��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ hosts special SACPA session on fracking

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:10:24 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will host a special session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs Thursday night, 7 p.m. in PE264.

Should a Moratorium and a Full Scale Environmental Assessment Precede Any Further Development Using Hydraulic Fracturing? That is the question that guest speaker Jessica Ernst will debate.

Ernst is an environmental scientist with 30 years of oil patch experience. Her career and personal experience make her uniquely qualified to talk about drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Ernst must haul water from outside sources because her well has been poisoned by unnatural and dangerous concentrations of methane gas and other industrial toxins.

She filed legal action against EnCana (a large oil and gas company), the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) which approves energy projects in Alberta and the Alberta Government for their responsibility. In May, 2011 Ernst was invited to New York to present her case and to make recommendations to governments at the United Nations 19th Commission on Sustainable Development. On October 1, 2011, UNANIMA International, a UN Economic and Social Council NGO, presented Ernst with its annual "Woman of Courage" award in New York, at the Church Center of United Nations.

Much of the general public know little or nothing about hydraulic fracturing (fracking), an increasingly popular, but controversial technique of drilling for oil and natural gas. Fracking involves vertical and sometimes horizontal drilling into coal bed, or shale rock using extreme pressure for the fracture treatments. Anywhere from 200,000 to 1500,000 liters of water and various stimulation and fracturing fluids, and from 75,000 to 320,000 pounds of propellant are consumed during a typical hydraulic fracture of a single well.

Fracturing fluids can contain chemicals toxic to humans and wildlife, chemicals that are known to cause cancer. These include diesel fuel, which contains benzene, which in very small quantities can cause cancer and are capable of contaminating millions of gallons of water. Drilling chemicals can be more toxic than fracturing chemicals. The speaker will relate her experiences with fracking in her community of Rosebud, Alberta and her fight to bring the many issues associated with drilling and fracking to the public.

Alumnus sees giving as a responsibility

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 May 2011 17:48:34 +0000

Fundraising is not a taboo topic for JJ Machalski (BMgt '09).

As a student, he and his fellow ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Model United Nations members collectively raised nearly $40,000 over the course of three years in order to attend several Model UN conferences in Ottawa and New York City. This fundraising allowed all students in the club, regardless of financial situation, the opportunity to expand their learning. Now an alumnus, Machalski finds himself on the other side of fundraising.

Alumnus JJ Machalski, with his fiancé Christa Klapko, also a U of L alum, sees the value of giving back to future generations of students.

This spring, Machalski received a call from a student at the U of L Call Centre. When asked if he would like to support the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Machalski was happy to do so – knowing that with his help, current students could overcome financial barriers and gain unique learning opportunities just as he and his fellow Model UN members did.

"Money should never be a barrier to education," he emphasizes. "The more we can help those who can't afford to get an education, the better."

A 2009 graduate, Machalski earned a degree in accounting at the U of L. Leading a busy student life, he was president of the Model UN club for two years and acting president for a third, as well as Students' Union Management Representative and Director for two years. Machalski enjoyed the close-knit community at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"I enjoyed the relationships I was able to develop with students, faculty, and staff," he says. "The accessibility to professors was amazing. I was never a number at the U of L."

Although he now lives in Calgary working as an accountant at Encana, Machalski continues to be an engaged member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. He regularly attends alumni events in Calgary and occasionally returns to campus.

"Last year I attended convocation," he says. "Walking around the school gave me goosebumps, seeing the blue and gold flags and everyone in their gowns. I'm very proud to be an alumnus of the U of L."

Giving to the U of L is another way Machalski stays connected to his alma mater. Machalski supports the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ out of both gratitude and responsibility.

"I feel that it's my duty to give back to the institution that has given me so much," he says. "I think it's the responsibility of all alumni to support the U of L in order to enable current students to have the same experience they had – and maybe even better."

Machalski is proud to support the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and hopes that others will join him.

"I encourage other alumni to do what they can to support this wonderful institution," he says. "The U of L has a great reputation. Let's work to give it an even better one."

UNews - EnCana

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ hosts special SACPA session on fracking

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ hosts special SACPA session on fracking