Phil Angelides calls for vigorous investments in US-based renewable energy.
Often, the language of Sustainability is couched in discussions of Global Warming, Melting Ice Caps, Carbon Footprints, Carrying Capacity, Solar Energy. But there’s a whole lot more too it than that, especially on the local scale.
Merritt College hosted the 3rd Annual Peralta Conference on Urban Sustainability on April 24th. The free, interactive event attracted 300 participants – Peralta faculty, students, and community members – throughout to day to hear from experts discussing local issues of Sustainability: green jobs, local food, water shortages, truck pollution, asthma rates, mercury in fish, and creativity for sustainability.
Phil Angelides delivered the keynote address in the morning. A gubernatorial candidate in 2006 against Governor Schwarzenegger, Mr. Angelides is now chairman of the Apollo Alliance, a national advocacy group for green jobs.
Peralta Chancellor and former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris said, “We are excited to have someone like Phil Angelides share their dreams with us and challenge us to make them into new realities.”
Bill Gallegos, director of California-based Communities for a Better Environment that has brought national attention to the issue of toxic pollution in Communities of Color, could not attend that day.
Joining Mr. Angelides was a who’s who of local sustainability experts. The day-long event included 20 speakers on panels discussing Green Jobs, healthy makeup, ecologically sensitive art, and local organic food. There was also a “Sustainability 101″ panel for those wanting an introduction to principles of sustainable development. Jack Lin, the District’s sustainability organizer, noted, “there are so many people from so many groups involved… it’s amazing to see the diverse connections between the colleges and the community.”
Conference goers are treated to a sampling of the rich botanical diversity at the Landscape-Horticulture building.
Participants also toured the two Sustainability landmarks in the Peralta District, the Landscape Horticulture building and the Self-Reliant House, both built in 1970 to house the Bay Area’s first community college based, sustainability-related programs
The conference is a natural outcome of Peralta, a community college district that has a long history in the field of environmental education. Starting at Merritt College in the early 1960s the District initiated interdisciplinary environmental studies courses. In the 1970s Vista College developed programs in alternative energy technology and global environmental policy. In the early 1980s, the work expanded at Merritt College with the development of the Environmental Center Self Reliant House demonstration classroom and laboratory.
In recent years, Peralta Colleges Trustee Nicky González Yuen has championed the Sustainable Peralta Initiative, which has included a comprehensive and aggressive sustainability policy, a district-wide recycling program, curriculum development and green building and renovation standards.
Trustee Yuen explained, “the Sustainability Initiative at Peralta is our District’s way of responding to the global climate crisis and its implications for our region. But, we also want to be a leader in helping our community adapt through job training and environmental education, key components of building a new economy and a new and sustainable way of life.”
The conference closed with a celebration reception featuring green raffle prizes and the College of Alameda Jazz Band. The organizing committees at Merritt College and Sustainable Peralta Initiative generously offered early registrants free breakfast and lunch.
Peralta faculty and staff continue to demonstrate that leadership with this conference. “A dedicated group of faculty, administrators and students, not just at Merritt College but across the Peralta system, have been working all school year to get this together,” said Jennifer Shanoski, an instructor in the Merritt Chemistry department, and one of the event organizers.
