ABA NEWS & GREEN NEWS

Officer Nathan Rice Helps the American Legions Boys State Create Critical Incident Plan

In late September, Sacramento State's own Nathan Rice, officer within the Sacramento State Police Department, spoke at the 83rd annual American Legion Boys State Directors Conference held in Indianapolis. There, Officer Rice shared useful information that would allow the Boys State programs to be prepared to respond to critical incidents.

According to the Chief Counselor at California Boys State, Tim Aboudara, "If something happens in the smallest Boys State program, within hours the media will be at our doorsteps."

At the conference, Officer Rice stressed the importance of preparation, "If we know what our potential risks are and we plan for them, we’re able to minimize the impact on any of the campuses or locations where we’re going to be."

Officer Rice received praise for his attendance and participation in the conference. In October, Aboudara contacted Lieutenant Christina Lofthouse to illustrate his impact:

"The help provided by Nate Rice in helping align our new Critical Incident and Threat Protocol Plan was invaluable. Nate did a great job working with the other Public Safety Professionals on our Boys State Staff to update our Plan and to make sure that it was in alignment with the plans in place at the University."

This is just another example of ABA staff professionals impacting the surrounding communities of California. Way to go, Officer Rice!

Campus Compost Conversion Creates Community Connections

The Sustainability Team has another success story on their hands: compost, comprised of organic material collected here on campus, is making its way into local community gardens to help enrich soils with nutrients.

Located in the BAC Yard, in lot 10, are several large piles of organic matter at different stages of decomposition. The largest pile, appearing black as soil, is the compost ready for delivery. So far, the Sustainability Team has partnered with seven different organizations, including community groups and local schools, to provide compost for their gardening needs.

Staff from ABA's office of Organizational Development joined Joey for a tour of the BAC Yard to learn more about the community effort and process of composting organic material. One central theme emphasized was the "loop" that has been closed by the process. Explained simply, the majority of the composted material is made up of leaves collected on campus. Those leaves are amassed together where they are then moistened and covered to allow the natural decomposition process to take place. The compost being delivered by Sacramento State to local community gardens is literally comprised of last year's leaves. Likewise, the leaves being collected now will begin the process to become compost for next year.

When the compost is ready, the distribution process begins. "The first recipient, of course, is Sac State. Our Grounds Maintenance department get first crack at the compost to use all over our beautiful campus," explained Martinez. "As far as I know, the campus no longer pays for compost which is a savings for the campus, along with the fact that we also no longer need to pay to have these materials hauled away since it is all composted here on site." In addition to fertilizing the campus, the compost is used within the BAC Yard as well, where fruits and vegetables are grown to be donated to the ASI food pantry.

Sac State is very quickly becoming known amongst other state agencies for this program as the work of the BAC Yard has become an educational opportunity. "Quite frequently I receive requests for tours or speaking engagements so that others can learn how our program works," explained Martinez. "In fact, I’ll be working with a local after school program this month to help them establish their own small scale composting program too."

By December 1 of this year, Martinez states that approximately 100 yards of compost has been delivered so far. Delivery of the compost is just one additional way Martinez and the staff of the Sustainability Team integrate themselves into the community. "We typically deliver the compost to them since quite often they do not have the means to pick it up themselves," said Martinez. "I visit each site before the first delivery to see what kind of agency we’re delivering to and to ensure that the site will allow for a smooth delivery. Typically when we go, we see smiles and appreciation from all of the people we deliver compost to. These are the folks who help our neighbors and we are happy to help them."

Efforts like these can be easily summarized: "We get to practice being a good neighbor. We become a part of the community," concluded Martinez. Major kudos are deserved to Joey Martinez, the Sustainability Team, Grounds Maintenance, and the numerous student assistants and volunteers who make all of this possible.

Halloween Spirit Haunts ABA Staff Engagement Efforts

This October, the spirit of Halloween was ripe within the offices of ABA. Multiple offices were decorated and many ABA staff professionals dressed in their favorite costumes for the holiday.

ABA's Strategic Thinking: Achieving Results Together (START) committee sought to increase the spirit by hosting ABA's first Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest. ABA staff professionals were encouraged to participate by submitting their decorated pumpkins to earn top prize in funniest and most creative categories.

Hosted in Sacramento Hall 161, pumpkins representing multiple offices across ABA were on display, while staff were allowed to vote for their favorites. The results are in, after receiving more than 50 votes, the winners are:

Funniest: Don Nahhas - Risk Management Services

Most Creative: Kristen Weigle-Roberts - Auditing & Consulting Services

ABA staff weren’t done earning accolades for their festive efforts. The Vice President's Office earned an honorable mention in the office decoration category for their Hogwarts theme from Harry Potter after participating in the annual University Staff Assembly (USA) Halloween Contest. Many of the photos from this year's event representing participating ABA offices and employees can be found below.

Congratulations to all!

New Fixtures to Reduce Water Usage

While fall may indicate the annual rainy season, much of California is still experiencing at least moderate drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. Sacramento State plays a critical role as a member of the Sacramento community based on its needs and water usage. To address the ongoing efforts to reduce water usage on campus, Facilities Management has begun to replace all water faucets on campus with infrared sensors to reduce water usage.

The California Department of Water Resources provided Sacramento State with $600,000 in funding to complete the project, which will affect all public restrooms on campus. With the goal of reducing water consumption by 1.2 million gallons from the prior year, infrared sensors will play a key part in reducing water usage in restrooms. A Biology student conducted a study and their initial findings found a 54% reduction in water usage from infrared sensor faucets compared to traditional faucets.

The project began in July 2018 with the goal of replacing all public restroom faucets on campus by April 2019. The average person uses about 100 gallons of water a day, so please be water-conscience!