VARSITY SCIENCE
var.st/science
MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013
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A three-in-one sustainability plan New NPO educates, provides waste management services, and donates to the community Susan Gordon VARSITY STAFF
As the public becomes more educated about environmental issues, an increasing number of people are making deliberate choices to minimize the pressure they put on the environment. From low-flow fixtures to organic foods to electric cars, there are multiple options available to individuals that allow them to reduce their environmental impact. Recycle for Change, a new not-for–profit organization, aims to make it easy for corporations and organizations to do the same, while continuing to support individual efforts. Recycle for Change was founded by entrepreneur Ilia Shapenko, and is a waste management organization with environmental objectives. “Our goal is to educate and inform the public about environmental issues, while providing our clients with customized solutions and educational programs for recycling, waste management, and sustainability,” says Shapenko. “[We] partner with commercial offices, construction companies, universities, colleges, schools, and others, helping them with their waste management and recycling needs. In addition, we will be offering a unique sustainability program designed by sustainability and environmental professionals. “Via this program we will provide workshops and presentations to employees, in order to raise awareness, decrease waste, and help them to operate in a sustainable manner.” Shapenko, who immigrated to Canada in 2005, says that it was his interest in entrepreneurship that pushed him to create the organization in 2012 and his passion for the environment that led him to make Recycle for Change so green-minded. “It was critical for me to found an organization which will make a positive impact and real changes in our community and society,” he says. Recycle for Change is not only interested in environmental issues, however. The organization also hopes to create
social change in the Toronto area according to Shapenko, a Ryerson graduate. “The fees we collect from our services will be invested back into our community through donations made to established Canadian organizations such as SickKids Hospital, United Way, The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and animal welfare organizations. “The waste management industry is known for … being traditional, old fashioned, and for being led by for-profit, large corporations that are operating for the purpose of maximizing revenues. Our approach is different, as through our services we are offering a channel for institutions, corporations, and individuals to donate funds and make both environmental and social change.“ Elaine Zlotkowski is the chief editor at Recycle for Change, and curates articles and web content that the organization creates to educate the public on environmental issues. “I absolutely believe that Recycle for Change has the potential to make a difference in the community and environment,” says Zlotkowski. “[Our] programs will provide businesses and institutions with the educational tools that will help them to operate sustainably, and the environment will be far healthier for it. It’s really a win-win situation for the environment and the community.” For editor and author Tamkin Naghshbandi, the opportunity to connect to the public was a key factor that led her to join the organization. “Recycle for Change initially sparked my interest when I learned that there was an opportunity to write and research environmental reports for the purpose of educating the public. These articles are posted on the website for readers to enjoy and use for the purpose of learning more about … how human activity impacts the natural ecosystem.” The educational aspect of the organization is integral to achieving its mandate for environmental and social change. “We have two main goals: change the perception of the environment and change the community,” explains Recycle for Change business development analyst Yana Shepelyova. “That’s a new approach, innovative, and it’s going to shake the industry and give it new breath. We are not only about
performing high-quality services; we are also about educating people. Change starts in everyone’s mind.” Shapenko hopes the organization will be up and running in the near future. “Our goal is to offer educational services and fully operate by the end of [the] year,” says Shapenko. If all goes well for Shapenko, his organization will soon be creating the environmental and social change he has been working for. “By educating individuals about sustainability, recycling, and environmental issues, we can build a strong community, improve our’s and others’ lives, and live in a better world.”
Ilia Shapenko, founder of Recycle for Change. PHOTO COURTESY ILIA SHAPENKO
Science in brief Some animals sniff to smell, others sniff to assert dominance
Surprising method of survival observed in extremophilic algae
An international team of scientists has found that amplified greenhouse effects in the Arctic have resulted in northern seasons and vegetation looking more like those of the south. The nasa-funded study shows that loss of snow cover and sea ice increased Arctic temperatures, and that colder seasons are warming more quickly than the summer. This means decreased temperature and vegetation seasonality in the north — a greener Arctic. “As a result of the enhanced warming over a longer ground-thaw season, the total amount of heat available for plant growth in these northern latitudes is increasing,” says Dr. Compton Tucker, a senior scientist at nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. “This created, during the past 30 years, large patches of vigorously productive vegetation, totaling more than a third of the northern landscape — over nine million kilometers squared.” These effects may grow more extreme. Seventeen state-of-the-art climate models predict that by the end of the century, Arctic seasons may resemble areas 20° in latitude to the South when compared to the seasons recorded between 1951 and 1980. These changes could mean loss of food and timber for local communities in addition to global effects, as greenhouse gases are released from thawing permafrost. The implications could be far-reaching, says Dr. Scott Goetz, deputy director and senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center, USA. “Any significant alterations to temperature and vegetation seasonality are likely to impact life not only in the North but elsewhere in ways that we do not yet know.”
When dogs or other animals sniff each other, the obvious assumption is that they are trying to smell each other. But Dr. Daniel Wesson, a researcher at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, recently showed that the act of sniffing also serves as a form of communication meant to establish social hierarchies between rats. Wesson’s research, published in the latest issue of Current Biology, was inspired by the knowledge that rats formed social hierarchies, much like humans do. The aim of his research was to elucidate the mechanisms by which these hierarchies were enforced. Wesson’s team found that when one rat encountered another, the amount of sniffing exhibited by either rat depended on its relative standing on the social ladder. In other words, a rat of higher social standing would sniff the rat of lower standing at a greater frequency in order to communicate its dominance. Conversely, the subordinate would sniff less frequently to indicate its lower standing. Furthermore, Wesson and his team discovered that if this system was not respected, the dominant rat was more inclined to exhibit aggression towards the subordinate rat. This discovery is pivotal to explaining the various ways animals behave and provide social cues to each other, and may prove to be a useful model of human interaction. Hopefully, by studying this behaviour and how neurological disruptions alter a rat’s ability to conduct itself ‘appropriately,’ we can expand our own understanding of the relationship between the human brain and social behaviour. Research in this area could help identify specific neural centers responsible for modulating social behaviour and how complex social disorders arise when damage or improper regulation is sustained.
An extremophilic type of algae has the ability to survive in extreme environments such as the high temperatures of pristine hot springs or the toxic and corrosive environment of decrepit mine shafts. Recently, this algae has been discovered to use a genetic technique never before seen in eukaryotes. The red algae Galdieria sulphuraria uses horizontal gene transfer to adapt to extreme environments, by acquiring genes from other bacteria instead of simply depending on genes inherited from its ancestors. Although horizontal gene transfer is common in the evolution of bacteria, it was not expected to occur among organisms that contained nuclei since these organisms could rely on sexual reproduction to produce recombinant genomes in their offspring. Many characteristics of G. sulphuraria, such as the ability to withstand high temperatures, co-exist with heavy metals like arsenic and mercury, tolerate high salt concentrations, and accept a variety of food sources came about through genes it acquired from other bacteria or archaebacteria. The findings, which were determined by using comparative gene sequencing, were reported this month by a group of 18 international scientists in the journal Science. Gerald Schoenknecht, one of the study’s lead authors, thinks “the results give us new insights into evolution,” while co-author Martin Lercher added, “Why reinvent the wheel if you can copy it from your neighbour?” Although the question of how G. sulphuraria accomplishes this feat is still unanswered, the fact that it could integrate genes taken from an entirely different organism and develop qualities to improve its own survival opens the door to many exciting possibilities in genetic engineering and biotechnology.
—Noemie De Vuyst With files from ScienceDaily and Nature
—Roxanne Leung With files from ScienceDaily
—Sri Chaudhuri With files from ScienceDaily
Amplified greenhouse effect causes the north to appear more like the south