Meet Our Community: Costanza Rampini

As part of our seasonal spotlight series, we’re celebrating our incredible employees, partners, and volunteers who help make the work of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful (KCCB) possible. In our Earth Day Blog, we talk about the ‘Ripple Effect’ and how all it takes is one person to inspire many to make a change in their community. Today we’re excited to introduce Costanza, a San Jose State University (SJSU) professor who is dedicated to building a bridge with her students and community to connect to the local environment. Costanza has learned in her time that the most important parts include the commitment we bring to our environment, working together as a team, and being open to learning in whatever capacity that might be.

Role: Board Member, Volunteer, & Partner at San Jose State University

With KCCB: For over 7 years…

Board Member With KCCB

Fun Facts 🌟

• Happy place: Crissy Fields, San Francisco Marina 🏞️ 

• Unusual creek sightings: Shattered Terracotta Pottery 🏺

• Favorite hobbies: Walking dog & baby at parks 🐶

• Favorite place to eat: Falafel Drive Thru 😋

• Favorite color: Turquoise 🌈

When asked about the most unusual thing she has seen around the creek, Costanza said, “We have seen so many unusual things when we’re doing cleanups… one of the things I always am curious about is like terracotta pottery that’s shattered in 100,000 pieces.”

How It All Started 🌱

Costanza is a professor of environmental studies at San Jose State University (SJSU). She started partnering with KCCB to get her students involved in field trips with them. She also started working with the board about three years ago, which strengthened the bond and collaboration she had with the organization.

Costanza said, “Getting to know the watershed and the river through an organization that works on it can help you connect with it a little bit differently. Especially someone who maybe doesn’t have as many opportunities to connect with nature…”.

Costanza at a Cleanup

Coming from the standpoint of an instructor giving opportunities to their students, Costanza finds this organization to be an essential component to more hands-on learning for individuals who are beginning to gain experience in the field.

Impact on the Community 🌎

Costanza is deeply committed to working collaboratively with this organization, their community, and as a professor at SJSU. The key motivators for her to get involved have been: “every time I keep showing up and bring students there and find other volunteers at these events…seeing people commit over and over to this watershed is incredible and encouraging. Sometimes it’s really hard work, and sometimes it’s really fun work…I always am learning something new.”

Costanza and Deb at SJSU

Costanza has learned that the commitment of partners and volunteers is truly what makes this experience so successful, alongside the opportunities for learning not just for her students, but for herself as well. She shared, “I get introduced to new species, learn the name…so I think all of those moments together are great.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of KCCB ☀️🌳

What creates the most impact is not working in siloes but working on a similar mission together. Costanza described her experiences at the 10th Anniversary party for KCCB, and she discussed how incredible it was to see people show up from a variety of organizations and backgrounds.

When thinking about the future of KCCB and this work in the community, Costanza shared that more research about the unhoused population and climate change along the creeks is really important.

Preparing Everyone for a Cleanup

“I think there’s so much more that can be done to think about the issue of urban stewardship of our open spaces and riparian health, making sure our waterways are healthy for human use, but also for nonhumans… being able to look at these issues together in a large city context.”

Final Thoughts ✨

If you are interested in learning more about what’s local to you and you live near the watershed, or if you want a great reason to get outside and meet new people, KCCB opens so many doors.

Costanza expressed, “There are always inevitably things you don't know right about a place, the more you just become familiar with an area, with its watersheds, with its open spaces…I think that just makes you more excited about where you live…you build a more intimate connection [with it].”