Energy Challenge Results

Yesterday marked the last day of Sustainability Committee's Energy Challenge . For a week and a half, we used the Soka Energy Dashboard to measure the energy use of each of the resident hall buildings. The building that reduced its energy use the most during the challenge will get Cha for Tea as a prize!

Read on to find out who won!

Download to see full size!

Because the number of residents per hall varies (ranging from 50 to 30), it seemed unfair to decide the winner based on the hall's total use. Obviously, dorms with more people will use more energy. So, we divided the building's total energy use by the number of residents.

We decided it also wasn't enough simply to be the hall with the lowest energy usage per person. (305 was obviously consistently the highest.) The challenge was to use less energy than before. Therefore, the winning hall was the one whose net energy use per person was the lowest--in other words, the hall that was able to reduce its use the most from where it started.

Before we announce the winner,
we'd like to congratulate everyone for their hard work!

This is per building, NOT per person per building; this ranking has nothing to do with the final winners.

300 consistently used the most energy all week... but it also reduced its energy use the most. What a bunch of studs.

Almost all halls decreased their total energy use by at least 100 kWh between 4/11/14 and 4/19/14. This resulted in a cumulative 1968.3 kWh saved by all 8 buildings!

This is important not just because it means that someone will win boba on us but because it represents reduced greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation.

To put it into scale...

Source: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html
Download for full view!

Let's save that much energy and avoid that much green house gas emission every week!

And now... the moment you've all been waiting for...

The winner...

of the ENERGY CHALLENGE 2014

is...

Second runner up: 315 with a net energy saving of 1.5 kWh per person

First runner up: 300 with a net energy saving of 1.6 kWh per person

and in 1st place....

310! Congratulations!

Not only did 310 have a low energy use all week, but you guys also reduced you net energy use by 1.9 kWh per person. Nice work!

Sometime after Capstone is over all your Sustainability Committee Chairs have a life again, we'll set a date for your Cha party, guys.

We hope everyone had fun and learned a little more about saving energy. Please comment below with any suggestions for improving this challenge in the future.

-

To keep up to date with Soka's energy use, check out the Energy Dashboard any time.

username: soka

password: dashboard1

You can also use the EPA's greenhouse gas equivalency calculator to get some context for those numbers.

GIS Conference at Redlands

Five students from Monika Calef's Intro to GIS course received funding from Soka to attend a conference in Redlands, CA this month. 

GIS is one of the coolest environmental studies tools, because it readily brings theoretical problems (say a toxic chemical spill) to a real-life application (a map that can be used to display information about risks to nearby homes.) This conference gave students an even better idea of ways that GIS is used in the real world. There were presentations by city planners, corporate managers, and software developers.

One of the most interesting GIS developments that was presented at the conference was the story map.

For anyone who is interested in ES or GIS, get in touch with Monika Calef. Intro to GIS is part of the regular ES rotation, and these conferences come around a couple times every year.

Solar Decathlon and XPO at Irvine Great Park

Environmental Department would like to invite you to...

Great Park in Irvine is hosting the 2013 Solar Decathlon, which is a competition between colleges from around the world to build sustainable, solar-powered model houses. There will also be a showing of the solar innovation XPO. Click on the links for more information!

The event goes from October 3rd-6th and 10th-13th from 11 am to 7pm. Soka ED is organizing a trip by bus for Saturday the 12th only, but if you can't make it or you just want more of this great event we encourage you to go on your own on one of the other dates!

The Soka bus will be leaving from the Ikeda steps at 12 noon--please eat brunch beforehand! Pickup will be at Great Park at 3:30 pm to return to Soka around 4:00 pm. There are 25 seats available. Sign-ups are on a first come, first serve basis. Anyone who wants to go must fill out a waiver as per Soka's off-campus trip policy. Waivers must be submitted to Yona by noon on Thursday the 10th.


We recommend that you bring:
-Camera
-Money for food (the Great Park farmer's market goes until 2pm!)
-Sunscreen and/or a hat
-A sweater
-Water

Hope to see lots of you there!

CicLAvia October 2013

Environmental Department would like to invite you to--

First we'll explain what it is, then we'll give you the information about how you can get yourself there. 

CicLAvia - Heart of LA returns to the streets that started it all as we explore downtown Los Angeles on bike, foot, stroller and many more creative means of locomotion. The Heart of LA route follows in the footsteps of our first five events and helps Angelenos rediscover the origins of the City of Angels. Whether you’ve ridden these streets before or are new to CicLAvia, the Heart of LA route promises something new to discover.

Can I enjoy CicLAvia if I don't ride a bike?

Yes. At previous CicLAvias, individuals have been seen running, walking dogs, rollerblading, gathering together to play music, participating in impromptu tennis matches, picnicking, reading, conducting street theatre and dining at restaurants—just to name a few activities!

There are lots of activities along the route that don't require a bike. in the past there has been dodge ball, yoga classes, capoeira performances, parades, marches, etc. 

To learn more about the event, check out the official website. It has lots of helpful information, including the official rules of the road, where to rent bikes nearby (calling ahead is probably a smart choice!), and rules about using the bike in the metro system.

*There are 2 options for Soka students to get to LA for the event:*

1. A bus will be leaving at 11:20 a.m. SHARP  to arrive at Laguna Niguel Metrolink station soon thereafter with ample time for the entire group to purchase their $10 weekend round trip tickets. Retain these tickets for the return and any downtown LA metro or light rail travel. 

Train departure time for Metrolink train 665 from Laguna Niguel is noon, but the train sometimes leaves earlier, so again, it is important that folks be on time. 

Professor Deike Peters will meet the group in the ticketing area of Union Station, in front of the Starbucks. (From the platform, walk west towards the Alameda exit, NOT towards the East Portal/Patsouras Plaza.)

We will walk as a group past LA historic plaza, Olvera Street up towards the Chinatown hub and then turn around and walk south along the CicLAvia route, first down Broadway, then via Grant Park and Spring Streets, then head west on 7th street. Depending on how fast we walk, we will then take the Metro back from 7th/Metro center or walk further to Westlake/MacArthur Park station, making sure that we return to Union Station well ahead of the the scheduled Metrolink departure time at 4:40pm. Note that this is the LAST Metrolink train for the day, so if you miss this train, you would have to book an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner ticket at your own expense to get home ($18 one way).

We will return to Laguna Niguel Metrolink station via Metrolink train 664  leaving Union Station at 4:40, arriving in Laguna Niguel at 5:52pm. Bus pickup is scheduled for 6:15 just in case the train is a bit late. Return to Soka around 6:30pm.

Anyone who would like to join us needs to also contact Deike Peters immediately and hand in their waivers to her by TOMORROW (October 1, 2013) at noon. There will be a folder outside her office (434 Pauling) for waivers.
 

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to bring bikes/rollerblades/skateboards on the Soka bus. :(

If you are planning to bring your bike and RIDE CicLAvia before our group meets up, I suggest you figure out how to get yourself to the Laguna station for the earlier train (8:50, arrive Union Station 10:30), but this would be under your own liability. (It's about 9 miles, so doable for a more serious biker, but remember you have to come back uphill the same way you came in the afternoon!) 

2.  Anybody is of course welcome to join us join us just for the group walking tour in Downtown LA as long as they are able to arrange their own transportation. Carpool to the station!  Just remember to chip in and pay the driver gas money. And remember to be considerate when asking for rides--you're asking for a pretty big favor. The Metrolink (in Laguna Nigel) is $10 on weekends. Check out their bike policy!

We recommend bringing:

-water

-a camera

-a sweater

-money for lunch

-sun screen

*

Please comment on our FaceBook page (or on the SUA!! page) with any comments, concerns, propositions to lend out your bike, or carpool-starter lists! However, if you do not

contact Deike immediately and hand in their waivers to her by TOMORROW (October 1, 2013) at noon,

getting there is entirely up to you! Sorry for the late notice!

Coastal Cleanup Recap

Last Saturday, 51,543 volunteers (including a group of 8 from Soka!) went out and removed trash from watersheds across the state of California.

Those volunteers picked up 471,218 pounds of trash
and an additional 30,530 pounds of recyclable materials,
for a total of 501,748 pounds or 251 tons.

-The California Coastal Commission

Here in Aliso Viejo, the Soka crew cleaned up some surprising items... Here are some of our favorite weird discoveries:
-PS2 game cases
-Many, many jars of mayonaise
-A wheel
-2 sleeping bags
-A rainbow umbrella

We also found a picnic table surrounded by heaps and heaps of...lord knows what.

Before:

After:

To see more pictures of Soka students at work on Coastal Cleanup Day, check out our album on Facebook!


Kiki Fong from the class of 2017 was kind enough to share her experience participating in the 2013 California Coastal Cleanup:

In the second week of my environmental ethics class, I learned about Sartre’s philosophy regarding man’s responsibility on every decision making. Every action that man choose to do is his own problem, so he should not point finger to others when he regrets them. However, in this contemporary society, there are many irresponsible people who create mess like littering and abandon their trouble for the future generation. I believe that I should apply Sartre’s theory in my generation or the society, to clean up the mess we make. We should be responsible over the pollution we created instead of leaving them to our children to solve these problems.

Coincidentally on the same week, there was a volunteer event at Aliso Viejo on Saturday to clean up the coastal side, and this was an opportunity for me to apply Sartre’s notion and be responsible for my generation. At first I was a little disappointed because we were not picking trash at the beach. However, it was an enjoyable experience for me because I never clean up at the trail park before. Who knew picking trash in the park was like hunting? Going inside the bushes despite getting dirty and cut just to get those empty liquor bottles was fun because after removing them from nature, I felt a sense of accomplishment. That feeling was priceless and amazing, and I would like to create more because these feelings would be the driving force for me to preserve a better environment for the future generation.

Chelsea Dugger from the class of 2014, who in addition to being one of this year's ED chairs has also done the Coastal Cleanup with Soka since her freshman year, also shared some thoughts on the subject:

This year was my eighth time participating in the California Coastal Cleanup event held annually in order to collect trash that has the potential to travel through our extensive watershed systems into the ocean. Being a self-proclaimed “ocean lover” I am very passionate in preserving the beauty of the sea as a space free of human-induced pollution. Having focused on the multidimensional problem of non-point source pollution that is marine debris, I know how essential prevention is in preventing this global crisis from worsening. As it stands right now we already have an island of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean, known as the GreatPacific Garbage Patch (check out the link for a video), measuring over 100 million tons of trash. This is why I felt the need to go and pick up the smallest pieces of trash/litter at the Aliso Viejo Ranch off 100 Park Avenue past Saturday.

 Just Fyi- The way our watersheds function is that all water sources running throughout Aliso Viejo, meaning the streams, creeks and natural rain drain patterns lead directly to the ocean. Our storm drains throughout the city also lead directly to the ocean which is why little gum wrappers or straw plastic or candy bar debris left on the street can go directly into the ocean threatening our access to clean beaches; as well as the detrimental consequence to marine animals and ecosystems. Since small pieces of trash are often overlooked as “not a big deal,” I made conscientious effort to climb deep into bushes (suffering a few scratches) to get every piece of trash visible. But I couldn’t help but think how unnecessary my actions would have been if people were simply more careful of guaranteeing that their trash is securely contained in closed bins where there are minimal threats of it blowing into the water stream going directly to the ocean. This is why I was equally as happy to be 9 miles inland compared to directly on the beach because I knew that I was getting the bits of trash often overlooked.

 This brings me to a personal issue I feel VERY strongly about- the waste of single-use plastic straws! According to the Coastal Comission website “Last year, over 20,000 straws were removed on Coastal Cleanup Day. Straws are the 6th most commonly found litter. Due to their durability, buoyancy, and ability to accumulate and concentrate toxins present in the ocean, plastic straws are especially harmful to marine life.” I found many of them this year and each time I get more and more frustrated! To me straws are a convenience not a necessity which is why I urge everyone to consider two great ways to reduce the risk of littered straws- Say “Please no straw, thank you” as many times as possible- just remember “That straw you used for one meal will be trash forever, so instead why not just skip it?” If you are in love with straws though consider buying a cheap set of sturdy, reusable metal straws ($14 for 4 on Amazon). I think the most important thing is to be active- as an advocate and activist… talk the talk and walk the walk by refusing to use straws (explaining why!) and volunteering to clean up those sadly left behind by others.
Please come talk with me at any time you ever want to know more about marine debris (I did a Busenburg paper on it; which is saying a lot!), straws or anything environmentally related!

Keep your eyes peeled for emails next September for the next California Coastal Cleanup Day so you can participate with us next time!

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