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Community Corner

Meet Sustainable Danville Area's Summer Intern, Abby

Abby Edwards VanMuijen, a senior at U.C. Berkeley, brings sustainable urban transportation lessons back to her hometown.

Taking a break from summer classes at U.C. Berkeley, Abby Edwards VanMuijen was looking to add to her schedule of cycling, triathlons, ultimate frisbee, designing and growing food for her dad's restaurant.

The budding landscape architect and sustainable urban designer (with a focus on transportation) thought volunteering for Sustainable Danville Area might be a fun way to apply ‘things’ she learned in school to a place she knows very well — Danville, her hometown.

That is after she finishes the 545 miles of the San Francisco to Los Angeles AIDs ride that started Sunday.  

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This is the second time VanMuijen is rolling from San Francisco to Los Angeles with the AIDS Lifecycle crew. 

Last year, one of her sorority sisters convinced her to try it. She says she got hooked when she met a community of inspirational individuals along the way.  

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Last fall, she traveled to South Africa, where one in 10 people is HIV positive. Abby met hundreds of people whose lives are not only affected by, but revolve around a lack of treatment and the social stigma associated with the disease. So, this year, Abby rides for friends near and dear to her heart.   

If you’d like to help Abby meet her 2011 fund-raising goal or just want to help fund AIDS research, visit her personal page.  

Abby will finish her senior year at the College of Environmental Design in September.

Life’s wisdom:  “Keep your dreams big and your worries small.”  

If you could share one thing with “high school Abby”: Your teachers are the best friends you can make.

Favorite vegetable? I’m currently going through a cauliflower phase, but always have a sweet spot for beets and shallots, all winter vegetables that grow nicely here.  

If you could design anything, what would it be? A landscape plan for my family’s backyard—which is what I am working on right now! My dad owns in San Ramon. We’re working on transforming our empty backyard into an edible garden for growing vegetables, composting food waste and other ways to make the restaurant more sustainable.  

Any thoughts for Danville urban design? I wish Hartz Avenue could be a pedestrian-only street (like it is for summer festivals) ALL the time — with a focus on restaurants, shops, and people (rather than passing auto traffic), it would bring a new sense of life to downtown.  

One way Danville could be more sustainable? As a transportation nerd, bicycling enthusiast, and graduate of three Danville schools, I think commutes to school could be a bit more sustainable. In high school, I drove my 17 mpg Dodge Durango, alone, to a school two miles away. About an hour later, my brother drove his car, alone, to a parking spot about fifty feet away from me.

Why didn’t we ever think to ride our bikes or carpool? During my junior year, the school constructed a brand new 200 space parking lot for non-seniors. What if a high school like or could reduce the need for these extra parking spaces and instead put the land and funds towards something a bit more exciting —maybe an extra practice field or a few extra classrooms to replace the old portables in the corner?

One sustainable habit you take pride in? I carry my reusable water bottle and Contigo thermos everywhere I go.

One sustainable thing you struggle with? Local, organic food is definitely a bit pricier than my ‘college kid’ budget can afford. Nonetheless, I buy what I can when I can, which I think is one of the most important things that anyone can do to  create a more sustainable lifestyle — make a conscious effort to do what you can when you can, but realize that you’ve got to pick your battles.

One thing you can't live without? My mom’s chocolate chip oatmeal cookies—did I mention that was the other reason I came home for the summer?

Sustainable Danville Area thrives through volunteer support within our community! You don't have to be an environmental expert to volunteer. You simply have to care about people and the planet — and maintaining a community that will not only sustain us today, but many generations beyond. 

Sustainable Danville is always looking for volunteers to help with monthly events, online content, and on-going initiatives. If you want to help our community, and have fun, please visit our volunteer page or www.sustainabledanville.com.  

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