Calendar

Sep. 12 (Thursday): Freshman Convocation. 6 p.m. Oviatt Lawn.

Dec. 4-5 (Wednesday-Thursday): Freshman Celebration 2013

CSUN student says READ Garbology and don't forget to reduce, reuse, and recylce.

News: plastic bags

"L.A. approves ban on plastic grocery bags" (6/18/13)

"L.A.'s Latino senators divided on banning plastic bags." (6/10/13)

"L.A. makes history with ban on plastic bags at stores." (5/23/12)

L.A. County passes sweeping ban on plastic bags." (11/16/10)

Other campuses reading this book

Hampshire College

Marymount College

Freshman common reading programs on other campuses

CSUN's Common Reading Archives

2012-2013: One Amazing Thing

2011-2012: The Glass Castle

2010-2011: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2009-2010: The Soloist

2008-2009: Nickel and Dimed

2007-2008: The Things They Carried

To the entering freshman class of 2013-2014:

Welcome to Cal State Northridge! CSUN's 2013-2014 Freshman Common Reading is Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Edward Humes. You may be surprised to learn that "we are best understood by what we throw away." You may even disagree. But consider that the average American throws away "about 7.1 pounds per person per day, 365 days a year"--including "enough plastic film to shrink wrap Texas" (a tantalizing thought!).

As a new freshman, you are invited to read the book and to discuss it as part of a campus-wide community of readers. If you are enrolled in UNIV 100 for summer or fall 2013, you will have the opportunity to read some or all of Garbology as part of the course. Reflecting about a book in this way places academic engagement—teaching and learning—at the very center of the community that you are about to join. The Common Reading allows us all to think, talk, and learn together across and beyond the boundaries of any single classroom.

Edward Humes (the author of Garbology) will be the keynote speaker this fall at Freshman Convocation. Read this book; talk about it with other students; and discuss it with faculty, with staff, with administrators, with friends, and even (who knows?) with your family.

Welcome to CSUN!

Four CSUN students invite you to read Garbology and see the author at Freshman Convocation

CSUN Garbology resources

Anthropology Department: "archaeologists have a lot to say about garbage" (according to one professor) and "I'm a sucker for garbage" (another professor).

Associated Students sponosors the campus Recycling Center. Don't miss the three-part A.S. Recycling Squad YouTube video.

Garbology bookmarks (designed by Susanna Eng-Ziskin and Joyclyn Dunham, Oviatt Library) are available to CSUN faculty, staff, and students on request: email Cheryl Spector for more information.

The Institute for Sustainability

Did you know that Sustainability is one of CSUN's GE Paths? (Check out the current GE Paths course list to see what courses are offered each semester.) CSUN also has a Sustainability Minor.

Other Garbology resources

Bea Johnson gives a tour of her house (video): http://www.thewomenseye.com/2011/01/21/interview-bea-johnson/

Edward Humes's website: http://www.edwardhumes.com/

Garbology Facebook page

MIT's Trash Track: http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack/

NPR story about Edward Humes and the Pacific Garbage Patch: "Following Garbage's Long Journey around the Earth."

Recology's Arist-in-Residence Program: http://www.sunsetscavenger.com/AIR

Assignments for faculty using Garbology

Classroom assignments and discussion topics faculty can use with Garbology are posted on the faculty workshop page. If you have a new idea for teaching with the book, please email it to me and I'll add it to the collection.