Since Oct. of 2003 Sustainability Day has been a celebration of sustainability to promote and insight new students, staff, and others into the sustainability of school systems in higher education
Held on the fourth Wednesday of each Oct. the day allows for people passionate about the sustainability of their school to connect with and inform others, continuing the growth of the movement and complimenting Earth Day while doing it.
This year CSUN used its sustainability day to focus on sustainable food systems.
During CSUN’s Sustainability Day event, there were speakers who spoke in regards to important subjects such as health issues and other factors brought upon by lack of healthy food option systems that can work in the Los Angeles food systems and creating affordable, healthy and sustainable food sources in the Los Angeles region.
They also talked about the concept of food justice in the United States for the types of growers and all the kind of eaters alike as well.
One of the events that took place was an Edible Plant Walk lead by The Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Dr. Erica Wohldmann.
Wohldmann discussed how she lived in the forest for six months and had survived off of just eating the foods she found in the wild. She showed students naturalized plants on campus that could be eaten or used for medicinal purposes as well.
There was also a showing of a documentary discussing waste of food and how we dispose of nearly 50 percent of it all straight in to the trash; the film is called “Just Eat It.”
Other topics that were discussed was how students can connect various campus sustainability efforts such as the campus gardening and compost programs, the Food Recovery Network, and the AS Sustainability Committee.
The event had tables set up by different vendors, for example, one was the Imperfect Produce company.
This company buys from farmers produce that cannot be sold to grocery stores due to them not meeting specific guidelines such as color, size, or shape; and they sale them for reduced prices in monthly boxes sent out.