New movers and shakers in The Village!

The Villagers are coming! The first Village Council Info Meeting was held Wednesday night (Sept. 30th). Residents came out to rep the Village's eight buildings, and their excitement for the chance to create tradition and community spirit at their awesome new beach front home. Res Dean Susan and Assistant Res Dean Andrea led the meeting as ideas flew around the room from residents eager to voice their opinions.

A total of five councils were created to handle all the wants and needs of the Villagers. Both students and staff spoke up about the lack of recycling bins and facilities in the community. It warmed my heart to hear that sustainability was a main focus for the residents as they create their new lives at UCSD. : )
Speaking of facilities, who better to be in charge of utilizing and advocating for improvements than the Facilities Council! With efficiency and conservation in mind, they are working on getting window screens for every floor, and more bike racks for residents. Yay!
Then there's the One-Time Events Council. Their dream is to organize student orgs and traditions from a Villager's perspective. Who wouldn't be up for an Open Mic Night, Sidewalk Bowling, or an Outdoor Movie Night?!
The Ongoing Activities Council has the goal of creating a fun, social, and inclusive community that's all about monthly bonfires, courtyard camping, monthly potlucks, and even a little spin on the o-so-over-done "undie run". But sshhh! It's a secret until the perfect substitute "run" is decided.
The Social Networking Council has big dreams of distribution information that's accessible to all students, yet centralized around Village Life and events. With a website, e-newsletter, and informational desk in the works, this council will strive to create a forum for the Villagers. This forum style in the community will allow everyone to get to know each other because as one of the Council members stated, "We want to know our neighbors!"
Last but not least, the Spirit and Pride Council wanted to put an emphasis on individual and community identity. Not too shabby! There is hope that the Village will carry on the tradition of other colleges, by taking part in the act of dropping "something" off of the tallest building in that college. If we get that privilege, the Tower (building 1) in The Village will be our drop site! : )

It turned out to be a legit operation, as the majority decided that the Village Council would have Building Reps, Chairs, Senators, the whole nine yards. We still haven't found a place for our "Village Idiot" yet. On the council perhaps?...For now he/she is our inspiration : )

If you missed this week's groundbreaking meeting, have no fear, you can go next week on Wed. Oct. 7th at 9:00pm. They will be meeting on the bottom floor of Building 2 in The Village.

~Hilary *Composting Queen*

Happy People = Happy Food

Dining, it’s a special thing, it is that food we consume to allow us to get through the classes we signed up for, but is there more than food involved in dining? Yes! Well at least I have decided that. After having eaten at the different dining locations here on campus, I’ve noticed that if the people who work there, the people making my food, and serving me, are happy, then I am happy. If I am happy then everything becomes better, the food seems great, and I go back. The best locations for happy workers are easily Foodworx, and OVT. Canyon Vista is not too bad, and neither is Café V. Earl’s people are helpful if you ask but they do not go out of their way to serve you.

Another plus to Foodworx, so far the best I’ve seen in selection as a Place and Market.

On a negative note, all place and markets are expensive. Sometimes I don’t have the time, or what feels like the energy to walk to a dining facility like Café V or Canyon Vista, therefore I try to keep some food at my place, but the prices are ridiculous. My dining points aren’t monopoly money, they are real, every point transfers to a real dollar I expect the prices to be fair to that.

Enjoy,

Angela

Campus Life!

Hooowdy!

So living on campus has been pretty amazing. Yesterday was the first day of classes, where a map was always by my side. The campus is a little tough to find your way around, but I'm sure we will all get used to it very soon. For now we just have to adventure and take the risk of getting lost. We will know the campus soon! In the meantime, here is a link to a really great map of UCSD: http://www-act.ucsd.edu/maps/

So, Welcome Week has also been loads of fun. I attended Triton Power Hour. You know, got all amped up about the sports teams on campus. Which are GRE-AT by the way! Then there was Convocation. Which was quite chilly but heart-warming with all of the welcomes, encouragements, and dinner. Then Willy Wonka was played on a big screen on Warren Lawn. It went with Warren's theme this year so it was quite festive! Then there was UnOlympics! Woot woot! Congrats to all of those of you who are in Marshall. Good job being the owners of the Golden Shoe. have to say, Muir's dance was probably my favorite. The pacmen running in slow motion was absolutely hilarious.

There is such a beautiful community here at UCSD. I feel we are so connected in midst of all our diversity. I am so proud to be a Triton with all of you! There he is...

The EcoNauts are working hard to make the campus greener and to make it easier for students to live green on campus. We have a few events planned for all of you to come and enjoy. One of which includes a chicken suit to celebrate Cage-free Egg Day on October 8th. Be on the lookout for a happy chicken and breakfast burritos made from cage-free eggs!

Until next time,

Jessica

email me! jbaltman@ucsd.edu

Why go hungry on campus? Check out the Co-op!

Hey y'all : )
Lets give a round of applause for all the free food we've been able to take advantage of during Welcome Week! To all the UCSD veterans who made it happen....thanks! Hopefully you took the opportunity to stock up during Convocation. If not, then I have done some of the scouting for you, to find some convenient and student friendly places to eat on campus.
As a Muir College student, I have discovered the CO-OP located in the (old) Student Center Grove Gallery in Muir. This cute little market and eatery is located on the North side of the Bike Shop.

You can make your own PB&J there for just a $1.50. They've got all the ingredients fresh and ready to go. All you have to do is slap it together and enjoy. Students can choose between a variety of bagels for 75 cents, or Day Old Gold bagels for just 50 cents. Don't worry vegans because they have a bagel just for you. : ) And you can toast it right there in the store.
Dispensers with granola, trail mix, oats, banana chips, chocolate covered pretzels, and more are priced by the pound (great deal). Thirsty? Organic juices are available if you're craving something sweet. And to keep up with a sustainably friendly environment, the Co-op hooks students up with a discounted price for hot tea when you bring "your cup" and fill it up. Bringing "Your cup" is just 40 cents and using "Our cup" (provided by C0-op) is just 50 cents. Tons of delicious wraps, healthy grab-and-go sandwiches, and organic bananas line the shelves. Once the quarter gets going full-swing, the Co-op will provide hot curry dishes and fresh soups for "starving students" campus wide. So be on the look-out Tritons! The Co-op is here to cater to a student body that wants to eat a healthy, tasty, affordable, sustainable, and convenient diet.

Yum.

By the way, for all the hard-core vegans out there that want to maintain health in all aspects of their lives, the store even sells Vegan condoms. : )

So check out this fantastic little market today! Good luck tomorrow on your first day of classes. Have fun and stay balanced.

-Hilary *Compost Queen*

Our New Home & Kitchen

So we've all begun our trek for fall, hard classes, lots of work and walking, long days, you know -the usual. Started off on fairly balanced feet, meeting the roomies, dances and information tossed at our feet... But amidst all these new and exciting things, I've come to realize this is my home (and kitchen) for this year. I am expected to eat, sleep, live and breathe in this place (certainly the breathing part eh?).

I happen to be in the sixth college resident halls (707), the first things I started to notice once reality came crashing in is:

1. No hot-plates are allowed... and there are no stove tops in the kitchenette... This threw me off a bit, no cooking for ourselves? I was a little disappointed. If apartments can have their own why can't each resident hall have one?

2. I am definitely happy with how suites promote community amongst fellow students, I think it will make a HUGE difference later in the year...

3. The water bottles are awesome! Free and Reusable, can't beat it!

There's got to be more but it’s gonna come bit by bit...

Don't forget to check out Goody's!!!

Angela

Being in college now.

Hey all,

so move-in has been quite the experience of transition! Living away from the sweet parents.. being surrounded by tons of peers.. loving all of my wonderful roommates.. having to do laundry, dishes, and cooking all on my own time.. doing my best to stay healthy as a vegan.. it's all been quite the fun! I feel like an adult now. Like suddenly I have budded because I share an apartment with some gals in La Jolla and part of something really awesome called Warren College. Isn't it funny how age hits you once you are finally able to accept the responsibilities for your age group?

So I ate in the Canyon Vista Restaurant for my first time today. I read somewhere that Warren has the most extensive salad bar in all of UCSD, and I was expecting something a little more epic when I got there, but I do have to say I was very pleased by their provision. I am a fan of lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, brocolli, and tofu in my salad. I've gotta get those three servings of protein some how. Other than the salad, tofu, and fruit, there wasn't much to satisfy my vegan diet. It's too bad I would go hungry at the CV dinery, but to be very honest, I am glad it is that way, and I am glad for my choice to be a vegan every day of my life. Sometimes it gets really hard (like when I was in Ensenada, Mexico with very limited food, or at camp in Green Valley for a week, or on a cruise for 10 days, or traveling to New York then Israel for THREE WEEKS), but I have pulled out so much stronger from each time I push myself to walk that line. But for all the other vegans out there, it is my goal to get more vegan options available around campus because I think we are going to get larger in number as time goes on. I haven't found my "vegan niche" yet at UCSD, but I hear there are a gathering of vegans under some trees near Muir. I'm gonna have to check that out.

But that is what college is all about isn't it? Finding our niche. Whether it be in academics, in culture, in diet, in lifestyle, in dress, in faith. College is about finding that niche that is more or less "for you." The problem is never if something exists, the problem is seeking that which is real. And it is such a problem because it is self-motivated. So here we are! And here we must be either on our own or holding the hand of G-d as we venture on this journey of self-discovery and finding that place cut out just for us. So lets gird up our loins, friends, there's something out there in this beautiful world for us!

-Jessica

An article.. about the EcoNauts!

Here we are.. in the news!

Be on the look-out, friends.

http://www.greenrightnow.com/kabc/2009/09/14/green-college-innovators-2009-uc-san-diego/#more-4735

-Jessica

Our First Day!

Hi Tritons! It's Jessica and Hilary and Angela writing!

To all new and returning students at UCSD, WELCOME!!

We are three "EcoNauts" recently hired by the new Sustainability Department working for Housing, Dining, and Hospitality. We are three days into the job and loving it!

We hope to be a great resource for those of you who are new admits and also for those who are interested in "greening" your life.

Email us, soon, when we have an eco-email. Be anticipating it.

Jessica lives in Warren.

Hilary lives in "The Village."

Angela lives in Sixth.

Please please be our friends, we could really use support. We need all the brain power we can get to make UCSD super super awesome.

Here are some pictures from our "Eco-boot camp" (videos coming soon):

All of the EcoNauts, and our beloved boss Krista Mays, touring the recycling plant:

From left to right, Jessica, Krista, Michael, Hannah, Kim, Hilary, and Angela!! Aren't we cute? We were getting our hands dirty with all of you in mind :-)

A cube of recycled aluminum cans, thirty thousand of them!

-Typed by Hilary and Jessica, your EcoNauts (fo' LYFE!)