In an attempt to move toward a more sustainable system, the Silo Union will no longer give the option of paper or plastic bags to its customers. Instead, University Dining Services of Sodexo is now offering reusable, biodegradable bags for $5 as a more environment-friendly option.

Gary Stewart knows his team is the youngest in the Big West Conference. The way the sixth-year UC Davis men’s basketball head coach sees it, though, that doesn’t mean it can’t be among the most experienced.

San Francisco is currently studying a congestion pricing plan which could generate $35 to $65 million annually and reduce transportation-related greenhouse gases by 15 percent. Such a system would impose a toll on downtown drivers. Proceeds from the toll would most likely be reinvested directly into comprehensive transportation improvements for public transit users, drivers, bikers and pedestrians in and around San Francisco.

In the last three years, the UC Davis Medical Center has seen a 60 percent increase in the number of 12- to 17-year-olds who end up in the ER as a result of alcohol related injuries. While the average adolescent drinking age is decreasing – currently at 15.8 years old – the dangers are increasing, as more youth are at risk for severe post-adolescent drinking disorders and alcohol related motor vehicle fatalities.

Although he was reelected for a sixth term last month, State Representative Mike Thompson may be leaving the U.S. House of Representatives when the new administration takes over on Jan. 20. Davis’s congressional representative is being considered for the post of Secretary of the Interior in President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet.

Maybe it’s just my mom’s sensibilities being passed on to me, but I’m a firm believer that not only is there a bit of good in everyone, but everyone is good at something. Nobody’s stupid or useless. Maybe that’s the reason some recent McDonald’s ads have gotten under my skin. If you watch TV regularly (or watched any football on Thanksgiving) you’ve probably seen the ads I’m talking about. There’s one for men and one for women.

TODAY World AIDS Day rally 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Quad Join the fight against HIV by rallying with Health Education and Promotion to enhance HIV awareness on campus and the surrounding community.

The Davis City Council will meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Blvd. The following are brief descriptions of selected topics that will be discussed at the meeting. The full agenda can be viewed online at cityofdavis.org/meetings.

When it comes to giving thanks on Thanksgiving, most people I know focus on the big things in their lives. While I cannot even begin to give enough thanks for all of the wonderful things I have in my life, I have decided that this Thanksgiving I will really try to pay attention to all the little things that make every day worth getting up for.

This year’s Campus Community Book Project will reach its culmination today with appearances by the book’s featured author, Tracy Kidder. Kidder will participate in a panel discussion and conduct a lecture. Michael Wilkes from the UC Davis School of Medicine will moderate the panel “No Boundaries – Globalizing Health Care from Haiti to California and Beyond.”

Next time you head out to the bars or to the clubs, give second thought to the person checking your ID. With an insider’s view from the outside, they’re an integral part of the bar scene – working as bouncers at various bars in downtown Davis, fifth year senior English major Matthew Nickerson and junior biochemistry and molecular biology major Andrew Del Real witness another side of Davis nightlife.

Editor’s note: To give you a taste of life after the university, The California Aggie will profile UC Davis alums in various career fields. First up is David Bainbridge who has worked in the economic sustainability field and is currently an associate professor at the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management.