1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,760
Welcome to Climate to Action, a CSUSM student podcast focused on climate action, indigenous

2
00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,040
knowledge, and climate justice.

3
00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:13,280
My name is JJ.

4
00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,020
And I'm Ann Dab, one of the faculty advisors for the podcast.

5
00:00:17,020 --> 00:00:18,600
Welcome to our very first episode.

6
00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:23,920
Before we begin, we'd like to acknowledge that CSUSM is located on the traditional territory

7
00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,760
of the Luiseño and Payom Cujum people.

8
00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,880
The university and surrounding areas are still home to the six federally recognized

9
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:37,840
bands of the La Jolla, Palma, Palma, Pachanga, Rincon, and Ceboba Liseño-Payom Cujum people.

10
00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:42,320
And this land remains a shared space among the Copeño, Cumei, and E-Pai people.

11
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,520
So again, welcome to Climate to Action.

12
00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:49,200
Recently, our podcast team traveled across campus and surrounding areas, asking folks

13
00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:54,360
what they know about our three main themes, climate action, indigenous knowledge, and climate

14
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:56,160
justice.

15
00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:08,040
Let's hear what students, staff, faculty, and community members had to say.

16
00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,680
I'm here with Juliana Goduel-Morris, the director of sustainability and climate justice

17
00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:17,400
at California State University San Marcos.

18
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,800
And what will make CSUSM a leader in solving the climate crisis?

19
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,920
Yeah, that's such a big question.

20
00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:30,640
I think that first and foremost, I want to say there's so much already happening that's

21
00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:31,640
really great.

22
00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:40,000
We have students and faculty doing research in all different areas regarding the climate.

23
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:45,360
And it's not going to just be one person or one school or one place that's going to solve

24
00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:46,360
this issue.

25
00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,320
It's really all of the CSUs coming together, right?

26
00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:53,560
All of the California State University's, all of the University of California's, all

27
00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:59,760
of our higher education institutions coming together to work together to solve this crisis,

28
00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,720
as well as obviously many, many other people.

29
00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,520
But what I can say here as far as being a leader at Cal State San Marcos in the climate

30
00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:12,880
crisis is we recently signed the President's Climate Commitment, President's Climate Leadership

31
00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:14,960
Commitment last August.

32
00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:20,800
And that's really kind of putting us on a pathway to get to carbon neutrality.

33
00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:27,720
It's really also going to springboard us into being a leader within our region.

34
00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:35,040
And so a couple of the things that we're working on are how can Cal State San Marcos be a place

35
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:46,040
where multiple cities and other schools, et cetera, can come together to look at resilience?

36
00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:51,160
And so how do we plan for issues related to the climate crisis?

37
00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:57,640
How do we plan for wildfires and drought and heat in a way that makes sense for our region

38
00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:00,320
here in North County, San Diego?

39
00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:07,640
So that's one area that we're really looking at is how can we be kind of a hub for North

40
00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:10,480
County as it relates to climate?

41
00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:15,040
And then the second thing I would just say is that young people today get it, and so

42
00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:16,520
our students get it.

43
00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:23,960
And my hope is that more research, more action, and more engagement will kind of be moving

44
00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:28,440
forward in the next few years regarding climate.

45
00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,760
And then the last thing I would just say is that it takes all of us to do something to

46
00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,000
solve this issue.

47
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:41,200
And so if you can get involved in one way or another, whether it be through your coursework

48
00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:48,560
or whether it be volunteering or engaged with folks trying to solve these issues, it's not

49
00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:50,440
going to be one solution.

50
00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,400
It's going to be hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of solutions.

51
00:03:53,400 --> 00:04:02,200
Hi, I'm Ithia, and I'm with...

52
00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:03,200
My name is Jordan.

53
00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,120
Have you ever heard of the term climate change?

54
00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,120
Yes, yes I have.

55
00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,520
So how did you first learn about it and how would you describe it?

56
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,600
I feel like I first learned about it with my good sis Greta on the internet, because

57
00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,960
I feel like she was my first real exposure of how deep we were really into it.

58
00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:22,000
And then I also took a class, oh my gosh, it was a general education science class.

59
00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:27,800
We were talking about just the ozone layer and greenhouse gases, and I was just connecting

60
00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,760
all the dots, and it was just like, oh my gosh, we are not caring for our resources,

61
00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,200
we are overindulging and not giving anything back.

62
00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:35,200
I agree.

63
00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:40,040
So I think it's more of like, let's try to balance out this equation a little bit better.

64
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:41,040
My name is Alex.

65
00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,520
How do you think college students can help with climate change?

66
00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:49,800
I think on the individual level, people can strive to be more sustainable.

67
00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:54,000
I think sustainability and climate change are interconnected in a way, so if you want

68
00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,800
to be sustainable, that can help out with reducing climate change.

69
00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,800
And have you noticed any impacts in your daily life because of climate change?

70
00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:05,120
Yes, being a California native, the increase of rain over the past several years, it's

71
00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,400
been like, unforeseen and unheard of.

72
00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,040
I remember growing up, it would be really rain like this, but that was kind of like

73
00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:15,160
the norm for winter, that's what I have seen personally.

74
00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:16,560
I'm Michael Giles.

75
00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,960
I am the producer here on Climate to Action.

76
00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:24,640
I'm Professor Shannon Switzer-Swanson, assistant professor of the environment here at Cal State

77
00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:25,800
San Marcos.

78
00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,600
What does climate action look like to you?

79
00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:35,160
Everybody working on an objective, either a large objective in project that's just really

80
00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:41,640
trying to get at the root of all of our carbon emissions and trying to, first of all, better

81
00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,800
understand where they're coming from, better understand how we're individually contributing

82
00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:52,520
to them, how society, societal structures and laws are contributing to them, and then

83
00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:57,560
trying to make a dent in that or a change in that is climate action.

84
00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:08,240
So it could be anything from planting a few plants in your native plants to something

85
00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:16,680
more comprehensive of trying to improve your city's waste stream and get at your own composting

86
00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,760
going and contributing to the compost stream if you have one.

87
00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:25,360
But to everything like going to city council meetings or to going, trying to address the

88
00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,320
larger legislative issues related to reducing carbon emissions.

89
00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:34,680
So I just think you can take so many different forms and most of us who care are probably

90
00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:40,440
doing something already and should feel really good about that and let that continue to kind

91
00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,800
of proliferate into other actions too.

92
00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:49,680
I'm here with...

93
00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:50,680
I'm Katie Ciso.

94
00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,560
It's nice to meet you, Katie.

95
00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:53,560
And what do you do here?

96
00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,520
I teach for the geography department.

97
00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:57,920
I teach a class on Earth, the habitable planet.

98
00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:02,400
So I'm just going to ask you a couple of quick questions.

99
00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:07,320
The first one is how can college students make sure everyone's voices are heard in climate

100
00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:08,320
discussions?

101
00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:09,320
Great question.

102
00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:15,520
I think a big thing is trying to explore collaboration over competition.

103
00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:21,400
I think there's a lot of sense of we each need to be the best or be the leader and recognizing

104
00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,680
that we are going to make more progress when we work together and collaborate.

105
00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,920
So I think collaboration is an important way to bring everybody into the conversation,

106
00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:34,720
recognize that everybody has different skills, different knowledge, different ideas, and

107
00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:40,760
that when we collaborate we can effectively hear all of those and put them to use.

108
00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:45,680
And then next question is how can colleges prepare students to be leaders in fighting

109
00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:46,680
climate change?

110
00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:52,600
So I think offering classes that talk about climate change and not just science classes,

111
00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,920
but that climate change is part of the conversation in all disciplines across campus.

112
00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,200
I think that that's a great one.

113
00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,960
Education is a big piece, but also providing opportunities for action.

114
00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,280
We can all learn as much as we want about this, but until we start putting things into

115
00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,440
action it's going to really limit the progress that we make.

116
00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:17,960
And so that might be providing opportunities for students to talk about climate in podcasts.

117
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:25,040
It can be clubs related to climate action in which progress is actually made on campus.

118
00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:31,440
For instance, working with food halls on campus to make sure that food waste is getting recovered

119
00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,080
for composting and organics recycling.

120
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,640
So just providing those opportunities and providing support to students as they pursue

121
00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:39,640
those opportunities.

122
00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:40,640
Awesome.

123
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:41,640
Thank you so much.

124
00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:42,640
I appreciate it.

125
00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:43,640
Yeah, absolutely.

126
00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:48,040
I am here with...

127
00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:49,040
Sage.

128
00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,840
And do you feel that climate change impacts your life currently?

129
00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:52,840
Oh, definitely.

130
00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:58,240
I live in the desert and we already have extreme temperatures, but climate change has definitely

131
00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,200
increased the impact.

132
00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,920
My mom works in non-profit work with homeless people, and so does my grandma.

133
00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:11,840
So we've had a lot of homeless people come in seeking shelter from extreme temperature

134
00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:18,640
increases and then at night it gets really cold, so just seeing that.

135
00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:19,640
I am here with...

136
00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:20,640
I'm modeling.

137
00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,640
What's the hardest part about taking climate action?

138
00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:31,880
I think just spreading awareness is good, but I think it's the part where you get in

139
00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,080
the back of your head that, oh, is this really going to change anything?

140
00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:40,080
Is this really going to happen?

141
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:47,560
Finally, Ipsia and Michael from the podcast team sat down with Provost Carl Chemnitz.

142
00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:49,160
Let's hear what he had to say.

143
00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,000
Hi, my name is Ipsia and I am here with...

144
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:54,200
Carl Chemnitz.

145
00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:59,520
How can colleges prepare students to be leaders in fighting climate change?

146
00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:03,520
The crisis of the day is the global warming and climate change that's happening right

147
00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:04,520
now.

148
00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:14,160
And so what we have here at CSUSM is faculty and students who are very engaged in this

149
00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:15,400
topic.

150
00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:24,320
The faculty have around 200 courses and about two-thirds of our programs have curriculum

151
00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:30,480
directly on related to climate change, sustainability, and climate justice.

152
00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,920
And those topics are near and dear to many of the faculty's hearts.

153
00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:42,280
And they had a climate change working group that has now proposed a climate action and

154
00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:48,120
sustainability center that's right now before the academic senate of the university to help

155
00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:55,920
galvanize that work into a university-wide commitment for climate action and sustainability.

156
00:10:55,920 --> 00:11:02,040
And so those are some of the things that the faculty and the university are doing, but

157
00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:08,160
it's really an engagement of few students that is going to make the difference.

158
00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:13,000
That was so interesting and the Climate to Action podcast is just getting started.

159
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,560
Here's what's coming next.

160
00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,520
In each episode, we'll visit with a guest, someone who will help you better understand

161
00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:20,960
the state of the global climate.

162
00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,880
We'll also give you concrete suggestions for what you can do about it.

163
00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:26,440
Remember, call to action.

164
00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:28,120
And here it is for this week.

165
00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:29,840
We're starting you off easy.

166
00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:31,680
Just follow us on socials.

167
00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:37,760
It's climate to action on Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter.

168
00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:41,320
Again, it's climate to action.

169
00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:42,320
That's it for now.

170
00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:43,320
Thanks for listening.

171
00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:55,280
This is Climate to Action, a CSUSM student podcast signing off.