application to join committee

The committee is seeking students interested in serving on the ASOC Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fund

2011/2012 ASOC Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fund

Committee Member Application

Due September 20, 2011

The ASOC Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fund was established by students of Occidental College to help fund projects that make Occidental a more environmentally sustainable community. Our mission is to improve Occidental by empowering students to carry out their own visions for sustainability; we do this by funding projects that make Oxy’s campus a better place to study and live while also combating climate change.

Please answer the following questions in 100-250 words.  Email your completed application to asocsustainabilityfund@gmail.com.  If you have any questions about the Fund or application process, please email dornbush@oxy.edu.

1.  What is your interest in becoming a member of the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund? 

2. Why do you believe you’d be an asset to the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund? Include any relevant experience, as well as a brief discussion of what personal attributes you’d bring to the Fund. 

Earth Hour!

Hey everyone! Earth Hour is coming up next week and the Sustainability Fund Committee is putting on a special event to celebrate and raise awareness!

Earth Hour is a global event during which millions of people in 128 countries turn off their lights for one hour (awesome and inspirational video found here: http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx?intro=no). This year, Oxy is joining in! Since Saturday evening (when the real Earth Hour is scheduled) is a difficult time for most Oxy students to go an hour in the dark, we're planning on Oxy's very own Earth Hour on Thursday the ...24th, from 8:30-9:30 pm!

Soo...what is Earth Hour, exactly? For just ONE HOUR, turn off your lights and limit your use of electronics as much as possible. This small effort by each person combines to have a MASSIVE impact on our energy usage!

Don't know what to do for an hour in the dark?? Come down to the Quad!!! We'll have FREE snacks available, and a 9 pm we'll be leading a night hike up Fiji to check out the awesome view. And don't forget - Earth Hour is a single event, but being earth-friendly should last year-round! Share your tips for staying green at Oxy in the comments below, and don't forget to join us on the 24th to show your support for sustainability at Oxy!

Who are we??

To help you get to know us, the members of the ASOC Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund Committee, we've prepared a little "About Us" post - fun facts about ourselves and why we joined the committee. Maybe you know us, maybe you don't, but feel free to come say hi if you see any of us walking around campus!

Emily Ritchie

I am a senior UEP major from Portland, OR. I've been a competitive Scottish Highland dancer for 15 years. Currently, I am one of the head chefs that runs Well Fed, Oxy's student-run restaurant. Also, I am a huge cheese fanatic and won a Richter Traditional Scholarship to study a cheese called L'Etivaz AOC in Switzerland, over the summer. I joined the committee because I wanted to see a difference in the sustainability of the Oxy campus. I saw a great opportunity to encourage students to make a change. 

Giovanni Saarman

I am a junior Economics major, with minors in Spanish and Urban and Environmental Policy. I can trace my commitment to environmentalism and sustainability to the my experience on a sailing trip that I was fortunate enough to take with my family before starting at Occidental College. The awareness that I gained motivated me to join the ASOC Renewable Energy and Sustainability Committee in order to make a difference on our campus and in the lives of the student body. I am also involved with FEAST and our on-campus garden because I'm passionate about sustainable agriculture, cooking delicious food and sharing the bounty of the earth! 

Miranda Chien-Hale

I'm a Sophomore UEP and Chinese Studies double major here at Oxy. I joined the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund Committee because I want to improve Occidental's commitment towards environmental projects on campus. Being on the committee allows me the opportunity to directly support projects that I believe will improve our relationship as students with the environment. In my free time I love to play soccer, badminton, and frisbee.     

Casey Ogden

I am a senior UEP major and president of the Sustainability Fund Committee. I'm from the Bay Area and am anxiously awaiting an opportunity to return there after graduation (no offense, LA). I joined the committee because I believe Oxy has great potential to become a much more "green" campus but it just needs a little push in the right direction, which is what we're trying to do with the committee! When I'm not busy writing comps, I enjoy cooking and baking, photography, going to the beach, and hiking!  

Adrienne Daniels

I'm a senior from Portland, Oregon, studying biology here at Oxy. I have been on the ASOC Energy and Sustainability Fund for three years, my first year being the establishment of the group on campus. I am currently the VP. Besides helping out with the fund, I run track and work for the admission office, while also researching stem cells and tropical ecology for two of my professors. My favorite candies are the peanut butter M&Ms which in absolutely no circumstance should be compared to Reeses' Pieces, as they lack the critical chocolate component. 

Clarifying a few things...

In order to make the application process a little more streamlined and easy, we've made a few changes. 

First, rather than picking up an application at UEPI or the SAC (they usually don't have any), just download the one linked in the "About Me" section of this blog! Once you've completed it, email it back to us at asocsustainabilityfund@gmail.com.

Also, applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The committee meets bi-weekly and goes over any new applications at each meeting, so feel free to send in your application anytime!

One more thing - if you have ANY questions about the application process, feel free to email us at the gmail address above and we'd be happy to assign a member of the committee to help guide you through the application!

Rebirth Trip to New Orleans

 Photo Credit: Oxy in New Orleans blog

As many of us know, a group of Oxy students from the Disaster Politics class and Rebirth went to New Orleans over winter break to volunteer and help rebuild. The Sustainability Fund is happy to report that we helped fund their trip, and the students did engage in many sustainability-related activities while in New Orleans such as working at local gardens and farms, all the while learning about food justice issues that plague New Orleans as well as Los Angeles.

For much more information about the trip as well as some great student insight, check out the Oxy in New Orleans blog: http://oxyinneworleans.wordpress.com/

Sustainability Fund Sponsored Projects

So now you know a bit about what the Fund is, but what student-led projects has it approved to make Oxy a more environmentally sustainable campus? Read on!

New Bike Racks near the library, Samuelson Pavilion, and Chilcott:

The FEAST student-run organic garden! Check out their blog here: http://occidental-feast.blogspot.com/ and a video about the garden here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4jhHCUFw0

Students composting

A new bike-sharing program to promote biking on campus and around Eagle Rock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x4NLSqOGcU

 Reusable to-go containers for the Marketplace: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQmu_-wxcNc

Kill-a-Watt energy meters, available for checkout at the library:

These devices measure the efficiency of your appliances by displaying electrical consumption by killowatt-hour. Check one out to measure your own energy consumption and log it here: http://sustainableoxy.blogspot.com/2010/03/check-out-kill-watt-to-learn-about.html.

Apply for Funding!

Do you have a great idea for a project that would make Oxy a more sustainable place? Apply for funding from the ASOC Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund! We accept and evaluate applications on a rolling basis, and students of all years and majors are welcome to apply. Click here for an application, and send it in to asocsustainabilityfund@gmail.com when you are finished!

Here is a bit more background on the fund and how it came to be!

In the Fall of 2007, Occidental students overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the ASOC constitution to establish a new Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fund. Our mission is to make the campus a better place by empowering students to carry out their own visions for sustainability; we do this by paying for projects that make Oxy’s campus a better place to study and live while also combating global warming. At least 50 percent of funding is required to go to permanent changes to the college’s infrastructure, buildings, or landscaping. The fund may also pay for one-time events or ongoing campaigns to raise environmental awareness; research or academic programming related to the environment; etc. The fund is overseen by a committee consisting of ten Occidental students, one administrator, and one faculty. The committee will evaluate all proposals to pick the projects that will do the most to advance sustainability at Occidental. This list of funded projects will be submitted to the ASOC senate, which must ratify it before money is dispersed.

Where does our money come from?! Last year, students passed an amendment to the ASOC constitution requiring all students to pay a $10 fee per semester that goes directly toward the fund. With each student paying a total of $20 per year, that gives the fund an annual budget of about $40,000...yeah, that's a lot of money! So we encourage anyone and everyone to submit a project proposal!

Anyone is welcome to apply for money from the fund: students, student clubs, faculty, classes, staff and administrators, alumni, and departments of the College. Completed applications should be emailed to asocsustainabilityfund@gmail.com.