EvCC Sustainability

When we are thinking about how to keep healthy where do we turn? Whether we are looking to keep a strong and healthy body through exercise, eating well, or practicing good hygiene, the question remains – how to keep our body stronger for longer? Hiking is the answer! Hiking improves our health by boosting the immune system, not just in the moment, but for an extended time afterward. Some of this effect is easily attributed to the generic influence of exercise, but there are multiple unknowns in the study of immunology that lead us to believe that hiking is uniquely helpful in boosting the immune system and leaving us happy and strong.

Multiple studies have supported the conclusion that exercise boosts your white blood cell count, leaving your body significantly better equipped to fight bacteria and viruses. This effect is an interesting one because intense short interval exercise often leaves your body exhausted and slightly weaker in the immediate term but builds your immune response after recovering from the exercise. Sustained moderate exercise, however, causes your body to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines which reduce stress and improve your immune response through the reduction of inflammation. Long term sustained exercise, like the kind you get from a relaxing hiking trek, boosts your immune defence in a more significant way, with benefits that are statistically visible not for days but months after you exercise!

Fall — the best hiking season! Larches glowing gold in the high country, maples and alder blazing orange and yellow, and crisp blue skies. 

The very nature of hiking makes it a very ecological-friendly activity already. You use your own legs to propel yourself, no gas or harmful emissions. Hiking teaches us to live on less, make do with whatever we packed, appreciate water and natural resources.

Click on the links below to find out more about Top Hiking Trails Near me : 

https://www.traillink.com/activity/hiking-trails/

https://seattle.curbed.com/maps/fall-foliage-autumn-leaves-trails-seattle

https://www.wta.org/go-outside/seasonal-hikes/summer-destinations/ada-accessible-hikes

Looking for more sustainability?  Check out the newly redesigned EvCC Sustainability web pages!

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 these nutrients from eating whole grains, beans, 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 emissions. 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 or click here.

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.

Do you want more sustainability?  Check out the the newly redesigned EvCC Sustainability web pages!

We are in a period of uncertainty, anxiety, and confusion. How do we come together to support each other, stay productive, and stay safe?

How do we continue to advance our values of environmental and social justice?

How do we make good decisions and not let fear drive us apart from our care for the earth and each other? 

Physical distancing, not social distancing

One of the things that make societies resilient is our social infrastructure. Our network of friends and family help us in difficult times so reach out, connect, but do it in a safe manner.

Get outdoors

Just because we have to reduce exposure, doesn’t mean we need to be trapped inside. If you are feeling well and the weather allows, go for a walk, run, or bike ride.

Practice self-care

· Wash your hands 

· Avoid close contact (if you are in public keep your distance from others)

· Stay home if you’re sick (follow this guidance if you don’t feel well)

· Cover coughs and sneezes

· Clean and disinfect

Do what you can to stay healthy. Get plenty of sleep. Drink lots of water. Eat healthy and get exercise. A healthy body is better prepared to fight off the virus should you be exposed.

For those using online and phone to get your school or  work done, you are already reducing your footprint! Tele-commuting can cut down on transportation miles and often the technology provider is powered by clean energy . 

 To protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, everyone on campus needs to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. Before you come to campus, please fill out the Trojan Safety Check-In form. You only need to submit the form once per day.  

Do you want more sustainability?  Check out the newly redesigned EvCC Sustainability web pages!  

Welcome to to the 2021-2022 school year. EvCC encourages and supports staff and students to engage in sustainable practices. Now that folks are coming back to campus, here is a friendly reminder of the sustainable options available to get to campus.

EvCC offers ORCA bus passes at discounted rates so you can save money by taking the bus to school. Several different buses come to the College Station. To find out how to get to campus by bus, check out the Trip Planner – Bus Service | Community Transit.

If you are able, and the weather permits, to ride a bike to campus, EvCC has a free bike fixing station outside of Grey Wolf Hall and bike lockers to keep your bike safe while you are in class. The bike locker keys require a $25 refundable deposit.

To encourage people to find alternative means of transportation outside of driving solo, carpool parking passes are at a discounted rate. Save $35 compared to buying a regular parking pass! Do your part to reduce carbon emissions!

For more information on transportation options, check out Parking and Transportation | Everett Community College (everettcc.edu)

EvCC is hosting 3R Technology for a FREE electronics recycle event on Tuesday, July 13th from 10am to 2pm in LOT F.
Drive up and drop off your electronics for free! To ensure personal security, 3R Technology guarantees to wipe all data from devices.
Open to the public and EvCC Community 
Learn more about accepted E Waste materials here: https://3rtechnology.com/materials-accepted
Questions? Contact EvCC Sustainability at sustainability@everettcc.edu or call 425-388-9484.

“The earth has music for those who listen.”

– William Shakespeare

Greetings from the Everett Community College Sustainability team,

Everett Community College has been dedicated to create a green campus for students and employees with Go Green, See Green, and Do Green. Partnering with local community and approval from the college, EvCC Sustainability Office has managed so many sustainability events and activities every year as well as providing free sustainability information. It’s the time of year where the Sustainability team begins Earth Week Event Series! The EvCC celebrate Earth Week events this year from April 19-22, 2021. We are so happy to announce that the annual plant swap is back as well as do-it-yourself recycled container planting kits and several virtual events are also included. Visit Earth Week for more information.

Everyone loves recycling stuff. Clemens Miersch , Transportation Coordinator of the Sustainability Office,  shares his video about how to upcycle candle. Check out his video and comment if you have done any recycled project.

Live green for a sustainable future!

A p patch is a parcel of property that people can acquire and use to garden and grow food/plants. Groups of p patches are gathered together in community gardens. The P patch term is actually unique to the Seattle area. It is named after the Picardo family who pioneered this kind of collaborative gardening style. P patches a great way to garden away from home and help out the community.

Bayside P Patch is a lovely example of a community garden in Everett. Bayside offers great views of Possession Sound and an interesting juxtaposition of beautiful plants on the terraced hill overlooking old Everett Factories. Visit their website to learn more: http://baysidena.yolasite.com/p-patch.php. Also check out this great article written by a local gardener about their experience growing food at Bayside P Patch: https://salishmagazine.org/community-gardens/.