CalPIRG - Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD)

Think America can do better? We’re hiring recent college grads! Work towards making democracy work, energy efficiency, affordable education. Apply or learn more at: http://jobs.pirg.org

U.S. PIRG Jobs & Opportunities | Jobs & Opportunities U.S. PIRG Jobs & Opportunities stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democracy.

The youngest generation of Americans today will be the first in our nation’s history with a shorter lifespan than their parents, thanks in part to the food they eat. Our food system is driving an epidemic of diabetes and diet-related disease, while also fueling climate change and the loss of our nation’s family farmers. The challenge is that there’s just not enough ‘real food’ out there—it’s less than two percent of our national food economy. Fortunately our nation’s colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to address these 21st century challenges and help build a truly healthy food economy.

CalPIRG at LACCD is partnering with the Real Food Challenge movement to increase the procurement of real food on college and university campuses, with the national goal of 20% real food by 2020! By leveraging the tremendous purchasing power of our colleges to support a healthy food system we can strengthen local economies, respect human rights, ensure ecological sustainability, and facilitate community involvement and education. With the support of the Real Food Challenge, we plan to change the type of food served on our college campuses, shifting millions of dollars toward small farmers, fair trade businesses, sustainable agriculture, humane animal husbandry, and healthy food.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkqMMLljedQ

Real Food Challenge -- Check out this promo video about our work! ****Between now and August 11th, vote EVERY DAY to help the Real Food Challenge win $100,000 from VH1 and DoSometh...

While we are working hard to ensure fair competition in the textbook industry, create an enabling infrastructure for a digital marketplace, and to increase the commercial viability of innovative and affordable textbook alternatives, students are still stuck paying publishers' outrageous prices. However, you do have a few tools to reduce how much you spend. Being a smart consumer could save you hundreds of dollars every year. Follow these tips on our newly-created page on textbook affordability to save money on textbooks!

http://calpirglaccd.wordpress.com/affordable-textbooks/

Textbook Affordability Tips to Save on Textbooks While CalPIRG - LACCD is working hard to ensure fair competition in the textbook industry and to increase the commercial viability of innovative and affordable alternat...

Hello everyone, please fill out this survey to tell us what motivates (or discourages) you to vote!!! Your input will help us decide how to promote civic participation for next year's election.

CALPIRG Student Chapters: Survey - Tell us what you think! CALPIRG Student Chapters: Organizing students on campus - activism for the environment, consumers, democracy, higher education, affordable textbooks, voter registration, community service, public interest, hunger and homelessness.

Our society has done an amazing job of making nearly every product we could dream of available at our fingertips. The choices are seemingly endless and now that everything is online, we have even more options. Despite all of our technological advances and choices, however, we're still constantly confronted with misleading promises and advertisements and sub-standard quality and safety. At the end of the day, if we want transparent information, we are going to have to challenge the huge corporations that govern the marketplace.

Rather than getting better, however, many of these problems are becoming worse. As students, we're particularly vulnerable to these problems. Often, we're isolated on campus and have limited financial resources. We’re also new to the marketplace. While we’ve been buying things for years, we now have to deal with bigger decisions, like student loan debt, finding an apartment, and living on our own.

CalPIRG at LACCD is working to stop these problems from happening by educating consumers about the choices that are available and their rights in the marketplace and by advocating for new protections for consumers. Right now, we are working to educate consumers on how to beat high bank fees, including the recently-enacted 5$ fee for debit card use implemented by the Bank of America. Do not be indifferent! Vote with your feet, keep your own money, and take your business elsewhere!

http://www.uspirg.org/bank-tips

Beat High Bank Fees - U.S. PIRG Consumers are complaining about the latest big bank fee—a monthly fee to use a debit card, even though handling electronic debits is cheaper for the banks than handling checks. Recently, Bank of America announced it would impose a $5/month debit card fee each month you used the card at a merchant, e...

Today, U.S. agricultural policy encourages poor eating habits as an economically sensible choice — making a box of Twinkies cheaper than a bag of carrots. At a time when everyone is concerned with cutting spending and making sure our public dollars are being used effectively, one thing we can all agree on is that we shouldn't be spending billions making unhealthy choices cheaper. Immediately, we should cut the subsidies we know encourage production of unhealthy food additives and marketing of already profitable junk food.

Right now, 74% of all federal subsidies go to only 4% of farmers. The era of small family farms producing our food is rapidly drawing to a close. We have an opportunity to stop these wasteful subsidies. With growing public concern about obesity, and a commitment from Congress to tackle wasteful spending this year, we can win. Join our call for action and tell Congress to stop subsidizing obesity!

https://secure3.convio.net/engage/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2535

Student PIRGs: Stop Subsidizing Obesity Send a message to your U.S. Senators today.

Universal access to a high quality education is key to the building of peace, sustainable social and economic development, and intercultural dialogue. The California Public Interest Research Group at the Los Angeles Community College District believes Open Educational Resources (OER) present one such avenue which can lead to the realization of these goals by significantly reducing the costs of textbooks and removing a significant barrier to education.

- CalPIRG at LACCD believes that Open Educational Resources (OER) are an essential component to promoting Textbook Affordability, and provide a strategic opportunity to improve the quality of education as well as facilitate policy dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building.

- CalPIRG at LACCD supports the adoption of Open Educational Resources by institutional actors, and is spear-heading the advocacy of further OER-related policies in institutions already using Open Educational Resources for teaching/learning delivery.

Please support our efforts by signing our petition and allowing us to send email notices to your professors regarding our Open Source Textbook Initiative.

http://www.textbookrebellion.org/petition

Textbook Rebellion: Coalition for Textbook Affordability. The Textbook Rebellion is a campaign to raise awareness to help make textbooks affordable and accessible. Sign the petition! College textbook costs have skyrocketed, affecting students, families and professors alike.