All Student Vote (Summer 2020)

Reducing Unnecessary Paper Waste

You may have already voted for this motion as this was done at the beginning of the Summer. If you have already voted, you can't vote again but can vote for the other motion below.

If you haven't voted for either please do so.

This Union Notes:

This section should include any facts, figures or statements that you believe are relevant to the topic of your policy. Remember in this section clear and effective referencing is important.

1. That methods of preventing unwanted flyering can reduce the amount of paper received per household by 99.6% (80lbs of paper or 2.6 trees a year). [1]
2. That effluents produced in the production of paper can have harmful impacts on local biodiversity. [2]
3. That universities are often the size of a large town, thus it is crucial to develop a sustainable approach to waste within these communities. [3]
4. That paper represents 50% of waste produced by business’, meaning all trees and water used to produce said paper is effectively waste product. [4]
5. That paper free forms of marketing are being developed and are gaining in popularity. [5]

This Union Believes:

This section should include opinions or supporting statements for your policy.

1. That flyering is something culturally ingrained but outdated and environmentally damaging.
2. That most students dispose of flyers without any interest for the information provided and would rather receive the information electronically.
3. That the university has 2030 and 2050 goals for sustainable development which must be up-kept and encouraged by the student union and affiliated clubs and societies.
4. That welcome week is a period of increased waste as departments and groups try to advertise or inform students.
5. That the university should be at the forefront of exploring sustainable alternatives to environmentally damaging practices and traditions.

This Union Resolves:

This section should be about how you want the SU to react, the outcome of this policy. Remember to mandate specific departments/sabbatical officers; this will make things easier for future accountability

1. That the Democracy and Development Officer, Environment and Ethics Officer, Sports Officer and Societies Officer should work alongside Warwick Sustainability to further investigate increased waste and potential inefficiency of flyering and “info” packages.
2. That the Sports Officer and Societies Officer should work to encourage smaller flyers and QR code use at the sports/society fairs and sports day.
3. That the Democracy and Development Officer, Environment and Ethics Officer and President lobby Warwick print to offer affordable recyclable flyers for clubs and societies.
4. That the Sports Officer, Societies Officer and Democracy and Development Officer install a QR board at sports/society fairs to help students access club details paper free.

[1]https://ecologyaction.ca/sites/default/files/images-documents/Flyers_Research_Report_Final.pdf

[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16723330

[3]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X11001206

[4]https://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts

[5]https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/how-qr-codes-social-media-marketing-work-together/