Newsleaf 4/26

Hey Earth Lovers!

We hope you're surviving life post-Earth Week! Thanks so much to everyone who helped volunteer or participated in Earth Week!

We need one more person to step up for the E1 Co-Prez position! We have loved being your Co-Presidents this past semester and hope you will continue to pass down our love for the environment. Shoot us an email at USCenvironment1st@gmail.com by Wednesday with a short paragraph about yourself if you're interested!

The USC Center for Sustainable Cities is hosting a Cities and Climate Change Conference on Thursday, April 30th from 9AM-5PM at the USC Davidson Conference Center. Sounds like an amazing opportunity to explore how we can build better cities and how the green economy can relieve the pressure on the disadvantaged. Registration required. For more info, go to: http://www.usc.edu/sustainablecities/iccc.html.

Check out SC for H.O.N.V.O. (Healthy, Organic, Nutritious, Vegan Options) @ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=85247604248. They are in support of bringing healthier food options to USC. Even if you aren't a vegan, help show USC how important it is for the students to get organic foods in our dining halls and on campus restaurants. More info below.

Melody&Jacob

Also below, see the details on this week's screening of Garbage Dreams at the Newport Beach Film Festival. See the flyer attached for more information.


Amy Aronson, SC for H.O.N.V.O.

Hello all,

My name is Amy Aronson and I am working with fellow student Justin Feldman on the SC for H.O.N.V.O. (Healthy, Organic, Nutritious, Vegan Options) Campaign. Our goal is to show Trojan Hospitality that there is a demand for more vegetarian and vegan options on campus, and that although vegetarianism may not be the majority for USC students, it is the responsibility of Trojan Hospitality to provide accessibility to healthy eating choices for all students. We are currently working on a letter-writing campaign to Trojan Hospitality to get their attention and show them that there is a demand for healthy/vegetarian/vegan options on campus. We would greatly appreciate your support and solidarity, which you can show by writing an email to Trojan Hospitality. Attached is a template for a letter requesting more vegan options on campus. You can follow this template exactly, but it may be more effective to customize the letter to your liking.

Please email this letter to Hilary Cooper (hcooper@auxiliaries.usc.edu), Patrice Barber (pbarber@usc.edu), Jeffrey Miller (millerj@usc.edu), and Scott Shuttleworth (shuttlew@usc.edu). It would also be great if you could CC me (amyearonson@gmail.com) and Justin Feldman (jifeldma@usc.edu).

On a very important side note, Justin and I had an unfortunate incident at EVK today. We discovered that a tamale that was clearly marked as VEGAN was actually full of chicken. It is clear that Trojan Hospitality and the dining halls on campus do not take dietary restrictions, lifestyles, and food allergies seriously. If you agree that this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE, please let Trojan Hospitality know!

Thank you for your time and Happy Earth Day!

Sincerely,

Amy Aronson

GARBAGE DREAMS

"Filmed over four years, GARBAGE DREAMS follows three teenage boys - born into the trash trade and growing up in the world's largest garbage village. It is the home to 60,000 Zaballeen, Arabic for "garbage people."
The Zaballeen survive by recycling the city's waste. These entrepreneurial garbage workers recycle 80% of all the garbage they collect, creating what is arguably the world's most efficient waste system.
When the city they keep clean suddenly decides to replace the Zaballeen with multinational garbage disposal companies, the Zaballeen community finds itself at a crossroads. Face to face with the globalization of their trade, each of the teenage boys is forced to make choices that will impact his future and the survival of his community.

When asked what she hopes to accomplish with Garbage Dreams Mai replied, "I hope that the film brings new awareness to the issue of trash/recycling but in a new way, not just as a pressing environmental issue, but as a global phenomenon and a way of survival for much of the planet's poor."

I firmly believe that this film should be seen by as many people as possible. Garbage Dreams is the kind of film demands a reaction, or at the very least a self-examination. Take a look at what others are saying about this provocative and powerful film:

HEALTHLINE
http://www.healthline.com/blogs/exercise_fitness/2009/04/fast-fitness-recycling-and-movie.html

THE AUSTINIST

http://austinist.com/2009/03/17/sxsw_film_review_garbage_dreams.php#comments

IFC (The Value of a Garbage Can in Austin, TX)

http://www.ifc.com/videos/sxsw-2009-the-value-of-a-garbage-can-in-austin-texas.php

THE ROYAL GAZETTE

http://www.theroyalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d93c2f30030024&sectionId=80

We hope you will view this as an opportunity not only to help educate people about environmental stewardship; but to encourage new ways of thinking about sustainable living, overcoming adversity, and the value of the human spirit.

Thank you in advance for your help in spreading the word about the arrival of this film at the Newport Beach Film Festival. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Joyce Cha

www.garbagedreams.com
To find out more information about where to purchase tickets and for screening dates and times at the Newport Beach, follow this link: http://www.newportbeachfilmfest.c

Go Trojans! Go Green!
--
Environment 1st
University of Southern California
http://uscenvironment1st.blogspot.com/
___________________________
USCenvironment1st@gmail.com

APRIL 13

Environment First meets Thursday @ 6:00PM in GFS 105
______________________________

____________________________________
Melody Tsai, Co-President, melodyts@usc.edu
Jacob Jensen, Co-President, jacobjen@usc.edu


Hello Earth Lovers!!

Our next meeting will be this Thursday, April 16th, at 6PM in GFS 105, we will be making fliers for Earth Week publicity. Get creative with fliers and help us get the word out about Earth Week!

Join the Earth Week Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=73646271476&ref=ts) and invite you friends!! Check out the Schedule of Events.

If you are interested in volunteering for Earth Week, sign up here! The dates and times correspond to things on the Schedule of Events and you'll be contacted about where you want to work. We can't run a successful Earth Week without your help, so please sign up! :)

Finally, both of us (Jacob and Melody) are graduating this May, and we are looking for new Co-Presidents! It's a super fun opportunity and you can basically run with any ideas you have (since we're a grassroots organization). If you're interested, shoot us an email at (USCenvironment1st@gmail.com) with a short blurb about yourself and your interest for E1. No experience necessary!

Your Co-Prezes,
Mel and Jaco

P.S. Check out our newly launched Sustainability Programs website for up-to-date information on USC's sustainability efforts!

ALSO...

The USC Debate Program, the Annenberg School, the Unruh Institute of Politics next Monday, April 13th at 7pm present -- “Generation Debate: Powering the Future” in the Annenberg Auditorium. Sick of unenergetic politics as usual? College Republicans and College Democrats will change your mind. Come watch them sound off on energy policy. Student representatives from both groups will present research from both party platforms, actually debate the positions, and then ask the audience to decide who wins. The Unruh Institute of Politics will be providing a reception with free food to follow.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: Professors in the Annenberg School, Political Science Department, Marshall School and Engineering School are possibly offering extra credit for those who attend this event and write a short analysis about it. Ask your professor if he/she might be willing to do so.

--
Environment 1st
University of Southern California
http://uscenvironment1st.blogspot.com/
___________________________
USCenvironment1st@gmail.com

Happy Saturday! You've just won your very own NEWSLEAF!

Hi guys!
Hope you didn't miss me too much!

There are a few things in this newsleaf that were SO IMPORTANT we couldn't even wait until tomorrow night to send it out, so LISTEN UP:

1. stay tuned for our exciting announcement!!!
2. Melody and Jacob on: lunch with the Rainforest Action Network, the Earth Week Facebook Group, this Thursday, next Thursday, and the more distant future
3. Katherine has an exciting opportunity to plant trees THIS SATURDAY!!

and don't forget...

Environment First meets Thursday @ 6:00PM in GFS 105

First and foremost, an exciting announcement from our friend, Matthew Oden:

Hello Trojan Family,

The USC Sustainability Program is happy to announce USC Earth Week 2009!
Please visit the *new* website and take a look at the Official Earth Week Events Flier to see all the amazing events happening between April 17th and 30th.
We look forward to your support and involvement during our numerous events and competitions this year that are making USC evermore sustainable!
On behalf of all the organizations and individuals that have helped to make this possible,
Matthew OdenSustainability Program Manager

Join the group on facebook too!__________________________________________________________________Melody Tsai, Co-President, melodyts@usc.edu
Jacob Jensen, Co-President, jacobjen@usc.edu

Hey E1-ers!

We have a lot of exciting news this week! Make sure you read up on all of our upcoming activities! :)

The Program Director of Rainforest Action Network, Jennifer Krill will be coming to USC to speak on Tuesday, April 7th from 11AM to 12:30PM in JKP 102. Rainforest Action Network is an awesome international environmental advocacy group (http://ran.org/). Be sure to come! There will be free food and beverages.
Here's Jennifer's bio:
A proud hellraiser since 1995, Jennifer Krill serves as Rainforest Action Network’s program director, providing policy and strategic direction to all four of RAN’s campaigns. Jennifer leads RAN’s negotiations with corporations, acts as primary spokesperson to the media, and manages a talented team of organizers who mobilize thousands of activists. An expert on forests, clean energy and forward-looking transportation policy, Jennifer has directed campaigns at RAN since 2002. Her work has involved efforts to protect Old Growth Forests in Canada, Tasmania and the United States, jumpstarting Ford Motor Company, and spurring the nation’s largest banks to stop financing climate change-causing industries. Jennifer helped found RAN’s ambitious Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign, which works to get big agribusiness out of rainforest regions. Jennifer has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, Fortune Magazine, the Ecologist, and many others during her fifteen years of advocacy and organizing. Jennifer currently serves on the board of Plug-in America and is a former board member of Dogwood Alliance. She holds a B.A. and B.L.A. from Ball State University.

Join the Earth Week Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=73646271476&ref=ts) and invite you friends!! USC Sustainability Programs as a whole isn't planning on doing too much paper advertising, so this is our main source of publicity!

Our next meeting will be this Thursday, April 9th at 6PM in GFS 105. We will be painting banners for our Earth Week events.

Also, next Thursday, April 16th, at 6PM in GFS 105, we will be making fliers for Earth Week publicity. Get creative with fliers and help us get the word out about Earth Week!

Finally, both of us (Jacob and Melody) are graduating this May, and we are looking for new Co-Presidents! It's a super fun opportunity and you can basically run with any ideas you have (since we're a grassroots organization). If you're interested, shoot us an email at (USCenvironment1st@gmail.com) with a short blurb about yourself and your interest for E1. No experience necessary!

Your Co-Prezes,Mel and Jaco

__________________________________________________________________ Katherine Heiland, Philanthropy Chair, heiland@usc.edu

In the spirit of Earth Day rapidly approaching, come out next Saturday to a North East Trees TREE PLANTING in Highland Park! This event is taking place from around 9-12pm, Saturday April 11th. The festivities include planting trees, community beautification, a FRUIT TREE GIVEAWAY, food, and love music. It's gonna be a good time. Please email me to let me know if you are interested so we can start setting up carpools--RSVP!. Also, please indicate if you have a car to drive (the park is only 10-15 minutes north on the 110 freeway!).

Thanks guys. Have a great weekend:) __________________________________________________________________ E1 Calendar Overview Monday:Tuesday: Lunch with the RAINFOREST ACTION NEWTWORK 11-12:30 JKP 102Wednesday: Thursday: MEETING GFS 105 6pm...We're making banners!Friday:Saturday: TREE PLANTING 9-12Sunday:-- Environment 1stUniversity of Southern Californiahttp://uscenvironment1st.blogspot.com/___________________________USCenvironment1st@gmail.com