Preserving California
Editor Larry Peña on the strengths that make Cal Poly a leader in protecting the Golden State.
The story of California is one of natural abundance. It’s a story of fertile soil and temperate climate that makes us America’s breadbasket, of priceless minerals that have driven our economy for centuries, of a coastal ecosystem teeming with possibilities, and of wildland beauty unmatched anywhere else.
And most importantly, it’s a place where people have always come together, chasing the promise of prosperity offered by those natural riches and building a unique culture that impacts attitudes and opinions around the world.
They don’t call us the Golden State for nothing.
Centered in California, Cal Poly is a place where countless students each year learn to protect and preserve our state’s abundant riches — both our precious natural resources, and our vibrant cultural legacy.
As we began developing stories for this issue, we discovered that a lot of those stories involved themes of preserving California.
We found alumni removing dangerous hazards from waste sites. We met students and faculty working to uncover the past and reconnect a local family with their roots. We spoke with an alumnus protecting the oceans with some of the world’s most sustainable surfboards. We followed a team of firefighters, founded at Cal Poly and crewed by students, that has been protecting Western wildlands for half a century.
We’ll kick it off in Polytechnic, where you’ll meet the environmentally critical subjects of a Cal Poly conservation project that recently caught national attention.
All these stories are possible because Cal Poly attracts incredibly passionate students, driven to get their hands dirty, do challenging work, and learn hard lessons that will prepare them to shape the future of our state and our world.
Through these stories and more, I hope you enjoy discovering the critical role Cal Poly’s students, faculty and alumni play in preserving California.
Sincerely,
Larry Peña, Editor
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