CSUN’s solar panels, bicycle racks, food garden and bright green recycling bins are all innovations created by the environmental masterminds at the CSUN Institute for Sustainability. The Institute for Sustainability, located in Santa Susana Hall, is a research and planning center that is dedicated to eco-friendly decision-making and bringing green options to CSUN. The institute was founded in 2008 and since its inception, CSUN has reduced its carbon footprint and has become a role model for sustainability within the San… Read more

Teaching people the importance of sustainability can be depressing. When trees are being cut down faster than they can grow, sea creatures are being hunted to extinction and our energy sources can’t keep up with our demand, it can be mentally and emotionally exhausting to even think about the future, let alone teach courses about it.   Dr. Erica Wohldmann, a CSUN professor of psychology and sustainability, said she sometimes faces this dilemma. To relax and renew, she goes backpacking… Read more

Melissa Schwartz is a woman on a mission. The 29-year-old has been persistent in her campaigning to get the CSUN campus dining areas to switch to cage-free eggs. “Going cage free is important for the well being of the animals, human health and the environment,” said Schwartz, who is currently working towards a master’s degree in software engineering. She said the majority of egg-laying hens in the U.S. are confined to battery cages that are about the size of a… Read more

Monday mornings start bright and early for Robbie Denny, but she doesn’t have to combat early morning traffic. What she deals with is the slight chill in the morning air and the repeated calls of the rooster as she prepares her produce stand at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark. She wouldn’t have it any other way. “This is my 19th year working with Underwood Farms,” Denny said. “I’ve lived on a farm all my life so it’s in my blood.”… Read more

Every Friday evening, Lauren Lunstrum anchors a radio show that she streams live from her studio apartment in Northridge. She uses a website called blogtalkradio.com. The magic happens via Lunstrum’s cell phone and laptop. “The show focuses on travel and the environment to encourage people to step out of their comfort zone,” she said. “I choose the speakers and topics based on the themes of travel and sustainability. I also take requests from listeners.” The geology major said she has… Read more

Whether it’s for the environmentally conscious or those wishing to save gas money, most owners of hybrid cars are excited and confident of their purchase. One such owner bought the Prius as a representation of his principles and awareness of doing his part for the environment. “I’m a proud owner of a Prius,” Jason Prystowski, an emergency medicine physician, said. “I could have gone with a Ferrari but a Prius gets better gas mileage and chicks dig it.” Before purchasing… Read more

Eric Einem is about to go diving, but instead of water, he’s going to plunge into a pile of trash. Those involved in freeganism (a strategy for living “based on limited participation in the conventional economy”) are familiar with dumpster diving. In this practice, those interested in reducing their carbon footprint salvage any waste they might find by jumping into large trash bins. Dumpster divers can save hundreds of dollars each month by rescuing edible food from grocery stores that… Read more

Senior Robert Stokes, 25, computer science major, fixes computers as a side business and said he comes across old computers all the time.  While he uses some of the parts, he throws away the rest. Stokes said  there are places that recycle old electronic products, but he doesn’t always use them. “Sometimes I throw them away… and I feel really guilty for a while,” he said. The idea that obsolete electronics should be disposed of properly is still relatively new…. Read more

CSUN will celebrate the 41st anniversary of Earth Day with a campus fair packed with entertainment, food, music and arts and crafts to bring environmental awareness to students. The fair, organized by Associated Students, will take place a week before Earth Day on April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Cleary Walk in front of Bayramian Hall. “The Earth Fair will give the university and local community an opportunity to showcase sustainable practices as well as goods and… Read more