Darcy Matsuda 

8/15/16

California Student Sustainability Coalition 

Lauren Jabusch

Lauren@sustainabilitycoalition.org

I decided to volunteer at the CSSC because they are involved in trying to help the environment and educating people about the importance of conserving resources and being aware of the ways in which we can lessen or negative impact on the earth. Going in to my volunteering, I expected that this organization would have a lot to do with college sit ins and protests of not environmentally friendly practices like fracking, which I wasn't particularly excited for because one, I'm not a college student and two, protests don't really seem like my thing. I was surprised to learn that most of what CSSC actually does is  educating people on better ways of sustainability. I ended up working on a project for their purchasing portal for online sales of merchandise to raise money for programs that help educate college communities about sustainability.  I was excited to be helping with a part of their website that would contribute directly to the education programs, which is what I am really interested in. 

Darcy Matsuda

8/22/16

California Student Sustainability Coalition 

Lauren Jabusch
Lauren@sustainabilitycoalition.org

After working on the CSSC's online purchasing portal, I realized how different the organization was from what I expected it to be. Like I said in my prior blog post, I thought this organization would be a lot of protests or seemingly surface level work. From my time working with the CSSC, I learned about how much they really do to make colleges more ecologically friendly. They have chapters in colleges across California and have a mini grant program to help colleges with moving more towards zero waste by helping them start composting, change to less wasteful plates and utensils, and encourage better food sourcing. They also have internships and other programs that address social issues like racial justice and gender equality. I was surprised by how much I liked working with the CSSC and how interested I was in their programs and the amount they actually do for their communities. Although my work with the purchasing portal doesn't seem like it would make a huge difference in the organization as a whole, raising money is a huge part in helping them continue to help colleges become more eco friendly. Without the money they raise from selling their products online, they would not have the money to fund their Zero Waste Grant Program or anything else. Because of this I actually do feel like I made a difference in promoting sustainability by volunteering with the organization.