To: Erika Paterson
From: Lucy Li
Date: February 15, 2022
Subject: Proposal to Place a Clothing Donation Bin at the UBC Bus Loop
Audience description:
The target audience for this report is the AMS Council, AMS’s highest decision-making body. The AMS Council is made up of representatives who are also UBC students, supporting and advocating for students.
Introduction:
Every season, many individuals would purchase new clothing to add to their closet, and at the same time, many pieces of well-kept garments would be disposed of and end up in landfills. These well-kept clothing could have been donated to people in need and used for raising funds for programs, charities, and the food bank. With over 50,000 students attending UBC, it is essential to decrease the amount of clothing going into landfills and increase positive impacts on the environment and the community.
Statement of the problem:
First, many students in UBC do not know about clothing recycling, which causes them to dispose of their clothing in garbage bins. Secondly, many students living on and off-campus have limited access to clothing donation bins even if they know of the donation bin’s existence. Finally, considering the long commute time and the location of the nearest donation bins, it discourages the student from travelling to a specific location to donate clothes, which results in disposing of them at the nearest garbage bin.
Proposed Solution:
A possible solution to the problem is placing a clothing donation bin at the UBC bus loop. The donation box at this location would provide students with easy access to donate their clothes. In addition, with the number of students in UBC taking the bus daily to and from school, it acts as the most convenient place to drop off unwanted clothing for donations. Student can pack their clothing, commute to school, and drop off the package on their way to class. In addition to placing the clothing donation bin, AMS can post this on their social media to increase the students’ and staff’s awareness of the clothing donation bin and encourage them to be more environmentally friendly.
Scope:
To access the feasibility of placing a clothing donation bin at the bus loop, I plan on pursuing the following:
1.) What do students do with their unwanted clothing?
2.) What locations in UBC collect clothing or accept clothing donations?
3.) What are the costs and safety measures of the donation bins?
4.) How to maintain the organization and collection of clothing from the bins?
5.) How do students feel about using clothing donation bins?
Methods:
My primary sources would be UBC, including resident advisors and the ASM team. I will also search for areas on campus that accept clothing donations. In addition, I plan on surveying to see what students do with their clothing and whether they would make use of the clothing donation bin.
Secondary sources will be from consulting online resources related to clothing banks and clothing bins.
My Qualifications:
As a student, I have firsthand experience visiting university bus loops over 150 times within eight months for the past six years. In addition, I have experienced a lack of convenient access to clothing donation bins. Furthermore, I have a strong background in writing reports and completing projects for academic settings and work.
Conclusion:
The addition of the clothing donation bin would positively increase UBC and the student’s impact on the environment and community. By addressing the five questions above, I can estimate whether installing a clothing donation bin at the UBC bus loop is reasonable. I look forward to hearing from you, so I can begin the research for this project.
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