Green building practices, renewable energy, and innovative water and waste water technologies in the wine industry is the focus of an upcoming conference at Sonoma State University.
SSU's Environmental Technology Center hosts "Winery, Buildings and Environmental Quality" from 1 - 5 p.m. on June 3.
Paul Dolan, former president of Fetzer Vineyards and a wine industry sustainability leader, opens the conference with the keynote presentation. Several of the participating wineries at the conference are members of the Sonoma Green Business Program and have been implementing resource conservation and pollution prevention practices for several years.
The conference brings them together to share their own experiences and to encourage other wineries to consider implementing their own environmental quality improvements.
Among the participating Green Business wineries are Rodney Strong Vineyards, St. Francis Vineyards & Winery and Clos du Bois.
The conference will begin with a panel on green building practices in the wine industry. The panel will present case studies on innovative design and construction practices in locally and nationally recognized wineries.
There will also be presentations on leading edge manufactured green building products. The energy panel will focus on the increasing use of solar in the wine industry. Case studies will highlight installation, operational benefits and financial justifications for going solar.
Other renewable options such as co-generation and wind power will also be presented. The final panel on water will look at current technology and practices to reduce water use at wineries and creatively use wastewater on site.
This panel will also present case studies with water conservation metrics and constructed wetlands. A diverse group of companies are sponsoring the event and demonstrating that the dialogue about sustainable wine making is moving across the business spectrum.
Sponsors for this event include PowerLight Corporation, ConeTech Inc., Advanced Cooling Tower Technologies Inc., Alternative Building Concepts, Axiom Engineers, Capstone Microturbines, Diablo Valley Packaging, Heffernan Insurance brokers, Ryan & Associates General Contractors, and Sonoma Wine Company.
The event is free to wineries that are in the Sonoma Green Business Program. For all other parties there will be a charge of $25 if registration is received before May 21.
After that date a charge of $40 will be required for attendance. All participants will have access to the conference, an informational attendees packet and wine tasting after the conference.
For more information please visit www.sonoma.edu/ensp/etc, or contact Armando Navarro at (707) 664-2577 or John Garn at (707) 824-9620.
Like mother, like daughter.
At least when it comes time to pick up their diplomas.
Anne and Lacey Taylor of Petaluma will be walking with the nearly 1,300 graduates at Sonoma State University's 2004 commencement exercises on Saturday as the mother and daughter celebrate the degrees they both finished this year.
Anne earned an advanced nursing degree after working 34 years in the nursing profession. A charge nurse at Petaluma Valley Hospital, she decided it was time to go back to school for professional growth. "I feel so proud of myself," she says. "There were more middle-aged people like me in the classroom than I would have thought."
Her youngest daughter, Lacey hits the job market with a criminal justice administration degree and has been working on job applications to the F.B.I. and the U.S. Attorney's office. "I am so proud of my mother," she says. "The best part about it was running into her on campus and talking about our classes."
SSU holds its 43rd annual commencement ceremonies on May 22 in an event expected to draw more than 10,000 people to Commencement Lawn on the Rohnert Park campus. Of the approximately 2,000 SSU students eligible to graduate, about 1,300 are expected to participate. Including SSU faculty and staff, an audience of more than 5,000 is expected at each ceremony.
The ceremonies are scheduled at 10 a.m. for the School of Science and Technology and the School of Social Sciences, and 3 p.m. for the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, and Education. For the first time, the ceremonies will be web cast from the University's home page at www.sonoma.edu.
International flags will be flown during the ceremonies to honor the students from around the world who came to study at Sonoma State this year. Nations that will be recognized include Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Ukraine.
The morning ceremony's keynote speaker is Dr. Alyssa Arp, director of the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies. That afternoon, keynote speaker Phil Bronstein, editor and executive vice president of the San Francisco Chronicle, addresses the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, and Education.
SSU will also honor another Bay Area journalist with an honorary degree. Belva Davis, a highly regarded reporter in the San Francisco Bay area and throughout California, will be awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters.
Student speakers at the commencement include Jamie Aloia who is graduating with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, and Ephraim J. Freed who has earned his bachelor's degree in liberal studies with a minor in political science.
Excellence in Teaching Awards will go to mathematics professor Susan Herring and environmental studies and planning professor Alexandra von Meier. Donors supporting these awards are Wayne Rowlands and the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.
Staff Excellence Awards go to Nels Worden, stockroom technician for the chemistry department, and Mary Rogers, administrative coordinator for the music department.
Reservations and tickets are not needed to attend Commencement 2004 and the public is invited to attend. Parking is free in all areas. The campus is located at 1801 E. Cotati Ave. in Rohnert Park.
For further information see the Commencement 2004 Web site at www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/commencement/.
Two special celebrations honoring the graduation of La Raza and African-American students will take place on the Sonoma State University campus on Friday, May 21.
These special ceremonies are organized by students themselves to laud their college efforts and achievements. Graduates in these two ceremonies also take part in the university-wide Commencement 2004 ceremony on Saturday, May 22.
LA RAZA CELEBRATION
Each year graduating Sonoma State University students with Native American, Latino or Chicano heritage gather for La Raza graduation.
This year's 27th annual La Raza ceremony is at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 21 in Evert B. Person Theatre. The ceremony includes cultural music, bilingual keynote speakers, and a unique opportunity for the graduates to thank the individuals who have assisted them in obtaining their degree.
A reception follows and provides personal time for graduates, family, faculty, and friends to celebrate with traditional food and music.
Many of the graduates participating in the La Raza ceremony are first-generation college grads, and this special celebration allows them to personally thank those who have gone out of their way to work with the students and help them achieve the goal of a college degree.
The event is co-sponsored by Raza/Native American Council and Chicano and Latino Studies. The bilingual ceremony is conducted in Spanish and English and is open to the general public.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CELEBRATION
The 12th annual Black Graduation Celebration at Sonoma State University will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 21 in the Cooperage and is an opportunity for the University to acknowledge the achievements of African-American students and their families.
SSU president Ruben Arminana will greet the graduates and the program will feature a student speaker and guest speaker Munyiga Lumumba of UC Berkeley's Upward Bound program.
Lumumba has dedicated his life's worked to helping low-income and first-generation students.
A reception follows the celebration.
Eco-architect Carol Venolia of Santa Rosa will explain how to transform a home using the basic principles of ecological remodeling in a class offered by Sonoma State University's Environmental Technology Center,
The course will be offered on June 1, 8 and 15 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Cost is $80.
Topics addressed include how to:
* make your home more comfortable and delightful
* begin with small, inexpensive changes
* lower utility bills
* get heat and light from the sun and cooling from the wind
* choose wisely among eco-friendly building materials
* respond to the unique qualities of your home, site, and climate
* incorporate ecological landscaping and outdoor living network with like-minded homeowners and professionals.
Carol Venolia is a Santa Rosa architect and author who has been a pioneer in the ecological building movement for decades. Her design work includes homes of rammed earth, straw bales, "good wood," and other natural and resource-efficient materials. She has consulted on the design of schools, healing centers and eco-villages.
She writes the "Design for Life" column for Natural Home Magazine and is the author of "Healing Environments: Your Guide to Indoor Well-Being." She currently serves on the Development Committee for the Santa Rosa Green Building Program.
For information and registration, call Armando Navarro, Environmental Technology Center, 664-2577.
"Volemos a la Biblioteca," or "Let's Fly to the Library," a program designed to boost family literacy among the students at Santa Rosa's Lincoln Elementary School, won top honors at the 2004 Jack London Awards for Educational Excellence presented at Sonoma State University this week.
"Volemos a la Biblioteca" is a program that has been in effect at Lincoln Elementary since 2002 in a district that is almost 80% Hispanic.
Teachers at Lincoln realized that many students' families did not have the financial means to build a diverse and extensive home library and their only form of home entertainment was television.
Teacher Ben Levy figured the natural solution to this predicament was visits to the public library. "Volemos a la Biblioteca" was designed to get students and their families involved in regular visits to the library and promote reading and library use to students and their parents.
When families participate in "Volemos a la Biblioteca, " each Lincoln School child receives a Sonoma County library card, a free book bag, and a book. Lincoln School teachers accompany families to the library in order to familiarize them with the institution.
Stories are read aloud in English and Spanish to the assembled guests, and it is expected that families will go to the library every three weeks. Transportation via school bus is available for families who cannot travel to the library through their own means.
The program has had amazing results, says Levy, who reports that library card ownership at Lincoln School has grown from 14 percent to 90 percent, there has been a dramatic increase in the circulation of Spanish-language material and attendance at library activities, and many students are showing a greater enthusiasm in reading. Parents of these students are also browsing the shelves for literature of their own interest.
Other nominees for this year's awards were: "Language of Art," Jamie Duncan, Sequoia Elementary School; "Sixth Grade Speech Tournament," Mary Lee Jones, Sequoia Elementary School; "Second Grade Jack London Program," Ethel Todson, Paula Lely, and Roberta Trevino, Prestwood School; and "Peer Literacy Coaching," Jennifer Fleischer, Kirsten Searby, and Chris White, Elsie Allen High School.
The Jack London Award for Excellence recognizes outstanding K-12 programs and those involves with them. It is sponsored by Sonoma State University; the California Faculty Association; the California Teachers Association; Norman Knodt, Financial Network Investment Corp. and the Sonoma County Office of Education. SSU faculty and staff, with community and educational leaders, serve as judges for the awards program.
CAPTION: Ben Levy (left, back row) and "Let's Fly to the Library" students, parents and librarian.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED--Faculty and student panel on the repercussions and effects the Holocaust and genocide have had on today's world. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 18, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
VIETNAM AND IRAQ: SECRECY, DEMOCRACY AND PRESIDENTIAL LIES--Lecture by author and activist Daniel Ellsberg. Free to SSU and Osher LLI students; $8 general admission. 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 19, Evert E. Person Theater (707) 664-2691.
MANAGING A GREEN COMMERCIAL PROJECT--Lecture with Bruce Walker, Senior Project Architect at Sonoma State University. Green Building Lecture and Film Series. 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, Community Room, Cotati Police Facility, (707) 664-2577.
"Vietnam and Iraq: Secrecy, Democracy and Presidential Lies"is the subject of a lecture by Daniel Ellsberg, author and political activist, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19 in the Evert B. Person Theatre on the Sonoma State University campus.
The event is sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at SSU and there is no charge to Osher LLI or SSU students. A donation of $8 is suggested for the general public.
Ellsberg is best known for leaking a 7,000-page document, which became known as the "Pentagon Papers," that revealed that victory in Vietnam was far from certain, despite government assurances to the contrary.
The publication of the documents in the New York Times and the Washington Post was a turning point in public opinion against the war.
This landmark freedom-of-the press case changed journalism forever, ushering in an era of "leaks," whistle-blowers, and general skepticism about official statements.
Ellsberg will be talking about what he sees as the dangerous parallels between Vietnam and the current war in Iraq.
Chief among these parallels, he says, is the staggering amount of presidential lying that he sees driving public support for entering and continuing both wars.
Ellsberg is uniquely qualified to address the issue of the media and war and the haunting similarities between U.S. involvement in Vietnam and Iraq. He was a former Marine, a RAND Corp. analyst, and an adviser to Robert McNamara, Clark Clifford, and Henry Kissinger on Vietnam.
In addition to his latest book, "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers," he is the author of "Risk, Ambiguity, and Decision." His scholarly articles have also appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Economic Journal, and American Economic Review.
For more information, contact Barbara Brooks, OLLI Coordinator at (707) 664-2691.
GROUPWORK INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS--Lecture presented by Adam Hill of SSU Counseling Services. Brown Bag Lecture Series. Noon, Tuesday, May 11, Stevenson 2011, (707) 664-2112.
SECOND GENERATION PANEL--Panel discussion about the post-Holocaust generation with Elaine Leeder, Ph.D., Blair Pleasant, and Julia Nemeth. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE LECTURE SERIES--Lecture presented by Susan Jones, Police Chief of Healdsburg. Noon, Wednesday, May 12, Salazar 2025, (707) 664-2934.
ECOLOGICAL DESIGN--Lecture with Steve Heckeroth, Director of Building Integrated Photovoltaics of Bekaert Solar Systems. Green Building Lecture and Film Series. 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, Environmental Technology Center, (707) 664-2577.
NOAH LEVINE--Lecture with the author of "Dharma Punx" and Buddhist teacher, Noah Levine. Levine will share his experiences of criminal convictions, jail, and suicide attempts, which led to his life-changing discovery of Buddhism. This lecture is free to SSU students and $5 general admission. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, The Commons, (707) 664-2785.
COMPUTER SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM--Lecture by Caroline Gan of Motorola (Next Level Communications), Rohnert Park. Noon, Thursday, May 13, Darwin 108, (707) 664-2810.
DIAGNOSTIC APPROACHES TO DETECTION OF WEST NILE VIRUS AND OTHER ARBOVIRUSES--Lecture with Mike Taketa-Graham of the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory, California Department of Health Sciences. Biology Colloquium. 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13, Darwin 108, (707) 664-3058.
NOCHE CULTURAL--Latin Rock/Funk group, The B-Side Players, will perform. Admission is free for SSU students. Non-SSU Student admission is $8 and general admission is $15. Advance tickets are available at the Sonoma Student Union. 9 p.m. Friday, May 15, The Cooperage, (707) 664-2382.
Some 58 freshmen who come from migrant farm worker families will celebrate the successful completion of their first year of college at a special graduation ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 in the Commons at Sonoma State University.
These students from the College Assistance Migrant Program will receive a sash to be worn at their future SSU graduation when they complete their studies, a congressional letter of recognition and a diploma in a frame that will later house their bachelor's degree. They will be given a minute or two to thank their family and friends for supporting them in their educational goals.
Statistics show that students that come from a farm worker background are grossly underrepresented in college and that those who attend tend to drop out during the first year. "These Collaborative CAMP students are not only passing their classes with good grades, in many instances they are doing better than the average students in their college," says Dr. Francisco Vazquez, head of the CAMP program.
Vazquez says the ceremony is held to "recognize the hard work from the students and the support of the parents. The celebration also paves the way for the students to become active citizens committed to civic engagement on behalf of their community and of social issues in general. "
The ceremony is part of the Collaborative College Assistance Migrant Program that includes students from SSU, Napa Valley College and Santa Rosa Junior College.
Exceptional teachers change the lives of their students every day and make an impact on them that lasts a lifetime.
Some of these inspirational elementary and secondary teachers from local communities will be awarded the Jack London Award for Excellence in Education during the 17th annual awards ceremony from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12 at the Sonoma State University Art Gallery.
The award is given annually to classroom teachers who run exemplary educational programs in Sonoma County schools. Winners who have earned the Jack London Award trophy in the past include Santa Rosa Middle School's "Rekindling Hopes and Dreams" and the Robert L. Stevens Elementary School's Dolphin Kings Chess Club.
In addition, programs coordinated by school administrators or community representatives are eligible for the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation.
SSU's School of Education sponsors the Jack London Awards and SSU faculty and staff, as well as community and educational leaders, serve as judges for this awards program.
For further information, contact Phyllis Fernlund, Dean of the School of Education, (707) 664-2132.
