Happy Earth Day

San Francisco State hosted many events today to celebrate Earth Day.  Check it out:


2010 is the 40th anniversary of the original Earth Day, one of the most defining moments in the history of the environmental movement. Originally conceived as an environmental teach-in, it still highlights the need for education on global environmental issues, promotes action for change, and encourages celebration of our amazing and beautiful home planet earth.

This year ECO Students worked in collaboration with various campus groups to run a range of activities throughout the day:

:: Bike to School Day::
Take positive steps to reduce the CO2 level in the atmosphere and break our dependence on fossil fuels by cycling to school! There will be free valet bike parking on the quad  between 7am and 5pm, food and drink provided to all bikers and a raffle for the chance to win bicycle gear.

::On campus and NGO tabling::
We have invited numerous sustainability oriented groups from on campus and in the San Francisco community, including Recycology, Rainforest Action Network, Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals, Unicef, PEACH, and Friends of the Greenhouse. These organizations raise awareness about a variety of issues ranging from compost education to earth friendly sexual-health products.

:: Global Food Fair ::
Run in co-operation with the International Education Exchange Council, the food fair is a chance to experience flavors from around the planet and share in the diversity of our global food cultures, as well as learn about how the food we eat affects the earth's ecosystems.

:: Stuff-Swap ::
We all end up with stuff we don't use, don't need, or don't want any more, so this is a great opportunity to trade in the old for the new, and swap it all for something a bit different. Whether its a book, a boot, a bag or a blender, if there is life left in it, give someone else the chance to make the most of it.

:: Recycling Crafts ::
Using the "worthless" discards of our society, from packaging to old products, come and spend some time turning trash into treasure. You can make anything, but you will find may ECOs making instruments to form the basis of our drum circle at 2:30.

:: Greenhouse Plant Sale ::
Friends of the Greenhouse will be selling plants through the day, encouraging people to welcome nature into their lives and cultivate a healthier environment.

:: Compost Cowgirls ::
If you have trouble figuring out where to put what trash, and want to learn more about how San Francisco is striving for Zero Waste by 2020, these responsible rangers will set you on the right track!

The Cesar Chavez Student Center hosted its first Sustainability Workshop in the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center, led by an intern named Kendal Chavez.  The workshop was first of many to come in the future.  In the Fall semester, look for monthly workshops that will highlight sustainability themes such as E-Waste, Environmental Justice, Factory Farming, etc.

Every day is Earth Day, so do your part to be ecologically conscious in every way you can!

Ecohaus

If you haven't heard yet, ecohaus http://www.ecohaus.com/community/sanfrancisco/default.htmljust opened their doors in San Francisco.  They are located at 9th and Bryant and are an environmentally conscious builiding supply store selling no VOC's paint and finishes, insulation made from recycled blue jeans, very unique recycled wood and paper products and many more items.    The sales staff (John Hamilton, for one) are knowledgable and helpful and very excited about the products they sell.  Please check out the store and get the word out that we do have alternatives to HomeDepot and new choices for toxic free products for our home and office!

Romberg Tiburon Center Public Program Series

Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
College of Science and Engineering, SF State

RTC Public Program Series
Spring* 2010
*

* The Climate Links to Pentagon: Notes on Sweden's Role in the History of
Climate Change Science and Politics from World War II to Copenhagen
and Beyond*
by Sverker Sörlin, Professor of Environmental History in the Division of
History of Science and Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm and an adjunct faculty member of the Stockholm Resilience Centre,
a research institute hosted by Stockholm University

Thursday, April 15
10:30 - 11:30 am
San Francisco Bay Room, Bay Conference Center

Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
3152 Paradise Drive, Tiburon CA 94920

This program is open to the RTC community and the public. Please join us!

Special Thanks to our Co-Presenters!
Environmental Studies Program, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, SF
State
The Consulate General of Sweden, San Francisco
The Belvedere-Tiburon Library

Clean Waters Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering

People need water to live, and shockingly, can die within three days from a lack of access to clean drinking water.  In the United States, water purity is maintained and protected through the Clean Water Act (CWA), which regulates the amount of toxins and pollutants that can be put into the water either by individuals or parties of people, such as corporations.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.),

The objective of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act (CWA), is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters by preventing point and nonpoint pollution sources, providing assistance to publicly owned treatment works for the improvement of wastewater treatment, and maintaining the integrity of wetlands. (“Clean Water Act” 1).

When coming across a New York Times article, “Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost of Suffering” my heart started to beat faster out of fear of what I had discovered. The state of drinking water in some parts of the United States could be likened to less developed countries, simply from a lack of regulation on the Environmental Protection Agencies part, and that of law breaking individuals and parties who disregard the harmful affects their pollution has on drinking water.

According to the New York Times article, published on September 12, 2009, “40 percent of the nation’s community water systems violated the Safe Drinking Water Act at least once.”  (Duhigg 2). Violations range from allowing carcinogens into drinking water to a lack of maintaining proper paperwork, therefore, leaving out pertinent information that could severely harm someone’s health.   According to E.P.A. data, 23 million people have drank water out of municipal systems that have violated health standards.  Cancer, birth defects, and neurological disorders have been linked to contaminants found in drinking water that can accumulate over many years.  (Duhigg 2). In addition to E.P.A. findings, The Times found that the CWA has been “violated more than 506,000 times since 2004, by more than 23,000 companies and other facilities.”   (Duhigg 2). State officials have perpetually held a blind eye to illegal dumping, and the E.P.A., which can prosecute polluters when states fail to act, has not followed through.

Since we need water for survival and we drink water every day, the standards of our municipal systems are of utmost importance to our health and longevity.  We need protection from harmful contaminants that can weaken our bodies.  The E.P.A. needs to step up its implementation and supervision of the CWA, while cracking down on polluters.  Due to the immense disregard for human health on the part of polluters, and the lack of clean water available in the U.S., I felt this article was extremely interesting, important, and alarming at the same time.

 Works Cited 

Duhigg, Charles.  Clean Waters Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering.  The New

      York Times, 12 Sept. 2009.  Web.  2 Feb. 2010.

The Environmental Protection Agency.  Clean Water Act.  The Environmental

      Protection Agency, 18 Nov. 2009.  Web. 2 Feb. 2010.