The End for Shannon Wall

October 31, 2012

Photo provided by Shannon Wall

California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) competitor Shannon Wall has come to the end of the Project Green Challenge (PGC).

She explains how she's both proud and disappointed in herself.

"I expected more of myself from the Project Green Challenge. I feel as though it was easy for me to accomplish things towards the beginning of the project but as we got deeper into the semester I was occupied with so many things at once."

Wall wishes she would have completed more of the greener tasks instead of settling for the easier ones on certain days.

"Some days I was just so exhausted from everything else going on in my crazy life," she laughs, "but if I skipped the challenge one day I would just give myself my own little green task." Wall said she would pick up a piece of trash if she saw it on the ground, eat organic foods provided at the Dining Commons (DC), have small conversations with friends about being sustainable, and so on and so forth.

"I love living a green lifestyle, it makes me feel better about myself because it's like the little changes I make in my life actually help out this big huge world. It's kind of nostalgic to think about," Wall says.

She says if she could change anything she would have been more proactive about the whole thing.

"I just wish there would have been more time in the day, or that I would have just managed my time better, but with all the commitments I have with certain committees and clubs it was literally impossible." Wall also wishes more than anything that people would have joined her in the challenge.

"That was the biggest thing I wanted to conquer. I wanted the whole experience to be a community involvement rather than just me," Wall says. She explained that if she were working with a group of people she would have felt way more motivated to do more with PGC.

"It's kind of like working out, I hate doing it and I won't keep up with it if it's just me. But when I have a friend or two running side by side with me, or in the gym with me sweating it out on the treadmill then I'm more persistent because I feel like I have my team of soldiers. In this, it was all just me, not to put blame on anyone. I'm just saying for me it would have been more achievable."

Wall says she doesn't think she's going to win first place but in the changes she's made to her own life she has won her own personal battle. 

Environmental Affairs Committee
Photo provided by Colleen Courtney

" I wont stop living green or give up on making CSUMB more sustainable just because the challenge is over. I'm going to have more events with my committee and the Green Team." Wall says that the challenge was just a great stepping stone for her and she will continue the tradition of Judi Shils and Erin Schodes by using her voice to help make the world a better place.

Is CSUMB Going Green?

October 30, 2012

Sophomore Juliana Acosta tries
the Veggie Fear Factor
Photo Provided by Dining Services Facebook

California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is a very green school being that it has already been rated as a golden university by the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) organization in 2007. This basically means CSUMB has been classified as a campus that encompasses human, environmental, and economic needs.

Intrigued by the Project Green Challenge and the gold STARS rating of our school in 2007, I wanted to know if we were still abiding by those certain expectations, and sure enough we were. There are tons of events that happen at the CSUMB campus relating to sutainablity, environment awareness, and more.

There was recently a ‘Sustainability Challenge' hosted by the Dining Services. 

Photo provided by Dining Services Facebook

The Challenge was from October 22nd-26th. Events including Veggie Fear Factor, where students were dared to eat unfamiliar vegetables such as fern and cactus leaves . Another event included a canned food drive at the Dining Commons (DC) which is still occurring until the middle of November. “Students can donate any canned foods or even one of their blocks from their meal plan. All of the food donated goes to the Monterey County Food Bank,” said Tyler McBrian, Marketing and Sustainability Manager for the Dining Services.

He says that the Dining Services tries to do something once a month relating to sustainability. 

Along with creating sustainability around food there is an actual organization here on the CSUMB campus called the Campus Sustainability Committee. Committee members consist of faculty, staff, and students all throughout the CSUMB campus from Humanities and Communications Professors, to Athletic Coordinators, and more.

The Committee has created a Climate Action Plan (CAP) which provides a road map to making greenhouse gas emissions extinct by 2030. With a date so far ahead, what is it's true importance. By following the CAP, CSUMB will save money, implement carbon neutrality to students, and will reinforce lectures on sustainability.

CSUMB also has many multiple occasions on campus ranging from biking events where students are encouraged to ride their bikes around the Monterey area, bus outings encouraging students to use public transportation being that it's a free way to travel for CSUMB students and abides a sustainable lifestyle.

In the end, CSUMB has the right to talk the talk since they walk the walk.

Has Shannon Thrown In The Towel?!?!

October 15, 2012
As Shannon Wall continues the Project Green Challenge it has become exactly what the title says it is, a challenge. Wall explains that towards the beginning of the challenge she was way more productive and active. “I had less ties, less homework, and fewer commitments than I do now,” Wall says.

Wall does the challenges still no longer shoots for the greenest tasks which offers the most points. “Some days are definitely harder than others. If I have a paper due on a challenge day I'll skip doing the challenge depending on how important a paper or homework assignment is.” School has caused conflict towards her participation in the activity, which is one of the main reasons students didn’t follow through with joining the event.

"With all the sign ups I got from tabling the event not one of them actually committed to doing the challenge," Wall says. "I mean but I totally understand, as college kids we got a lot on our plants and sometimes we don't want to give ourselves more than we can handle."

Photo provided by Health's A Choice

Photo provided by Street Car Mike

However she says that skipping certain days of the challenge doesn’t make her any less productive when it comes to sustainability. “I was trying to stress to students that you don’t have to be perfectly green everyday, just be more conscious. If you see a piece of trash on the floor pick it up and toss it in the trash, if you finish drinking from your water bottle put it in the recycling bin rather than the trash can.”

Wall says that she’s made it more of a habit to buy organic foods, taking the bus more to the point where even her roommates hop on the Monterey Salinas Transit (MST) every now and then. “That’s the coolest part, seeing your friends turn green without them even realizing it.Going green doesn’t have to be hard, you just gotta take it day by day and you will see change,” says Wall.

Wall says that her roommates not to long ago bought furniture from a store called Last Chance. It’s a place that sells previously owned items ranging from clothes, books, furniture and more. “We bought a couch for ten bucks,” she says ecstatic, “so the challenge has influenced not only me but my peers which is awesome.”

The Lady Who Started It All

October 14, 2012

Executive Director and Co Founder Judi Shils
Photo provided by the Marin Magazine

I recently had the chance to interview Executive Director Judi Shils, the lady who made it all happen. Shils was more than ecstatic when I reached out to her about wanting to get her insight on the topic of environmental justice and how her event correlates with that.  

Program Director and Co Founder Erin Schodes
Photo provided by Project Green Challenge

In 2002 her 13 year old daughter at the time Erin Schrodes, wanted to make a difference by impacting the lives of others teens in raising awareness about eco responsible living. Under the guidance of Shils and her daughters ambition to make a change, the project was born.

2005 they had 80 proactive teens ready to discuss and impact the issues at hand to their peers. Teens Turning Green was originally created in 2005 under the name'Teens for Safe Cosmetics'.

The Project Green Challenge is one of the 23 events that Teens Turning Green does with schools. Shils says, “ the goal of this event is to build a framework and then just have it blow up.” She wants as many students possible to become cautious and conscious of their way of living. 

Teens Turning Green has multiple events. “We try to be as versatile as we possibly can. We have different events like fashion shows and road tours so that it interests the students but at the same time educating them on the things that matter,” Shils says.

She specifically wants to work with students in high school and college because that age group is more powerful than they think. “Students have the power to do anything, and I don’t think they really know it. If one person has an idea to make a change and they get enough people to work with them to make that change, it will happen. The young generation is the voice of the future.”

Shils says that whenever a student reaches out to her organization about wanting to start up any kind of event or activity regarding living green, they will send that students supplies to help them jump start their ambitions. Shils even helped out our very own Shannon Wall when finding out that she was trying to get California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) students to sign up for PGC by sending her granola bars and T-shirts.

She says, "the motto of Teens Turning Green is, ‘dream and do it.’ If we have a dream, do something about it to make it come true. If kids see an injustice on campus, do something about it, and really use your voices!”

To learn more about Teens Turning Green <--Click there
To learn more about the Project Green Challenge <-- Click there

Promoting, Promoting, Promoting!!!

October 12, 2012

Photo provided by Associated Students Green Team

Shannon Wall has been working on promoting the Project Green Challenge to other students here at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). She recently had a tabling event in the Student Center. “ I just want to get as many students involved in this that I can.”

Photo provided by Shannon Wall

Wall said the turnout was better than she expected. She got over forty signatures of students saying that they were going to sign up for the challenge. “I had to bribe them with candy,” Shannon laughs, “that’s all that ever really works anyways right?”

Regardless of her candy bribes she said she got mixed reactions from students. Some were actually intrigued by the challenge and considered joining because like Shannon they were pretty proactive about their green lifestyles. However some students thought otherwise. She sad one student walked up to her and stated, “I’m not Eco friendly.” Another student smirked when seeing what she was trying to do and said, “I just used a bunch of napkins,” and walked away. Wall stresses, “to do the challenge you don’t already have to be Eco friendly, the importance is making people aware.” She said she would love it if the girl who used a bunch of napkins tried the challenge because it would be great to see her new viewpoint on things after attempting it.

Even though she got a bunch of signatures she is unsure of how great the turnout will actually be. “Most people didn’t want to sign up because they already got a million and one things to do.” Regardless though, Wall says, "if at least one person signs up then the tabling was well worth it."

Let The Challenge Begin!

October 6th, 2012

http://www.facefitnesscenter.com/access/416/makeup/25-adorable-beauty-products/

Today was the first week of the Project Green Challenge. The focus was on “whole body” and the chemicals that can be found in ones everyday beauty products. Cosmetics are purchased constantly from shampoos, mascaras, body wash, lotions, and more. However the ingredients contained in these products tend to be overshadowed and not given the closer look that they deserve.

Challengers were instructed to read an article and watch a short web video on certain hazardous chemicals that can be found in ones beauty products. Contestants were then given the option to choose from one of the three challenges going from green to greenest. Shannon Wall, our California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) challenger did all three! One task was to look up the chemicals in one of her beauty products. She was surprised to see that her Bath and Body Works shower gel had three hazardous chemicals in it! “I'm shocked, that's a little scary to think about, knowing that I'm rubbing all of these chemicals onto my body. I mean already make sure to buy organic face wash but now I'm going to try and do it with all the stuff I buy."

Wall remembers being taught about all these chemicals in a former college course “ I took this course called Intro to Environmental Science, which taught me about all the different chemicals.” She does admit that even though she knows certain products have chemicals in them, she just can’t give certain ones up. Wall says, “I can't let go of my Tresemme, that stuff works so good on my hair.” However she does stress to look for products that don’t test on animals.

Wall said she's not nervous for the challenges to come. “ I live a pretty green lifestyle and I'm eco conscious when it comes to most things. I think I’m more excited to see the challenges at hand.”

As a Communications Commissioner for the Associated Students Environmental Affairs Committee, Wall is very passionate when it comes to promoting students to go green and taking certain steps into making the CSUMB campus more sustainable.

Shannon The Challenger

California State University Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) very own student Shannon Wall is taking on the Project Green Challenge which encourages college and high school students worldwide to go green by finishing day by day tasks. A challenge about building a powerful, diverse, and far-reaching movement during the thirty one days of October.

Photo provided by Desiree Sheppard

Students will be emailed a different task for every day of October. Challengers get the option of completing a task that is either green, greener, or greenest, the greener the challenge the more points contestants will get. Students will provide proof with pictures and videos uploaded to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more. Whoever receives the most points is the winner. The grand prize consists of multiple goodies like: a $5000 Natracare award, $2000 nature path start up kit, a fold up bike, $1000 ebay green gift card and so much more.

Wall is a Junior majoring in  Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Communication. Her hometown is Sacramento and she has always lived a green lifestyle. “My parents are hippies,” Wall laughs, “ my dad works for a solar panel company and my Mom just is one.” Wall says she wants to see more change with CSUMB students going green. “I want to see people actually taking their reusable bags shopping, more carpooling, and even bicycling to class.” When Wall saw the challenge she thought it sounded fun, exciting, and had a great purpose.