2010 Spring

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES INSTITUTE...

EnviroNews V O L U M E

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BUG Buzzing Throughout S.J. Community

By Annie Thomas BUG Program CoCoordinator

If you haven’t picked up your ESI T-Shirt yet, please stop by the ESI office and get one in your size for only $10!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Alumni News

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ESI Seminar Series

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USES Agenda

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Fall 2010 Course Offerings

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Internships & Job Opportunities

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Baja 2010 Photo Collage

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The new Bronco Urban Gardens program (BUG) has triggered an enthusiastic buzz amongst Santa Clara University students, staff and faculty. Although BUG is most commonly known around campus for the main half-acre educational and community garden (located at the corner of Sherman and Benton St.), "The Forge" is just one of numerous places and activities in which BUG is involved.

The BUG staff, comprised of 3 full time and 4 part time Americorps volun-

Gardner Beautification Day November 21, 2009

teers, has been busy creating community gardens and garden education pro-

grams in lowincome districts in San Jose, CA. In just the past three months, BUG has been able to work with a variety of different community members and organizations in the Washington, Gardner and Alma neighborhoods.

Some of these activities include providing a series of trainings for adults on a variety of topics related to small-scale sustainable agriculture, developing a curriculum and teaching garden and nutrition education weekly in 10 different See Bug, Page 5

Letter From the Director This is an exciting time at ESI. We are still growing rapidly with over 130 majors and minors. Our Bronco Urban Gardens program, Ulistac Wildzones and Sustainability Decathlon outreach programs are serving many diverse community mem-

bers and creating a buzz around ESI’s environmental justice work. The SCU community garden and its programs are blooming. On Friday, May 14 at 4:00 p.m. we will hold a blessing of the garden ceremony at The Forge which will hopefully be the start of an annual tradition.

We want to thank all of our campus and community

partners for supporting our programming, including the SCU Facilities Department, Ignatian Center, Food and Agribusiness Institute, the Michael Lee Environmental Foundation, the Kaiser Permanente Community Grants Foundation and Bank of America.

See Letter, Page 5

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Alumni News

“When climate changes your life, you stop studying alternative trade coffee and start asking how long a child with diarrhea can live without clean water.”.

When Climate Changes Your Life

By Beth Tellman Environmental Studies Alumni 09’ It is not supposed to rain in November. But on November 7-8, 2009 it rained in El Salvador as much as it rained during Hurricane Mitch in 1998. If you are a poor Salvadoran, rain that falls 14 inches deep in under 4 hours will change your life. Indeed, 194 died in landslides, 15,900 instantly became homeless, and one Fulbright project took a turn for the… interesting. When climate changes your life, you stop studying alternative trade coffee and start asking how long a child with diarrhea can live without clean water. Fortunately I never found out, thanks to Santa Clara Alums like Sam Baker, Brian Belcher, Austin Woody, Emory Lynch, Megan Raimondi, Katy Erker, Betsy Purner, Bianca McNeil, Jen Latimer, Allie Dunne, Pat Flajole, Ashton Easterday (and others) who were in the country during Tropical Storm Ida and physically hiked life-saving water into communities and

helped raise $10,000 in two weeks (thanks to our webENVIRONEWS

site, www.friendsofsantamaria.b logspot.com). Over 200 donors and 70 volunteers later, we raised enough money to begin reconstructing lives. I'm starting an NGO with 7 other Salvadorans called The CEIBA Collective (Construyendo Espacios Integrales para el Bienestar Ambiental/ Constructing Integral Spaces for Environmental Well-being).

After tending to 30 communities and 20,000 people with food and water emergencies and connecting those in dire need to the big guys (Red Cross, UN WFP, who came WEEKS after the disaster), we continued work in 3 communities to reconstruct crops with organic agriculture, rebuild emotional lives through art and trauma therapy, and organize communities to prevent disaster and fight corruption. Email me, I will send you the newsletters for more info (friendsofsantamaria@gmai l.com), or come on our delegation Aug. 5-15 to learn about disaster reconstruction (email Casa Alum/ Future Fulbrighter Jenna

Knapp jknapp1@nd.edu for details) As for my Fulbright? I'm trying to turn emotional observation into academic inquiry. Why do poor people die when it rains? Why was “too much aid” distributed in the disaster epicenter and none distributed to the margins? What is integrated disaster relief? The academic jargon for what I am quantitatively doing is a vulnerability and capacity assessment, which I will present at the UN Summer Academy on Social Vulnerability, Environmental Migration, and Climate Change in Germany this July. I hope it serves as a base for future CEIBA Collective projects, and I will be in El Salvador for the next two years fundraising for disaster prevention instead of disaster relief via community resilience and adaptation to CURRENT climate conditions. I was always a better activist than an academic anyways ;).

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FRIDAYS AT NOON APRIL 9: “The 2007 wildfire in Henry W. Coe State Park—what’s out there now and how did it get there?”

Dr. Winslow Briggs- Department of Plant Biology, Stanford University

APRIL 23: "Growing Community: The Bronco Urban Gardens (BUG) Program" Annie Thomas, Marsha Habib, and James Santiago Hanold (BUG Program Co-Coordinators)

MAY 14: “Culture of Sustainability at Santa Clara University: Quantitative Measure and Future Implications” Liza Dadiomov- Environmental Studies Student & Environmental Ethics Fellow, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Location: **Casa Italiana Commons**

MAY 21: “For Lions it Matters What the Tsavo Man-Eaters Ate, and Why” Dr. Nathan Dominy- Department of Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz Co-Sponsored by the Anthropology Department, SCU

Seminars are 12:00-1:00 p.m. in Kennedy Commons unless noted otherwise.

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation, please call 551-7086 at least 48 hours before the event date.

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Undergraduate Science & Engineering Symposium (USES) 4 – 8:30 pm, 13 – 14 May 2010, Kennedy Commons, Santa Clara University The goal of this symposium is to promote research science at SCU through three strategies: 1) Encourage and recognize student research by providing a venue for formal presentation 2) Actively engage new majors in research opportunities & ongoing projects by their peers 3) Increase interaction between students and research scientists in a casual setting We hope all attendees will join us for the panel discussion on Friday and at least one full session. Sessions will close with a research panel where all presenters will answer questions and discuss the research experience.

Below are summaries of Session topics and the Closing Panel Discussion. Please see our website for a more detailed agenda and abstracts: http://www.scu.edu/cas/environmentalstudies/research/uses/

Thursday, 13 May 2010 Session I: ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES I

4:15 – 6:20pm

This session opens with a talk on the ecology of an endangered Santa Clara County plant species. Following is a series of talks on research conducted at La Suerte Field Station, Costa Rica on the interactions of plants, animals, and fungi in rainforest ecosystems and the evolutionary role of primate foraging strategies and play behavior.

Session II: ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES II

6:30 – 8:20pm

This session concludes the presentation of research conducted at La Suerte Field Station, Costa Rica with talks on primary school environmental education and the impact of pesticide use at multinational fruit plantations.

This session also includes two talks applying GIS, one addressing climate variability at a local natural reserve and the other investigating educational gardens at Santa Clara County elementary schools. In addition, two presentations show how small-scale datasets can be used to address climate change and sustainability.

Friday, 14 May 2010 Session III: ALL THINGS NANO

4:15 – 5:35pm

This session is focused on research done on making and manipulating systems in the sub-micron range. This field combines multiple disciplines, including engineering, chemistry, physics and biology under the common umbrella of nanotechnology. The session includes talks from the Department of Chemistry and from the School of engineering.

Session V: SOCIOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

5:45 – 7:05pm

This session includes three presentations on achieving individual goals in recent high school graduates and current college students. The final presentation applies an ecological/cultural framework in addressing migrant worker health and healthcare.

Panel Discussion: Graduate School or the Real World (Not MTV)?

7:15 – 8:00pm

In this panel we discuss what happens after graduation… How will you apply your undergraduate experience in your postgraduate career? How do you plot a course toward your academic and professional goals? What if you don’t have any specific goals? This panel will be helpful to all undergraduate students regardless of their post graduation plans.

NY PIZZA & Awards Ceremony

8:00 – 8:30pm

This symposium was supported by The Santa Clara University Provost’s Office & The Undergraduate Research Initiative, John Wiley & Sons Inc., The Environmental Studies Institute & Trefethen Family Vineyards

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BUG Buzzing Throughout S.J. Community Cont’d Now that spring is here, the pollinators are buzzing and plants are growing fast. BUG needs a strong group of students, staff and community members willing and committed to being a part of a movement to increase food security, sustainability and environmental literacy in our community! There are many ways to get involved: come help during our volunteer hours at The Forge garden on Wednesdays Over spring break, BUG weland Saturdays (changed from Suncomed the help of two SCU imSCU Immersion Trip at Gardner Academy days) from 2-5 p.m., volunteer mersion trips at two of BUG’s through Arrupe at one of our garden major hubs. The Central Valley education classes, or attend one of the Immersion trip got their hands dirty on by Santa Clara University’s Spring series of workshops provided by BUG. their first day of break, working along- Break Urban Plunge group who passionately helped turn compost piles at For more information visit our website: side Gardner Academy parents, stuhttps://sites.google.com/site/ Gardner Academy and double dug dents, teachers and administrators, beds at the Alma Youth Center’s new broncourbangardens/ clearing cover crop and digging beds garden. for the elementary school’s new garden. Later that week, BUG was joined classes, grades K-5, at Rocketship Mateo Sheedy and Gardner Elementary; creating a youth garden program that works with at-risk students at Washington Elementary twice a week during lunch time; and working at Alma Youth Center to start a garden and engage youth in garden and nutrition activities.

Letter From the Director Cont’d With all of this support, ESI is changing the world, one reduced carbon footprint at a time!

We have hired a new faculty member, Christopher Bacon, who will start next fall.

Chris has a PhD in Environmental Studies and is currently a Ciriacy-Wantrup Scholar at U.C. Berkeley.

Chris has worked in Fair Trade Coffee systems in Central America for some-

time. He was the lead author on the co -edited book, “Confronting the Coffee Crisis: Fair Trade, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Ecosystems in Mexico and Central America.” He is now working on community food security issues. Chris is also one of the co-founders of CAN, the Community Agro-Ecology Network.

CAN is an international network connecting farmers, consumers, stu-

dents, and educators to create an alternative globalization where people, healthy food systems, and environments come first. CAN offers internships that several of our students have obtained, including Beth Tellman, who traveled to El Salvador to conduct participatory action research with the organization. Chris also plans on starting a new environmental justice research program in California.

Upcoming Fall 2010 Course Offerings ENVS 1A: Critical Thinking & Writing I (Topic: Analyzing Green Rhetoric) ENVS 21: Introduction to Environmental Science ENVS 11A: Cultures & Ideas I (Topic: Nature & Imagination) ENVS 98: Outdoor Leadership Expedition ENVIRONEWS

ENVS 110: Statistics for Environmental Science L & L ENVS 115: GIS in Environmental Science L & L ENVS 131: Environmental Education ENVS 145: Environmental Technology ENVS 146: Agriculture, Environment & Development in Latin America ENVS 198: Environmental Proseminar

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SUMMER CAMPAIGN JOBS FOR GRASSROOTS Position: Field Manager Job Description: -Activate communities by managing and leading out teams of canvassers to specific neighborhoods in an effort to involve new people.

-Maximize your impact by motivating and training tons of new people who start to work in your office.

-Build up support for the campaign by also personally raising thousands of dollars and identifying new members.

Pay: Field Managers work five days a week. Pay $350-$550/ week, depending on location.

Position: Canvass Staff Job Description: Provide progressive organizations with necessary resources by personally raising thousands of dollars.

-Build sustainable organizations by identifying hundreds of new grassroots donors and volunteers.

-Educate the public on critical issues facing our country by traveling to various communities to talk to every day citizens.

Pay: Canvassers work five days a week. Pay $300-$500/ week, depending on location.

TO APPLY: Call

877-355-4562 or go to http://www.grassrootscampaigns.com/summerapp.php

City of San Jose: Environmental Services Qualifications: Students in accredited colleges and universities may also qualify for paid Student Intern opportunities. These selections are made on an as-needed basis, and duties change frequently as the requirements of the department may dictate. At this time, student employment opportunities with Environmental Services Department are very limited due to the current budget climate.

To Apply: Submit a letter of interest describing specific background to: Student Intern Opportunities Attn: Sarah Sanchez Environmental Services 200 East Santa Clara Street, 10th Floor San JosĂŠ, CA 95113-1905

Marketing Development Internship with Dionex Job Description: Will create a series of market-related posters based on our line of consumables. They will be required to research our current consumable offerings, understand our primary markets and become knowledgeable in each market's general workflow. The research will culminate in the generation of a template and a series of poster layouts, each targeted to a specific market. As part of the project, they will need to identify required resources, interview internal and external knowledge experts, plan, organize and execute the project and produce a mid-project and final status report.

Qualifications:

- Must be a college undergraduate (entering their junior/senior year) - Must have a Designated University Professor who will supervise the intern project - Must be able to commit to a 14-16 week intern program, which includes attending an Intern Orientation, participating in a Mid and Final Project Presentation to Dionex Management (5-7 minute each), as well as being a part of the "intern community,� weekly opportunities to interact with other interns in the Dionex Intern Experience.

- Provide an evaluation of the Intern Pilot Program To Apply: Go to http://www1.recruitingcenter.net/clients/Dionex/

Silicon Valley Local Government Internships Job Description: A local government career gives you the opportunity to use your education and leadership skills to make a difference in your own back yard. FORTY cities, counties, special districts and transit authorities throughout the silicon valley are looking for future leaders in fields such as: Law, Information Technology, Engineering, Human Resources Administration, Urban Planning, Finance, Project Management, Sustainability (water quality, green house gas reduction, recycling, etc.

Qualifications: College Undergraduate To Apply: Contact Khashyar.Alaee@CityofPaloAlto.org

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Spring Break in Baja 2010

Environmental Studies Institute 874 Lafayette St. Santa Clara, CA 95050 www.scu.edu/envs Phone: (408) 551-7086 Fax: (408) 554-2312 E-mail: esi@scu.edu

...dedicated to understanding the interactions between humans and the natural world

Solar Panel Installations on SCU Buildings

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