UW Seattle

Campus activists will raise awareness about endangered species today, with a little Halloween spirit.In conjunction with Halloween and the following All Saints Day, the Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) declared today “All Species Day.” The political education and activism group is trying to increase awareness of endangered species and the loss of their habitats. Representatives from WashPIRG will be on the HUB lawn today collecting signatures, handing out fliers and dressing up like endangered animals.

The Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) is sponsoring UW’s Earth Day event tomorrow, on the HUB lawn, from noon to 3 p.m. Groups will have information booths and various activities demonstrating their purposes. Siesta Tonight will play at 12:30.

When Sonja Olson walks amid the Hostess products, deli sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza and Mexican food for sale in the Husky Den, she is never comfortable buying food. No matter what she eats for lunch, her entree will be served on a paper plate, her beverage in a disposable container and her utensils will be thrown away. “It just seems like a huge waste,” said Olson, a biology junior. “Think of everyone who eats there and how much could be saved if there was an alternative to disposable products.

Aluminum cans get preferential treatment at the UW. Unlike disposal for other recyclable substances, aluminum can disposal is easily accessible through one of hundreds of aluminum bins throughout campus. "There are three types of containers used for recycling," said Mark Ghezzi, an employee of UW's recycling service and a junior in environmental studies. "There are public-area bins, toters and TAG containers. "Public-area bins are located in buildings like Kane Hall, which have larger classes and lecture halls. These aluminum-only bins can be identified by the UW logo on the front.

For most people at the UW, recycling means little more than tossing an empty aluminum can or an old copy of The Daily into the recycling bin.Very few people think of it beyond a simple reflex. However, before 1990, the University of Washington didn't even have a comprehensive recycling program in place. The Waste Stream Analysis Task Force was formed in 1989, designed to assess disposed waste at the UW and how much of that waste is actually recyclable. The actual analysis began in November 1990.