Day-Long Event Promotes Sustainability

Methods, opportunities publicized to create green campusSophie MattsonTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 24, 2013Ranging from electric car producer Tesla to student groups such as Into the Wild, 15 companies and organizations celebrated the 11th annual nationwide event, Campus Sustainability Day. The university community purchased sustainable goods and learned about different ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle at this year’s vendor fair.The Center for Sustainability hosted the fair from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Alameda Mall on Wednesday. “We are all about promoting reuse and recyclability but we also want to educate the community about social issues like social equity and economic issues, not just the environment,” said Cara Uy, the sustainability coordinator for the Center for Sustainability. Our City Forest, a nonprofit forestry organization based in San Jose, Calif., tabled at the fair in order to seek out volunteers to plant, water and care for trees that they sell to Silicon Valley residents at lower-than-market prices. In addition, Recover Your Thoughts, a company that produces recycled journals, sold its products.Freshman Zachary Hernandez, who attended the fair, said that he was impressed Tesla put one of its cars on display, and he enjoyed how the various organizations explained how students could get involved with them.According to Uy, she was most excited about having the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition at the fair for the first time, since it appeals to a community of students who mainly use longboards, skateboards or bicycles to commute.“With bicycling, it is not just about avoiding the carbon emissions that you get with vehicles, but it is alternative transportation, a form of exercise and it can be social,” said Uy. “I was excited that they were here to promote bicycle riding and to also draw students who are interested in cycling.”Santa Clara has celebrated Campus Sustainability Day since 2006.In addition to the vendor fair, the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign screened the documentary “Tapped,” which is about the negative effects that water bottle production has on both human and environmental health. Professor Yahia Mahamdi also screened “Cease and Desist,” a movie about struggling family farms in Northern California. Uy said that although the center wanted to emphasize the environmental impact and social injustices surrounding the production of apparel and accessories, the center was unable to bring local thrift stores to table on campus.“I want to bring organizations and business onto campus that students may not perceive as sustainable and offer people different perspectives that allow them to realize that sustainability is interconnected with other aspects of their lives,” Uy said. Contact Sophie Mattson at smattson@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.