An Inconvenient TruthScreening
On January 30th, 2007, CSUSB Green Campus Program in a joint effort with Students for International Knowledge, Green Earth Club, Adult Re-Entry Center, and Cross-Cultural Center held a showing of An Incontinent Truth. Nearly two hundred people showed up to the Santos Manuel Student Union to learn about environmental issues like global warming.
An Inconvenient Truth alerted the attendees to the alarming rate at which CO2 emissions are rising and stated that the emissions are higher today than they have been in the past 6,000 years. What significantly contributes to the increase of greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. CO2) is burning fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas) to satisfy our growing energy needs. As Al Gore suggests, we can cut down our emissions by turning to energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy sources.
CSUSB's two-hundred-strong film screening attendance is illustrative of a phenomenon that's sweeping the nation. Students are becoming more and more active in advancing environmental causes. More than 400 college campuses and over 30 leading youth organizations have united in a project called the Campus Climate Challenge to strive for 100% clean energy polices in schools. CSUSB Green Campus Program interns are proud to be a part of this effort and would like to encourage all CSUSB students to participate by being energy conscious. Many CSUSB students feel that even if their efforts alone can't stop global warming, they still have to answer to their conscience. They know they are affecting the environment, and would like to reduce that impact.
CSUSB Celebrates Earth Day 2007
In honor of Earth Day, CSUSB Green Campus Program and Green Earth Club co-hosted a campus-wide event on Tuesday, April 17th. The two groups set up tables outside of the Student Union and attracted a huge crowd with free pizza, popcorn and soda and creative displays of environmental information. Signs informing the CSUSB community that "enough sunlight falls on the earth's surface each minute to meet world energy demand for an entire year" and other environmental and energy trivia, lined the walkways surrounding the event and drew pedestrians to the event location.
Students had a chance to learn about energy conservation and efficiency at the Green C
ampus table by picking up fliers, talking to Green Campus interns and watching the light display demos. Green Earth Club, for its part, promoted the efforts to save the rainforest and the Environmental Expo, a CSUSB-hosted San Bernardino community event that was going to take place a few days later.
One remarkable achievement Green Campus and Green Earth Club reached through working together was obtaining 500 reusable mugs to give away to the students during this event. These mugs made of recycled materials featured the groups' respective logos and the slogan they chose, "Everything is connected."
The mugs also promoted recycling and Coyote Cafe, where students can purchase soda refills at a cheaper price with these mugs. We hope that this effort will significantly cut down the waste generated by disposable cup sales on campus.
Other event attractions included a recycling-promoting video put together by CSUSB media students, the humorous approach of which made the visitors' sides hurt.
During the event, Green Campus Program managed to give away 240 CFLs, which amounts to about 9,590.4 kWh and $1,342 in savings, assuming that these light bulbs will replace incandescent ones and would be used at least 4 hours a day over a period of an academic year. CSUSB Celebrates Earth Day certainly helped save energy and spread environmental and energy awareness and informed the students that they can make a difference.
Environmental Expo
To continue celebrating Earth Day 2007, CSUSB Green Campus Program interns took part in the annual Environmental Expo, an event focused on educating the San Bernardino community about ways to preserve and protect the environment.
Ashley O'Neill and Oksana Harris brought energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) to give away, fliers with information
about this technology and the campus light display built by Facilities Services Electricians in 2005, which is continually updated. The light display features various CFLs for outside and inside lighting, reflector flood lights, recessed can lighting, ballasts, and even includes such new technological developments as the dimmable CFL and the T5 lamp.
About 400 people visited the Green Campus table during Expo, which overall drew more than 10,000 people from areas all around Cal State, San Bernardino. The visitors received free CFLs and watched the interns compare them to regular (incandescent) bulbs on the light display. Over 350 CFLs found a new home during this event. If these CFLs replace regular incandescent light bulbs and are used for four hours a day over the course of 270 days, they will produce an energy savings of 14,225.76 kWh or about $1,992.
Spreading Energy Awareness in Loma Linda
CSUSB Green Campus Program was invited to participate in the Earth Day Program hosted by the Loma Linda Veteran Affairs HealthCare System in the Loma Linda Hospital on April 19th, 2007. The interns brought the light display to talk about different Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and handed out flie
rs with information about energy production, energy saving tips, phantom loads, and the benefits of energy efficient appliances. Visitors also received free CFLs; recycled-currency rulers; pens, magnets and envelope openers made of recycled plastic; and recycled-content post-its and manila folders.
Other exhibitors informed event attendees about organic food, traditional herbal medicine, proper trash disposal, recycling, land preservation and other environmentally-friendly behaviors. Green Campus gave out about 150 CFLs, which would result in savings of 5,994 kWh and $839, assuming the light bulbs will replace incandescent ones and will be used for 4 hours a day over the course of 270 days. Our participating in this event put not only Green Campus' name on the map, but also let people know that the CSUSB and wider community cares about the environment and supports conservation of energy and energy efficiency.
Third Annual Welcome Week Celebration
As summer comes to a close and plans for Fall quarter fall into place,
in collaboration with Housing and Residential Life, the CSUSB Green Campus team kicked off the last week of freedom before classes start with fun, food, and games during Welcome Week. This week of events is designed to welcome all incoming residents, teach them about positive community, cultural diversity, and to educate them about the different departments and organizations on campus. On Monday, September 17th the Green Campus Program taught students about their organization and how to live .green.. At the event, Green Campus interns provided students with free pizza, drinks, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and an action-packed game of Energy Trivia.
While students enjoyed their pizza, the interns educated residents about recycling and why those squiggly bulbs
(CFLs) are important through the Energy Trivia game. During the game, students learned oodles of fun facts about energy efficiency/conservation and sustainable behaviors, and earned prizes for answering questions correctly. After the game, students signed a pledge to save energy by replacing their incandescent bulbs with energy efficient CFLs. About 50 to 70 students were in attendance, 48 of which signed pledges and took home CFLS. (Quantitative savings generated from the bulbs can be found on page 4) The Green Campus Program w ould like to thank Housing for inviting them out to Welcome Week for the third year in a row, and also thank all the Resident Assistants that volunteered!
An Informative Day in Sunny San Diego
On September 12, 2007, the CSUSB Green Campus Program (GCP) visited the San Diego Energy Resource Center (SDERC) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) in sunny San Diego, Californi
a where they learned ways to make housing and building construction more energy efficient. At the Green Materials and Systems Seminar, they learned about green roofing, post consumer insulation, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, and other interesting ways to make any building or house more energy efficient. Below are a few highlights from the training:
- Green Roofing is the practice of laying down fertilized soil on your roof rather than the average tile. By watering the fertilizer and adding some seeds, you can watch it grow. Green roofs have been proven to help with water drainage, sound insulation, warming and cooling costs, etc.
- Post-consumer is a product which has served its intended use, and is now used as a component in a new product. For example, building insulation can be made from denim.
- LEED certification can be completed when a building meets certain environmental prerequisites. After their knowledge-filled meeting at SDERC, GCP interns headed down to SDG&E where two representatives from Siemens explained the HVAC process. There they learned that a simple flick of a switch or a small drop in temperature is controlled by many small sensors and valves. At the end of the HVAC training all interns were tested on their new HVAC knowledge in an intense game of Jeopardy!
