Aimee Caligiore
PCA 312A
Research Report 1
12 Feb. 2013.
Minimizing Trash on the Golf Course and Avenue of the Elms
I. Community
a. The communities I am targeting are the St. Lawrence University Golf Course members, visiting players, and St. Lawrence students.
b. Golf course members are comprised of Canton residents as well as residents of neighboring towns.
c. Visitors who come to play golf are mainly from Canada, but there is no limitation as to where they come from (Frank Mittiga).
d. Golf club members consist of all ages and are both male and female.
e. Students live on campus and are subject to being in contact with garbage on the avenue of the elms, and the golf course.
f. Being that Canton is in a secluded area, the golf course is a main source of entertainment and gathering for local people.
g. The golf course reflects the culture of a small town in the members caring about it and feeling connected to it.
h. Because this is a small community, there are numerous occasions where conflict arises when a member’s request does not get fulfilled.
i. Golf club members have high respect for the golf course staff.
j. St. Lawrence students enjoy utilizing the golf course because of its close proximity to campus, although they often times do not pay when they are instructed to do so (Mary Lawrence).
k. It is a means of students enjoying the outdoors and appreciating all their campus has to offer as well as interacting with Canton community members.
l. Students find the avenue of the elms a serene place to exercise and enjoy the outdoors.
II. Issue
a. The issues I am dealing with are the amount of trash on the golf course and ease of recycling, as well as, minimizing trash on the avenue of the elms in the winter.
b. Because the golf course and the avenue are major parts of Canton and the SLU community, this problem is seen every day to residents and prospective students.
c. The problem resides in not respecting the land we see every day and have grown to love.
d. We are also not recognizing how we are contributing to climate change, which contradicts St. Lawrence’s mission to be sustainable and environmentally friendly.
III. Causes
a. As previously mentioned, the issue lies in the level of respect given to this land. Not recognizing the need for change in having a cleaner environment is a large proponent in this situation continuing.
b. We also need to implement on-campus recycling and waste management to the golf course.
c. The only recycling containers are in the pro-shop, which is why I think there is a large littering problem on the golf course and avenue of the elms.
d. According to the St. Lawrence University Sustainability website, the golf course does not strictly follow sustainability protocol like we do on campus.
e. Because not everyone is educated in environmental studies, members might not realize the damage they do when littering.
f. This will only perpetuate the problem and let it continue until someone raises attention to it.
g. In terms of the avenue of the elms, trash exists simply because there are no trash cans in that area, and therefore people are more likely to litter instead of carrying their garbage.
IV. Harms
a. The population of the Canton village is 6,314 and the Canton town population is 10,995 (2010 Census).
b. While I do not know the number of members at the golf course yet, the statistics give an indication at the possibility of how many members St. Lawrence University’s Golf Course could have, and therefore waste potential.
c. Undergraduate students are mostly from the United States, but 6.7% are international students (“International Student Statistics”).
d. St. Lawrence currently has 2,361 undergraduate students, with 31% being involved in intercollegiate athletics. This does not include students who belong to athletic clubs (“About St. Lawrence University”).
e. With our campus growing over the next five years by 40 students per year, this increases the amount of waste and potential for litter on campus (Strategic Map).
f. Our campus is comprised of students who enjoy being outdoors and active, which increases the potential for more littering as well as students to be in contact with it while outdoors.
g. Both students and golf course members are affected by this excess in trash due to their time spent on the golf course or the avenue.
V. Significance
a. While cleaning up campus is not our first priority for those who live here now, it greatly affects those who come to visit.
b. For a campus that prides itself in being sustainable and environmentally friendly, the amount of trash present in this area does not live up to their claims for the rest of campus.
c. If the problem is not recognized now it will only continue, and possibly become worse.
d. While the grounds crew does recycle items from the on-course trashcans, it is more difficult for them to separate materials due to it being in one place (Mary Lawrence).
e. Having it separated before it is collected would be easier for the staff to sort.
f. Right now, my coach takes it upon herself to pick up trash left behind by golfers, which should not be her job (Mary Lawrence). No one should have to take time out of their day to pick up other people’s garbage.
g. Staff members might lose incentive to do their best to sort materials if they have to go through large amounts of trash like they do now (Craig Siddon).
VI. Advantages
a. If members recognize how they can better the environment by keeping their trash in a garbage can as well as recycling, they will develop a greater appreciation for the land.
b. Because I want the cans to have a sign signifying this as a student driven change, it could strengthen the connection between students and community members.
c. There will be a significant change on the avenue of the elms in terms of the amount of trash seen on the ground in that area.
d. This will be more pleasing to the eye and a healthier environment for students and community members who visit that area.
e. Members could feel more connected to the golf course by helping to keep it clean and more sustainable.
f. Students will also benefit from seeing a student driven project to keep their campus cleaner, and maybe become motivated to make their own change on campus.
VII. Urgency
a. I think there is no time like the present to make this change because our campus is embarking on having a cleaner and more sustainable campus.
b. Why not resonate those philosophies onto every part of campus?
c. In our society as a whole, we are moving toward taking action against climate change, so why not exhaust all our resources in making a difference?
d. Making this change will bring St. Lawrence’s philosophies to another area of campus.
e. This issue is not urgent, but it has to be addressed, especially with our changing climate.
f. This issue would be a priority, if we were to take into consideration how quickly the environment is changing.
VIII. Barriers
a. Those who are likely to resist change are St. Lawrence faculty, golfers, and students.
b. The faculty could be opposed to bringing out more garbage cans because that creates more work for them.
c. I have emailed the Grounds Manager, Marcus Sherburne, and have not received a response. This could be linked to the apprehension toward creating more work for the staff.
d. Some golfers might resist changing their habits by not seeing the significance of this issue.
e. They also might reject a student trying to make a change on the golf course.
f. Because I see students littering on campus and the habit has been created, I think there will never be a litter-free campus.
g. Along with golfers, students might not be open to properly disposing their trash.
h. Since not all students are completely aware of the state of our environment, they may not see how their actions could make a difference in the big picture.
i. Maintenance staff may not see the problem as a priority and therefore may not be willing to help me with this project.
j. If the golf course staff is content with their system of sorting materials as is, then I will have to reconfigure my project.
k. Having more bins on the golf course is another responsibility for the grounds crew as well.
l. If the course staff is unable or unwilling to take on a few more containers to unload, I will have to find another way to solve this problem.
Work Cited
"About St. Lawrence University." St. Lawrence University. St. Lawrence University, Web. <
"Green Guide." Green Pages: St. Lawrence University. St. Lawrence University,Web. <
Lawrence, Mary. Personal Interview. 30 Jan. 2013.
Mittiga, Frank. Personal interview. Sept. 2012.
Siddon, Craig. Personal Interview. 30 Jan. 2013.
"Student Diversity." St. Lawrence University. St. Lawrence University, Web. <
"The St. Lawrence Promise: Strategic Map." St. Lawrence University: Strategic Map. St. Lawrence University, Web.
"Total Population, Housing Units, Land Area, and Population Density New York State Local Areas, 2010 Census: Public Law 94-171 Data." Town and Village of Canton. Web. < lawrence.ny.us/data/files/about/Census%202010/2010%20PL94- 171%20Data%20Table%201%20-%20SLC.pdf>.
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