Contact: Patti Klein Lerner,
(818) 677-2130

CSUN Plans Earth Week 2000 Activities

"What we're hoping to do is to educate our campus community as to ways they can help to improve our environment so they can go out and get involved in environmental issues," said Cyndi Signett, who coordinates CSUN's Associated Students Recycling Program, sponsor of the event.

"So many people say, 'But, I'm just one person,' but if you get a lot of those one persons, together, you really can make a difference and you really can help the environment," Signett said.

The event will begin on Monday with the "Clean Out Your Files Event" of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The CSUN community is urged to purge and recycle old records, files and documents by putting them in the blue recycling bins across campus. During this two-week event, Post-Its, envelopes, pendaflex files, junk mail - even paper clips and staples - can go in the bins, which normally are limited to white office paper, Signett said.

Representatives of environmental and campus groups and public agencies will provide information about caring for our environment from 9:30 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, at the CSUN EarthFair at the Court of Community in the Student Union on Lindley Avenue north of Nordhoff Street.

Tuesday also will feature a noon concert by folk singer Annie Rapid and an aluminum can collection drive to benefit Habitat for Humanity from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., both in the Student Union Court of Community, Signett said.

Volunteers will plant 40 trees between the Science I and II buildings on Lindley Avenue north of Nordhoff Street between 8:30 a.m. and noon on Wednesday, April 26. CSUN's Student Union, College of Science & Mathematics, TreePeople and California ReLeaf are among the sponsors of the event. Volunteers are welcome; refreshments will be served.

CSUN Geography Professor Dr. Gong-Yuh Lin will speak on Southern California's progress in lowering levels of asthma-inducing ozone in the air at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the University Student Union's Santa Clarita Room. Los Angeles still has the highest ozone levels in the nation, said Dr. Lin, whose talk is sponsored by CSUN's Geography Council.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 27-29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., people from the community can bring paints, solvents, motor oil, anti-freeze, chemicals, pesticides, and other household hazardous waste to the City of Los Angeles' HazMobile at CSUN Parking Lot T at Lindley Avenue and Lassen Street. No tires, ammunition, or business, radioactive or biological waste will be accepted, Signett said. For more information, call (800) 98-Toxic or (800) 988-6942.

A display of recycling efforts at CSUN will be on view at Sierra Hall on Etiwanda Avenue north of Nordhoff Street from April 24-28. Since its recycling program began in 1991, CSUN has recycled more than 500,000 pounds of office paper, as well as cardboard, beverage containers, newspapers, wooden pallets and other items, Signett said.

Signett said students today seem more environmentally aware but have less time and energy to devote to environmental activism.

"It's my hope that something will spark in people's minds that will lead them to become more active in environmental issues," Signett said. "If we only get one person that gets involved in some environmental concern or issue where they feel that they can make a difference, it's all worth it. If you're recycling, you are saving resources, that's really the bottom line on it. You're stretching resources for future generations."

For more information, call Signett at (818) 677-2477 or e-mail her at csignett@csun.edu.