News Release Archive
News Releases Index FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-08-102
April 15, 2008 Former D.A. Garcetti to Speak at Earth Day Celebration This month College of the Canyons will host an Earth Day celebration featuring giveaways, vendor booths, student presentations and a variety of environmentally themed panel discussions -- including a special presentation on water and sustainability by former Los Angeles County District Attorney and acclaimed photographer Gil Garcetti. Sponsored by the COC Sustainable Development Committee, the Earth Day event will take place Tuesday, April 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the College of the Canyons Valencia campus. "We invite all community members to take part in our Earth Day celebration," said Jia-Yi Cheng-Levine, chair of the college's Sustainable Development Committee, "as we use these presentations and panels as a way to open up a community-wide discussion about the environment and our responsibilities in caring for it." Highlighting the day's events will be the special presentation on water and sustainability by Garcetti at 2:30 p.m. in Boykin Hall 105. During the presentation Garcetti will share photos and experiences stemming from his book "Water is Key," which focuses on safe water, health and the empowerment of women in West Africa and serves as a call to action for people in the industrialized world to become involved in helping bring safe water to that part of the globe. "Everyone who attends, I'm sure will be touched by his presentation," Cheng-Levine said. Having spent 32 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, serving as the elected district attorney from 1992 to 2000, Garcetti has always had a passion for urban photography. His first photography book, "Iron: Erecting the Walt Disney Concert Hall," received high praise for the use of photographs to both emphasize the immense contribution of American ironworkers and capture the beauty of the curved, angled and bent raw steel of the title structure. As a follow-up, Garcetti's second book, "Frozen Music," served as an interpretation of the abstract art included in the finished design of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In 2003, American Photo named Garcetti, now the author of five photography books, one of the country's four master photographers. In addition, the panel discussion "Careers in Green," focusing on the many environmentally friendly jobs and career paths available to students, will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Boykin Hall 105. "Even as a businessperson you can use those skills to do something positive for the environment," said Cheng-Levine, "so we want to show people that you can go green and still profit from it." The day's second panel discussion, "Air Quality and Sustainability," will be held at 1 p.m. in Boykin Hall 105, and features the insights of City of Santa Clarita Sustainability Planner Heather Mirenda and Craig Grossman, president of Allied Bioscience Services -- whose company is using new technology to address indoor air quality as a worldwide health issue. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., students from Newhall Elementary School will share an environmental video presentation and follow-up discussion about some of the ways young people can get involved in protecting the environment. Later, students from Northpark Elementary School will perform the environmentally themed play "How Time Capsules Can Save the World and Other Tips" at 12:30 p.m. in the COC amphitheater. As a prelude to Earth Day, the COC Sustainable Development Committee has teamed with 1-800-GOT-JUNK to sponsor an e-waste collection date, Saturday, April 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the College of the Canyons Valencia campus. For more information about the COC Sustainable Development Committee Earth Day celebration, or to find out how to be a featured vendor please contact Jia-Yi Cheng-Levine at (661) 362-5806 or sdc@canyons.edu. | 
