Newsletter: Help the Homeless//E-Waste Awareness//Petition against pesticide and more!

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May 25, 2010, 4:48:26 PM5/25/10
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Happy 9th Week everyone!
Spring quarter is close to its end and as we reach the end of the year and graduation for many of our friends, we'd like to thank you all for your support of the SSC and your company at our events and projects throughout the year. Stay updated with us in the next two weeks on our Facebook fan page. And come visit us at the Sustainability Resource Center in PC Plaza (next to PC Theatre) where you can check out our library, drop off e-waste, and (this week) drop off items for San Diego's homeless  collected by the College Democrats.
Additionally, congratulations to our new directors and assistant directors! We're looking forward to continuing the momentum with them next year and starting some new initiatives. Look out for internship opportunities in the fall. You can check out the latest on the SSC at http://studentsustainability.ucsd.edu/ !

IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
1. Help the Homeless with College Democrats  Tues. 25- Thurs. 27 May // Library Walk
2. PBS Documentary on Haiti Earthquake and Aftermath - Thurs. 27 May, 8pm // Muir Quad 
3. Student Worker Collective - weekly rounds
4. Crisis and Hope: Professor Hamid Dabashi on the Iranian Green Movement - Fri. 28 May, 7pm // Center 115
5. Where Does Your E-Waste Go? Tues. 1 June // Library Walk 
6. Methyl Iodide Used on Strawberries and Tomatoes - a message from our Food Director
7. Sustainable Food Project
8. Engineers Without Borders
9. Neighborhood Community Garden
10. Looking for a summer internship? Voces y Manos Summer 2010
11. Recycling at the Cross for
 
AB540 students
12. The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) Update
13. A Message from the Food Co-Op
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1. Help the Homeless with College Democrats
Come out to Library Walk next week and support the College Dems as they raise money and donations for homeless in San Diego!
We are going to be sleeping out there Tuesday and Wednesday nights (25th/26th) and spending Tuesday through Thursday collecting donations all day. On Saturday (29th) we will be using the money we've collected to buy food and make lunches to distribute to the homeless in downtown San Diego. We would love for you to come out and join us at any time!
>> You can drop off items in the Sustainability Resource Center this week, such as:
--food (canned and perishables such as loaves of bread, packaged delicatessen, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, small bags of chips, cookies) 
--clothing (socks especially) 
--toiletries (toothbrushes and toothpaste in particular). 

>> If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact Meena at mvis...@ucsd.edu. See you all out there!


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2. PBS Documentary on Haiti Quake and Aftermath

Come out this Thursday night at 8pm to Muir quad (in front of Tioga and Tenaya Halls) to watch "The Quake", a 1 hour PBS Frontline documentary on the earthquake in Haiti, detailing both the aftermath of the quake as well as the historical context that caused such a natural disaster to be particularly devastating. The film will be shown on a projector outside on the grass in solidarity with the over 1 million Haitians that are still outside as a result of the quake, so come and go as you please! 

Here's a link to the site with an in depth description of the documentary as well as the full-length film in case you can't make it or you would like to preview it ahead of time:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/haiti/view/ Sponsored by Haiti Emergence Action Team (HEAT)

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3. 

Student Worker Collective
As students, our tuition and other fees continue to rise annually. Even with this increase in fees, the workers still experience low wages and terrible conditions as working people. Where does both the money that we as students pay, and the money that the workers deserve go? In response to the workers struggle for better wages and conditions, organizers from Kamalayan Kollective and M.E.C.h.A formed the Student Worker Collective.

>>SWC rounds are every Monday @ 12pm (meet at the Cross Cultural Center) and Wednesdays @ 9am (meet in front of Rubios).
>>SWC Meetings: Tuesdays at 5pm in the Cross Cultural Center

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4. Crisis and Hope: Professor Hamid Dabashi on the Iranian Green Movement 

Friday, 28 May 7pm- 10pm in Center Hall Room #115

Students for Civil Rights in Iran at UC San Diego will host one of the world's renown iconoclastic academics in the world Professor Hamid Dabashi the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York, the oldest and most prestigious Chair in his field. He will give a talk on the occasion of the eve of the 1 year anniversary of the bloody post-election and birth of an unprecedented non-violent civil rights movement in the Middle East, the Iranian Green Movement.
 

>> Any Questions call (650) 400-3183 or email ucsd...@gmail.com
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5. Where Does Your E-Waste Go?

Awareness Event: June 1st - 10am-3pm - Library Walk 
Film Screening: June 1st - 7pm - SRC

When was the last time you threw away a cell phone, batteries or a computer?  Electronic Waste (e-waste) doesn't just go to a landfill, it has to be carefully disposed of.  Yet many places in the world simply ship their e-waste to other countries where it is burned in rural villages, destroying the landscape and poisoning the air for thousands of people who live and work in these conditions.  

Learn more about world wide e-waste disposal, and what you should do with your electronics.  Come see us on Library Walk, or come to the Film Screening to learn and discuss what we can do to stop improper e-waste disposal.

>> For more information visit: http://ssc.clickrally.com/ssc-catagories/energy-and-waste/
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6. Methyl Iodide used on Strawberries and Tomatoes
Jared Muscat, the Food Director, has a message:
Hello everyone, I hope all is well as we enter into 9th week and the end of our school year.  However, I also want to take this opportunity to alert you of the possible use of methyl iodide on strawberries and tomatoes.  There have been many prominent voices speaking against its approval, including several Nobel Prize winners and the head of a special committee appointed by the California Domestic Pesticide Regulations. The leader went so far as to say, “adequate control of human exposure would be difficult, if not impossible” (Examiner).

I am one for organics no matter how harsh the pesticide, however this chemical raises alarms well beyond my normal concerns due to its clear danger to the food, but more so to the workers who handle it and the communities surrounding its users.  The approval is not yet final, it is pending upon final comments from the public lasting until June 29, when a decision will be made.  Here at UCSD we boast a large community and one who can make a loud voice when necessary.  Unless we want workers and our stomachs to be poisoned by methyl iodide 

we must stand up and speak our voice.

Along with our friends The Sustainable Food Project I am preparing a student petition against the act that includes asking our school’s food providers to abstain from purchasing and selling produce touched by the harmful chemical.

Look for us this coming week on Library Walk, asking you to learn about your farmer and help protect workers, farmers, the earth, and your stomach.

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7. The Sustainable Food Project
Things have been rolling right along since groundbreaking down at the farm! There's plenty of beans sprouting all around, as well as dikon radishes, clover as groundcover, and even a little corn. There's plenty of critters roaming around the canyon, so we'll hope for the best on our high value crops like the peppers, squash, and tomatoes we have planted. Getting some trees established at the farm is also in the mix, and we'll be making a trip down to City Farmer's organic nursery in City Heights for that purpose (http://www.cityfarmersnursery.com/). 

Thanks to a generous donation by the Engineering Club, we've received upwards of 150 straw bales which makes for great mulch and building material. It was quite an event transporting them the afternoon of the Sungod Festival, so thanks to all who turned out to help! Also, stay tuned for plans on building our toolshed out of straw and clay... It's going to be a big, productive summer at the farm so be sure and come down Thursdays to lend a hand and be a part of the project!

As always, Volunteer Day this Thursday from 9:30 am till 2:00 pm at The Pepper Canyon Farm, be certain to bring close toed shoes, some gloves, a hat and water bottle! 

For more information check out The Sustainable Food Project website.
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8. Engineers Without Borders
Interested in working on a water system in Oaxaca, Mexico that will provide potable water for the Oaxacan communities? Get involved with Engineers without Borders in UCSD! Join our project group and make a difference in the world. Summer opportunities available! All majors are encouraged and welcomed. Contact ewb....@gmail.com for more information!
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9. Neighborhood Community Garden
Looking to dig?  Well rent a plot with The Neighborhood Community Garden behind the Che Cafe or simply arrive on Sundays at 10:00 am for volunteer time.  Plots are leased for 6 months following the major seasons of San Diego.  Season One goes from the beginning of Spring Quarter to the day before Fall Quarter starts.  Season Two goes from the beginning of Fall Quarter to the end of Winter Break.  Plots are $30 for students and $40 for non-students so hurry up and grow your own food!  For more information check out the Neighborhood Community Garden website.
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10.
 Looking for a summer internship? Voces y Manos Summer 2010
Summer 2010 will be our third summer living and working in Rabinal, Guatemala, and each year, the summer program becomes more meaningful for volunteers and our Guatemalan partners. Voces y Manos is unlike the majority of other summer volunteer programs—our objective is not to make volunteers feel better about themselves through charity work, but rather to change the world. We start from the premise that we live in a broken world in which billions of people are denied the human right to health, and we seek to address global injustices in health by working in partnership with schools, families, and other community organizations in Rabinal, Guatemala. The work of summer participants is meaningful, not rote or pre-determined. While we are guided by a vision and strategic plans, it is the creativity and commitment of every team member that will determine the process and outcome of the summer’s work. If you are looking to sightsee or relax in Guatemala, we recommend looking for another program. If you are looking to grow, to learn, to fully immerse yourself in the Maya-Achí culture and to engage in the struggle for health for all, this is the program for you. As an organization with no paid staff, the “sweat-equity” of our volunteers makes VyM function. This year, we are introducing an internship program to complement our volunteer program. Although volunteers and interns will engage in essentially the same work during the summer months, interns will commit to a full year of part-time service that will include writing grants, program evaluations, and assisting with fundraising efforts. Interns will be full participants in VyM’s leadership, helping to shape the organization’s future direction. This summer, we are recruiting 4 interns and 4 volunteers.

If you are interested in participating in Voces y Manos this summers, please contact Michael Bakal or Jessica Nicholas. 
(michae...@gmail.com email.j....@gmail.com)
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11.
 
Recycling Drive at the Cross for AB540 Students

AB540 students do not qualify for any form of financial aid; they pay into the system but receive nothing back. Help them stay in school! 
 
Recycling drive for AB-540 students @ the Cross Cultural Center - deposit your bottles and cans anytime!

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12. The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) Update
The Green Initiative Fund would like to make an addition to last newsletter's information about the TGIF Grants. ThinkGreen! by Tau Beta Pi was not included. The final allocations are:
TITLE OF PROJECT
GRANT
ThinkGreen!
$342.89
Roosevelt Institute
$400.00
Co-op house
$586.21
IDEA
$690.00
USGBC LEED
$1,000.00
Urban Farm
$2,600.00
Car Sharing Program
$3,750.00
Native Plant Garden
$6,069.59
Water Meter
$6,785.00
NCG
$7,756.80
Earl's Garden
$14,152.00
Total Allocation
$44,132.49

Total money allocated all year
$71,630.94
Roll over to Funding Cycle I FALL 10
$8,435.29

>> For more information about The Green Initiative Fund and funding restrictions, check out the page on our website: http://ssc.clickrally.com/green-fund/

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12. Food Co-Op
Looking for healthy, delicious, environmentally loving vegan and vegetarian options?  Try the Food Co-op in the Old Student Center across from Groundworks Bookstore (also a good place to check out).  The shop is packed with tasty food, delicious refreshments, and awesome people!  So, if you are hungry between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on a weekday stop in and grab a bite!

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Thank you for your continued interest and support!

-The Student Sustainability Collective 
at the Sustainability Resource Center
University of California, San Diego
ssc...@gmail.com
studentsustainability.ucsd.edu
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