Western Engineering goes 'green' in Ghana

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By Communications Staff
Monday, July 9, 2007
Engineering students continue to think green with their research, class projects and extracurricular activities - and faculty is also leading environmental pursuits.
 
Ernest Yanful, Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is co-organizing the first International Conference on Environmental Research, Technology and Policy (ERTEP 2007) in Accra, Ghana, from July 16 to 19.
 
“The idea of the conference started in July 2005 at another international conference in Sweden," says Yanful. “A number of us felt that the time has come for researchers, practitioners and policy makers to meet together in one forum to discuss ways of protecting the world's fragile ecosystem."  
 
Yanful adds although global environmental concerns are often categorized under broad themes such as climate change and desertification, environmental problems of concern to many of the world's vulnerable groups living in marginal areas tend to have immediate consequences that affect the quality of life, livelihood and in many cases survival.
 
“The conference offers the opportunity to discuss grass-root environmental issues, assess efforts by government machinery and what communities and corporate entities can do as a social responsibility to mainstream and maintain environmental integrity for sustainable production and consumption," he says.
 
ERTEP 2007 will also address gender issues in environmental stewardship, especially in the world's most vulnerable regions thanks to $40,000 from the Canadian International Development Agency  
 
“This contribution will allow representatives from developing countries and countries in transition to participate in this influential conference," says Yanful.
 
Environmental sustainability seems to be on the top of everyone's minds in Engineering these days as faculty, staff and students prepare for the 'green building' that will soon rise on the campus.  The four-storey building, formally named the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion, will be dedicated to investigating climate change and the environment.  Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2009.
 
Western Engineering students are continuing to do their part for the environment as well. The SunStang Solar Car Team, dedicated to promoting education and technical excellence, drawing attention to the necessity of sustainable transport, is preparing for the 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge in Australia in October.
 
"Western's SunStang team is one of only seven teams participating from Canada," explains Western SunStang Senior Team Advisor, Imran Atcha. "We are very proud to represent Canada and Western."  
 
The 2007 car will have the highest power output solar array ever developed by SunStang. This array coupled with a custom designed high efficiency motor will allow SunStang 2007 to cruise at speeds of up to 100 kilometers an hour.
 

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