Student projects to improve Environment facilities

The Environment Coffee Shop will be getting a facelift and cycling to campus will get easier, thanks to $100,000 in funding from the Waterloo Environment Students Endowment Fund.

The ballots for WESEF’s $100,000 in Change competition have been counted, and the winner was a proposal to renovate the coffee shop. The Environment Students’ Society (ESS)-run hangout is therefore getting the full amount it asked for, namely $58,050.

The coffee shop will get new counters, cabinets, fridges, display areas, storage, and lighting. An expansion of the food-serving area will allow for a greater selection of products and an expansion of the catering program, said coffee shop manager Erin Roberts.

As with everything the coffee shop does, the renovation will be environmentally friendly, using sustainable materials and energy-efficient appliances.

“It’s a space that students love and have loved for so long,” said Nick Philip, who is helping spearhead the renovation as vice-president internal of ESS. “It’s all about giving back to them at the end of the day.”

Receiving the second-most votes was a cycling and drinking water proposal by a group of graduate students. That idea got the remainder of the available funds – $41,950, close to the full amount the group had asked for.

The project will see more bike racks installed, including sheltered ones. There will also be self-service bike repair stations with air pumps and tools.

In addition, two water fountains in EV1 and EV2 will be retrofitted with a new design that filters water and allows bottles to be easily filled, which should save on disposable bottles.

The seeds for the $100,000 in Change competition were sown about two years ago, when it was discovered that an accounting error meant WESEF had more to spend than had been assumed, said financial officer Kirstie Slaney, the staff representative on the WESEF board.

WESEF decided on the one-time competition to give students a way to have a major impact on the faculty.

“We wanted to change the faculty somehow,” said Ryan Voisin, chair of the WESEF board.

An open house was held in January in the EV1 courtyard, showcasing the proposals. A vote was then held on paper and online.