The Queen's Journal, Issue 15

Page 1

How can student votes be best used in Monday’s municipal election? See editorials page 8

Queen’s

University

the journal since

1873

F ri d ay, O ctober 2 2 , 2 0 1 0

Seeing stars

Making the SWITCH to solar energy Local non-profit spent the past summer surveying Kingston homes for their suitability for solar panel installation By Caroline Garrod Contributor

photo by christine blais

Stars reach out to fans at Wednesday night’s concert, for more photos see page 10.

Questioning climate change claims

November debate between professors will call into question common-held beliefs about climate change By Rachel Kuper Managing Editor Climate change may be a scientific reality for many, but on Nov. 8 leading scientists and policy makers will debate what is actually happening to our environment and what Canada should do about it. A professor in the Queen’s Faculty of Law, Bruce Pardy said he’s still a bit uncertain as to whether humans are causing

INDEX

Volume 138, Issue 15 www.queensjournal.ca News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

A&E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Green Supplement . . . 15

Editorials . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Op-Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Postscript . . . . . . . . . . 28

the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and whether it poses a problem to the environment. “I don’t have a stance, I read the science and I think that it is fair to say that there is a debate and it’s a fascinating debate,” he said. “The concentration of greenhouses gasses has gone up. What I don’t know is whether that concentration is causing an effect. For the kinds of questions I pursue the outcome of that scientific debate doesn’t matter.” On Nov. 8, Pardy will be squaring off against Matthew Bramley, the director of climate change at the Pembina Institute, as to whether “Canada should embark immediately on a program of deep reductions in its own emissions.” Bramley will be arguing yes, but Pardy will arguing no. The debate, which will be put

on by the Queen’s Environmental Law Association, will feature four debaters. Two will go back and forth on a scientific question and when they are done, Bramley and Pardy will face-off on the policy question. Afterwards, there will be time provided for an audience question and answer period. Pardy said one thing he’s sure of is that while the science backing climate change is done in a rational manner, this is not always true of the policy decisions. “Sometimes when we turn to the policy question for some reason it becomes emotional, irrational, moralistic, symbolic,” he said. “Instead [we need to] say what kind of action is required to solve the problem.” He said people often become very charged about climate change

Solar panel energy is a rapidly exploding field in the world of energy sources, and Queen’s and Kingston are both taking a leading role. This past summer, local nonprofit organization SWITCH was dedicated to helping out with the cause. SWITCH employees travelled around Kingston surveying homes for their suitability for solar panel installation. If homes were suitable, homeowners were informed about how to install photovoltaics (PV) or solar hot water systems. Their goal is to help 1,000 Kingston homes become solar powered by 2011. According to the SWITCH website, a total of 76 installations have been made so far. SWITCH representative Tyson Champagne said more solar power in the City will ensure a greater

percentage of power used will be coming from clean energy sources. “It will also help to position Kingston as a leading centre for sustainable energy and attract ‘green collar jobs’ to the area,” he said. Luckily, Kingstonians don’t seem to be shying away from solar energy. “Three quarters of the people [SWITCH] spoke with were interested in learning more about a solar installation,” he said, adding that the door-to-door campaign provided practical information on how rooftop solar panels work. Champagne said the completion of the 1,000 Solar Rooftops Challenge could have large implications for Kingston. “It would make Kingston unique among cities of its size,” he said, adding that he hopes it would inspire other cities to follow suit. “SWITCH Kingston has made its 1,000 Solar Rooftops resources available to renewable energy Please see Solar on page 20

LGBT mentorship High school mentorship program in the works by Social Issues Commission

By Kallan Lyons Contributor

The Social Issues Commission (SIC) and Education on Queer Issues Project (EQuIP) are creating a mentorship program to provide students in high school with access to a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. On Sept. 22, 18-year-old Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi committed suicide. His roommate had streamed a video online of Clementi having sex with another male. The death sparked debate in North America about homophobic discrimination on college campuses. Please see Policy on page 18 On Oct. 6 Kate Pritchard, chair

of EQuIP, stood in front of a group of around sixty people who had gathered to commemorate the loss of young lives attributed to homophobic bullying. Pritchard said candlelight vigils were held on the same day in Toronto and Montréal not only to remember, but to also raise awareness that this type of oppression exists. “It is unacceptable whether it’s at schools, on campus, anywhere,” Pritchard, ArtSci ’12, said, adding that she hopes the vigil, while honouring those who had taken their own lives, also had the purpose of encouraging people to take action. “I want it to lead to planning, Please see This on page 6


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