La Voz

Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Campus Features

Media Credit: La Voz News

Media Credit: La Voz News Answer: Cup A) is made from corn and is fully biodegradable

De Anza College's newly remodeled Hinson Campus Center broke ground in the fight for a more environmentally friendly campus and made an unprecedented step forward by serving organic and sustainable food at a California Community College.

"We're the first California Community College to have organic and sustainable food on campus," said WISE 37 club founder and president, Elizabeth Nevigato.

Student environmentalist leaders in the De Anza club, with initials that stand for "Working to Institute a Sustainable Environment on the 37th parallel," worked on a year long campaign to bring organic and locally grown food to De Anza. The college currently employs ALBA Organics, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, based in Salinas.

"It was really inspiring how many students wanted organic and locally grown foods," said Nevigato.

The new campus center offers sandwiches and a salad bar from locally grown farms. According to Nevigato, the difference between organic farming methods and conventional methods is the polyculture versus monoculture systems.

Conventional farms use chemicals, synthetics or genetically modified organisms. The danger in these unnatural methods, according to omorganics.org, is the harmful effects on human health and the damages to farmland, fresh water and marine wildlife.

"Instead of using harmful chemicals or bio-engineering, organic farms use natural methods, such as diversifying and rotating crops, and using natural fertilizer or cover crops to maximize soil fertility ... most [organic farms] foster biological diversity and the health of the consumer, soil and environment," according to the Web site.

"We're trying to make our ecological footprint on this planet as small as possible," said WISE 37 member Seema Rupani.

In addition to organic food options, the new student center implemented biodegradable utensils, cups and to-go containers made out of cornstarch instead of plastic, although they look like traditional plastic. Biodegradable products have the ability to break down by biological means into the raw materials of nature.

"We're thinking ahead, not just right now," said Nevigato. "By using biodegradable utensils, we're cutting down on our waste."

De Anza Student Body representative for WISE 37, Keith Hubbard, urges student government to focus on striving for a sustainable campus.

"There needs to be more initiative with DASB," said Hubbard. "Some people are more worried about financing than engaging environmental issues."

Students in WISE 37 worked closely with their adviser, Pat Cornely, executive director of the Kirsch Center for environmental studies and Patrick Gannon, director of the Campus Center to apply a more sustainable agenda for an eco-friendly campus.

"It's empowering to know that students can make a difference on campus," said Nevigato. "It makes us want to thrive for more."

Environmental studies major Michelle Mai commented on the importance of being environmentally aware as a student.

"If the students don't care, no one will," she said.

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