October 2013 Sustainability Profile: Bradley Angell

Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world. This month features Brad Angell, an administrative analyst who works directly with Grounds Services and the Physical Plant on campus.

We asked Bradley Angell what he thinks about sustainability and how it relates to his work at UCSC.

Name:  Bradley Angell
Title:  Administrative Analyst, Grounds Services, Physical Plant

Education:

• Ph.D., Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), December 2012
• Master of Architecture, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), August 2006 w/ Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Urbanism
• Juris Doctor, McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific (Sacramento, CA), May 2001
• Bachelor of Science, Agricultural Development, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), May 1998

Favorite Green Tips: Eat less meat.  Drive less, walk when you can, use public transit when you can’t.  Compost as much as possible – food waste causes methane that is 20X worse than carbon dioxide per unit in terms of greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere. 

What does "sustainability" mean to you?  Sustainability expresses an overall quality of urban design, operations and societal professionalism. Beyond a superficially environmental connotation of the word, meaningful sustainability refers to an expectation of longevity, stewardship and attention to the details of human civilization.

How does sustainability relate to your role at UCSC? What's one cool thing you've done to make UCSC a more sustainable place? My position is principally focused on meeting the sustainability standards set for UCSC.  As an agent in the Grounds Services department, I am primarily concerned with seeking operational innovations that will allow our campus to meet its 2020 goals of zero-waste.  First, I am charged with executing a new waste metrics system that directly links our front-loading trucks to a cloud-based system for weighing individual dumpsters on campus upon their pickup.  Second, I have been working on a pilot “Smart Dumpster” program that will allow Grounds Services operators to manage our system of resource recovery on a real-time “needs” basis, freeing up our crew to undertake other recycling and stewardship projects.  Finally, I have been working with other on-campus design professionals to develop a robust composting program to recycle a dramatically higher volume of organic materials on campus grounds.  

How do you practice sustainability in your daily life? Bike to work. Compost at home including vermicomposting (worms!). Practice vegetarianism to reduce my carbon footprint. And avoid watering the lawn if possible.

Have you had a favorite sustainability moment at UCSC? My favorite sustainability moment at UCSC occurred when I was presenting our waste metrics program at the 2013 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference.  There, I presented our innovative approach to waste diversion that includes accurate data collection, the process of converting our resource measures from a volumetric norm to an exact weight basis, and our continued coordination in redirecting what would go to the landfill into other streams of reuse and recycling.

October 2013: Green Tips

Green Tip: Greening Your Grocery Shopping

With the school year starting up, the need to stock up our kitchens and dorm rooms with all the essential foods for late night talks with roomies, study dates, and those rushed morning breakfasts is becoming more prevalent. Before you buy those Poptarts or those single serving oatmeals stop and think about all the packaging wasted on these products. One way you can green up your kitchen and grocery shopping is by buying in bulk. By investing in reusable jars and containers that can be filled up in the store you will be able to save all sorts of needless waste. Many grocery stores today have a bulk aisle that provide a variety of foods like granola, rice, dried fruit, and the always important peanut butter malt balls. Bring your own container, fill them up, and skip the plastic waste that normally come with prepackaged food.

If you're new to the buying in bulk experience here are a few tips to help make your shopping experience easier:

1. Make sure you know what products you will need and how much of them before you arrive at the store.
• The bulk aisle can be overwhelming if you're not sure what products you need. Make a list of everything you could be buying in bulk before hand. For example: Whole Wheat Flour, Almonds, Oats, Sesame Seeds, and Brown Rice
2. Check the weight of your jars and containers and write it down before you fill them up. You don't want to have to overpay just because you didn't subtract the weight of the actual container.
3. Once in the aisle, don't forget to write down the number for each product. Every specific product typically has its own number so that when you take it up to the check out stand the cashier can input the number into the system and calculate the price. If they don't have the numbers provided to them the whole process will take much longer.

Now that you have that down you can go tackle your grocery shopping in a new sustainable way. Buying in bulk is efficient, green, fun, and can also be cheaper!

Financial Accounting & Reporting and Payroll Offices Become Green Certified

Congratulations to the members of the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) and Payroll Offices for completing their Green Office Certification this summer! Both did a wonderful job engaging in the process and have made commitment plans that will keep them engaged in sustainability efforts. For more information about the Green Office Certification Program, or if you would like to get involved, please check out the Green Office Certification website.

New! Campus Sustainability Plan

Every three years, a new Campus Sustainability Plan (CSP) is created as a resource for the nine sustainability working groups on campus. The Plan establishes goals, objectives, and metrics that will help the working groups track their progress in the years to come. The new 2013-16 plan is now available online and is meant to build on the work accomplished in the 2010-13 Campus Sustainability Plan. It sets a high, but achievable bar in the nine topic areas related to sustainability, including a new topic area: "Awareness, Education and Engagement".

Chancellor's Sustainability Challenge

The Chancellor's Sustainability Challenge is a year-long coordinated campaign focusing on one topic of sustainability, and for 2013-14, our challenge is to "reduce waste" at UC Santa Cruz. The Challenge will bring together waste reduction efforts already happening on campus, build awareness, and encourage personal action, and it will lay the foundation for continued reductions in the coming years to ensure the campus reaches its waste reduction goal of zero waste by 2020. 

Our campus currently diverts about 64% of its waste, meaning 36% of the waste produced on campus goes to the landfill. We want 100% of our waste to not go to the landfill.

You can make a difference! Take the pledge and make a commitment to reduce waste. To find out more about the campaign and what others are doing, visit the Chancellor's Sustainability Challenge website. Like us on Facebook to learn about how others are rising to the challenge.  

Individuals--you, me, your teacher, the person driving your bus, the person sitting in front of you in class, the lady that processes your expense reports, the person sitting next to you in a boring meeting, the cute boy on the second floor of your dorm--each of us plays an important role in reducing waste. So please, take small actions by separating your recycling, printing double-sided, bringing a reusable mug or using a reusable water bottle. If you already do these things, then stretch yourself--bring reusable utensils when you have food to-go, enroll in direct deposit, and get others involved and help make others aware of what they can do. Small acts can have big impacts!

Summer Orientation Waste Diversion Success

Congratulations to the Orientation Office, UCSC Dining, and the Student Environmental Center on the 6th year of Zero Waste Summer Orientation!  This collaborative effort strives to not only divert as much waste as possible, but also to cultivate a zero waste culture within the campus community.  Thanks to the collaboration and the cooperation of this year's guests, 2,887.4 lbs of waste were diverted from the landfill over the course of six days during the 2013 Summer Orientation program.  Thanks to the commitment by Dining Services to provide sustainable food sourcing along with compostable cups, plates, napkins, and utensils; trash was only 2.5% of the overall waste recorded.  Dining fed over 1100 students and families each day of orientation with local foods sourced from Monterey Bay area farmers.  Who can resist a handful of those delicious Watsonville-grown organic strawberries?  Parents exclaimed "I wish I was coming here to go to UCSC and eat this kind of food every day!"

To find out how you can reduce waste on campus this year, click here to take on the Chancellor's Sustainability Challenge.  

October 2013: Innovative Approaches to Sustainability

Here are a few selections of the innovative approaches to sustainability taking place on other college campuses. Each of these examples was chosen because they represent ideas that UCSC could potentially implement in some form, or in some cases, already has begun to. If you see something here that you want to make a reality at UCSC, check out the Project Clearinghouse website and contact the Sustainability Office and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!

University of Virginia Develops New Model to Measure Nitrogen Footprint
Working with students from multiple disciplines, a professor of environmental sciences recently released the results of a university nitrogen footprint analysis. Predominantly coming from energy use and food production, nitrogen can contribute to smog, acidifying water and weakening the ozone layer. It's not just about carbon dioxide emissions!

University of Buffalo Offers New 'Sustainability Academy' for Students
In its inaugural year, students in this residential learning community participate in community projects and
behind-the-scenes campus operational activities, as well as collaborating with environmental organizations.

Moving Out and Moving On: Results from First Off-Campus Pick-up Collaboration

Congratulations to UCSC and the City of Santa Cruz community on working towards Zero Waste!  This year, the City of Santa Cruz and UCSC partnered with local donation agencies to collect as much waste as possible from students graduating and moving out throughout the Summer of 2013.  We helped 152 students move out this June, and in doing so we diverted at least 106 mattresses and electronic waste items as well as 915 pounds of household items.  In total, 53 students signed up for the weekend collection events and 98 students signed up for weekday collection of bulky items.  The items were donated to a local charity, saving them from the landfill and allowing others to continue to use them.  

To learn more about how to properly dispose of materials, read UCSC's Recycling and Disposal Guide.

October 2013: Contests and Funding

Carbon Fund Deadline

The Carbon Fund is an organization on campus that allocates funds to projects; our goal is to reduce the carbon footprint both on campus and throughout the Santa Cruz community. The Carbon Fund provides grants for students, staff, and faculty projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conduct relevant research, or carry out education and behavioral change programs. There will be an Information Session on Tuesday, October 15th in the College 8 Red Room from 4-6pm and Abstracts are due November 15th. If you have more questions, please feel free to visit our website  or email us at: carbonfund.ucsc@gmail.edu. And if you are interested in reading a copy of the Carbon Fund's Annual Report, please email the Carbon Fund to request a PDF version.

Bioneers Conference Scholarships Available!

Want to attend the world renowned Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, CA onOctober 18-20, 2013? The Common Ground Center has arranged for students, faculty, and staff to get a sweet discount - please click here to fill out the application before 12pm on October 11th, 2013. This is an opportunity not to be missed!

NWEI EcoChallenge: October 15-30

Hosted by the Northwest Earth Institute, this challenge asks participants to stick with one action to reduce their environmental impact for two weeks. Sign up as an individual, class or university team now. This year's EcoChallenge takes place October 15-30.

Student Researching Funding For Clean Air Projects

The Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District is seeking applications for science and technology projects that advance the understanding of relevant Air Quality and Climate Change issues. Awards for undergraduates can be up to $5000. Possible project topics include Art & Education, Clean Air Video, Data Analysis, Reduce and Recycle, etc. While each project must be created and completed by students, every project must have an involved academic advisor who is responsible for project oversight, including technical and grant management. The application, which can be found on the website, is due October 18, 2013.  If you have any questions, you can contact Rebecca Anderson.

Zipcar seeks "Students With Drive" in their new driving credit contest

The "Students with Drive" program is giving student groups an extra hand to help get things done with the help of Zipcars. The program, which gives away over $35,000 in driving credit a month, allows all student groups to nominate themselves to win free driving credit for their group to use for their groups' needs. Learn more about how your group can get involved on the contest website.

Challenge Your Perspectives – The Swedish Scholarship Awards 2014

Two winners will be awarded with full tuition waivers for Master’s of Science programs at two prestigious Swedish universities: Stockholm University and Lund University.

What you have to do: Sign up and complete the online competition – this includes: • Answering multiple choice questions • Answering a short essay question • Writing a motivational statement

What you can win:

• Full tuition fee waiver for either of the following Master’s programs in International Development and Management (LUMID) at Lund University or in Social Ecological Resilience for Sustainable Development at Stockholm University
• VIP invitation to the prize ceremony at the Swedish Embassy in Washington D.C.
• Winner’s certificate!

Find the competition, as well as its rules and eligibility criteria here: www.challengeyourperspectives.com

Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus 2013 Available Online Now

The Student Environmental Center published its 2013 edition of the Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus this summer on their website. This resource is an innovative, user-friendly, and informative campus resource to sustainability at UC Santa Cruz. It compiles ideas and visions for a more sustainable campus that were gathered throughout the year at blueprint breakout discussion meetings on the major topic areas. The Blueprint can be used to learn about current, past, and prospective sustainability-related projects on campus and is especially useful for students in student organizations who would like funding to complete their project on campus. Find out more by visiting their website.

McHenry Library Goes Solar!

This summer, UCSC completed installation of the first onsite renewable power system at McHenry Library. This 250kW photovoltaic array is located on the roof of the newly renovated and expanded library, and it will provide 25% of the annual electrical energy needed for the building. More importantly, it will provide 75-100% of the power needed for the building during peak times of year. 

This project forwards UCSC’s commitment to clean energy and lower carbon footprint by reducing the campus’ use of fossil fuel generated electricity. This project is a result of a collaborative effort between campus staff, faculty, administration, students, and local solar companies. Next time you are at the McHenry Library, look for the informational kiosk and web link that will allow you to view the performance of the solar photovoltaic array in real-time. 

Special thanks go out to the diligent work of Kate Cunningham, UCSC Procurement Specialist; Kevin Foisie, UCSC Project Manager; Patrick Testoni, Campus Energy Manager; Lacey Raak, Sustainability Director; Henry Salameh, Interim Director Physical Plant; Peggy Delaney, Vice Chancellor of Planning and Budget, and many others who supported this project.

Patrick Testoni, UCSC Energy Manager stands in
front of the completed McHenry Library PV array.

UCSC Named to the 2014 Green Honor Roll by Princeton Review

The Princeton Review recently reported its sixth annual "Green Ratings" of colleges, a measure of how environmentally friendly many colleges and universities are on a scale of 60 to 99. 832 institutions were tallied a rating based on the Princeton Review's institutional surveys of colleges in 2012-13 concerning their environmentally related practices, policies, and academic offerings. UC Santa Cruz, who has received this honor many years in a row, received a score of 99 this year, the highest possible score, along with 22 other colleges including UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Irvine! Congratulations, Banana Slugs!

October 2013: Classes, Training, & Community

Healthy Mondays in the Dining Hall

Are Mondays a tough day for you? Come check out Healthy Mondays--where all health breaks loose--at a dining hall near you. Don't forget to celebrate the end of the week with us at Farm Fridays, where fresh and local ingredients are always on the menu. For an updated list of Healthy Monday and Farm Friday locations, check out the website.

Join the Kresge Natural Foods Co-op

The Kresge Community Natural Foods Co-op is a non-profit student-run food store located on the south side of Kresge College. It has been a Kresge College tradition for over twenty years, supporting small farmers, the UCSC Farm Project, and the Kresge Organic Garden. While anyone can buy food at the Food Co-op, members receive a discount. Come in for groceries, lunch, snacks, hot coffee, tea, or just to spend time with your friends. Hours: Weekdays 9 AM - 6 PM


October Seminars Offered with Common Ground Center
The Common Ground Center, located in Kresge College and promoting social and environmental change, is offering seminars throughout October.  There will also be a Common Ground Open House and World Cafe on October 21st from 6:30-9:00 PM in the Kresge Seminar Room. To learn more about Common Ground and the seminars they offer, check out their website and subscribe to their newsletter here.  


PowerShift Youth Conference: October 18-21

PowerShift is an influential youth conference that brings together more than 10,000 young, passionate people from across the United States to stop fracking, divest from the fossil fuel industry, and build a clean energy future to address the climate crisis. It aims to create a shift in our nation's political systems and energy systems (both power systems) - thus, a "Power Shift." The conference is in Pittsburgh during October 18-21, and is being held in this region because participants plan to demonstrate on the doorsteps of large companies promoting fracking in the region. You can register for the conference here and can contact David Shugar (dshugar@ucsc.edu), who is a regional coordinator for this event and can help answer questions and provide funding opportunities for registration, travel, and accommodation.

TAPS seeks to connect with Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers
Interested in learning more about electric vehicle charging developments planned for UCSC? Want to know of potential electrical shutdowns at Core West? Transportation and Parking Services is wanting to be in better touch with our electric vehicle user community at UCSC – please send an email to tabuika@ucsc.edu to be added to the list of current electric vehicle users. Learn more about UCSC's current EV accommodations on the TAPS website.

Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf Tours
This 30-minute guided tour offers insights into one of the longest wooden piers in the United States. The Santa Cruz Wharf extends a half-mile out to sea in a dynamic and truly marine environment.Seymour Center docents lead tours of the wharf every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. year-round. Tours are free and open to the public. Meet at the Wharf Stage behind Olitas restaurant.  For more information about this project, check out the Seymour Center website here. 


Two Environmental Engineering Classes Offered for Fall

Looking for an extra class and love sustainability?  College Eight and Electrical Engineering are offering two sustainability-related classes:  EE80S, Sustainability Engineering and Design, MWF, 2-3:10; and CLEI 150A, Sustainability Praxis in the Built Environment, TTh, 4-6 PM. Sign up now on the MyUCSC portal if interested!

C2C Fellows Sustainability Leadership Workshop

Bard's C2C Fellows sustainability leadership workshop is coming to the Boston area in October!  C2C Fellows believes that young leaders in business and politics can change the world. Current students and recent college graduates are invited to attend the C2C Fellows Sustainability Leadership Workshop at Bentley University in October. Graduates of C2C workshops are eligible for partial scholarships to CEP’s master programs in environmental policy, climate science and policy, and sustainable business, as well as scholarships for follow-on leadership trainings. Encourage young leaders you know to apply today. The cost of the weekend trainings is $30 (including food, and lodging for those traveling over an hour).

Sierra Institute California Wilderness Program
Through the Sierra Institute's California Wilderness program, UCSC students and peers from UC Davis and Humboldt State spent the summer quarter backpacking around the state, studying the human-nature relationship through lenses of psychology, philosophy, and literature, letting nature to be the classroom. Read about their adventures on the Sierra Institute blog, and find out about future for-credit program opportunities at their website.


Sustainable Utility Networks of California Seeks Interested Students to Join

The proposed Sustainable Utility Networks of California (SUNS California) is seeking students interested in joining design teams.  SUNS California will be a new institute affiliated with UCSC, to be based in a zero net energy building on land adjacent to Long Marine Lab.  The Sustainability Engineering and Ecological Design (SEED) group, which is participating in this effort, is seeking students for Fall Quarter and beyond who would like to contribute to this unique effort.  We are planning to convene five working groups (faculty and students) on: Facility Design; Land Use; Transportation; Site ecology & protection; and Regulations and legal issues.  For more information, please contact Ronnie Lipschutz at rlipsch@ucsc.edu.

The 2013 California Sustainability in Higher Education Conference

Students and staff from UCSC came together at the Sustainability Conference that was held in Santa Barbara over this past summer. They attended presentations that each described the new sustainability innovations occurring at other universities throughout California. We shared a couple of our campus's projects including the Greenwashing Training Tool that was implemented over the past year. Go sustainability slugs!

October 2013: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Student Environmental Center Internships

The Student Environmental Center will be hosting their first General Gathering of the year Wednesday, October 2, from 5:30-7:30 PM in the College 8 Red Room.  Enjoy some free vegetarian dinner and learn about the available 2- and 5-unit internships related to topics such as event planning waste prevention, water conservation, gardening, food and so much more!  Visit their website or email seccochair@ucsc.edu for more information. 

IDEASS Accepting Applications for 2013-14 Interns

Turn your ideas into reality! Do you have your own sustainable project design with potential to make a real community impact, but you aren’t sure how to make it a reality? Are you still looking for 5 units to add to your schedule for Fall? If yes, apply to IDEASS, a team-based 3-quarter internship program that provides students with real opportunities to work on local sustainability challenges with community partners or sponsors. To be considered, please apply immediately by clicking here or visit the website for more information!

Green Labs Outreach Coordinator Internship

If you have an interest in helping to make the science labs on our college campus more environmentally-friendly, apply now to this internship position! Go to the Career Center website and apply with the ER # 7072.

Stevenson Garden Internship Opportunity

Stevenson Garden is accepting applications for prospective interns for next quarter. Feel free to forward this reminder to anyone who might be interested. For details about the internships offered, please email Blake at bredding@ucsc.edu

PowerSave Campus Looking to Hire for Fall!

The UCSC PowerSave Campus Team is hiring 2/5-unit interns for Fall Quarter 2013! PowerSave Campus is a student-driven program through the Alliance to Save Energy that works on energy efficiency and water conservation projects on campus. Please email your resume and cover letter to powersave@googlegroups.com. For more information check out our website!

Environmental engineer Eli Weintraub 
checks the first intake of water into 
WaterLab's sand filtration tanks.

Internships with WaterLab Research Facility

The WaterLab Research Facility studies wastewater recycling and how to use recycled water to conserve unused water reserves. Though still in progress of becoming a full-fledged research facility, internship opportunities exist and will be expanding as the facility grows. Learn about the issues this facility will address and about the methods and features of the lab in this article. UCSC students can learn more about WaterLab and internships by contacting Eli Weintraub and via the Center for Integrated Water Research website.

Volunteer with Take Back the Tap
Water is the life-source and scarcity is our reality. With corporations managing the water supply, water will undoubtedly become a prerogative of the rich because the Fortune 500 companies controlling the supply are most concerned with their bottom line. Privatization inherently denies water accessibility, so Take Back the Tap (TBtT) is working to combat the commodification of water. Visit the Facebook page or learn how to get involved by sending an email to takebackthetapucsc@gmail.com.

Apply to Volunteer with Sprout Up
Sprout Up is a non-profit program that looks for undergraduate volunteers to help bring lessons of environmental science and sustainability to local elementary school classrooms. They are college student founded and are an operating non-profit that is always seeking new instructors. For more information about potential volunteering opportunities with them check out their website. 

Climate Corps Bay Area Is Recruiting for 2013-14!

If you are passionate about climate change, want an exceptional opportunity to develop a career in this field, and are committed to making a difference at the community level, Climate Corps Bay Area's Fellowship program may be a great fit for you. As a Climate Corps Bay Area Fellow you will have the opportunity to spend 11 months learning cutting edge and valuable skills, while helping Bay Area communities address the most critical climate change issues. For more information on the program or to start the application process, visit the website. 


Alliance to Save Energy Seeks Program Associate
The Alliance to Save Energy is seeking a full-time Program Associate to assist with implementation of its PowerSave Campus Program. The Program Associate will work in the Alliance’s Oakland, CA office. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy (www.ase.org) promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security. Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, energy, education, or other applicable field; a Master’s degree is a plus. For more information and to apply, go to this link.

Find or Upload Projects to Sustainability Project Clearinghouse
Interested in getting involved in a campus sustainability project, but don't know how? Are you looking for partners for your current project? Have you completed a project that you would like others to learn from? Visit the Sustainability Project Clearinghouse, a centralized database of UCSC sustainability projects, today! You can view published projects or upload your own projects and ideas. For training on how to upload a project, please contact Shauna Casey at scasey@ucsc.edu.