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