Published by the University of Department of Geography & Program in Planning and 2001 The Association of Geography Alumni (UTAGA) Circulation: 4,650 Our time in Nam Introducing… By Zoe Meletis, M.Sc.Pl. candidate As a second year planning student, I Last summer three students from the am currently writing my Current Issues GeoTrips Department of Geography & Program in paper, under the supervision of Professor By Kyle Knoeck, M.Sc.Pl. 9T7 Planning, Angela Palladino, M.A. Katharine Rankin. It is a paper that will Forget the lectures. Forget the readings. candidate, James Gray-Donald, M.A. go to a local client, Toronto-based Gems of Forget the charming anecdotes told by your 0T0, and I were given the opportunity to Hope, a Non-Governmental Organization eccentric professor. The best part of take part in the WASTE ECON Project—a involved in the WASTE ECON project. In studying either geography or planning at five year collaborative programme Vietnam I conducted literature surveys, the University of Toronto was always the administered by the University of Toronto participated in interviews and attended field trip. under the direction of Professor Virginia meetings in Hanoi and Hai Phong. I had This spring, UTAGA hosts two Maclaren, and funded by the Canadian the opportunity to speak with sixteen waste GeoTrips – day trips for geographers and International Development Agency pickers and learn about the difficult yet planners in the spirit of the geography class (CIDA). The fascinating lives field trip. The trips are a chance to explore project’s main they lead, the geography of Toronto and Southern goal is to increase providing an , enjoy the outdoors, and spend a knowledge invisible yet very bit of time with other alumni and faculty. sharing between valuable service to On Saturday, April 21, Professor Canada, Vietnam, Hanoi’s residents. Tony Davis will lead a trip to explore the Cambodia and When the three of physical geography of the Niagara Laos with regards us were travelling Escarpment. Tony will first take the group to solid waste through Hoi An to Lion’s Park, north of Oakville, to check management. near the end of our out Sixteen Mile Creek and the late When we stay, I also had Ordovician Queenston Formation. From arrived in many “Margaret there, the group will head further down the Vietnam, we all Mead”road to Mount Nemo, near Milton, to begin experienced our experiences, a 4 kilometer hike up and along the own versions of stopping my bike escarpment. (A note from Tony—you need culture shock. on several good walking shoes or hiking boots for this Everything from occasions, to be trip!) The trip promises to be interesting crossing the street, Zoe Meletis visits a waste purchasing household invited into the and invigorating. Transportation is to using the in Hoi An, Vietnam. Summer 2000. homes of waste provided. washrooms to processors and to For those alumni who prefer to explore arranging meetings was a new experience. chat with them about their livelihoods. the city, on Saturday, May 12, Professor I was researching micro-credit possibilities Angela was conducting research for Gunter Gad will pound the pavement of for waste pickers, Jamie was conducting her M.A. thesis, under Professor the old garment district and Chinatown, environmental education research and Maclaren’s supervision. She had the leading his tour, “The Changing Faces of Angela was looking into industrial waste challenging task of interviewing Spadina.” Gunter will lead the group to management. After having adjusted to and representatives from local factories and discover the gritty details of this legendary, embraced our surroundings, we learned a companies and also had the rare continued on page 16 tremendous amount from our research opportunity to go inside local plants, to projects but ultimately gained fr