Water: A Thirst for Change

By Spencer Dunlap, ‘16

In the Spring semester of 2015, I took an interdisciplinary Sustainability capstone class that had a great impact on me, and forever changed my role as a student at USD. I went from a passive spectator, to an active member of a campus community that emphasizes Changemaking. And what’s so great about being a member of this community, is that if you care enough about an issue, there are plenty of people who are willing to help you find a solution.

The issue that I really care about is water. California is in a state of drought emergency, and USD should be doing it all it can to conserve water. The institution has employed several different water-saving strategies, and is headed in the right direction, but USD students need to be better versed in the issues surrounding water in California. That’s why Sterling Fearing, Hailey Gordon, Angela Hessenius, and I formed What’s Your 20?: a student-led group that has been acclimating USD students to water-related issues since the summer of 2015. The Changemaker Challenge theme for 2015-2017 is “Water: Tap Into Your Ideas,” and What’s Your 20? is playing a critical role in promoting ideas for change from the grassroots level.

Who is directly impacted by the lack of water as a result of the California drought? USD students? Probably not. We do not think about the implications of taking a fifteen-minute shower, or washing a single pair of jeans in the washing machine, because we do not view water as a commodity. For students living on campus, water is essentially free because our parents pay for it. Therefore, our water usage is not cost-prohibitive.

When it comes to conserving water, mindfulness is key. First, students have to start thinking about water. If you care about conserving water, then the easiest thing you can do is start at home. How much water are you using when you do your laundry, or your dishes? Do you take five minute showers, or ten? Do you leave the faucet on while brushing your teeth? Do you drink water from the tap, or from plastic bottles? These are questions we want students to start thinking about. Once we become conscious of our daily water usage, the next step is for us to take action. That’s what Changemaking is all about.

When trying to promote change, role-modeling behavior is extremely important. If you want someone to follow in your footsteps, then you yourself have to exhibit socially responsible behavior. I think Gandhi said it best:

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.”

Below is a list of three simple things that I’ve done, and that I urge all USD students and faculty members to do, that have changed the way I think about water.

1.     Cut shower times by three minutes.

      ·      Did you know that by simply cutting your daily shower time by three minutes, you can save up to six gallons of water per day, and 2,190 gallons per year? So what if all USD students living on campus shortened their shower time by just three minutes this school year? We would save over two and a half million gallons of water! That’s about the same amount of water it takes to fill up four Olympic-sized swimming pools.

o   Here’s the math: 5,741 undergraduate students x 40% live on campus = 2,296 students living on campus x 6 gallons per day x 6 months = 2,514,120 gallons per school year à equates to about 4 (3.8) Olympic-sized swimming pools (660,430 gallons of water per Olympic-sized swimming pool).

2.     No more plastic bottles.

      ·      Did you know it takes more water to produce the average sixteen-ounce plastic bottle than the amount of water that is actually in the bottle? What is more, plastic bottles can pose a huge threat to the environment if they are not recycled properly. So why do we continue to buy plastic bottles of water instead of simply bringing a reusable bottle from home? Here is a list of the locations of different water filling stations around campus:

3.     Eat less meat (or none at all).
      ·      Did you know that it takes nearly 2,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef? Cutting back on your overall meat consumption is an easy way to also reduce your water consumption. I would suggest simply picking a day of the week to skip out on meat entirely (Meatless Mondays maybe?).

What’s Your 20?, in collaboration with the Changemaker Hub and the Office of Sustainability, has done a stellar job so far this semester with education and outreach about water-related issues. In September, USD played host to the Water Matters Panel, which brought experts on water usage and the drought together for a conversation about various water-related issues.  One comment from the panel that really resonated with me, was that we (San Diegans) cannot conserve ourselves out of a drought: we need innovation.

Yes, we do need innovation, and what better place to find innovation than on a college campus? Sustainability is inherently interdisciplinary, and requires like-minded people to come together to solve issues related to the surrounding environment, i.e., the USD campus. That is why What’s Your 20? is working with several students and faculty members to install rain barrels at various locations around campus. This idea is especially relevant because we are supposed to receive an abnormal amount of rainfall this year due to El Niño.

Thinking long-term, we want to eventually install rain barrels and a cistern near the Science building. But for this year, hopefully as soon as possible, we want to install multiple rain barrels outside of Missions Crossroads, so that the Gardening Club can use the stored water for the community garden. We plan to use these rain barrels by Missions Crossroads as a proof of concept, that we could later apply to other buildings around campus.

One thousand square feet of roof surface can capture about six hundred gallons of water for every one inch of rainfall received. So if we funnel rainwater into rain barrels around Missions Crossroads, which has about four thousand square feet of roof surface, we could capture up to twenty-four hundred gallons of water every time it rains an inch. 

Our rain barrel project has many Changemaking implications. Once the barrels have been installed, we could have Engineering students develop a monitoring device that tracks the amount of water inside the barrels. We could also have Art students paint the barrels and add slogans like "What's Your 20?" "U Are Here" and "Be Blue Go Green.” Furthermore, we could bring students from the Sustainability LLC to the garden to teach them about water catchment, gardening, and composting. Sustainability and Changemaking both rely on interdisciplinary collaboration, and I believe this project would bring students from many different backgrounds together to create positive change at USD.

Reflections on the USD Medical Brigade to Honduras

By: Stephen Ferraro

            “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world.  In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  As I returned from USD Medical Brigades recent trip to Honduras, this quote by Margaret Mead really resonated with me.  While the work accomplished over the past 10 days by these 26 students, 4 doctors, and numerous in-country staff was admittedly short of “changing the world”, I couldn’t help but feel that we had made a significant difference in the lives of a few people in the small rural communities of Santa Cruz and Granadilla.  In addition to the positive impact this brigade had on the lives the community members we worked along side, I believe this trip profoundly impacted the lives of the USD students as well.  Many of us have returned to San Diego determined to continue catalyzing this positive change for the rest of our time at USD, and throughout our lives. 

For those who are not familiar, USD Medical Brigades (USDMB) is a student run club on campus that functions under the non-profit umbrella organization Global Brigades.  Our mission is to create sustainable community-based change in underserved populations, with an emphasis on collaborating with and empowering communities to help themselves.  USDMB has been a club at USD for 7 years and typically participates in 2 international service trips per year, during intersession and summer breaks.  As implied in the name Medical Brigades, a large portion of our brigade and preparation during the semester is centered around fundraising for medications and recruiting physicians, which allows us set up a free healthcare clinic in communities that would otherwise have no access to one.  However, an equally important aspect to providing sustainable change is our holistic approach.  The second half of our brigade is spent engaging in a project that addresses a socio-economic or environmental challenge that is affecting the community.  This holistic approach is of paramount importance because while providing healthcare to a community is greatly needed, if the entire community is sick because their water supply is contaminated, supplying medications is merely treating the symptoms of the problem, and is therefore an unsustainable solution. 

With this in mind, our past brigade to Honduras was a medical/water hybrid.  During the 3-day healthcare clinic, we were able to provide medical, dental, OBGYN, and optometric consultations and treatments to over 1,300 patients.  The fact that we were able to provide access to healthcare for the entire community of Santa Cruz in only 3 days it is a sheer testament to the dedication of the students, doctors, and in-country staff.  Each morning we would wake up with the sunrise to eat a quick breakfast, load up the trucks, and then drive 2 hours to Santa Cruz.  Members of the community would already be waiting for us at the local school where we would quickly set up the healthcare clinic.  While the physicians and healthcare professionals are the essential aspects of providing healthcare, the students organize and facilitate most of the clinic.  Aside from assisting and shadowing the doctors, students independently conduct the triage station (record family history, chief complaint, blood pressure and heart rate) and charla station (youth and adult education on health topics and sanitation practices).  After every patient has received the consultation, treatment, and medications they need, the students reload the trucks and drive 2 hours back to the housing facility, exhausted but satisfied. 

The second half of our trip was spent constructing a water system to provide the community of Granadilla with a sanitary water storage cistern, pump and piping to deliver chlorinated water directly to each house.  This water project was especially meaningful because it allowed us to interact directly with the community members and get to know them on a more intimate level.  One community leader explained to us how they had wanted running water for the past 26 years, and now would no longer have to walk miles to and from the water source each day.  Being able to work side by side with the community and performing manual labor under the scorching Honduran sun was both rewarding and humbling.  There are few things more sobering than putting down your shovel after 2 hours of digging to take a water break, only to see an elderly woman and 7 year old boy still digging, with a hole twice the size of yours.   

There are a many things I took away from our time working with the people of Granadilla, one of which was a profound respect for their culture and way of life.  It is easy to come back from an immersive experience such as this with a greater appreciation for all of the things we have in the US that many other countries lack; however, it is much more meaningful to come back with an appreciation for all the things that communities like Granadilla have, that we lack in the US.  I couldn’t help but notice that the harsh conditions and difficulties they experience collectively only brought them closer together and engendered a cohesive sense of community that I have never experienced before.  I also came back with a heightened sense of awareness and responsibility toward the service that can be done in our own local community, specifically with the homeless, refugee, and native populations.  I realized that out of all the “things” we have here in the US that other countries lack, the most important are all the resources readily available that can be used to help those in need. 

As an organization, USDMB has provided students the unique opportunity of participating in community service projects in rural regions of Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ghana.  
Through these experiences the club itself and its mission have had the opportunity to grow and evolve as well.  With the University of San Diego being designated an AshokaU Changemaking Campus, it is important for us to be constantly discussing and redefining what it means to be a “changemaker” and how to accomplish this in a responsible and sustainable fashion.  Initially, USDMB had focused on providing healthcare to rural communities on an international level; however, a deepened understanding of the fundamental principles of changemaking has inspired us to evolve our organization to better embody these principles.  We are constantly striving to become a more comprehensive force of change on the international, local, and personal levels.  For this reason we have begun to incorporate a curriculum of cultural and personal education throughout the semester, along with increased engagement of service within the local San Diego community.  If you are someone who is passionate about catalyzing the change you wish to see in the world, we encourage you to come join the USD Medical Brigade family.community service projects in rural regions of Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ghana.

Below is a video from our past brigade to Honduras, which provides insight into the USDMB experience.     https://vimeo.com/138431809  

If you are interested in joining USD Medical Brigades please contact usdmedicalbrigades@gmail.com

or check out our website http://usdmedicalbrigades.wix.com/usdmedicalbrigades

Why Water Matters: A Multidimensional Issue and a Student-Driven Response

By Angela Hessenius, ‘17

            Water is a hot, trending topic right now—you could say it’s a watershed issue right now (I know, bad pun, I’m sorry). Here in California, we are currently in the fourth year of a drought, the most severe drought we have experienced on record. On a global scale, water has been and continues to be a hugely important issue. Water is essential for human life and flourishing everywhere, no matter who you are. Accordingly, there are many layers and subtopics within this broad focus. Many of these issues were discussed in the Water Matters panel that occurred last Wednesday, including the drought, wastewater treatment, desalination, water rights, bottled water, agriculture, and much more. This panel was the kickoff event for the Changemaker theme for the next two years, which is “Water: Tap Into Your Ideas.” Clearly, water is an issue that will be discussed quite a bit in the near future, with many dimensions that occur on multiple scales and in multiple disciplines.

            Students are already starting to make waves of change (also an intended pun, I have no shame). In order to take advantage of the spotlight on water due to the drought and the Changemaker theme, me, Hailey Gordon, Sterling Fearing, and Spencer Dunlap created What’s Your 20?, a student-led campaign to educate and inspire the campus community to conserve water. Our challenge is for all students and community members to reduce their water consumption by 20%, taking inspiration from Governor Brown’s mandate for all Californians to reach this target.  

            This initiative grew out of the interdisciplinary Sustainability class that all of us were students in last spring. Each of us were involved in a different group project in which we were tasked with creating a proposal for how USD could be more sustainable. We wanted to build on the momentum that was generated by coming up with these proposals, and also start a campaign so that we could outreach to and educate our peers, and create opportunities for students who care about sustainability to become more active and engaged in sustainability efforts on our campus.

In these classes, we also learned about the multiple dimensions of sustainability. While most people think of protecting the environment when they think of sustainability, this is actually only one piece of sustainability—there are also economic, social, and cultural aspects. In creating a solution, one must come up with a comprehensive plan that considers all the various elements. A solution cannot only serve the good of the environment. It has to be beneficial for people economically, it has to consider social justice issues, such as whether people have equal access and opportunities to participate and be a part of your solution, as well as consider cultural factors, from people’s traditions and beliefs, to their perceptions and status quos, to appealing to their ethics and values.

            I see many parallels between sustainability and changemaking. Both are very broad concepts (so broad that some individuals express uncertainty and doubt about what they actually mean). In changemaking as in sustainability, it is imperative to consider all different dimensions of a social issue when you want to create innovative strategies and turn your ideas into real solutions. There are also so many different dimensions within both topics, which gives you the freedom to focus on a narrow topic that you are particularly passionate about, and there is no limit but your imagination. Take water, as an example.

Water policy and conservation during the drought are certainly issues that we need to deal with in California. Perhaps there are technological or behavior changes we can make to utilize water more effectively, whether on farms or in our homes, or maybe we can find better ways to manage our water by thinking about it as a holistic system and cycle, reusing and recapturing water rather than constantly importing and discharging water. Maybe you are more captivated by thinking about solutions to the global water crisis. Maybe you are particularly interested in global health, poverty, hunger, education, or gender equality—all interconnected and interrelated with water. Polluted water is the world’s biggest health risk: in developing countries, lack of access to clean water and sanitation are responsible for 80% of diseases. Water is also imperative for crop production and growing enough food for communities to have sufficient nutrition. In addition, when people have to spend a significant portion of their day finding and transporting water or are sick from water-related diseases; they cannot attend work or school. By limiting attendance in schools and preventing able-bodied community members from working, lacking access to clean water makes it more difficult to break out the cycle of poverty and pursue economic development. These issues are also related to gender equality girls and women often carry the burden of fetching water, which further limits their opportunities.

            The main point I want to get across is that change starts with you. Whether it’s water, changemaking, or sustainability, we need students to find what specifically they are passionate about, get inspired and take action. How does your area of study connect to issues related to water? What are steps you can take in your dorm or apartment to change your habits and make water conservation a part of your daily life? At USD, we need inspired individuals and changemakers to reframe and expand our understanding of water, and create a change in our day-to-day habits and campus culture, making a transformation from a culture of consumption to a culture of conservation. One small action may seem insignificant, but don’t forget that a single drop of water creates a ripple effect.