Healthy and Sustainable Diet

Does an Immune-Boosting Diet Exist?

Eating enough nutrients as part of a varied diet is required for the health and function of all cells, including immune cells. Each stage of the body’s immune response relies on the presence of many micronutrients. Examples of nutrients that have been identified as critical for the growth and function of immune cells include vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium and Vitamin E. You can get those nutrients from fruits and vegetables. 

What’s great about Fall is that it’s root and squash season, which means you can make lots of delicious sheet pan meals or hearty soups. Another wonderful thing are the Farmer Markets, making it one of the best times to get food right from your local area. When buying regional produce you help the farmers and economy around , as well as cut down on waste. Farmers tend to not wrap everything in plastic, and the food doesn’t have to travel as far, meaning you’ve aided in cutting down on carbon emission. If you’re trying to find your closest farmers market, check your city’s chamber of commerce or find an app that serves your area.

Buying your food seasonally is another way to be more sustainable. When you purchase food that is growing and ripe during its natural season, it is more nutritious, and doesn’t have to be flown in from a faraway land (which makes it more expensive too). Overall it cuts down on use of fossil fuels and is healthier for you.

Click on the link below to find your local farmer markets.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/farmersmarkets

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Sustainable Living Guide For Students 

Environmental problems are at the top of the list of the most relevant issues. In response to this issue, more and more people are getting started with a sustainable lifestyle and taking care of the ecology. 

Can one student change the state of the environment? Well, every student who begins to change their lifestyle in order to protect the environment will be able to make real changes to the overall picture. Below are some simple tips to change not only the ecological situation, but also change the life for the better.

1. Reduce Plastic Use and Sort Your Trash

The first point to start is to try to reduce plastic consumption. Give preference to products that have eco-friendly packaging, avoid plastic tableware, and so on. 

2. Get A Coffee Mug and Refillable Bottle

According to statistics, students drink coffee for various reasons, but it does tend to be a daily ritual. To reduce it, consider buying a reusable coffee mug for these purposes. The same goes for the water bottle. Grab a refillable water bottle and take a big step in the fight against plastic.

3. Buy a Bamboo Toothbrush

A bamboo toothbrush is a must-have for every eco-conscious person. Firstly, such toothbrushes are eco-friendly. Secondly, they are really pleasant to use and more effective than plastic toothbrushes.

4.Eat Healthy 

Most of the food students choose involves various packaging and containers that take a long time to decompose. Therefore, switch to a healthy diet, choose fresh fruits and vegetables and prepare your own food, this can change the situation for the better.

5.Save Energy

Everyone talks about saving their time, but they sometimes forget about saving energy. Let’s say, for example, you left your laptop on charge for a whole day, even though it is already fully charged. During this time, your laptop continues to consume power. Therefore, make it a habit to turn off all devices and equipment. This can save between $100 and $200 per year. Turning off lights in room not in use can also help save energy.

6.Control Your Water Consumption

It is worth paying attention to water consumption too. For example, when you brush your teeth, you can turn off the water until you need it to rinse your brush. There is research that shows by 2030, demand for freshwater will exceed supply by 40%. So, it is worth considering using water rationally. 

7.Choose Used or Recycled Notebooks and Books

Did you know, the average US person uses 700 pounds of paper per year? For this reason, it is worth paying attention to what you buy. Today there are notebooks created from recycled materials, which can do a lot to help save the forests. In addition, the cost of such notebooks are typically in the same range as ordinary ones. And such notebooks and notepads also have excellent designs for every taste.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

picture sources:https://www.thepinnaclelist.com/articles/beginners-guide-to-sustainable-living/

Sustainable Transportation to Campus

Welcome to a new school year! 

Everett CC has many ways to support staff and students in getting to and from campus in sustainable ways.

Due to the rate of emissions that are produced by each and every vehicle on the road, students and staff are encouraged to carpool when possible. 

Cut costs, avoid parking hassles and help preserve our environment by sharing a ride to campus.

Cost: $10.00 + $4.50 processing fee (non-refundable) + tax (9.9%) = $15.94 per quarter

To learn more how to apply click here: https://www.everettcc.edu/administration/cwt-security/security/transit/carpool/

There are also alternative means of transportation outside of driving a vehicle. EVCC offers ORCA passes (prepaid bus passes) for staff and students at a discounted rate.

To get started on a student ORCA bus pass, the Cashiers Office will need a completed Student Orca Bus Pass Agreement

To learn more about about bus pass click here :

https://www.everettcc.edu/administration/cwt-security/security/transit

Another option is riding a bicycle. Everett CC provides bike fixing stations and there are 2 bike lockers on campus to keep equipment safe and secure while working or in class.

For more information on sustainable transportation options, check out our webpage: everettcc.edu

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Volunteers at Earthcorps

June 24th 10am-1pm
Union Slough Park

EarthCorps enables community members of all ages to give back to their community by helping keep city parks and forests healthy.  You bring a positive attitude, your mask, snacks, water bottle, and clothes that can get dirty, and EarthCorps will provide the rest.

ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

EarthCorps staff and volunteer leaders will teach you everything you need to know about the work including tool safety, forest health, and the importance of the specific tasks you will be doing.

WHAT WILL WE BE DOING?

While the exact tasks at hand vary, our projects focus on improving the forests and parks in our local cities. Healthy forests are vital to our community because they filter rainwater, purify the air, provide living spaces for wildlife, and give people a place to connect with the outdoors.

Tasks include:

Removing aggressive weeds like English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry

Planting native trees and shrubs

Spreading mulch

Pre-register online. No walk-up volunteering at this time. We need to know what to be prepared for, thank you for understanding. If you are registering for an event in Tacoma, please visit our Tacoma volunteer page for further guidelines and protocols. 

Digital QR Code sign-in. Once you arrive scan the event QR code with your phone to sign yourself in. Waivers should be completed after you register online. For youth volunteers, there is an additional step of verifying your parent/ guardian. 

Face masks are required. If needed, North Puget Sound events will have disposable masks on hand.

Smaller events. Each of our events will host a max of 5 volunteers at a time.  

Clothing that can (and will) get dirty and closed-toed shoes. (work boots, hiking boots, rubber boots, or tennis shoes). Rain gear and warm layers (check the weather!)

Bring your own water and snacks.

Maintain social distancing. During the event please be sure to maintain a 6-10 feet physical distance from fellow volunteers and our event leads.

Bring your work gloves. If you need work gloves, all North Puget Sound events will have extra on hand.

At any point our public agency or public health guidelines change, processes will be updated to reflect current restrictions and practices.

YOUTH AND KIDS: 

Volunteers of all ages are welcome! The work is typically geared towards adults and kids 10 and up, but younger kids are welcome to participate. Parents of younger kids should expect to supervise their children.  Youth under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. If you are under 18 years old, make sure your parent/guardian completes your waiver which is required in order for you to participate. Waivers should be completed after you register online. For youth volunteers, there is an additional step of verifying your parent/ guardian.

Service Hours and Credit for Volunteering

In many cases, volunteering with EarthCorps counts for service hours! Check with your school, class, or program to verify that volunteering with EarthCorps (a 501c3 nonprofit) will count. When you sign up for an event on our volunteer calendar, please indicate if you are volunteering for credit. This helps us know that our volunteer team needs to sign your forms and approve your hours.


Registration is required: https://www.earthcorps.org/volunteer/event/a0EHn00000QVU8nMAH/

Individuals under 18 must fill out a youth waiver prior to arrival.

To Learn more about Event Please click here: https://www.earthcorps.org/volunteer/what-to-expect-at-a-volunteer-event

For any additional information please contact GABI ESPARZA 
Senior Partnerships & Volunteer Manager 
she/her/hers pronouns 
email gabi@earthcorps.org 

ReplyForward

Outdoor Habitat Restoration Volunteer Event

JOIN EARTHCORPS AND THE PORT OF EVERETT

June 24 and October 7 · 10 AM to 1 PM · Everett’s Union Slough

Everett’s Union Slough restores tidal flows to farming fields and creates 8 acres of marsh

and mudflat filled with wildlife and native vegetation. Volunteers will support sustainable

environmental restoration through tasks that may include removing non-native invasive

species, planting native trees and shrubs, or maintaining urban green spaces.

No experience is necessary to join.

June 24th 10am-1pm
Union Slough Park
Registration is required: https://www.earthcorps.org/volunteer/event/a0EHn00000QVU8nMAH/

Individuals under 18 must fill out a youth waiver prior to arrival.

To Learn more about Event Please click here: https://www.earthcorps.org/volunteer/what-to-expect-at-a-volunteer-event

For any additional information please contact GABI ESPARZA 
Senior Partnerships & Volunteer Manager 
she/her/hers pronouns 
email gabi@earthcorps.org 

Sustainable Tourism 

While people often think of sustainability as minimizing our environmental footprint, it is in fact much broader and all-encompassing than this. Sustainable tourism is all about achieving a balance between economic growth, human well-being, and environmental health. It focuses on reducing tourism’s negative impacts and on maximizing its positive benefits for communities, cultures, ecosystems, and the planet. Sustainable tourism accounts for both the immediate impacts felt today as well as those longer-term impacts that will be experienced by future generations.

Having a sustainable summer vacation starts with eco-friendly transportation to your destination. The transport sector accounts for 29% of world carbon emissions – it has the largest GHG share.

This summer, when going to the lake, the beach, or a picnic to relax with your family, use eco-friendly transport options. These eco-friendly options include taking a walk, riding a bike, or taking public transportation instead of a personal car.

If it’s an accessible area, biking is an eco-friendly way to travel. It also promotes exercise and builds up muscle strength. It is also good for your heart, lungs, and overall circulation. Plus, it’s a low-impact exercise if your body needs a rest.

Using a bike also conserves non-renewable resources and reduces air pollution. Take a bike ride to explore a new town or even hidden spots in your neighborhood. Instead of driving, take a bicycle to your local ice cream shop.

To make your traveling even more sustainable, use eco-friendly travel essentials, like a hemp backpackbamboo toothbrushes, and ethical clothes. To further minimize the environmental impact of your trips, you can purchase carbon offsets. 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Eco-Friendly Picnics and Cookouts

An eco-friendly summer is not less fun; it is just better for the planet. And when we all take steps to make summer eco-friendly, we also help by doing our bit to protect nature for future generations to enjoy.

Picnics and cookouts are regular occurrences in summer. However, eating outdoors or ordering meals can generate a lot of avoidable waste if you allow it. Don’t use disposable paper or plastic plates, cutleries, napkins, or cups. Instead, take reusable alternatives when you go out to eat. 

Related: Can you recycle paper plates?

Disposables consume resources like trees and fossil fuels, but you can only use them once. Single usage does not quite do justice to the environmental costs. Using reusable eating utensils can make a massive dent in your carbon footprint. In addition, it helps cut down on waste and natural resource consumption.

And when it comes to washing up those plates when you get them home, opt for zero-waste dish soap or zero-waste dishwasher detergents for perfectly sparkly clean dishes without the plastic bottles and environmental harm.

 Shop food locally

Want to eat healthily, save on emissions and help to boost the local economy? These are some of the many reasons to eat locally-produced food. You will probably eat more meals in the summer as part of the eco-friendly activities you have planned.

A sustainable holiday meal plan starts with shopping for vegetables and other food ingredients at the local farmers’ market. Because of the short food supply chain, it has a lesser carbon footprint compared to imported processed foods. Buying locally grown food also helps your local community save food from going to waste.

Additionally, eating less meat has positive impacts on the health of you and the environment. Research has linked meat production with deforestation1, water shortages, and dangerous levels of CO2 emissions. 

Outdoor cooking is one great thing about the holidays; it brings friends together. However, outdoor cooking can pollute fresh air if you don’t use environmentally friendly methods. Instead of charcoal or wood grills, use an electric or propane grill. You can also use pellet grills that use compressed wood scrap and emit less carbon.

Eco-friendly activities will generate

some waste. Don’t just throw everything you no longer need into the trash. Look for opportunities to recycle them instead. You can use food waste as compost for your garden, and check out our recycling tips to maximize what actually does, in fact, get recycled.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

 Recycling process 

Have you ever wondered about what happens to your recycling after it leaves the house? Each item put out for recycling only starts its journey once thrown in the bin. After it’s picked up curbside, it begins the laborious process of being turned into something else.

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. To do this, recycling often requires both machinery and employees to correctly sort recyclable items based on the material they’re made of. This includes paper, plastic, glass, metal, and more.

While the recycling process often differs by commodity and locality, there are essentially three main steps: collection, processing, and remanufacturing into a new product.

  1. Collection: Recyclable materials are generated by a consumer or business and then collected by a private hauler or government entity.
     
  2. Processing: The materials are transported by the collector to a processing facility, such as a materials recovery facility or paper processor. At the processing facility, the recyclables are sorted, cleaned of contaminants, and prepared for transport to a milling facility or directly to a manufacturing facility. Some commodities may require more processing for additional sorting and decontamination. For example, glass and plastic are often sent to glass beneficiation plants and plastics reclaimers, respectively, where they are processed into mill-ready forms.
     
  3. Remanufacturing: After all necessary processing is completed, recyclables are made into new products at recycling plants or other facilities, such as paper mills or bottle manufacturing facilities.

E-waste is a separate category that requires its own set of rules. Electronic wastecan’t mix with typical recyclables because it not only contains plastic but also possesses toxins like mercury and lead. Therefore, e-waste must be properly disposed of. Otherwise, you risk harming the employees who handle it, as well as contaminating the environment.

To Learn more about recycling click here: https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/recycling/recycle-right

https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/us-recycling-system#:~:text=Reduces%20the%20amount%20of%20waste,and%20process%20new%20raw%20materials.

Students for Enviromental Action (SEA) invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE!  

May 31 from 10am-2pm  in parking lot F

Here is a list of items accepted:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d7sVx0BNARgqt_Tj0aOTvitlW7hiTihpoy4ecG_fMw4/edit?usp=sharing

More information about event :https://www.everettcc.edu/calendar/2023/05/styrofoam-recycling-event

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Recycling Beauty Products 

The global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year,including the cardboard that envelops perfumes, serums, and moisturizers that contributes to the loss of 18 million acres of forest each year.

And while it isn’t necessarily the easiest to recycle empty beauty and skincare packaging, it is very much necessary for a sustainable future

While shopping sustainable beauty is the ultimate goal, it’s still essential to recycle all empty beauty containers to avoid waste. In fact, 50% of people don’t even try to recycle their empty containers as it is deemed “inconvenient”. 

The so-called incommodity contributes to the 400 million tons of plastic waste generated per year.

But here’s the thing: Beauty product packaging is especially confusing and tricky to recycle (think: mirrored glass, cardboard sleeves, paper inserts, etc). 

First and foremost, you should always follow your local recycling laws to ensure that you are following the rules. You can also use resources like Recycle Coach,How2Recycle, and EARTH911 to check what recyclables are accepted.

Some eco-conscious brands also offer internal recycling programs within their own facilities.

TerraCycle, a private recycling business, actually works with Nordstrom for BEAUTYCYCLE, a free program that invites consumers to drop off their beauty and skincare product packaging (regardless of brand) at in-store collection points for recycling, including items that are typically unrecyclable. Other brands that have individual in-house recycling include GarnierBurt’s BeeseosHerbal EssencesL’OccitaneJosie Maran, and Paula’s Choice, to name a few. These brands generally work with programs like TerraCycle to properly process waste.

Small products can actually halt the recycling process and therefore aren’t widely accepted at recycling plants. This means anything under 2 inches, think: all travel and portable beauty products. Additionally, products with dark packaging also cannot be recycled as they can’t be identified by MRF machines. Also unrecyclable: products that contain mirrors, magnets, makeup brushes, sheet masks and packets, and squeezable tubes.

The ideal goal is to use less packaging, hence producing less waste. Many brands like Brazilian NATURA, French Diptyque, and Los Angeles-based Bathing Culture offer refillable beauty products. This means that you will be reusing the packaging several times over its intended lifetime, thus keeping it away from the landfill. Over 90 percent of an average product’s environmental impact comes from extracting and refining the raw materials from which it is made.

Package-free haircare 

Shampoos and conditioners typically come in plastic bottles, which can be a nightmare for anyone looking to cut plastic waste out of their bathroom. 

Ditch the plastic and go naked with the solid shampoo bars and conditioners. Making haircare solid eliminates the need for plastic bottles, reducing the environmental impact enormously and saving tons of plastic from ever being produced or entering landfills. They’re easy to travel with because they are small and won’t spill in your bag, and they’re very easy to use.

Animal cruelty-free shampoo bars that last up to 80 washes. 

The zero-waste shop Package Free also has multiple options for package-free haircare. And if you’re not a fan of bar soaps for hair, the shop also carries refillable conditioners (packaged in aluminum) that are vegan and chemical free. Opt out of the pump and go for the cap for a fully plastic-free conditioner.

To Learn more about recycling click here: https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/recycling/recycle-right

https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/us-recycling-system#:~:text=Reduces%20the%20amount%20of%20waste,and%20process%20new%20raw%20materials.

Students for Enviromental Action (SEA) invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE!  

May 31 from 10am-2pm  in parking lot F

Here is a list of items accepted:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d7sVx0BNARgqt_Tj0aOTvitlW7hiTihpoy4ecG_fMw4/edit?usp=sharing

More information about event :https://www.everettcc.edu/calendar/2023/05/styrofoam-recycling-event

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

ENGL& 102 – Summer 2023/ Field Trips

Flier for the course

If you love Adventure, hiking, nature, rivers, and the wilderness, this class is for you!

Theme & Course Description:

Land Use, Natural Resource Management, and Sustainability. On three REQUIRED field trips (each up to 8 hours) to multi-use parks and public lands, students learn how land is managed for multiple user groups (hikers, mountain bikers, off-road vehicle enthusiasts, boaters, fishermen, rock climbers, and equestrians, etc.). With DNR forest managers, students learn about natural resource management in Washington state.  Volunteering for the Lord Hill Regional Park & the US Forest Service, students experience the value of citizen service in caring for our wilderness and public lands. Students then visit an unmanaged recreation campsite and are at risk of being lost to public use. In the online portion of the class, students learn to research and write a research essay to solve two location problems. (Required field trip dates: July 11, 18, and 25. An additional fee is added to this class to cover the field trip costs.)

Email cseslar@everettcc.edu to get permission to enroll in this class.

ENGL& 102 – Summer 2023

Theme: Land Use, Natural Resource Management & Sustainability

Teacher: Cobi Seslar, M.Ed.

Field Trips on Tuesdays 

July 11, 18 & 25

(Please take other courses on

M & W, field trips are required!)