1980
In January, South Africa came under scrutiny in a day of events, speakers and a concert all sponsored by WPIRG. South African musician Tony Bird gave a concert to complete the events, focused on divesting from Canadian banks which lend to South Africa. Popular education reached new heights as WPIRG started off the fall with a full slate of Brown Bag Seminars, on the theme of “Science and Society”. Hosted a “Women and Environments” conference on women in their workplace and home living environments. Acid Rain: The Silent Crisis, the first Canadian book to cover the subject of acid precipitation, was released by WPIRG. Another WPIRG project, Case Studies in Underdevelopment was published and began distribution throughout schools and universities.
1981
WPIRG began editing and updating the Bank Study manuscript, which had previously originated with OPIRG and the Corporate Research Centre, with the intent of publishing it. WPIRG with CUSO and Global Community Centre co-sponsored Ten Days for World Development events. In summer, research and interviews began for a booklet on hazards in the rubber industry. In conjunction with the Good News seminars, a radio show was established in the Fall by two WPIRG board members, called Positive Perspectives, covering good news and hopeful changes in the community. Research into toxic wastes continued as the newly formed citizens' coalition met with government and Ontario Waste Management officials to work on problem areas. One of the proposed sites in South Cayuga ws shelved, another victory to be recorded and described in the publication being prepared by WPIRG.
1982
The Forum on the Social impacts of Computerisation took place in January with over 500 speakers and participants from across Canada; as the forum was one of the first to cover the topic, WPIRG gained considerable publicity in the press and on campus. In the Fall, A Rubber Workers’ Guide to Occupational Health was published by WPIRG, the result of over two years of staff and student work. WPIRG hosted an environment conference on campus, “The Canadian Environment: Toward an Integrated Approach”. WPIRG organized a conference on Waste Management; transcripts from a citizens’ forum became Appendix 1 of the Ministry of the Environment's Blueprint for Waste Management. Chemical Nightmare: the Unnecessary Legacy of Toxic Wastes, by prominent environmentalist John Jackson and WPIRG’s Phil Weller, was published.
1983
Student summer researchers compiled a booklet and slide-tape show for workers on solvent hazards. WPIRG sponsored a talk by Paul McKay on his book Electric Empire: The Inside Story of Ontario Hydro, the new OPIRG publication. In September, WPIRG was approached by the Ministry of the Environment to help organize a follow-up conference to an earlier one on waste management. Citizens were once again invited to critique the recently released Blueprint for Waste Management. WPIRG helped students organize a social justice work group, focused on popular education and an environment work group focused on research.
1984
WPIRG organized a popular theatre event called “Under the Gun” which examined the ties between development and militarism and another called “Life on the Line” which focused on unemployment to cap off a popular education work series on work related issues. Social justice work group began its second year of operation. WPIRG began working with the OPIRG network on a research project on pharmaceuticals. A radio show working group was started to produce shows on environmental topics for airing on CKMS. WPIRG released The Student Tenants Guide and organized a panel discussion on local housing issues.
1985
WPIRG hosted a three day conference on themes surrounding Community Economic Development; the Group worked towards publishing the proceedings of the conference. The booklet A Workers Guide To Solvent Hazards was released by WPIRG and was immediately popular among industrial unions and safety groups. A new education work group on ecology issues was formed. WPIRG brought Ralph Nader to campus once again in September. He spoke on "The Active and Concerned Citizen" to an audience of several hundred. The Citizens Network on Waste Management was formed following a conference on municipal waste management. "Side Effects," a play on women and the pharmaceutical industry was brought to K-W by WPIRG. This popular theatre event tied into WPIRG’s research project on pharmaceuticals and led to the formation of a Women's Health Interaction chapter which organized a well attended educational series on women and drugs at the Kitchener Public Library.
1986
Yusaf Saloojie, the A.N.C. spokesperson in Canada, for a well attended event on apartheid. WPIRG hired students to conduct waste management research, conduct popular education, organise the resource centre and promote WPIRG events. WPIRG began publishing The K-W Community Calendar of Social Justice & Environmental Events. WPIRG hosted the OPIRG fall Congress in Waterloo. The tabloid format publication entitled A Workers Guide To Plant Closures by WPIRG was released to coincide with the conference on Jobs and the Environment in Hamilton which brought both labour and environmental people together. A student was hired to work on the resource centre, community calendar, and the Imprint column.
1987
"Terrorism, False Distinctions", a lecture by Gwynne Dyer, sold out the Humanities Theatre. Waste Management Master Plans: What you should Know was published and began to be distributed in the community. WPIRG distributed reusable coffee mugs and also launched a new logo, a graphic of a bonsai tree. Lillian Allen Band gave a performance of dub poetry, a political form of rap set to reggae. "The Secret Wars of the CIA," a lecture by John Stockwell, a former CIA agent, discussed CIA covert actions. "Good Girls, Bad Girls", a social justice work group event, discussed issues between feminists and sex trade workers.
1988
WPIRG worked to update A Rubber Worker's Guide to Occupational Health and Worker's Guide to Solvent Hazards. The "Excess packaging: Strategies for Waste Reduction" conference brought together Canadian and US representatives from citizen's groups, government and industry. The proceedings were published three months later. Five waste management fact sheets, on fine paper recycling, composting, household toxic wastes, excess packaging, and plastic bags, were produced in cooperation with OPIRG. WPIRG formally rejoined the OPIRG network. WPIRG undertook negotiations with plant operations to implement a full-scale campus recycling program. Between October and November WPIRG carried out a survey of all municipal candidates in K-W and Cambridge on 5 areas of waste management to allow citizens to incorporate effective options in their choice of candidates.
1989
In response to numerous requests for talks and displays, WPIRG staff and volunteers spoke at high schools and public schools in the Waterloo area on topics including recycling, forestry and how to be environmentally active. The Waste Management work group circulated a petition on getting the administration to institute on-campus recycling; 1300 signatures were obtained. WPIRG participated in the City of Waterloo Citizen's Recycling Advisory Committee, and was successful in getting blue boxes put in schools and churches. That group later became Waterloo Recycling on Campus (WATROC) which pressured the administration and worked to promote and facilitate campus recycling. In June, the United Nations Environment Program awarded OPIRG the Global 500 Award for success “in the front line of global environmental action.” In September, WPIRG was appointed to a national task force on packaging to help develop a national packaging protocol by February 1990. In November, WPIRG received a waste management award from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.