San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition – �鶹��Ƶ

Sustainability and Sovereignty for Southeast San Diego: Uplifting the Community by Providing Career Resources and Fresh Produce

Ada Inman — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:05:49 +0000

Building on previous research done by student researchers at San Diego State University through the Sage Project and its collaboration with the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition, Dr. Norah Shultz’s spring 2023 Sociology 407 course split into three groups to investigate how the San Diego Energy and Equity Campus (SDEEC) could be of service to underserved communities in Southeast San Diego. The groups designed three surveys, each to assess the degree to which the community would be interested in utilizing the following sustainability resources via the SDEEC: training in careers in sustainability, fresh produce distribution, and sustainability internships for high school students. Results across surveys indicated a positive attitude towards these resources, despite a lower-than-expected level of understanding around the concept of sustainability itself. Many respondents were not aware of the SDEEC at all. Group 1, which surveyed community members about their interest in sustainability career trainings, found that people were most interested in vocational training in the following areas: environmental education, smart home installation, and government jobs. Group 2, which investigated the community’s interest in acquiring fresh produce at the SDEEC, found that most respondents had difficulty finding affordable, quality fruits and vegetables locally. A vast majority of respondents expressed interest in going to the SDEEC for fresh produce, whether it be a farmers market or a community garden. Group 3, which surveyed young adults to ask them retroactively how interested they would have been in a sustainability internship for students back when they were in high school, found that participants would have been most interested in internships centering around pollution prevention and greenhouse gas management, farmers markets and community agriculture, and water sustainability.

Sustainable Development Priorities for Communities of Concern in Southeast San Diego: Transportation, Parks, Groceries, and Equitable Access to Resources

Ada Inman — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 18:28:28 +0000

With the support of the Sage Project and in partnership with the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition, student researchers conducted survey research to help construct a Community Benefits Initiative. The purpose of this research was to ascertain the equitable and sustainable development priorities of communities of concern in Southeast San Diego, which itself was broken down into multiple subregions. The survey questions were formulated after the construct of sustainability was conceptualized according to its attributes: transportation, parks, groceries, and equitable access to resources. Then, the research team broke into sampling groups, each tasked with collecting responses from a specific geographic region or subregion according to their own sampling method. Finally, the results were cleaned, coded, and recoded. While there were some discrepancies between communities, sociodemographic results indicated that the sample was for the most part representative of the target population. Results from the transportation section of the survey demonstrated the heavy reliance on cars as a form of transportation, and the negative appraisals of walking, biking, and public transportation. Public transportation was seen as inaccessible, and other infrastructure such as sidewalks and roads were seen as inadequate. Local parks were predominantly viewed positively, but significant complaints regarded safety and cleanliness. Results concerning grocery stores focused on the lack of options, the lack of health food stores, poor quality of produce, and the high cost of groceries. Finally, participants indicated a lack of easy access to childcare and community centers, among other community resources.

Sustainability for Adults Aged 65+ at the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center

Ada Inman — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 18:19:28 +0000

This report addresses the south and southeast region of San Diego County, particularly District 4, and the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition’s goal to better understand the needs of seniors and expand sustainability opportunities within these communities. Students of Dr. Henrike Blumenfeld’s SLHS 580 Communication Processes and Aging course conducted a Life Experience Interview and a Survey on Equity and Sustainability with seniors aged 65 years and over. About half of the interviews and surveys took place in the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center in Southeast San Diego, and the rest were conducted with participating students’ family members or friends. Three main themes emerged from the Life Experience Interviews. Most participants spoke about raising children. The second most common theme was adversity and how the participants dealt with that. The third theme that was shared amongst the interviews was about the importance of education. Results of the Survey on Equity and Sustainability revealed that participants have seen changes in their community and want to continue to see additional changes (such as better roads, more patrolling officers). Many prefer to cook with gas stoves over electric stoves. Half of the participants garden at home. Respondents also shared that recycling is generally accessible. Finally, respondents shared some concern about solar energy and electric vehicles. It is recommended that volunteers from the community or San Diego State University to build and maintain a garden at the Seniors Resource Center, provide information on how to compost with composting bins and easy-to-understand instructions, and provide information about electric vehicles and solar energy at the Seniors Resource Center.

Personalized Marketing to Increase Community Engagement in Southeast San Diego

Ada Inman — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 18:03:00 +0000

The San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition (SDUSC) partnered with the Sage Project at San Diego State University to address sustainability issues in the community. The goal of the project was to increase youth participation in SDUSC’s mission and promote sustainable behaviors. As participants in this partnership, students in the Rhetoric and Writing Studies 504 Advanced Professional Writing class proposed various initiatives to achieve these goals, including a monthly newsletter initiative, enhancements to the Climate Ambassador Program, and a community-building campaign called “Consider Your Litter.” The proposed monthly newsletter initiative is designed to increase community outreach and engagement on local sustainability issues. The newsletter will feature a “community corner” section, highlighting young community members’ voices, as well as information on outdoor recreation activities, infographics, community spotlights, and green job opportunities. The newsletter will also inform the public on timely environmental news, SDUSC events, and updates. The enhanced Climate Ambassador Program, in partnership with organizations such as Homegrown Youth Collaborative and the San Diego Mycological Society, will help increase youth participation in SDUSC’s mission. Through creative projects, the program will inspire the community to take pride in their environment and promote sustainable behaviors. The third initiative, “Consider Your Litter,” aims to encourage community members to properly dispose of garbage instead of littering. This community-building campaign will be a reward-incentive program that includes physical totems, a branded hashtag on social media, and a challenge where participants would collect increasing numbers of litter pieces. The initiative also includes community clean-up events, private tours, and a community potluck and BBQ event.Through their research, the RWS 504 class found that the proposed initiatives have the potential to increase youth participation in SDUSC’s mission, promote sustainable behaviors, and create a greener economy. Partnerships with outside organizations, such as Waste Free SD, can provide valuable support for organizing successful community clean-up events. The proposed initiatives will effectively illuminate the education and needs of young community members, while informing the public on timely environmental news and promoting sustainable behaviors. The proposed initiatives have the potential to create a greener economy and a more sustainable future for San Diego. The initiatives aim to increase community outreach and engagement on local sustainability issues, inspire the community to take pride in their environment and promote sustainable behaviors.

Logos and Identity of the San Diego Energy Equity Campus

Ada Inman — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 17:54:19 +0000

The San Diego Energy Equity Campus at Valencia Park San Diego is a place that will celebrate the culture and the vibrancy of its local community by uniting in an effort to provide clean, affordable energy, financial prosperity and a place to gather. In light of this mission, our team will be focusing on the Adinkra symbols to communicate this idea. These symbols are a visual language that communicates the proverbial wisdom of Ghana, a wisdom that is needed in these challenging times. These Ghanaian symbols represent a cultural heritage that many people in the Valencia Park share, but even if they are not a shared cultural heritage they are all messages and ideals that are universal. Anyone can appreciate and get behind the ideals of communities coming together, the need for leadership, compassion and wisdom. It is even more important to stress that these values are a cultural heritage of communities of concern in Valencia Park and that their contribution is both valued and essential to community growth.

Initiatives With the Potential to Help Residents Achieve a More Sustainable Way of Living and Increased Quality of Life

Ada Inman — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 19:02:19 +0000

San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition partnered with the students in Dr. Samantha Bova’s ENV S 302 Climate Change Solutions course on research projects related to sustainability and community support. Their goal was to gain student input on projects that, if implemented, could improve sustainability and the quality of life of residents in Southeast San Diego. The students in the class conducted literature reviews and, in some cases, prospective research, to identity issues that currently exist in the Southeast San Diego area concerning sustainability. They then developed solutions targeting these issues and created proposals in the form of posters, which were presented to representatives from the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition. In Southeast San Diego, the main areas of need that the students discovered were an increase in green space, improved community knowledge as well as access to energy and water conservation tools, improvements in the efficiency of public transportation, additions of climate change education programs for youth, and resources for people experiencing homelessness. A few of the proposals for increasing the amount of green space and community access in Southeast San Diego included implementing more pocket parks, green-lining roads, and creating a community garden. To increase energy efficiency in Southeast San Diego, the students proposed implementing a mobile app to help residents find a clean energy plan within their budget, implementing programs to educate residents on free and reduced-cost water conservation tools, and making a few adjustments to the development of the San Diego Energy Equity Campus to make the facility more energy efficient. To improve the efficiency of public transportation, the students proposed creating a simpler timetable system as well as eliminating redundant stops. Finally, to support the community, the students proposed implementing climate change education into the curriculum of public schools in Southeast San Diego, starting as young as grade school, as well as implementing more space-efficient housing programs for those experiencing homelessness.

Filling in Equity Gaps with San Diego’s First Energy Equity Campus: Caring for Communities of Concern

Ada Inman — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 18:59:30 +0000

The San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition has partnered with The Sage Project to develop programming for the first instance of infrastructure based soley on sustainability in Southeast San Diego, the San Diego Energy Equity Campus. The equity campus will be located in Valencia Park, an urban community in the southeastern portion of the City of San Diego, at the corner of Stephens Way and Imperial Ave. The area of Valencia Park will tremendously benefit from the equity campus because the communities of color and low-income areas are more likely to be exposed to air pollution, are more susceptible to the consequences of climate change, and stand to gain the most from programs that promote energy efficiency and jobs that cut costs. Ultimately, there is not enough representation for these communities in San Diego’s utility planning process. Utility planning processes must incorporate genuine community engagement, participation, and leadership from the full spectrum of San Diego communities in order to ensure that the use of energy is effective and lessen the detrimental effects of its generation on vulnerable areas. The goal of the Equity Campus is, “To educate the generations to come, demonstrate sustainability, collaborate, and operate in a manner that delivers opportunity and breaks the systemic barriers to the community and transforms Southeastern San Diego with equitable sustainable development.” Lastly, they state that their intended purpose is to support the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego in successfully implementing their climate action plans by ensuring that all societal segments participate in, contribute to, and benefit from reducing climate impacts and promoting the development of renewable energy sources. San Diego Energy Equity Campus outlined eleven initiatives they are committing to the community: ● Education: Educate across generations linking the wisdom and experience with the energy and enthusiasm of youth ● Demonstration: Demonstrate sustainability and energy technology for healthy, safe, resilient, and efficient homes, schools and workplaces ● Opportunity: Delivering opportunity and break the systemic barriers to the community and transforms SE SD with equitable sustainable development ● Collaboration: Collaborate to unlock innovation and investment for Valencia Park ● Integration: Integrate career exploration in energy, sustainability and environmentalism ● Networking: Professional networking mixers and industry events ● Planning: Business planning and incubation support ● Mentorship: Mentorship (formal and informal) to support growth and connection ● Training: Vocational training in energy, sustainability and real estate ● Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship program to create pathways to careers, along with Paid Internships for local students ● Technology: Community technology pilots that highlight emerging opportunity. The San Diego Energy Equity Campus hopes to stand by the community’s needs for equitable access to greenspace by providing ample sections of it within its design. They also plan to connect local public transit to the campus through a sustainable pathway that will reach between the two nearby trolley stops. Businesses such as SD Community Power, GRID Alternatives, and other solar power companies have already begun to pledge their support and driven interest in establishing operations at the campus, as a way of educating the community on ways in which sustainable alternatives can aid their lives. Another focus of operations is to provide options and knowledge on how community members could acquire or actively pursue sustainable infrastructure installation options within the community. The San Diego Energy Equity Campus seeks to provide consultation, teaching, and even employment through a set of promises to their community in the form of a benefits agreement (San Diego Energy Equity Campus).

Community-Led Organizations Combating Food Apartheid in Communities of Southeast San Diego

Ada Inman — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 18:56:17 +0000

The San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition has partnered with the Sage Project at San Diego State University to evaluate three grassroots, community-based organizations addressing food and nutrition inequity in the neighborhoods of Southeast San Diego. Each organization was interested in evaluating objectives relevant to their specific programming, though common themes regarding accessibility, community awareness, acceptability, and affordability did emerge amongst all three. Additionally, the organizations were interested in gathering community perspectives to best inform improvements that could potentially be implemented within their programs in the future. This extensive report discusses the organizations’ current programming while evaluating their unique objectives and provides recommendations to aid each organization in their missions to serve their communities and help achieve their shared vision for equitable, food justice in Southeast San Diego. Data regarding community perceptions of the organizations’ programs and educational efforts, individual dietary habits, perceived barriers to access and better health outcomes, cost effectiveness, and suggestions for improvement were all collected from residents through the use of surveys and in-person interviews. A large majority of residents indicated the lack of access, limited produce options, lack of awareness of current programs, and expensive prices of food as main contributors to their poor health outcomes and limited frequency of consuming fruits and vegetables. Community-led organizations such as those discussed in this report are often the cornerstone for advocacy and positive change in communities that have endured historical injustices as a result of oppressive systems. By gathering feedback from community members and highlighting residents’ needs, said organizations are able to create comprehensive, informed interventions that are both effective and sustainable. Based on the current data collected, this report offers multiple, practical recommendations tailored to each organization’s individual objectives to create local, sustainable food systems which directly increase community access to high-quality, affordable foods and thereby improve health outcomes for all residents.

An Oral History of Southeast San Diego

Ada Inman — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 18:49:51 +0000

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Addressing Food Deserts and Park Equity in Southeast San Diego

Ada Inman — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:17:16 +0000

With the support of the San Diego State University (SDSU) Sage Project, the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition, and the previous research done by SDSU Sociology 407 students, Sociology 796 student researchers worked to analyze prominent concerns of the Southeast San Diego community. Based on these primary concerns, SOC 796 student researchers then worked to address these issues through community engagement suggestions, and potential collaboration with the San Diego Energy Equity Campus. Based on surveys conducted by SOC 407, it was concluded that prominent concerns in Southeast San Diego were in relation to food deserts, disagreement with education fund distribution, and lack of park equity. Therefore, student researchers looked into why these issues were at the forefront and the different ways that could potentially be perpetuating inequality and preventing social and economic growth. After analyzing prominent concerns, focus shifted to how we could address these issues in ways that were both sensitive and timely, yet still allowed for cultivation, community, and community engagement. The final part of this report suggests ways in which the San Diego Energy Equity Campus could work to address these primary concerns of community members. The suggestions and recommendations are enclosed within this report.