Welcome to the Environmental Club at San Jose State University! We have a pretty exciting semester this fall 2009. Our main project this semester is to organize Green-A-Palooza, a spectacular three-day event from November 17-19: Sustainable Food Day, the third annual  SJSU Recycles Day, and SJSU Bike to School Day, which is hosted by the Environmental  Resource Center.

We hope that this event will encourage students, faculty, and our community to look at the waste they generate and in turn we want to show them easy ways to reduce that impact.  Our focus for SJSU Recycles Day will be  compost and we will have an interesting interactive model for students to learn about the waste system.

So far we have already organized a fun camping trip to Big Basin Redwoods in mid-September, pictures coming soon! We also hope to organize other fun activities such as hikes and potlucks!

Since we adopted William Street Park on William St. and 17th, we will be doing monthly clean-ups and we may even get to plant trees and other native plants.  Not to mention–this October’s clean up will be followed by a bike ride–more information to come soon!

Come by and join us at Building BB, 2nd Floor Conference room on Thursdays at 5:30 pm, except on 10/15 (location TBA.) Building BB is situated on 9th and San Carlos, between CVC and the pool.

Join us and bring your ideas and friends!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the club feel free to drop us an email or stop by the meeting. If you can’t make it to the meetings, we post our minutes at our Yahoo group and send reminders via Facebook (Ec sjsu)

Julia Kamoroff and Yan Yin Choy

Co-Presidents of the Environmental Club at SJSU

Ec_sjsu@yahoo.com

Hey Everyone,

The Environmental Club has been meeting during the summer and doing some great brainstorming. During the upcoming Fall semester we will be hosting the third annual SJSU Recycles day, and expanding upon it to include two more days. The three days will be “Sustainable Food Day” Nov 17, “SJSU Recycles Day” Nov 18, and “SJSU Bike to School Day” Nov 19.

Tuesday November 17, 2009

Sustainable food day will look at the importance of nutritional, local and organic food.

Wednesday November 18, 2009

For SJSU Recycles Day the club hopes to focus on composting systems as an alternative to landfill generation. They hope to promote both small home systems and large school wide systems. As we hope to expand upon the message of SJSU recycles day to not only entail recycling as a means to reduce our landfill impact but also to include other waste reducing practices. Thursday November 19, 2009 Bike to school day will encourage students, staff and facutly to ride to school. Highlighting the environmental and health benifits to bike riding.

Meetings: The meeting time for Fall 2009 semester is still to be decided

Email: Ec_sjsu@yahoo.com for preference of days and times

Meetings are every Thursday at 5pm in the Student union Email or call for more information, until website is updated.

Thanks,

Julia Kamoroff

EC President @ SJSU

ec_sjsu@yahoo.com

707-354-1272

Dear SJSU Students, Staff, Faculty, and Administrators,

Millions of students, staff, faculty, and administrators in colleges and universities across the country are awakening to the environmental impacts that our institutions have on the world. With issues such as climate change, waste management, and our food system becoming increasingly important, it is vital that universities take a lead role in developing sustainable practices. With almost 30,000 students, SJSU has the opportunity to become a leader in sustainability in the Silicon Valley and California.

We stand at a critical point in time in the sustainability movement on college and university campuses. College campuses across the nation are linking teaching, research, and campus engagement to focus on sustainability. At SJSU energy for change abounds, but it lacks focus. We need to create a collaborative framework for implementing change on our campus.

Please join us for a Campus Sustainability Strategy Meeting on Sep 12, 2007, 5:30p to 7:00p. We will discuss the state of campus sustainability, current progress at SJSU, and where we should go from here. The meeting will have an interactive format, so be prepared to share your ideas and opinions.

What: Campus Sustainability Strategy Meeting
Where: Guadalupe Rm, Student Union
When: Sep 12, 2007, 5:30p to 7:00p

Sincerely,

Julia Kamoroff
VP, Environmental Club
info@sjsuenvclub.org
707.354.1272

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

We need help distributing the E-Waste flyer and getting the word out!  We need people to post these on campus, at your work, church, or anywhere that people will see it.

Here is the flyer: earthcare_sjsu.pdf

The E-Waste recycling drive is here!  The Event will be held Saturday April 28th, in the parking lot on the East side of Campus. 

Click here for a list of the items we will accept.  This event is open to the public, and all residents and businesses are welcome to participate. 

 Questions?  Email us at info@sjsuenvclub.org.  See you there!

Organic items are now available in the Market Café and the Dining Commons! As sales prove their popularity, the selection will be expanded. These items will be purchased from local farms as much as possible, adding even more environmental and social benefits to our community.

Because SJSU is a large food purchaser, we can make a difference by expanding the market for local and organic food. This means healthier food for us, fewer toxins in our environment, healthier farm workers, and less pollution from transportation.

Spread the word by announcing this to your classes and talking to your colleagues. And of course, please show your support by purchasing some organic food. Let’s make organic food a success at SJSU!

Thank you to James Whinery, Spartan Dining Assistant Director, and Jay Marshall, Executive Chef, for their amazing level of support for this project.

-Amie Frisch
Director, Environmental Resource Center

Spartan Daily, Issue date: 2/15/07, Section: News

Carla Mancebo

Media Credit: Stephania Bednar

Naturally fertilized, chemical-free fresh fruit products grown on socially responsible farms will soon take up positions alongside conventionally farmed apples at San Jose State University’s cafeteria, Environmental Resource Center Director Amie Frisch, revealed last week.

ALBA Organics, a non-profit distributorship, will begin supplying Market Cafe with organic produce; under the terms of a plan that will begin cautiously with fruits – and later expand to vegetables if market conditions prove favorable, said Market Cafe manager James Whinery.

Some SJSU students may be ready to spring for food without pesticides because they believe it is healthier.

“I would buy it, even if it costs more, because I feel organic is better for you,” said Ashley Goularte, a senior majoring in kinesiology. “You’re not putting unnecessary toxins in your body.”

“I don’t buy the apples and oranges now. I’m from the country, and I know that apples don’t shine like that,” said Michelle Celino, and senior majoring in English.

University officials initially expressed concerns over the higher cost of certified organic produce grown under more socially conscious farming conditions, according to Frisch.

“They were never against it, just worried it wouldn’t sell,” she said. “So we are creating a promotional campaign, and as soon as it’s done, the organic produce will be out in the Market Cafe.”

Frisch said, noting that could be just days away.

Frisch hopes to rely on Alba Organics, “which would give us food from small, local, sustainable farms.”

The Salinas, Calif. based Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association created the retail ALBA Organics to supply regional consumers. According to its Web site, its clients include the Housing and Dining Services at Stanford University and University of California, Santa Cruz.

Whinery feels the market laws of supply and demand will determine the success of the new menu offerings.

“The problem is organic small apples sitting next to cheaper, bigger, conventional apples that will sell better,” he said.

Last year, the cafe offered organic products for sale, but failed to promote the additions, Whinery says. Sales were poor and the initiative was abandoned.

ALBA Marketing coordinator Dina Izzo invoked social change language to characterize the expanded menu options.

“The victory came from the power of students organizing and using their voice,” she said.

With Alba’s distribution the price of a natural apple will cost about the same as the waxy ones currently available, Izzo said.

“I don’t think the prices are out of line,” Izzo said.

The Market Cafe will follow the market, according to Whinery.

“I’m a retailer. I’m going to sell what people buy,” he said.

::Spartan Daily

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