October 13, 2008

The national “Cotton. From Blue to Green” denim drive to help victims of Gulf Coast hurricanes begins today, Oct. 13, with a month-long campaign at nine locations on the California State University, Fresno campus and one off campus.

USU Productions again is spearheading the drive as a central San Joaquin Valley campaign with a goal of collecting 1,000 denim items. Donations of old denim jean pants, skirts and jackets, will be shredded and turned into insulation used in rebuilding Gulf Coast homes ravaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Through Nov. 14, donations can be dropped off at the following locations:

• USU Information Center

• Student Activities Office

• Women’s Resource Center

• The Collegian

• Kennel Bookstore

• Student Recreation Center

• Plant Operations Office

• Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning

• University Courtyard front desk and

• Jamba Juice (Cedar and Shaw avenues).

Building on the success of the past few years, the denim drive is a call to action to donate old denim and give it “new life” by converting it into natural fiber insulation. Once the denim is collected, Allan Company will bale the denim, JBM Fibers will process the denim to its original state – cotton – and then Bonded Logic, Inc., a leader in natural fiber insulation, will convert the denim into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation.

The project began in 2006 and Fresno State collected 3,000 pieces each of the first two years, said Shawna Blair, program adviser. The donated denim was used in more than 70 houses throughout the Gulf Coast region.

For more information, call 559.278.2741 or e-mail shblair@csufresno.edu.