Save Mount Diablo, Mount Diablo Resource Recovery, and Cal State East Bay Enter Conservation Collaboration Agreement for Earth Day 2017
CONCORD/WALNUT CREEK, CA – In honor of the upcoming Earth Day 2017, April 22, 2017, Save Mount Diablo (“SMD”), Mount Diablo Resource Recovery, a Garaventa company (“MDRR”), and California State University, East Bay (“CSUEB”) signed a creative Conservation Collaboration Agreement on April 14, 2017 so as to demonstrate their gratitude for the beautiful Mount Diablo natural areas while also learning more about these places and helping protect and steward the land.
“To expedite our time-sensitive land conservation work for the Mount Diablo area, Save Mount Diablo is reaching out to students and other leaders to join the cause. We all have a major stake in what our future environment will be like, especially young people. We entered our first Conservation Collaboration Agreement with the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School for Earth Day 2016. We are grateful for the leadership, long-term vision and philanthropy demonstrated by Mount Diablo Resource Recovery and Cal State East Bay for entering this Conservation Collaboration Agreement with Save Mount Diablo,” said Ted Clement, Save Mount Diablo’s Executive Director.
The Conservation Collaboration Agreement signed on April 14, 2017 has three basic parts. First, the staff of SMD will provide in-class educational presentations regarding land conservation to the participating students of CSUEB and the employees of MDRR the week of Earth Day 2017.
Second, also during the week of Earth Day 2017, SMD staff will teach and lead the participating students of CSUEB and the employees of MDRR in an outdoor, experiential environmental service project at one of SMD’s conserved properties which will also include a mini solo on the land for each participant where they will do a contemplative journal writing exercise about nature.
Finally, in an act of educational and participatory philanthropy, MDRR will generously provide SMD memberships for all of its employees while CSUEB will raise funds to enable 30 children in Contra Costa County’s underserved areas to become members of SMD through SMD’s youth membership program and participating CSUEB student groups will also have the option to raise funds to become SMD members.
According to CSUEB President Leroy M. Morishita, participation in this Conservation Collaboration Agreement not only demonstrates Cal State East Bay’s commitment to higher education in Contra Costa County, but also its goal of integrating the concepts of sustainability into all aspects of university life. “Working with our community partners, we hope to create meaningful learning experiences for our students that address both the challenges as well as the possibilities of social, environmental and economic leadership for the entire East Bay,” Morishita said.
Joe Garaventa, CEO of Mount Diablo Resource Recovery, appreciates the opportunity to align and partner with two like-minded and highly respected organizations. “This collaboration is a perfect fit. MDRR places a high value on both the environment and education. This collaborative agreement brings everything together. In a time when so many other companies simply practice landfill based diversion, we pride ourselves on real and true diversion programs that respect the environment, avoid the landfill and protect the future of our pristine natural landscapes. Yes, true diversion costs money, but it’s the right thing to do.”
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Save Mount Diablo
SMD is a nationally accredited, non-profit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, and watersheds through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. Learn more at www.savemountdiablo.org
Mount Diablo Resource Recovery, a Garaventa Company
MDRR is a forward thinking, resource recovery company with a longstanding commitment to environmental best management practices and doing whatever it takes to keep material out of the landfill. MDRR’s daily mission is to “practice and preach the five (5) R’s”: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Respect and Recover. MDRR has a clear vision for the future of turning the waste stream into renewable energy and will continue to “raise the bar” in the communities they serve by delivering state of the art diversion programs, exceptional customer service along with fair, competitive pricing and maintaining their reputation as the vendor of choice in the resource recovery market-place. Learn more at www.garaventaent-mdr.com
California State University, East Bay
CSUEB operates a campus in the Mount Diablo foothills, with a mission to serve as a regional steward, to provide high quality education, to present opportunities for innovative, hands-on research, to empower students to make the most of the educational opportunities they have earned, and to develop a life-long love of learning. Learn more at www.csueastbay.edu
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High Resolution Images and Press Release Files:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xv71jp2pt611d8e/AAC2bGsGlvkg766U1zkRwEs7a?dl=0
All photographs by Stephen Joseph.
Photograph: View of Mount Diablo from Curry Canyon. Credit: Stephen Joseph.
Contact: Caleb Castle, Communications Manager
Save Mount Diablo
Phone: 925-947-3535
Email: ccastle@savemountdiablo.org
Contact: Salvatore N. Evola
Mount Diablo Resource Recovery, a Garaventa company
Phone: 925-876-9317
Email: sal.evola@garaventaent.com
Contact: Natalie Feulner, University Communications
California State University, East Bay
Phone: 510-885-2380
