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Volume CXXXIII, Number 14 |
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Mugs in the library
To the Editors:
Have you heard the news? All Bowdoin libraries have a new food and drink
policy. In order to protect the libraries' resources from food and drink
spills, as well as the bugs attracted to those spills, the new policy
prohibits all food and drink in the library.
Why am I, the Coordinator for a Sustainable Bowdoin, writing a letter
to the Orient about this new library policy? Because there is one exception
to the new rules: reusable, sealable mugs! These mugs both prevent drink
spills and cut down on solid waste.
The Bowdoin Dining Service went though 152,000 paper cups last year in
the dining halls. That's 152,000 hot cups that were used once for one
beverage and then sent to the Brunswick landfill. Put another way, at
$.026 per cup, that's $3,952 spent on something that went from the dining
hall, to your hands, and then into the trash about an hour later.
By using your Bowdoin Dining Service mug (or any other reusable, sealable
mug) you can get hundreds, even thousands of uses out of them before they're
sent to the landfill. These mugs tend to keep your beverage hotter longer,
and you can use them in the library!
The mugs are available at the Café, the Bookstore, the Convenience Store, and now even at the front desk of H&L Library (for those who forget and bring a paper cup). So the next time you want a hot cup of joe "to go"-especially if you're on your way to study at the library-remember to pour it into a reusable, sealable mug!
Keisha Payson
Coordinator for a Sustainable Bowdoin
To the Editors:
STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN!
It's as simple as that. We all learned it in kindergarten. For some reason,
it seems to have gone by the wayside now that we are "adults."
After the recent tragic pedestrian accident involving a Bowdoin student,
I feel compelled to write to remind everyone of our obligation as pedestrians.
In no way do I mean this to infer that this particular student was by
any means at fault. I just want to remind everyone that just because the
pedestrian has the "right of way" it does not mean they have
no obligation to the motorist.
Did you know that a motorist needs a minimum of 6 feet of clearance to
come to a "safe" stop on a roadway? Personally, I NEVER step
into a crosswalk unless I have made eye contact with the motorist. That
way I feel quite sure that I will have a safe crossing and the motorist
has the opportunity for a safe stop.
For any of us to assume that a motorist sees us and knows our intent to
cross is a gross misconception; one that can only have tragic results.
Keep in mind that the conditions for a motorist and the conditions affecting
a pedestrian can be quite different. You, the pedestrian, may be seeing
a shiny vehicle with lights and color, while the motorist may only be
seeing movement from a dimly lit area, wearing dark colored clothing,
as well as dealing with current road/weather conditions. Not to mention
the fact of whether or not you are using a crosswalk.
All this said, I ask that before we have to add Crosswalk 101 to the list
of required courses here at Bowdoin, let us all take responsibility and
use EXTRA care and caution as both pedestrians and as motorists. Remember,
a little common sense goes a long way.
Suzanne E. Mahar
Admissions Office