"A Better Tomorrow: Making Peace a Global Reality in 21st Century"

Creating a Just, Sustainable, and Compassionate World

Over two hundred people celebrated a day of peace-building at the Golden West College's Annual Peace Conference on April 15, 2011. The conference's vision, "A Better Tomorrow: Making Peace a Global Reality in the 21st Century," was a creative forum for an interdisciplinary gathering of dialogues among students, educators, researchers, artists, activists, community leaders, and the general public.

Several speakers traveled from across the U.S. to share their expertise with the conference participants. The speakers raised thought-provoking questions and engaging ideas from a range of diverse topics, such as re-envisioning education, civil resistance and democratic change, and staying human in the face of all inhumanity. Local organizations collaborated by sharing resources and upcoming projects for activism in the community. Visual artists (OC Fine Arts and GWC Fine Arts) and performing artists (Feryan and Mehrbung Group) also contributed their unique gifts and creative talents towards a shared vision of peace and unity at the conference. Golden West College's Peace Studies Program, Student Activities office, Honors Program, and Peace, Mind & Body club students took the leadership of hosting the conference. Together, the conference participants and GWC campus community explored innovative ways to promote and practice peace in their individual, local, and global communities.

President Wes Bryan, who was last year's recipient of the award for creating peace through education, presented the 2011 Peace Studies Award to Invisible Children, a generation of young activists who are giving voice to child soldiers throughout the world. "Today is about finding our voice for peace and taking right action. Invisible Children took the right action and forwarded the cause of peace by giving voice to children who would otherwise be invisible to the world," stated President Bryan.

The conference was the first Zero Waste event at Golden West College. The Environmental Studies and Sustainability Club collaborated with Earth Resource Foundation to provide Zero Waste training to students and staff. The conference committee used a minimal amount of paper for advertising and relied on a network of grassroots community-building practices, such as social media and multiple outreach efforts. All organic waste from the conference were separated and sent to compost operations, which diverted the waste from local landfills.

On day of the conference, BPA-free water bottles were provided to attendees and many people chose to re-use their water bottles throughout the day, instead of using paper cups or plastic bottles. Lunch was served in a cafeteria-family style setting, where cloth napkins, silverware, and ceramic plates replaced the once-convenient, yet disposable paper napkins, Styrofoam plates, and plastic utensils. The left-over food went to a food donation program and any remaining food waste was collected for composting by Rainbow Disposal.

Overall, the event costs were reduced significantly since the purchase of disposables was eliminated, which reduced trash collection costs. The collective efforts of students, staff, and faculty sparked a momentum for building bridges between today's realities and tomorrow's possibilities for peace-building and sustainable practices on campus. With the vision of a better tomorrow, Golden West College inspired a new generation of visionary voices in creating a world that is just, sustainable, and compassionate.