethic,” Tan said. “I think it’s really interesting because in some languages, they don’t even have a word for ‘mental health’.” Although some cultures may not have as much focus on mental health, Tan explains that this makes the case for why mental health advocacy has to be culturally specific. “I really think that mental health is often brought up in a mostly Western light and worked on in a Western focused culture, and for those who do not have a Western culture this can be a real struggle,” Tan explained. Tan has personally lived through that exact experience. Her family is from Hong Kong, but she grew up in Canada. “It was definitely very interesting being able to experience and learn about mental health while having a Chinese language as well,” Tan said. “I feel like I’m someone who understands mental health from a very Western perspective, but who has ties to a very Eastern and Asian perspective.”
Mental health is often brought up in a mostly Western light and worked on in a Western focused culture, and for those who do not have a Western culture this can be a real struggle”
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FEATURE
“When I first shared with my parents what Jack.org even is, they were confused because they just didn’t understand what mental health even was, or how important it is,” Tan continued. “That wasn’t really something they were really taught when they were younger, they were taught to push towards other things. They thought that Western kids were too coddled.” That unfamiliarity with mental health is something I also faced growing up in an Asian household. Hard work was absolutely ingrained in me as the child of immigrants, which is something I am ultimately thankful for. However, as an adult, I am better able to communicate to my own parents that they need to take meaningful breaks and time to themselves as well. My concussion brought up a lot of invaluable conversations about mental health broadly, and my parents’ own mental health. “I really think about that anecdote of bridging the gap a lot,” Tan said. “I think this is really a way I can connect our different cultures together.” Abigail Isaac is a student who knows intimately what it is like to be involved with so many activities that personal sustainability is absolutely foundational to her. She’s the current president of the Political Science Undergraduate Association, a student development coordinator with the Students’ Union, and a local activist with Black Lives Matter Edmonton (among other things!). Although she’s balancing her commitments well now, Isaac learned personal sustainability through experience. As a Black woman in leadership, she said she has felt specific pressures. “All the work I do surrounds identity, and as a Black woman in general, it feels hard to feel legitimate,” Isaac explained. “I feel like it's hard to have people look at you and think you have valuable things to say. I’ve had to put in a lot of extra work, all the time. The intersection of being a femme bodied person and being Black is very difficult to navigate because there are a lot of social vulnerabilities - the list goes on.” “I used to have the thought: I have to get to a certain point and I won’t have to work this hard anymore. That I’d do enough things or accomplish enough things then I’d get to a stable point where I wouldn’t get questioned or doubted,” Isaac said. “ I was just working hard and getting to those places of burnout just to prove myself to people that didn’t really know me.” Burnout through emotional labour is all the more real for activists like Isaac. She, like many others, has endured culturally specific emotional labour in her advocacy work. “There are so many things happening at once, and I’ve never felt like activism work has been so popular or paid attention to,” Isaac remarked. “So, you feel like you need to be more active and responsive. When you
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do work like this, it’s hard because the lines get blurred between taking yourself as a person and taking care of your community because sometimes they’re really the same thing. Black Lives Matter is really involved with making sure Black people have a space to be seen, and be emotionally vulnerable.” “I’ve recognized how important it is to make sure I’m okay, while I’m doing things to make sure other people are ok,” Isaac continued. “Otherwise, it becomes very draining, even though the objective is very important.” To Isaac, passion in her pursuits is a cornerstone of her continued success. She explained that burnout was most prevalent when she was pursuing projects that didn’t spark her passions. Her current activities, however time-consuming, are personally important and put her in a productive mental space. However, Isaac explained that passion wasn’t enough to sustain her. Boundaries are just as important. “Personal sustainability is also knowing how to set boundaries, so other people know where I’m at,” Isaac said. “It’s listening to myself a bit more, instead of just pushing through more work. It’s listening to my body and my mind.” Thinking back to professor Cressida Heyes’ research on sleep, setting up boundaries — especially for the purpose of getting meaningful rest — is essential to our own
Personal sustainability is also boundaries, so other people kn It's listening to myself a bit mo pushing through more work. It body and my mind.”
FEATURE
sustainability. Heyes said that they think students work hard, and must ensure they give themselves rewards and rest. “I’ve seen students work incredibly hard, not just at university or school work, but also holding down really demanding jobs or taking care of family practically and financially,” Heyes said. “I know that the demands on millennials are really intense, and especially so when post-COVID employment prospects are pretty grim and work is quite dangerous, all as tuition is going up. That’s all sorts of pressures coming together.” “My tip is to find something that you love, that you consider to be really important that is not just about survival or getting through things,” Heyes suggested. “That thing can be getting a really good sleep!” Heyes assured me that they themselves are still working on taking their own advice in their own life. “I appreciate sleep as a way of allowing yourself to enjoy and embrace something that is really just empty space.” Joyce Tan and Abigail Isaac both told me that introspection is absolutely essential in personal sustainability. Being proactive and being assertive can be challenging sometimes, but these women reminded me how life changing it can be. “Introspection really provides a nice segue into understanding and being proactive about your mental health,” Tan said. “You can be proactive instead of letting
felt foreign. I felt like a failure for having to take time off of school and work. It wasn’t easy. After a few months, the crying subsided. My irontight grip on the need to feel like I was constantly achieving something loosened. In that moment of weakness, I learned that being vulnerable is sometimes the strongest thing one can choose to do. I spent more time in the sunlight. I said no to things I knew I couldn’t commit to doing, or doing well. I drank sparkling water and read on the grass. I picked so, so many flowers. I spent more time with friends I hadn’t been investing as much time into, because I had been so constantly busy. I’ve taught myself how to build computers, how to make fresh pasta, and how to make good coffee. I'm still learning to let go. Sometimes it is okay to smile and let things fall into place beyond your control. Sometimes you should take the time to do things for yourself, and feel sustained. In those quiet moments of rest, maybe like I did, you'll remember what it is like to daydream on a sunny afternoon. g
knowing how to set now where I'm at... ore, instead of just t's listening to my the problem grow, and acting as though things are going to solve themselves.” Isaac regarded her ongoing experience with sustaining herself as a work in progress, but introspection has given her very meaningful headway. This radical act of self love and care has reaped reward. “That feeling of people doubting your legitimacy, who you are, or even the validity of your experiences might always be there,” Isaac said. “I think I’ve just stopped letting it challenge how I think of myself.” In my time resting post-concussion, I grieved. I cried a lot, almost everyday. Having a completely clear schedule
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COLUMNS
Photos supplied by Willow Dew
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COLUMNS
TEXT TINA TAI VISUALS SOFIA CAPETTINI
Willow Dew Chemical engineering student Willow Dew is the project manager of the University of Alberta EcoCar team. The EcoCar team — open to all undergraduate students, though most are from the faculty of engineering — designs and builds hydrogen fuel cell cars, from start to finish. Transportation is one of the biggest causes of carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to greenhouse gasses and global warming; the EcoCar team is one of many across North America that is trying to advance lower-carbon transportation possibilities. Before COVID-19, the EcoCar team would typically have a new car every two years: one year to design, and one year to build. Their latest hydrogen car falls under the “urban concept” category. Though it’s not quite as large as a normal car, it does include features such as windshield wipers and mirrors to simulate the aesthetics of a regular consumer vehicle. “The purpose of the [urban concept] category is to show that this is something that can be widely used in our everyday commute,” Dew explained. For Dew and other undergraduate students of EcoCar, the most valuable thing they get out of the experience is the ability to learn above and beyond what is taught in the classroom. Taking concepts taught in class, the EcoCar team applies them to hands-on experiments. This year, they’re attempting to make their own hydrogen to bypass the need to purchase hydrogen produced from steam-methane reforming, a process that still produces carbon emissions. Although the EcoCar is emission free when driven, the hydrogen it uses for the fuel cell has environmental costs associated with its production. To become completely emission free, Dew is leading her team to produce hydrogen through green electrolysis of water, which is powered by solar energy. On top of producing their own hydrogen, Dew explained they’re also trying to make their own fuel cell. While premade fuel cells are available for purchase, they’re not as specific to the needs of the hydrogen car. “For a couple years now we’ve been trying to make our own fuel cell, we’re really excited about that because
we would be the first team in North America to do that,” she explained. Currently, the EcoCar team purchases a premade fuel cell and then attach the wiring themselves. However, in the future, the team would like to be involved in the process of making a fuel cell, starting from scratch. “We’re trying to innovate both for the technology’s sake but also to learn as we do it; we’re just going at it from a learning perspective rather than a company trying to make money,” Dew said. Hydrogen as a source of energy has been gaining traction in the transportation industry. Companies like Honda and Toyota have started producing hydrogen fuel cell cars, with some people saying the technology will become Tesla’s biggest threat. Whether or not you’re a car enthusiast, Dew believes hydrogen will become a big part of our lives in some way. “Hydrogen has a lot of potential, I think all of us on the team really believe in hydrogen as a solution to the energy transition, which is important to all of us, whether you’re an engineer or not,” she said. For widespread use of sustainable energy like hydrogen, Dew notes that the appropriate infrastructure needs to be there in order for companies to innovate. Although countries like the Netherlands and Japan have already made commitments to widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel source, Canada is not quite yet at the forefront of the movement. “Think about getting gas for your car: there’s so many gas stations everywhere, but there’s only a few hydrogen fuel stations in Canada and most of them are in Vancouver. Can you imagine having to drive to Vancouver every time you want to fill up your car?” Dew laughed. As Dew leads her team through the challenges of COVID-19 and the difficulties it presents for projects that need collaborative work, she hopes that the EcoCar initiative will help push North America towards this renewable source of energy. “There are places around the world that are already realizing the potential of this energy and adapting it, it’s really exciting that we get to be the early adopters of this in Alberta,” she said. g
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DIVERSIONS
HOROSCOPE TEXT AMY VISSCHER VISUALS SOFIA CAPETTINI
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
Bold, intelligent and to the point. These zodiacs know how to get 'er done.
Reliable, practical and determined. These zodiacs know how to work hard, and play hard.
Communicative, authentic and multitalented. This zodiac lives the best of all these worlds.
Emotional, sensitive and family focused. This zodiac knows the importance of love.
NEWS • OPINION • ARTS & CULTURE • PHOTOGRAPHY • ILLUSTRATION
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DIVERSIONS
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
Confident, strong and passionate. This zodiac knows how to leave a lasting impression.
Put together, detail oriented and organized. This zodiac knows how to do a meticulous job.
Balanced, fun, and charismatic. This zodiac knows how to enjoy the finer things in life.
Sharp, quick, and smart. These zodiacs know how to make money.
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Fun loving, wise and magnetic. This zodiac knows how to leave you wanting more.
Honest, straightforward and accountable. These zodiacs know how to make a statement.
Intellectual, original, and memorable. These zodiacs are sure to hold a solid conversation!
Dreamy, whimsical and loyal. These zodiacs know how to make friends. g
Illustration by Nataly Zuria
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DIVERSIONS
TEXT & PUZZLE SARAH BACHMIER
ACROSS 3. Vegetable that is orange and makes for great carving material on Halloween. 4. The conversion of waste into reusable material. 7. Type of energy that utilizes panels instead of fossil fuels. 8. The decomposing of organic wastes. 9. Lime and Bird versions of these can be found throughout YEG in the summer! 10. Many people are against lanes for these in YEG, but they are much more fuel efficient than a car! 11. Starbucks has switched to nitro-lids so that they can prevent the use of these. 12. Instead of buying a new costume for Halloween, you can _____! 14. A person who does not consume any animal products. Find answers on our website, gtwy.ca
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DOWN 1. Public place to borrow books. 2. Each person leaves one of these on the environment. 5. Buying fair trade, organic, or cruelty free is‌ 6. Eat and shop this way to ensure money stays in your community! 7. Every human has one of this underneath their skin. 9. Efficient way to read books that uses 100% less paper! 13. A type of light that allows for less energy usage.
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Across 3. Vegetable that is orange and makes for great carving material on Halloween. 4. The conversion of waste into reusable material. 7. Type of energy that utilizes panels instead of fossil fuels. 8. The decomposing of organic wastes. 9. Lime and Bird versions of these can be found throughout YEG in the summer! 10. Many people are against lanes for these in YEG, but they are much more fuel efficient than a car! 11. Starbucks has switched to nitro-lids so that they can prevent the use of these. 12. Instead of buying a new costume for Halloween, you can _____! 14. A person who does not consume any animal products.
Down 1. Public place to borrow books. 2. Each person leaves one of these on the environment. 5. Buying fair trade, organic, or cruelty free is‌ 6. Eat and shop this way to ensure money stays in your community! 7. Every human has one of this underneath their skin. 9. Efficient way to read books that uses 100% less paper! 13. A type of light that allows for less energy usage.
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ADVICE WITH
Parker the Pepper VISUALS SOFIA CAPETTINI
Q Dear Parker the Pepper, Online courses have been really difficult to pay attention to and I feel like I have no motivation to study. Midterms are coming up and I’m super behind in my classes, and not having any friends taking them with me has made it really hard to ask questions. The profs are doing their best but I feel like it’s just not the same as in-person classes. I think I’m going to fail this semester and I don’t know if I should just withdraw from uni until the pandemic is over. Sincerely, chemistryishard
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A Dear chemistryishard, Midterm season during any semester is particularly challenging, but these challenges have been magnified this year due to the pandemic and online classes. Remember your grades are not a reflection of who you are. Although we’re all doing our best to achieve our goals and work towards our ambitions, it’s perfectly reasonable — and healthy — to cut ourselves some slack during exceptional times. Without in-person classes, it feels difficult to connect to our professors, classmates, and even the course material. We can try to close the gap by being the first to reach out and create some connections! Try posting in e-Class forums and suggesting study groups. Most students are quite willing to discuss ideas and help one another study — after all, we all decided to pursue post-secondary education, which is more school after 12 years of it! Aside from posting on e-Class or throwing invitations to study together on Zoom, the University of Alberta subreddit is also a surprisingly good resource. Questions about courses are readily answered and most users are open to making some new friends. It’s also easy to find people who have common interests or taking the same courses simply by posting about it. The best thing to do at this time is to reach out. Reach out to classmates to propose study groups and catch up on your course material. It may seem daunting at first, but tackling the big pile of coursework a little bit at a time will make a huge difference by the time midterms come around. Remember to reach out to student support services as well. Places such as the Peer Support Centre or and counselling services have online options available and they’re great places to start for anyone feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about what the future holds. Online courses have been a struggle for both students and professors. Check in on one another to remind ourselves that we are not alone! Good luck to everyone on their midterms; take many breaks, make time for rest, and as always, stay spicy! g Parker the Pepper
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Humans of UAlberta: Nominate Someone You Know Hi reader! Humans of UAlberta is a new column in the magazine this year, and we’d love to feature as many amazing people as possible. Do you know someone who has a compelling story to tell? Perhaps a classmate who is running a small business, a professor who has received a new academic award, or a campus employee who always brightens your day? Or perhaps you, dear reader, also have a great story to tell. Nominate someone to be interviewed by The Gateway by heading to our website at gtwy.ca and look under the Magazine tab!
Ask Away: Advice with Parker the Pepper Both our magazine and our website now have an advice column! Head to our advice section (under Diversions) on our website to find out how you can submit questions and ask for advice. Who knows, others may have the same questions as you, so come and leave your dilemmas for Parker the Pepper to solve!