Class of 2010 Ends Orientation with a Coastline Cleanup

The Dalhousie Law School class of 2010 entered the doors of the Weldon Law Building on Tuesday, September 4th ready for excitement and new adventures. With options of activities like sea kayaking, casino night, a brewery tour, a lobster boil, and nightly introductions to the bars of Halifax, students were not disappointed.

Although the incoming class proved their ability to have fun, they also demonstrated that they are a group that gives back to the community and the environment. On Sunday, September 9th, more than two dozen students gathered at Point Pleasant Park for a sunny shoreline walk and garbage cleanup. Students combed the coastline removing five pounds of garbage and recyclable materials from approximately 125 metres of shoreline. Waste picked up included food wrappings, bottle caps, cigarettes and many other pieces of plastic and Styrofoam. The information on what was collected will be provided to the Vancouver Aquarium and the Ocean Conservancy as part of a national and international survey done every year to see what washes up on our shores.

The Coastline Cleanup was organized by the Environmental Law Students’ Society (ELSS), which seeks to raise awareness of environmental issues within the law school. Lori Rogers, co-chair of the ELSS was pleased that everyone who attended was genuinely interested in the cleanup and concerned with the amount of garbage found on the walk. “It is vital that we are aware of what we flush down the toilets and dump into the trash as it does not go away but seems to simply end up back on the beaches,” says Rogers.

The next ELSS event is a hike on Saturday, September 29th. For more information on the Coastline Cleanup or the upcoming hike, contact the ELSS at elss@dal.ca .