Sustainibilibuddies, unite!

Grass Roots

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Carli Baker/Staff

This weekend is the culmination of months of work from members of the environmental community. Spearheaded by the Student Environmental Resource Center, and with representatives from other student environmental organizations, we have been working long hours planning to bring hundreds of students to Berkeley from colleges all over California. Community Read More…

earth day

The greenest day of the year

Grass Roots

April 22 is one of my favorite days of the year. Nestled nicely between 420 and my birthday, Earth Day has become a day of renewal for me in my environmental aspirations. It gives me an opportunity to rejuvenate myself in the spirit of community and let the history of Read More…

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Berkeley as a land grant university

Grass Roots

I’m being selfish when I say that UC Berkeley needs to go back to its roots. As a member of the Student Organic Gardening Association, a facilitator of our organic gardening DeCal and a student deeply passionate about food systems and sustainable agriculture, I can clearly see how little stock Read More…

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Editors’ Note: 50 Shades of Sexuality

There is no “normal” in sex. We’re conditioned to believe that sex is black and white and that there is a right and wrong way to act, talk and feel about it. But sex, much like life, is messy and is so much more enjoyable that way. This diversity in Read More…

Valentine’s Day: Love it or hate it?

Has Valentine’s Day become nothing more than the emblem of holiday-themed consumerism, or is there value in having one day of the year devoted to love? We asked several Cal students for their opinions about February 14th. Read More…

yosemite

Finding passion in California parks

Grass Roots

Seeing Yosemite for the first time was as close to a religious experience as I’ll most likely ever have. I’ve always loved spending time in the outdoors, hiking, kayaking and the like, but this spring break, I realized how deeply I am physically and emotionally tied to the outside world. Read More…

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Club fatigue

Grass Roots

There are more than 30 environmental student groups on campus. Most have a unique focus on one, maybe two aspects of environmentalism, but all are united through a belief in actively working to make our world more environmentally friendly. I’ve been a member and supporter of many of these clubs Read More…

The dinner table is a sacred gathering place for many people. But what happens when those people's diets conflict greatly?

A brave new world of dietary lifestyles

Some of my grandma’s favorite stories to tell me are of the dinner parties she used to throw and attend when she was of college age. Friends, friends of friends, significant others and sometimes a stranger gathering together to share a good ‘ol-fashioned Texan dinner. The communality of sharing a Read More…

bikes

Bicycling Berkeley

Grass Roots

Does riding a bike contribute to greenhouse gas emissions? Ed Orcutt, a representative in the Washington state Legislature who is on its House Transportation Committee, seems to think so. In an email response to a cyclist angry about a proposed bicycle tax in Washington, Orcutt wrote: “You claim that it Read More…

smogsmog

A guide to fossil fuel divestment

Grass Roots

I’m not pro-ASUC. Whenever I hear the latest drama from the ASUC Senate, I sigh and wonder if any of the bills they pass will actually change the way our university functions. I recognize this is unfair for those students involved in the student government, who I know work very Read More…