UCSC Sustainability Director Aurora Winslade, who founded the Sustainability Office in 2007, is moving to the University of Hawaii to work as sustainability director. She graduated from UCSC with highest honors and the Chancellor's Award for a self-designed B.A. in, “Agriculture, Ecology, and Political Economy.” As a student she helped the University of California establish its first system-wide green building and renewable energy policy, now the “University of California Policy on Sustainable Practices" and co-founded the statewide Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) in 2003, for which she was awarded 1st place in the Oikos International Award for Student Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. She also co-founded several groups at UCSC including the Campus Sustainability Council (CSC), the Committee in Sustainability and Stewardship (CSS), and Students for Organic Solutions (SOS).
She participated in the founding of the national youth coalition Energy Action and she is a former leader of the California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC). She has served on the advisory board for the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program, she is a Fellow of Humanity in Action, and a Strauss Foundation Scholar.
In 2004 Aurora was hired as a staff Sustainability Coordinator in Student Affairs, funded by student fees, to advise the Student Environmental Center, CSC, and ESLP. In 2007, she was hired by the campus administration to manage the Campus Sustainability Assessment and, later, to found the Campus Sustainability Office.
Aurora specializes in institutional change for sustainability in higher education with a particular emphasis on the development of change agent and interpersonal skills. She has extensive training in non-violent communication and participatory facilitation techniques. She is the proud mother of Thor Sylvan, who inspires her to continue striving to help build a vibrant, thriving, and sustainable society.
The director of the Campus Sustainability Office (established 2007) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) supports the many projects led by staff and student leaders, helps to manage the Sustainability and Climate Action Plans, engages in development activities, and advises the campus administration on policies and practices that support ecological, human, and economic health and viability.
The Sustainability Office staff and students wish her all the best in her new position at the University of Hawaii!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Too Many P’s? Personal, Political, Publics and Potatoes
April 5, 2012
2:00-5:00 PM
Oakes Mural Room
Join us for a spirited conversation about the politics of food and kinship—amongst other world-changing matters. At this Science & Justice Working Group event, Ruth Ozeki will read from her novel, All Over Creation, joined at the table by Nancy Chen (Anthropology), Julie Guthman Community Studies) and Steve Gliessman (Environmental Studies). Joan Haran (Cesagen at Cardiff University) will host this feast of ideas.
There is a place set for you at the table, so please come along. We will talk about public engagement with agricultural technology, genetic modification of crops, non-violent direct action and the creative use of generative metaphors. We will tease out some relationships between genes, gender and genre along the way, and consider how fiction can help us reimagine and reconfigure food systems.
RUTH OZEKI is a filmmaker, novelist, and novice Zen Buddhist priest. Her award-winning novels, My Year of Meats and All Over Creation, both New York Times Notable Books, have garnered international critical acclaim for their ability to integrate issues of science, technology, environmental politics and global popular culture into unique hybrid narrative forms. Ruth worked in commercial television and media production, including low budget horror, for over a decade, and her independent films have shown at Sundance and on PBS. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in a number of anthologies, magazines and newspapers, and she has taught and lectured at universities and colleges around the world. A long-time meditator, Ruth was ordained as a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in 2010. She and her husband, environmental artist Oliver Kellhammer, divide their time between New York and Cortes Island, B.C.. Her new novel, A Tale for the Time Being, will be published by Viking Penguin in 2013. Her website is www.ruthozeki.com.
This event is Co-Sponsored by the Departments of Anthropology and Environmental Studies, the Food Systems Working Group, and Measure 43.
2:00-5:00 PM
Oakes Mural Room
Join us for a spirited conversation about the politics of food and kinship—amongst other world-changing matters. At this Science & Justice Working Group event, Ruth Ozeki will read from her novel, All Over Creation, joined at the table by Nancy Chen (Anthropology), Julie Guthman Community Studies) and Steve Gliessman (Environmental Studies). Joan Haran (Cesagen at Cardiff University) will host this feast of ideas.
There is a place set for you at the table, so please come along. We will talk about public engagement with agricultural technology, genetic modification of crops, non-violent direct action and the creative use of generative metaphors. We will tease out some relationships between genes, gender and genre along the way, and consider how fiction can help us reimagine and reconfigure food systems.
RUTH OZEKI is a filmmaker, novelist, and novice Zen Buddhist priest. Her award-winning novels, My Year of Meats and All Over Creation, both New York Times Notable Books, have garnered international critical acclaim for their ability to integrate issues of science, technology, environmental politics and global popular culture into unique hybrid narrative forms. Ruth worked in commercial television and media production, including low budget horror, for over a decade, and her independent films have shown at Sundance and on PBS. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in a number of anthologies, magazines and newspapers, and she has taught and lectured at universities and colleges around the world. A long-time meditator, Ruth was ordained as a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in 2010. She and her husband, environmental artist Oliver Kellhammer, divide their time between New York and Cortes Island, B.C.. Her new novel, A Tale for the Time Being, will be published by Viking Penguin in 2013. Her website is www.ruthozeki.com.
This event is Co-Sponsored by the Departments of Anthropology and Environmental Studies, the Food Systems Working Group, and Measure 43.
Summer Writing Workshops
This summer, UCSC Environmental Studies lecturer and research associate Sarah Rabkin will be offering a five-day writing retreat in the northern Sierra Nevada and two workshops at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, on the Oregon coast.
July 15-20, 2012
on California's North Yuba River
High Country Writing Retreat
San Francisco State University Sierra Nevada Field Campus
35400
Highway 49, Sattley, CA
jrblair@sfsu.edu
http://www.sfsu.edu/~sierra/
Take inspiration from the Sierra's spiced air and rushing waters. Explore the Lakes Basin, Sierra Buttes, Yuba River, & Sierra Valley. Group sessions provide guidance and prompts as well as time to write and share work without judgment. Unstructured periods allow for individual writing, wandering, and optional one-on-one instructor conferences. Bring a writing project in progress, an empty notebook ready to be filled, or both. For new and experienced writers.
August 20-21, 2012
at Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast
Writing at the Edge
Sitka Center for Art & Ecology
56605
Sitka Drive, Otis, OR 97368
info@sitkacenter.org
www.sitkacenter.org
At the lip of a continent or the limits of propriety, edges are jumping-off places—unsettling and exhilarating. Write poetry and prose inspired by edges of all kinds. Instruction, readings, and writing time will connect you with whatever is poised to take flight.
August 22, 2012
at Cascade
Head on the Oregon Coast
Writing the Image, Drawing the Text
Sitka Center for Art & Ecology
56605
Sitka Drive, Otis, OR 97368
info@sitkacenter.org
www.sitkacenter.org
Paint images in language; draw pictures from your words. Create illuminated notebook pages by moving between visual and verbal expression—a refreshing way to jump-start ideas and tap the creative well. Work in graphite pencil, colored pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, or any other portable medium. Enjoy this well-tended haven for reative expression at a headland preserve of native coastal prairie and old-growth Sitka spruce forest. All skill levels are welcome.
July 15-20, 2012
on California's North Yuba River
High Country Writing Retreat
San Francisco State University Sierra Nevada Field Campus
35400
Highway 49, Sattley, CA
jrblair@sfsu.edu
http://www.sfsu.edu/~sierra/
Take inspiration from the Sierra's spiced air and rushing waters. Explore the Lakes Basin, Sierra Buttes, Yuba River, & Sierra Valley. Group sessions provide guidance and prompts as well as time to write and share work without judgment. Unstructured periods allow for individual writing, wandering, and optional one-on-one instructor conferences. Bring a writing project in progress, an empty notebook ready to be filled, or both. For new and experienced writers.
August 20-21, 2012
at Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast
Writing at the Edge
Sitka Center for Art & Ecology
56605
Sitka Drive, Otis, OR 97368
info@sitkacenter.org
www.sitkacenter.org
At the lip of a continent or the limits of propriety, edges are jumping-off places—unsettling and exhilarating. Write poetry and prose inspired by edges of all kinds. Instruction, readings, and writing time will connect you with whatever is poised to take flight.
August 22, 2012
at Cascade
Head on the Oregon Coast
Writing the Image, Drawing the Text
Sitka Center for Art & Ecology
56605
Sitka Drive, Otis, OR 97368
info@sitkacenter.org
www.sitkacenter.org
Paint images in language; draw pictures from your words. Create illuminated notebook pages by moving between visual and verbal expression—a refreshing way to jump-start ideas and tap the creative well. Work in graphite pencil, colored pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, or any other portable medium. Enjoy this well-tended haven for reative expression at a headland preserve of native coastal prairie and old-growth Sitka spruce forest. All skill levels are welcome.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
April 2012 Sustainability Profile: The Untold Story of Bay Tree Bookstore
Article by David Boyle, Zero Waste Team Member
Photos by Melissa Ott
How often do we complain to friends about the Bay Tree Bookstore’s textbook prices? Around the start of every quarter, many of us students enter the bookstore to look at textbooks. Outraged at the prices, we complain to our buddies and then get online to save money on Chegg or Amazon. For some students, their only experience with the Bookstore is one of frustration with textbook costs and on rare occasions, gratitude that the blue books are so cheap.
I am here to present another side to the Bookstore, the cool side that not enough students know about. Despite our frustration with textbook costs, there are many things the Bookstore has done that students should proclaim kudos to. The Bay Tree Bookstore has been consciously working toward more sustainable practices for more than 25 years, and it continues to make strides to lessen not only its own footprint on the earth but also that of the students who shop there. Here are many of the things that the bookstore has done to support sustainability:
“All we can do is encourage, all of this is consumer driven” said the Bookstore Director, Bob McCampbell.
The Bookstore strives to be at the forefront of green practices. They receive so much information about new products it is a challenge to filter out the “greenwashed” products from what is legitimately eco-friendly. There are still more things that the Bay Tree Bookstore can do but I have confidence they will continue to improve their green practices and positively impact the student community. Some of these improvements are coming from pressure by student campaigns as well. Currently the Bookstore is in discussion with Take Back the Tap in order to reduce the sale of plastic water bottles. The Bookstore is also investigating an eco-bottle to sell instead of plastic bottles.
The next time you hear your friends complaining about the Bookstore, remind them that all of the sustainable practices that the Bay Tree Bookstore participates in are voluntary, that many of the products sold are reviewed for environmental impact, and finally, how much better the world environment would be if more stores acted as responsibly toward the environment as the Bay Tree Bookstore!
Photos by Melissa Ott
- In-store recycling bins for batteries and printer ink
- Tapioca compostable bags at checkout are not given by default but offered.
- Years ago the Bookstore stopped putting unnecessary advertising inserts in their bags in order to reduce waste.
- The Express Store, which is part of the Bay Tree Bookstore, has been sending its used coffee grounds and other organic material to Chadwick gardens to be composted for nearly 9 years.
- Offers soy memory foam mattress toppers instead of plastic ones for students to purchase
- Provides free cardboard for students during move out
- Student calendar planners are made from recycled materials and include ‘green’ tips that were developed by students
- Emblematic apparel sold by Alta Gracia supports workers rights by paying “living wages.” Certified by the Workers Rights Consortium
- Offers the more environmentally friendly option of renting a graduation gown instead of purchasing a new one
“All we can do is encourage, all of this is consumer driven” said the Bookstore Director, Bob McCampbell.
The Bookstore strives to be at the forefront of green practices. They receive so much information about new products it is a challenge to filter out the “greenwashed” products from what is legitimately eco-friendly. There are still more things that the Bay Tree Bookstore can do but I have confidence they will continue to improve their green practices and positively impact the student community. Some of these improvements are coming from pressure by student campaigns as well. Currently the Bookstore is in discussion with Take Back the Tap in order to reduce the sale of plastic water bottles. The Bookstore is also investigating an eco-bottle to sell instead of plastic bottles.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
April 2012: Classes, Trainings & Community
Priority Housing sign up is from April 16 to April 20! Sign up to live at the coolest themed housing option on campus, the Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA), at the Village. If you like living more sustainably, gardening, sharing home-cooked meals, and living in a friendly educational community, PICA might be just the place for you! Detailed instructions for how to sign up for PICA's themed housing in the Village are here. For questions or more info, contact Bethany Hecht.
LEED Certification Training: April 13 - Sign Up Now!
Are you interested in a career with green building and design? Become trained in LEED certification at a training workshop this April 13. Cost is $25. Sign up here. For more information, please contact David.
Supported by AASHE, this Academic Impressions webinar will look at the importance of engaging students in the residence halls in a campus-wide sustainability strategy. Representatives at the University of British Columbia will give an overview of the university's "Green Stars Unit" initiative, as well as share program ideas and tips for implementing similar programs at higher education institutions. It will take place at 4 PM online. Click here for more information and to register.
Best for those institutions that are still in the foundational stages of developing a campus-wide alternative transportation strategy, this Academic Impressions webinar will take a step-by-step approach to creating a bike-friendly culture on any campus using Duke University (NC) as an example. Supported by AASHE, this event will start with basic initiatives including bike racks, bike storage rooms and bike maps, and move into deeper investments like developing effective town/gown relationships. It will take place at 4 PM online. Click here for more information and to register.
The University of Vermont Continuing Education is offering a 5-day Campus Sustainability Leadership Program this summer. This program will focus on the institution's role in the transformation to a sustainable future with opportunities to expand the professional network of participants and learn from leaders in the field. The program can be taken as a professional certificate program or for three college credits.
Summer Writing Workshops
This summer, UCSC Environmental Studies lecturer and research associate Sarah Rabkin will be offering a five-day writing retreat in the northern Sierra Nevada and two workshops at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, on the Oregon coast. For more information, please click here.
Summer Writing Workshops
This summer, UCSC Environmental Studies lecturer and research associate Sarah Rabkin will be offering a five-day writing retreat in the northern Sierra Nevada and two workshops at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, on the Oregon coast. For more information, please click here.
April 2012: Contests & Funding
"What Makes Your Campus Green?" Student Video Contest - Deadline April 6
What makes UCSC green? Answer this question in a video contest and you could win up to $2500! The Herman Miller Student Video contest is designed to give students the opportunity to submit videos of their own creation that address the question "What makes your campus green?" Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three video submissions that best represent creativity, originality, and appropriateness to the theme. More information is available on the contest landing page.
Yum! Global Sustainability Challenge - Intent to Compete Due April 6
The Yum! Brands Global Sustainability Office has invited UCSC undergraduate and graduate students to submit business plans of outstanding sustainability innovation, related to the sustainability focus areas below, for a chance to win $20,000 in cash prizes in its first ever Global Sustainability Challenge.
Yum! Brands Global Sustainability Focus Areas:
University of California System a Finalist for the 3rd Annual Climate Leadership Awards - Vote Now!
The UC System has been chosen as a finalist in the Special Focus Institutions / Other category of the Climate Leadership Awards. Each finalist institution in the contest has produced a video that promotes its specific sustainability efforts. In partnership with PlanetForward, all finalists are featured in a public voting competition open now through April 14th, where viewers can vote on the most innovative and ground-breaking institution in each Carnegie Classification. Vote for the UC System now on PlanetForward.org using your Facebook account--it takes less than a minute to Like the video and cast your vote for the UC System! Campuses with the top votes will be featured by PlanetForward in national media and during the Move the Planet conference the week of April 16.
Call for Submissions: Student Sustainability Film Festival - Deadline May 17
The Media Institute for Social Change invites submissions for its third annual Student Sustainability Film Festival. Students can submit short films about what their campus or community is doing to make it more sustainable for a chance to receive cash prizes and be shown at various campus and conference screenings. Entries are due by May 17, 2012. More information here.
Call for Entries: Green Living Project Student Film Competition - Deadline May 25
Green Living Project invites submissions for its Student Film Project. The competition encourages students to submit films of five minutes or less that share a unique, creative and compelling story about a local or global sustainability-related project. Sample sustainability topics include wildlife conservation, sustainable food, resource conservation, community development, renewable energy, sustainability-related education and sustainable travel and tourism. The submission deadline is May 25, 2012. Winners will be screened at Green Living Project's Washington D.C. Film Premiere in June. More information here.
Yum! Global Sustainability Challenge - Intent to Compete Due April 6
The Yum! Brands Global Sustainability Office has invited UCSC undergraduate and graduate students to submit business plans of outstanding sustainability innovation, related to the sustainability focus areas below, for a chance to win $20,000 in cash prizes in its first ever Global Sustainability Challenge.
Yum! Brands Global Sustainability Focus Areas:
- Green Building Design & Construction
- Reduced Energy Consumption
- Reduced Water Consumption
- Sustainable Packaging
- Waste & Recycling
University of California System a Finalist for the 3rd Annual Climate Leadership Awards - Vote Now!
The UC System has been chosen as a finalist in the Special Focus Institutions / Other category of the Climate Leadership Awards. Each finalist institution in the contest has produced a video that promotes its specific sustainability efforts. In partnership with PlanetForward, all finalists are featured in a public voting competition open now through April 14th, where viewers can vote on the most innovative and ground-breaking institution in each Carnegie Classification. Vote for the UC System now on PlanetForward.org using your Facebook account--it takes less than a minute to Like the video and cast your vote for the UC System! Campuses with the top votes will be featured by PlanetForward in national media and during the Move the Planet conference the week of April 16.
Watch the video here:
Call for Submissions: Student Sustainability Film Festival - Deadline May 17
The Media Institute for Social Change invites submissions for its third annual Student Sustainability Film Festival. Students can submit short films about what their campus or community is doing to make it more sustainable for a chance to receive cash prizes and be shown at various campus and conference screenings. Entries are due by May 17, 2012. More information here.
Call for Entries: Green Living Project Student Film Competition - Deadline May 25
Green Living Project invites submissions for its Student Film Project. The competition encourages students to submit films of five minutes or less that share a unique, creative and compelling story about a local or global sustainability-related project. Sample sustainability topics include wildlife conservation, sustainable food, resource conservation, community development, renewable energy, sustainability-related education and sustainable travel and tourism. The submission deadline is May 25, 2012. Winners will be screened at Green Living Project's Washington D.C. Film Premiere in June. More information here.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
April 2012: Internships, Employment & Volunteering
Campus Sustainability Internship Program - STUDENT APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED to April 13!
CSI is a combination class and internship that pairs students with staff mentors to work together on sustainability related projects, year-round. The program introduces students to sustainability policies and practices through internship work experience, professional skills trainings, guest lectures, class discussions, and peer-to-peer advising. Students receive academic credit quarterly, and a scholarship at the end of the year for their service. The staff application deadline has passed. The student application deadline has been extended to April 13. Visit the website for more information and to apply.
Take Back the Tap Seeking Interns & Volunteers
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for academic credit interns and volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Interns and volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap. Visit their Facebook page.
Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability Internships
Are you interested in helping UCSC’s offices, resource centers, and departments function more sustainably? Do you want hands-on experience conducting energy and waste audits? UCSC’s very own green office certification program, the Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability (PROPS) has a Spring quarter internship position available for you! For more information on how to get credit (and possibly earn a scholarship) working with PROPS in the Sustainability Office, email PROPS and visit the website!
Friends of the Sustainability Office Internships
If you are interested in an education and outreach internship working in the Sustainability Office, apply today to become a FoSO intern. Interns will help coordinate events, contribute to the newsletter and blog and help with general outreach efforts. Students can receive internship credit for their first quarter and are eligible to receive a stipend after their first quarter of service in the Sustainability Office. Stipend amounts increase over time and with performance. Send your resume and a brief letter of interest to Nikki Fiore if you are interested.
Site Stewardship Internships & Volunteering
The campus Site Stewardship Program has recently completed an action packed quarter of restoration work. Thanks to a hard working crew of interns and volunteers, they were able to make great progress with their on-going coastal revegetation project, treat several invasive weed sites both on campus and at Younger lagoon and partner on a joint restoration project with the newly formed Student Plant Society. Even though they have enjoyed success, they have much work ahead of them. If you are interested in an internship or an opportunity to volunteer please contact Bill. Visit the website.
American Indian Resource Center Spring 2012 Internship
Interested in working with the American Indian Resource Center? Internship responsibilities include: coordinating quarterly programs and projects, such as quarterly receptions, Full Circle Mentor program events, editing of the quarterly newsletter, and developing and implementing a project individually or as a group (for example a Native American outreach day for high school students). Interns develop and edit resource guide and assist with the updating of American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) Website. Please feel free to stop by the Ethnic Resource Center located on the third floor of the Bay Tree Bookstore and speak with Carolyn Dunn, the AIRC Director about the application process, or send her an email.
Interactive Ecology Internship through Arboretum
On behalf of the Arboretum, Brett Hall will be running an internship called Interactive Ecology Tuesday and Thursdays where participants will take a botanically focused field trip to local natural areas once each week and spend the other day working in the Arboretum with the native collections. It will be a great opportunity to blend collection management for conservation with building your plant knowledge. If you are interested, please contact Brett.
Greywater Project Sustainable Loop Project
Ken Konviser of Corralitos, CA, is interested in doing a greywater project in his orchard. It would be a Senior Project for an individual or group of students interested in creating a sustainable loop that will naturally clean gray water in order to convert it into a food and irrigation producing resource. Native plants will clean household gray water to feed a pond containing plants and fish. Ducks will feed on these and provide eggs for this rural homestead. Water from the pond will then be cleaned sufficiently by aquatic plants and bacterial activity in order to be used to irrigate the orchard and gardens of a homestead/orchard in Corralitos. If you are interested, please contact Ken.
Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers
EENG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to spread environmental literacy and an ethic of sustainability throughout our community, from the youngest members of our society up. Their Environmental Science & Sustainability Program links teams of college student instructors with 1st and 2nd grade classes for weekly lessons exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. For more information about all the EENG has to offer, please visit their website or send them an email.
Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup at Santa Cruz Mission: April 14
Volunteers are needed at the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park on Saturday, April 14 from 8:30 AM - 1 PM for the 15th Annual California State Parks Foundation’s Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup. Projects include adobe restoration, painting, exterior landscaping, installation of irrigation system and more. Find out more and register to volunteer here.
Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Interested in gardening, habitat restoration, tidepooling, maintaining exhibits and helping at events for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History? Volunteer today! Find out more and fill out an application here or email Matt.
Sierra Club's "Best Internship On Earth" - Deadline April 2
This summer, get out of the office and into the great outdoors! Spend June, July, and August hiking, biking, rafting, climbing, exploring, and chilling! The Sierra Club is now accepting applications for the Best Internship on Earth, an opportunity to spend the summer exploring the great outdoors and documenting your journey for the Sierra Club and The North Face. The intern will get a $2,000 gift certificate from The North Face to outfit them with all the gear they need for their summer of adventure. All travel expenses are covered and the intern is paid a generous stipend. If you're a student or recent graduate over the age of 18, you can apply by submitting a 60-90 second video that showcases your love for the outdoors and why you want to be the Sierra Club's 2012 Outdoor Youth Ambassador. The application period closes on April 2, 2012 at 5PM PDT. More information here.
Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available
The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps. For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit their website.
California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer
Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.
Call for Volunteers: Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, and it is coming back to San Francisco November 14-16. If you are a full-time student or professional age 25 and under, volunteer and attend for free! For more information visit the website. For questions, click here to send an email.
Opportunities with Pick Up America
Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.
Green Corps Now Accepting Applications
Student Conservation Association Internships
The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.
CSI is a combination class and internship that pairs students with staff mentors to work together on sustainability related projects, year-round. The program introduces students to sustainability policies and practices through internship work experience, professional skills trainings, guest lectures, class discussions, and peer-to-peer advising. Students receive academic credit quarterly, and a scholarship at the end of the year for their service. The staff application deadline has passed. The student application deadline has been extended to April 13. Visit the website for more information and to apply.
Take Back the Tap Seeking Interns & Volunteers
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for academic credit interns and volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Interns and volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap. Visit their Facebook page.
Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability Internships
.JPG) |
| PROPS interns conducting an audit of the Cantu Center. |
Friends of the Sustainability Office Internships
If you are interested in an education and outreach internship working in the Sustainability Office, apply today to become a FoSO intern. Interns will help coordinate events, contribute to the newsletter and blog and help with general outreach efforts. Students can receive internship credit for their first quarter and are eligible to receive a stipend after their first quarter of service in the Sustainability Office. Stipend amounts increase over time and with performance. Send your resume and a brief letter of interest to Nikki Fiore if you are interested.
Site Stewardship Internships & Volunteering
The campus Site Stewardship Program has recently completed an action packed quarter of restoration work. Thanks to a hard working crew of interns and volunteers, they were able to make great progress with their on-going coastal revegetation project, treat several invasive weed sites both on campus and at Younger lagoon and partner on a joint restoration project with the newly formed Student Plant Society. Even though they have enjoyed success, they have much work ahead of them. If you are interested in an internship or an opportunity to volunteer please contact Bill. Visit the website.
American Indian Resource Center Spring 2012 Internship
Interested in working with the American Indian Resource Center? Internship responsibilities include: coordinating quarterly programs and projects, such as quarterly receptions, Full Circle Mentor program events, editing of the quarterly newsletter, and developing and implementing a project individually or as a group (for example a Native American outreach day for high school students). Interns develop and edit resource guide and assist with the updating of American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) Website. Please feel free to stop by the Ethnic Resource Center located on the third floor of the Bay Tree Bookstore and speak with Carolyn Dunn, the AIRC Director about the application process, or send her an email.
Interactive Ecology Internship through Arboretum
On behalf of the Arboretum, Brett Hall will be running an internship called Interactive Ecology Tuesday and Thursdays where participants will take a botanically focused field trip to local natural areas once each week and spend the other day working in the Arboretum with the native collections. It will be a great opportunity to blend collection management for conservation with building your plant knowledge. If you are interested, please contact Brett.
Greywater Project Sustainable Loop Project
Ken Konviser of Corralitos, CA, is interested in doing a greywater project in his orchard. It would be a Senior Project for an individual or group of students interested in creating a sustainable loop that will naturally clean gray water in order to convert it into a food and irrigation producing resource. Native plants will clean household gray water to feed a pond containing plants and fish. Ducks will feed on these and provide eggs for this rural homestead. Water from the pond will then be cleaned sufficiently by aquatic plants and bacterial activity in order to be used to irrigate the orchard and gardens of a homestead/orchard in Corralitos. If you are interested, please contact Ken.
Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers
EENG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to spread environmental literacy and an ethic of sustainability throughout our community, from the youngest members of our society up. Their Environmental Science & Sustainability Program links teams of college student instructors with 1st and 2nd grade classes for weekly lessons exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. For more information about all the EENG has to offer, please visit their website or send them an email.
Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup at Santa Cruz Mission: April 14
Volunteers are needed at the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park on Saturday, April 14 from 8:30 AM - 1 PM for the 15th Annual California State Parks Foundation’s Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup. Projects include adobe restoration, painting, exterior landscaping, installation of irrigation system and more. Find out more and register to volunteer here.
Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Interested in gardening, habitat restoration, tidepooling, maintaining exhibits and helping at events for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History? Volunteer today! Find out more and fill out an application here or email Matt.
Sierra Club's "Best Internship On Earth" - Deadline April 2
This summer, get out of the office and into the great outdoors! Spend June, July, and August hiking, biking, rafting, climbing, exploring, and chilling! The Sierra Club is now accepting applications for the Best Internship on Earth, an opportunity to spend the summer exploring the great outdoors and documenting your journey for the Sierra Club and The North Face. The intern will get a $2,000 gift certificate from The North Face to outfit them with all the gear they need for their summer of adventure. All travel expenses are covered and the intern is paid a generous stipend. If you're a student or recent graduate over the age of 18, you can apply by submitting a 60-90 second video that showcases your love for the outdoors and why you want to be the Sierra Club's 2012 Outdoor Youth Ambassador. The application period closes on April 2, 2012 at 5PM PDT. More information here.
Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available
The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps. For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit their website.
California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer
Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.
Call for Volunteers: Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, and it is coming back to San Francisco November 14-16. If you are a full-time student or professional age 25 and under, volunteer and attend for free! For more information visit the website. For questions, click here to send an email.
Opportunities with Pick Up America
Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.
Green Corps Now Accepting Applications
Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps' year-long paid program, you'll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. When you graduate from Green Corps, they help you find a career with one of the nation's leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, visit the Green Corps website.
Student Conservation Association Internships
The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
April 2012: Clubs, Gardens & Hikes
New Committee: Social Media Think Tank
Do you have an interest in becoming more savvy with utilizing social media to engage the public for your organization? Do you have any experience with administrating Facebook pages and want to share or learn more about the "science" of social media? Do you use Facebook a lot and want to help us figure out how to better engage our audiences? Founded by two members of on-campus sustainability organizations, this think tank seeks to bring together the ideas and experiences of anyone and everyone on the UCSC campus who has an interest in using social media for marketing or who has had experience with successful social media outreach. All are welcome to attend. Meeting times, locations and topics will be posted on the Facebook group. For more information, or if you would like to join the discussion, please contact Melissa Ott.
Natural History Club
The Natural History Club is all bout exploring the natural spaces on and around our beautiful campus. They go on hikes around campus, learning about its natural history. They focus on learning plants, birds, animal tracking, mushrooms, and anything they discover. Overall the club seeks to deepen members' understanding, awareness and connection with nature. Visit the Natural History Club Facebook group for meeting times, locations and more information, or contact Darrow Feldstein.
Friends of Community Agroecology Network: Tuesdays 6-8 PM
FoCAN is a student-initiated, student-led community at UCSC that supports CAN's mission of promoting rural livelihoods and sustainable food systems through action education and participatory action research. FoCAN meets weekly at the Sustainable Living Center in the Village, building A. Through communal meals, discussions, and activities, these weekly meetings create a community that fosters dialogue and experiential learning about the global food system and sustainability. Find out more here.
Student Environmental Center: Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 PM
The purpose of the Student Environmental Center is to promote student involvement through research, education, and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices on campus in collaboration with the university. SEC's General Gatherings take place in the College 8 Red Room. Vegetarian dinner provided. For more information, visit their website or send them an email.
Path to a Greener Stevenson: Thursdays 8 PM
Gardeners' Alliance Gatherings
The Gardeners' Alliance is a group within SEC's Students for Organic campaign that works to promote the campus gardens and unite the garden-friendly community by creating a space to promote and share information between campus gardeners and the students of UCSC. Email Dominique for information about timing and locations. To see a list of on-campus gardens, visit the Gardeners' Alliance website here.
Guided Nature Walks with Campus Natural Reserves Steward: Every Other Friday
Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks will leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4 PM. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.
Farm Fridays in the Dining Halls
Each week, one dining hall features a dish incorporating ingredients from the UCSC Farm and other local organic farms in the region. The food is delicious, and it feels great to be eating the most local food possible! For more information, contact Candy Berlin or view the Farm Fridays schedule here.
The Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) will be joining in with Dining Services' Farm Fridays by hosting an informational table at various dining halls on April 6 and 13. PICA is located in the Village and its focus is teaching students about sustainability and community food systems. Stop by to learn about all the PICA program has to offer you, from its themed campus housing option in the Village to its free Saturday Garden Play Days.
PICA Saturday Garden Play Days: 10 AM - 2 PM
PICA's first Garden Play Day for Spring quarter is on Saturday, April 7th, from 10 AM - 2 PM at the PICA Gardens in the Village. A delicious garden grown lunch will be served. PICA Garden Play Days will continue every Saturday in April at this time and location. These events are free, open to all UCSC students, and no registration is needed- just show up! For questions or more info, contact Bethany Hecht.
Kresge Garden Work Days: Sundays 10 AM - 2 PM
Join fellow gardeners at the Kresge Garden workday and workshop every Sunday! Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch! To see what the weekly workshop will be, check out the website.
Do you have an interest in becoming more savvy with utilizing social media to engage the public for your organization? Do you have any experience with administrating Facebook pages and want to share or learn more about the "science" of social media? Do you use Facebook a lot and want to help us figure out how to better engage our audiences? Founded by two members of on-campus sustainability organizations, this think tank seeks to bring together the ideas and experiences of anyone and everyone on the UCSC campus who has an interest in using social media for marketing or who has had experience with successful social media outreach. All are welcome to attend. Meeting times, locations and topics will be posted on the Facebook group. For more information, or if you would like to join the discussion, please contact Melissa Ott.
Natural History Club
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| Photo Credit: Clive Bagshaw |
Friends of Community Agroecology Network: Tuesdays 6-8 PM
FoCAN is a student-initiated, student-led community at UCSC that supports CAN's mission of promoting rural livelihoods and sustainable food systems through action education and participatory action research. FoCAN meets weekly at the Sustainable Living Center in the Village, building A. Through communal meals, discussions, and activities, these weekly meetings create a community that fosters dialogue and experiential learning about the global food system and sustainability. Find out more here.
Student Environmental Center: Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 PM
The purpose of the Student Environmental Center is to promote student involvement through research, education, and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices on campus in collaboration with the university. SEC's General Gatherings take place in the College 8 Red Room. Vegetarian dinner provided. For more information, visit their website or send them an email.
Path to a Greener Stevenson: Thursdays 8 PM
PTAGS meets in the Stevenson House 2 lounge every Thursday from 8-9 PM. They are currently working on expanding and cultivating the Stevenson Garden, reducing paper towel use/waste in the dorms, and working toward collaboration with the Stevenson Coffee House to increase its sustainability efforts. For information about this quarter's meeting time, visit the Facebook group or email Blake Redding.
Gardeners' Alliance Gatherings
The Gardeners' Alliance is a group within SEC's Students for Organic campaign that works to promote the campus gardens and unite the garden-friendly community by creating a space to promote and share information between campus gardeners and the students of UCSC. Email Dominique for information about timing and locations. To see a list of on-campus gardens, visit the Gardeners' Alliance website here.
Guided Nature Walks with Campus Natural Reserves Steward: Every Other Friday
Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks will leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4 PM. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.
Farm Fridays in the Dining Halls
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| Photo Credit: Food Systems Working Group |
The Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) will be joining in with Dining Services' Farm Fridays by hosting an informational table at various dining halls on April 6 and 13. PICA is located in the Village and its focus is teaching students about sustainability and community food systems. Stop by to learn about all the PICA program has to offer you, from its themed campus housing option in the Village to its free Saturday Garden Play Days.
PICA Saturday Garden Play Days: 10 AM - 2 PM
Kresge Garden Work Days: Sundays 10 AM - 2 PM
Join fellow gardeners at the Kresge Garden workday and workshop every Sunday! Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch! To see what the weekly workshop will be, check out the website.
April 2012: Upcoming Events
USGBC Speaker Event: Energy Modeling for Integrated Design & Planning: April 4
Interested in Sustainable Development, Green Building, or LEED Certification? Welcome USGBC's monthly guest speakers, Sharon Block, CEO of Bright Green Strategies Inc. and Patrick Splitt, President APP-TECH Inc. The event will take place from 5:30 - 8 PM. Event includes Whole Foods catered food and beverages. Attend one event, get your next event free! Student pricing (with ID): USGBC student members: pre-register $5, at door $10. Non-members: pre-register $7, at door $12. Location: IBEW Local 234. 10300 Merritt St. Castroville, CA. Visit the website.
Too Many Ps? Science & Justice Working Group Event with Ruth Ozeki: April 5
Join us from 2-5 PM in the Oakes Mural Room for a spirited conversation about the politics of food and kinship—amongst other world-changing matters. At this Science & Justice Working Group event, Ruth Ozeki will read from her novel, All Over Creation, joined at the table by Nancy Chen (Anthropology), Julie Guthman Community Studies) and Steve Gliessman (Environmental Studies). Joan Haran (Cesagen at Cardiff University) will host this feast of ideas. For more information, please click here.
California Naturalist Program: April 7 - June 16
Join this exciting new pilot program through the Arboretum, offered for the first time in California. Become certified as a California Naturalist by completing 40+ hours in class and field. Access further community involvement in local parks and research. Cost: $300 Scholarships available - please inquire! More information here.
UCSC Earth Week 2012: April 16-22
Want to participate in Earth Week 2012: Finding Room to Bloom? Student organizations can register their Earth Week events now on the Earth Week website. Interested in being part of the Earth Day Festival on April 22, which will include tabling, workshops, music, food, and more? You can also sign up online to have a table or workshop on Earth Day. If you are interested in getting involved with planning Earth Day, please email Sam Moll, College 8's Special Environmental Programs Coordinator. For those who wish to attend these festivities, stay tuned for more information here.
Earth Day Santa Cruz: Saturday, April 21
Spring Plant Sale: Saturday, April 21
End of the Year Celebration
You are invited to the 4th Annual End of the Year Sustainability Celebration and Planning Session! Join students, staff, faculty and administrators from throughout the campus community to reflect on our accomplishments of the year and plan for the future. It will take place in the Stevenson Event Center from 1-5 PM. Read more about the event here or email Gabi Kirk, Events Coordinator.
California Higher Education Sustainability Conference: June 18-21
Save the date! The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference is taking place June 18-21, 2012 at UC Davis. The Conference highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. Find out more here.
Interested in Sustainable Development, Green Building, or LEED Certification? Welcome USGBC's monthly guest speakers, Sharon Block, CEO of Bright Green Strategies Inc. and Patrick Splitt, President APP-TECH Inc. The event will take place from 5:30 - 8 PM. Event includes Whole Foods catered food and beverages. Attend one event, get your next event free! Student pricing (with ID): USGBC student members: pre-register $5, at door $10. Non-members: pre-register $7, at door $12. Location: IBEW Local 234. 10300 Merritt St. Castroville, CA. Visit the website.
Too Many Ps? Science & Justice Working Group Event with Ruth Ozeki: April 5
Join us from 2-5 PM in the Oakes Mural Room for a spirited conversation about the politics of food and kinship—amongst other world-changing matters. At this Science & Justice Working Group event, Ruth Ozeki will read from her novel, All Over Creation, joined at the table by Nancy Chen (Anthropology), Julie Guthman Community Studies) and Steve Gliessman (Environmental Studies). Joan Haran (Cesagen at Cardiff University) will host this feast of ideas. For more information, please click here.
California Naturalist Program: April 7 - June 16
UCSC Earth Week 2012: April 16-22
Earth Day Santa Cruz: Saturday, April 21
The Sustainability Office is looking for UCSC sustainability organizations to table for their org at the annual Earth Day Santa Cruz Festival this year. Earth Day Santa Cruz will take place on Saturday, April 21st from 11 AM to 5 PM rain or shine in San Lorenzo Park and Benchlands. It is a community event that will include tabling, live music, hands-on crafts, and fun for all ages! To sign up to table with the Sustainability Office, contact Kirsten Williams, Development & Events Coordinator. Additionally, Earth Day planners are looking for volunteers from UCSC, including students, staff and faculty, to make this event happen. If you are interested in volunteering, click here. For more information about the event, click here.
Spring Plant Sale: Saturday, April 21
Looking for water-wise and extra-ordinary plants? Come to the Spring Sale by the Arboretum and California Native Plant Society, from 9 AM - 4 PM. Arboretum members and CNPS members get in early for the best selection, so join today! Members: 10 AM. General Public: Noon. Visit the Arboretum website for more information.
End of the Year Celebration
You are invited to the 4th Annual End of the Year Sustainability Celebration and Planning Session! Join students, staff, faculty and administrators from throughout the campus community to reflect on our accomplishments of the year and plan for the future. It will take place in the Stevenson Event Center from 1-5 PM. Read more about the event here or email Gabi Kirk, Events Coordinator.
California Higher Education Sustainability Conference: June 18-21
Save the date! The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference is taking place June 18-21, 2012 at UC Davis. The Conference highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. Find out more here.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Events & Opportunities: March 12 - 18
Events & Club Meetings
UCSC Natural History Club: Tuesdays 4-5 PM
Visit the Natural History Club Facebook group for meeting locations and more information, or contact Darrow Feldstein.
Friends of Community Agroecology Network: Tuesdays 6-8 PM
FoCAN is a student-initiated, student-led community at UCSC that supports CAN's mission of promoting rural livelihoods and sustainable food systems through action education and participatory action research. FoCAN meets weekly at the Sustainable Living Center in the Village, building A. Through communal meals, discussions, and activities, these weekly meetings create a community that fosters dialogue and experiential learning about the global food system and sustainability. Find out more here.
Free Patagonia Rising Film Screening: Tuesday, March 13
The UCSC Environmental Studies Department and the Pepper-Giberson Chair present a free screening of the film Patagonia Rising on March 13 in the Media Theater at 7:30 PM. The film focuses on a heated conflict surrounding a proposal to build five large hydroelectric dams on the Baker and Pascua Rivers in Patagonia. Promoted as "clean" energy, the project's cultural and environmental impacts would forever alter the region. The documentary brings awareness and solutions to this global conflict over water and power. More about the film can be found here. There will be a post-Screening Q&A with Director Brian Lilla, Dr. Jeffrey Bury, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, and Berklee Lowrey-Evans, Patagonia Campaign Coordinator at International Rivers.
Student Environmental Center: Wednesdays 5:30-8:30 PM
Student Environmental Center (SEC)'s General Gatherings take place in the College 8 Red Room. Vegetarian dinner provided. For more information, visit their website or send them an email.
Path to a Greener Stevenson: Thursdays 7 PM
Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) meets in the Stevenson House 2 lounge. They are currently working on reducing paper towel use in the dorms and are collaborating with the Zero Waste Team to buy reusable mugs for the Stevenson Coffee House. For updates, visit the Facebook group or email Blake Redding.
Guided Nature Walk - Tiger Hunt: Friday, March 16, 2-4 PM
Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4. This week, they'll be searching for the infamous (and endemic) Ohlone tiger beetle (Cicindela ohlone) in some probable haunts. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.
Kresge Garden Work Days: Sundays 10 AM - 2 PM
Join fellow gardeners at the Kresge Garden workday and workshop every Sunday! Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch! To see what the weekly workshop will be, check out the website.
California Higher Education Sustainability Conference: June 18-21
Save the date! The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference is taking place June 18-21, 2012 at UC Davis. The Conference highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. Find out more here.
Get Involved - Internships, Volunteering, Contests, Grants
Campus Sustainability Internship Program - Student Interns and Staff Mentors Apply Now!
CSI is a combination class and internship that pairs students with staff mentors to work together on sustainability related projects, year-round. The program introduces students to sustainability policies and practices through internship work experience, professional skills trainings, guest lectures, class discussions, and peer-to-peer advising. Students receive academic credit quarterly, and a scholarship at the end of the year for their service. CSI helps staff by providing them with vetted, trained, and low-cost assistance on sustainability related projects they have undertaken or would like to initiate. Staff applications due March 16 & student applications due April 4. Visit the website for more information and to apply.
Read an interview here featuring CSI Staff Mentor Kathryn Cunningham and Student Intern Christian Frederick about their work this year with the CSI program.
Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available
The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps. For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit their website.
Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers
EENG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to spread environmental literacy and an ethic of sustainability throughout our community, from the youngest members of our society up. Their Environmental Science & Sustainability Program links teams of college student instructors with 1st and 2nd grade classes for weekly lessons exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. For more information about all the EENG has to offer, please visit their website or send them an email.
California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer
Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.
Opportunities with Pick Up America
Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.
Green Corps Now Accepting Applications
Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps' year-long paid program, you'll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. When you graduate from Green Corps, they help you find a career with one of the nation's leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, visit the Green Corps website.
Student Conservation Association Internships
The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.
Energy Department Clean Energy Workforce Training Grants: Deadline March 30
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program have announced up to $1.3 million for clean energy workforce training programs. Higher education institutions can apply to partner with MEP Centers to create building efficiency training programs that are tailored to building operators, building managers and energy service providers. Applications are due March 30, 2012. Click here for more information.
Apply for the ReCharge! Retreat: Deadline April 1
Interested in clean energy? Want to attend a one-week summer ReCharge! Retreat? Focus the Nation selects twenty students to attend the retreat, five from each quadrant of the country, who show passion, dedication, and drive to accelerate the transition to clean energy. The retreat, which takes place August 12-18, 2012, includes a balance of intellectual rigor, collaborative practices, reflection and physical activity as it applies to building our clean energy future. Apply today for your chance to be a part of this life changing opportunity! Application deadline is April 1st, 2012. Find out more on the Focus the Nation website.
"What Makes Your Campus Green?" Student Video Contest - Deadline April 6
What makes UCSC green? Answer this question in a video contest and you could win up to $2500! The Herman Miller Student Video contest is designed to give students the opportunity to submit videos of their own creation that address the question "What makes your campus green?" Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three video submissions that best represent creativity, originality, and appropriateness to the theme. More information is available on the contest landing page.
California Naturalist Program: April 7 - June 16
Join this exciting new pilot program through the Arboretum, offered for the first time in California. Become certified as a California Naturalist by completing 40+ hours in class and field. Access further community involvement in local parks and research. Cost: $300 Scholarships available - please inquire! More information here.
Earth Week 2012 - April 16-22
Want to participate in Earth Week 2012: Finding Room to Bloom? Student organizations can register their Earth Week events now on the Earth Week website. Interested in being part of the Earth Day Festival on April 22? You can also sign up online to have a table or workshop on Earth Day. If you are interested in getting involved with planning Earth Day (April 22), please email Sam Moll, College 8's Special Environmental Programs Coordinator. For those who wish to attend these festivities, stay tuned for more information here.
Student Opportunity: MobilizeU Competition
AASHE has partnered with Earth Day Network for the launch of MobilizeU, an international collegiate competition calling upon students to mobilize their campus communities around four weeks of environmental activism surrounding Earth Day 2012 (March 29 - April 29). Students worldwide are encouraged to join the movement as a regional coordinator or school coordinator and organize activities including campus clean-ups, new voter registration drives and Earth Day events. Coordinators will share a photo or video documenting their efforts on the MobilizeU Facebook page.
Volunteer with Take Back the Tap
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap.
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap.
Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Interested in gardening, habitat restoration, tidepooling, maintaining exhibits and helping at events for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History? Volunteer today! Find out more and fill out an application here or email Matt.
Have news you want us to share? Email us!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Events & Opportunities: March 5 - March 11
Upcoming Events
UCSC Natural History Club - Tuesday 4-5 PM
Want to explore the natural beauty of our campus? Interested in learning about particular species and discovering the wonders of UCSC natural history? Join the Natural History Club on hikes through campus. Meeting locations and additional information can be found on the Facebook group or by contacting Darrow.
Friends of the Community Agroecology Network: Tuesday 6-8 PM
FoCAN is a student-initiated, student-led community at UCSC that supports CAN's mission of promoting rural livelihoods and sustainability food systems through action, education and participatory action research. FoCAN meets weekly at the Sustainable Living Center in the Village, building A. Through communal meals, discussions, and activities, these weekly meetings create a community that fosters dialogue and experiential learning about the global food system and sustainability. Find out more here.
Student Environmental Center - Wednesday 5:30-8:30 PM
Student Environmental Center (SEC)'s General Gatherings take place every Wenesday in the College 8 Red Room. As always, free vegetarian dinner will be provided. For more information, visit their website or send them an email.
Stevenson Garden Work Day - Thursday, March 8
Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) is expanding the Stevenson Garden and needs your help with building a new fence! Meet in the Stevenson Garden (by the Knoll)--time to be announced soon here. There will be food, music, good company, and good old manual labor! Please help them expand their garden and create a larger space for organic growth and community! For more information, please visit the Facebook group.
Path to a Greener Stevenson: Thursday 7 PM
Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) meets in the Stevenson House 2 lounge. They are currently working on reducing paper towel use in the dorms and are collaborating with the Zero Waste Team to buy reusable mugs for the Stevenson Coffee House. For updates, visit the Facebook group or email Blake Redding.
Guided Nature Walk with Campus Natural Reserves Steward:
Friday, March 9
Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks will leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.
Friday, March 9
Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks will leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.
Farm Fridays: Friday, March 9
Each week, one dining hall features a dish incorporating ingredients from the UCSC Farm and other local organic farms in the region. The food is delicious, and it feels great to be eating the most local food possible! For more information, contact Candy Berlin or view the Farm Fridays schedule here.
The Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) will be joining with Dining Services' Farm Fridays by hosting an informational table at Crown/Merrill dining hall on March 9. Go talk to them to find out more about local and organic food in your dining hall!
PICA Saturday Garden Play Day: March 10
PICA's last Garden Play Day this quarter, including a Cob Oven Bake-Off, will be on Saturday, March 10th, from 10AM - 2 PM in the PICA Gardens, in the Village. The event is free, no registration is required and will happen rain or shine (there will be an indoor rainy day activity for those who don't want to get wet). A free garden-grown lunch, including some cob oven baked goodies, will be provided! For questions or more info, please contact Mira Michelle.
Meet at the Arboretum's Horticulture buildings at 9:30 AM Spend the morning working to re-establish plants of traditional importance to the Mutsun people and the afternoon learning to weave, or concoct traditional medicines from willow. Please bring water, lunch, and work gloves if you have them. Materials are limited so please RSVP to Rick. Directions and more information here.
Gardeners' Alliance Gatherings: March 11
The Gardeners' Alliance is a group within SEC's Students for Organic campaign that works to promote the campus gardens and unite the garden-friendly community by creating a space to promote and share information between campus gardeners and the students of UCSC. Email Dominique for information about timing and locations.
African American Theater Arts Troupe Collecting Old Cell Phones Until March 16
This month, the African American Theater Arts Troupe is performing Ruined by Lynn Nottage, directed by Don Williams. The play is set in the Congo (read more here), and to give back to communities affected by mining and war in the Congo, AATAT is recycling old cell phones and donating the money to refugee women in the Congo. Cell phones can be dropped off in the Cultural Arts & Diversity Office in Stevenson College anytime between 8 AM and 5 PM Monday-Friday until March 16 in the drop box inside the office. For more information please contact Don Williams.
Kresge Garden Work Days: Sundays 10 AM - 2 PM
Join fellow gardeners at the Kresge Garden workday and workshop every Sunday! Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch! To see what the weekly workshop will be, check out the website.Internships, Employment & Volunteering
Sustainability Profile: Campus Sustainability Internship (CSI) Program
Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world. The CSI Program application deadline is approaching (read more here), so in order to give readers a first hand account of the program, we interviewed CSI staff mentor Kathryn Cunningham and CSI student intern Christian Frederick about the work they are doing in the program to get a sense of what CSI is all about and why it is valuable to both student interns and staff mentors. Read the interview here.
Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world. The CSI Program application deadline is approaching (read more here), so in order to give readers a first hand account of the program, we interviewed CSI staff mentor Kathryn Cunningham and CSI student intern Christian Frederick about the work they are doing in the program to get a sense of what CSI is all about and why it is valuable to both student interns and staff mentors. Read the interview here.
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| Kathryn Cunningham is a Strategic Sourcing and Sustainable Procurement Manager in Procurement and Business Contracts (P&BC) and CSI staff mentor to CSI Intern and Environmental Studies Senior, Christian Frederick. |
If you know of a person or group on campus that you think we should profile, or if you would like to be profiled, please send us an email.
Apply now to be the UCSC Sustainable Food Systems Admin Assistant - Deadline March 5
How much real food are our dining halls serving? What changes can be made to our food procurement to achieve our sustainability goals? As an intern, you will help us answer these questions! This internship will give you direct experience working with UCSC Dining and the Food Systems Working Group. Details can be found here. Deadline March 5.Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available
The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps. For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit theirwebsite.
Volunteer with Take Back the TapTake Back the Tap UCSC is looking for volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap.
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California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer
Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.
Opportunities with Pick Up America
Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.
Green Corps Now Accepting Applications
Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps' year-long paid program, you'll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. When you graduate from Green Corps, they help you find a career with one of the nation's leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, visit the Green Corps website.
Student Conservation Association Internships
The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.
Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Interested in gardening, habitat restoration, tidepooling, maintaining exhibits and helping at events for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History? Volunteer today! Find out more and fill out an application here or email Matt.
Earth Week 2012 - April 16-22
Want to participate in Earth Week 2012: Finding Room to Bloom? Student organizations can register their Earth Week events now on the Earth Week website. Interested in being part of the Earth Day Festival on April 22? You can also sign up online to have a table or workshop on Earth Day. If you are interested in getting involved with planning Earth Day (April 22), please email Sam Moll, College 8's Special Environmental Programs Coordinator. For those who wish to attend these festivities, stay tuned for more information here.
Donations and Funding Opportunities
Energy Department Clean Energy Workforce Training Grants - Deadline March 30
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program have announced up to $1.3 million for clean energy workforce training programs. Higher education institutions can apply to partner with MEP Centers to create building efficiency training programs that are tailored to building operators, building managers and energy service providers. Applications are due March 30, 2012. Click here for more information.
"What Makes Your Campus Green?" Student Video Contest - Deadline April 6
What makes UCSC green? Answer this question in a video contest and you could win up to $2500! The Herman Miller Student Video contest is designed to give students the opportunity to submit videos of their own creation that address the question "What makes your campus green?" Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three video submissions that best represent creativity, originality, and appropriateness to the theme. More information is available on the contest landing page.
Classes & Trainings
ESLP Spring Courses
The Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) is a collaborative & interdisciplinary effort to reshape the way we learn, effectively mentor students, and engage in projects that support the resiliency of the UC Santa Cruz Community. ESLP offers a five-unit (CLEI 161) and a two-unit (CLEI 61) course every Spring Quarter, which are open to everyone and can be found on the UCSC portal under College Eight courses. Visit the ESLP website for more information.
Webinar: College Recycling Processing Equipment & Vehicles - March 8
Hosted by the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), this webinar will identify ways to maximize efficiencies through processing equipment and vehicles. as well as a variety of other college recycling process topics. It will take place at 4 PM, online. Click here for more information and to register.
LEED Certification Training
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system for sustainable buildings, such as the LEED Gold Certified Cowell Student Health Center on campus. Interested in becoming trained on LEED certification during a one-day class on campus? Please contact David Boyle for more information.
Donations and Funding Opportunities
Energy Department Clean Energy Workforce Training Grants - Deadline March 30
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program have announced up to $1.3 million for clean energy workforce training programs. Higher education institutions can apply to partner with MEP Centers to create building efficiency training programs that are tailored to building operators, building managers and energy service providers. Applications are due March 30, 2012. Click here for more information.
"What Makes Your Campus Green?" Student Video Contest - Deadline April 6
What makes UCSC green? Answer this question in a video contest and you could win up to $2500! The Herman Miller Student Video contest is designed to give students the opportunity to submit videos of their own creation that address the question "What makes your campus green?" Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three video submissions that best represent creativity, originality, and appropriateness to the theme. More information is available on the contest landing page.
Classes & Trainings
ESLP Spring Courses
Webinar: College Recycling Processing Equipment & Vehicles - March 8
Hosted by the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), this webinar will identify ways to maximize efficiencies through processing equipment and vehicles. as well as a variety of other college recycling process topics. It will take place at 4 PM, online. Click here for more information and to register.
LEED Certification Training
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system for sustainable buildings, such as the LEED Gold Certified Cowell Student Health Center on campus. Interested in becoming trained on LEED certification during a one-day class on campus? Please contact David Boyle for more information.
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