The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (GES) partnered with the Institute for Sustainability and Sports Department to gather canned goods for students and faculty members impacted by the Southern California wildfires in January.

After reports emerged about residents losing their homes and being evacuated, CSUN faculty members created fundraisers and gathered wildfire resources, including shelters, food banks and donation centers. They also created events focused on wildfire and sustainability etiquette.

One of the first courses of action was an organized food drive on campus. Students who donated a can of food were offered free entry to a CSUN basketball game. The canned goods were available to anyone who was affected by the wildfires at the CSUN food pantry in Laurell Hall, near Sagebrush Hall.

“It was important for us to immediately do something to help facilitate what we could,” said Cassandra Blanding, an Administrative Support Coordinator from the GES department.

Prior to creating the wildfire canned food drive, the GES department had partnered with the Athletics department to create events that would improve student engagement.

“So as we were already doing these events [free entry to games], we thought ‘let’s put a specific wildfire event [to] help generate donations,’” said Blanding.

After donation centers were overwhelmed with an excessive amount of clothes, Blanding and other CSUN staff members felt that donating cans of food to the pantry would be a more suitable choice.

“Their first stop may not be here [GES], but [they] can go to the pantry because it’s always there. It’s for everybody, especially now,” Blanding said.

The GES department is currently planning to educate students and the community on how to prepare for the wildfire season before it approaches by incorporating future courses and workshops at the end of fall.

“We are making continuous efforts every single year to make students aware of the dangers, how they can protect themselves and how they can protect their property,” Administrative Support Coordinator II Geovanna Burrell said.

Mabel Triguieros, coordinator for Sustainable Food from the Institute for Sustainability, overlooks the CSUN food G.A.R.D.E.N and Hydroponic food farm.

The Hydroponic food farm, located near the Botanic Garden, grows seasonal vegetables and herbs, such as kale, parsley and chard are later transferred to the food pantry for students.

“For us, we choose to go [with] leafy greens and herbs, mostly because of the turnaround time,” she said. “Everything that we grow here ends up at the pantry, [to] provide basic needs for the student population.”

Hector Felix, a California Climate Action Corps corfellow and CSUN master’s student, suggested distributing the leafy greens and herbs that were grown in the hydroponic food farm to the wildfire victims.

“Even though it’s not [a] tangible item that we’re giving them, we’re giving them the environment to learn and cultivate that knowledge themselves. Teaching someone to not just plant a tree, but to grow their own food and [make] a space green is definitely going to help with the wildfires,” Felix said.

Preventing and enhancing green spaces, such as tree canopy is essential for a healthy environment, as it improves the air quality, reduces air pollution, mitigates heat effects and several other key factors.

“The more tree canopy we have, the more green space will reduce the heat itself which will prevent the fire, so [everything] is really connected,” Felix added.

Overall, the GES department plans to introduce additional courses aimed at supporting students who want to expand their understanding of wildfire etiquette.

“We want to make sure that students understand [that] if this is something you’re passionate about, we can provide you the information [and] help you gain the skills that you need to make a difference in this specific space,” Burrell said.

For more information about the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, visit their website.