The San Jose State César E. Chávez Community Action Center hosted an Instagram Live presentation Wednesday about how students can practice sustainable living as they remain inside to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“One thing I’m noticing is I see more people getting outside, but also a lot of people are starting gardens,” said Kaitlyn Meyer, garden operations and community engagement assistant for the center.
Department manager Diana Victa invited Meyer to inform students on ways to lower their consumerism-based habits and use waste as compost.
Compost is created by combining and aerating carbon-rich materials, also known as browns, with nitrogen-rich materials, (greens), to decompose into nutritious soil for gardening, according to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency.
More than 20 followers of the center’s Instagram attended the livestream to learn more about individual sustainability and how to decrease individual pollutants.
“Sustainability is being more conscious of your actions and the choices you make the same way you would with different social justice issues – it’s the same with the environment,” Meyer said on the livestream. “With every action you are taking in your life, act like it is a way that is going to benefit the planet.”
Meyer also discussed some of the ways she has been able to practice sustainability at home while social distancing.
“I haven’t been driving as much and when I do drive I try to combine as much as I can into one trip,” Meyer said.
To reduce electrical consumption, she said she just illuminates her house with sunlight during the day.
“Letting in that natural light and then using this as lighting is a super simple thing to do rather than turning on electrical lights,” Meyer said.
For students beginning to grow their own produce, she recommended planting lettuces and herbs as they do not require deep rooting and grow quickly.
A few students took to posting comments within the livestream, asking how to create their own compost bin at home.
“You can do it in just a plastic container, and as long as you put enough greens, like your food scraps, and browns, like toilet paper rolls and leaves, you can have your own little compost bin,” Meyer said. “If you have a way to get worms, that’s the most ideal because then the worms will eat your food scraps and then they’ll poop it out and that is your compost.”
Meyer noticed that in times of crisis, people become more aware of how dependent they are on industrial systems.
She said she noticed that some websites where she purchased heirloom tomato seeds have sold out most of their products during this pandemic.
“I hope people start realizing that [homegrown food] tastes a lot better and it’s fresher so that way people feel more inspired to continue doing that after this shelter-in-place mandate ends,” Meyer said.
Victa said students should balance practicing self-sustainability and supporting local businesses.
“Who are some local organizations or small business restaurants that we can support during this time?” Victa said
in the livestream. “Especially since people may think that when we get out of this, everything is going to go back to where it was, when the reality of this is so many restaurants and other businesses are going to be suffering.”
She said she was grateful students attended the virtual event and told students they could request more speakers to give an online presentation.
