March 2018: Classes, Trainings, and Community

Arboretum & Botanic Garden: California Naturalist Program for 2018
The California Naturalist class will introduce you to the wonders of California’s unique ecology and engage you in the stewardship of our natural communities. This intensive certification program will utilize a combination of the science curriculum, guest lecturers, field trips and project-based learning to immerse you in the natural world of the central coast. The program begins on April 5 and the last meeting is Saturday, June 9. The application deadline is March 9. For more information or to register click here.

Climate Science and Policy Conference

The fifth annual Climate Science and Policy Conference, "Humans and Wild Ecosystems in a Hot World" takes place on Wednesday, March 7th from 7-9pm at the Rio Theatre. Speakers Newton Harris (UC Santa Cruz) and Scott Wing (Smithsonian Institution) will discuss how humans and wild ecosystems can survive and even thrive, on a hot planet. For more information click here.

Free Guided Tour of the UCSC Farm
Take a free, docent-led tour of the beautiful 30-acre organic UCSC Farm. Learn about the education, research, and outreach work taking place through the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). The Farm features tractor-worked fields, hand-worked gardens, orchards, greenhouses, a children's garden and more. It also offers a spectacular view of Monterey Bay. The next tour takes place on April 1st at 2pm. For more information click here.

Green Business Lunch & Learn
Join fellow businesses at this brown bag lunch and learn about the environmental, cost-saving and marketing benefits of becoming a Certified Green Business! This event is free to attend. Please bring your "brown bag" lunch with you. Beverages and dessert will be provided! This event is on Tuesday, March 20th from 12-1pm. For more information click here.

In Praise of the Raised Bed: Garden Bed Preparation, Chadwick Style!
Join Chadwick Garden manager Orin Martin for a special workshop about garden bed preparation, featuring the classic double digging technique that Alan Chadwick introduced at the Student Garden Project (now the Chadwick Garden) 50 years ago. Learn when and how to create and maintain garden beds, incorporate compost, and maintain your beds through the years with cover crops and careful cultivation practices. The workshop will also review "intensive" planting techniques, including intercropping, to maximize production in your garden beds. This lesson will be held March 10th at 9:30am at the Alan Chadwick Garden. To register or buy tickets click here.

Spring Detox Cooking Class
Come discover the power of detox in the kitchen with this hand son cooking demo. This lesson is led by certified nutrition consultant Amanda Biccum. The lesson will prepare a healthy detox soup using sulfur-rich foods and special herbs that aid in liver detox. The lesson will take place on Tuesday, March 27th form 6:00-8:00pm. For more information click here.

Wrap it Up: Assorted Wraps for Fun and Tasty Eating
Sign up for this fun class and learn techniques for stuffing, filling, rolling and wrapping different tasty wraps. The class includes a tasting party of many different wraps! Participants will receive wrap recipes and have the opportunity to take home food prepared in class! The class takes place Saturday, March 31st from 1-5pm. To purchase tickets or for more information click here.

March 2018: Contests and Funding

Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association Scholarship
The Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association offers a $3,000 scholarship to encourage the study of environmental and occupational health, safety, and related disciplines. Applicants must be an full time undergraduate majoring in environmental science, health physics, industrial engineering, or occupational health. The scholarship winner will be presented at the CSHEMA annual conference. The scholarship winner will be awarded $3,000 and an invitation to attend the CSHEMA annual conference (registration, hotel, and airfare included.).
Deadline: March 31, 2018
Find more information by clicking here

Dr. W. Wesley Eckenfelder Scholarship

Dr. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr.'s career as an environmental trailblazer spanned more than 50 years, during which time he trained thousands of graduate students and professionals in the science and art of industrial wastewater treatment. To honor his dedication to the environmental industry, Brown and Caldwell are offering a $5,000 scholarship to support students who are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental profession.

Deadline: April 15, 2018

Find more information by clicking here.

Emily M. Hewitt Memorial Scholarship

The Emily M. Hewitt Memorial Scholarship is for an upper division or graduate student who shows a commitment to communicate and interpret a love of nature and an understanding of the need to practice conservation. Students pursuing degrees in environmental protection, forestry, wildlife and fisheries, biology, parks and recreation, park management, environmental law and public policy, environmental art, and California history are encouraged to apply.

Deadline: April 15, 2018

Find more information by clicking here.

Folsom Garden Club Scholarship Program

The Folsom Garden Club Scholarship Program is for both part-time and full-time students majoring in Horticulture, Floriculture, Landscape Design, Botany, Forestry, Agronomy, Conservation, Plant Pathology, Environmental Concerns and/or other related subjects.

Deadline: April 11, 2018

Find more information by clicking here.

2017 Global Engagement Photo Contest

The 2017 Global Engagement Photo Contest is for current UCSC International Students, current UCSC faculty or staff, and UCSC alumni who wish to share diverse cultural perspectives through photographs. Contestants are allowed a maximum of two photographs. Accepting Submissions from February 27, 2017, to March 28, 2017.

Find more information by clicking here.

February 2018: Sustainability Office Giving Day Opportunities!

Sustainability Inter-Org Retreat

The Sustainability Office is excited to share with you that, on February 28^th, 2018 – UC Santa Cruz’s Giving Day, we will be fundraising for the Sustainability Inter-Org Retreat!  We would love your help in amplifying this message!

As many of you know, the Sustainability Inter-Organizational Retreat, or Inter-Org as it is commonly called, is an annual weekend retreat for UC Santa Cruz student organizations focused on sustainability and social justice.  In its 8^th year, Inter-Org is known across campus as a fun-filled and memorable weekend for sustainably-minded students to meet, learn, collaborate, and form lasting personal and professional relationships.  Each year, dozens of sustainability and social justice-focused organizations attend to hear from expert keynote speakers, to have the opportunity to present to and learn from one another in student-led workshops, and to reconnect with our natural environment in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains for team bonding and community building. 

Currently, Inter-Org is primarily funded through a student fee measure.  In staying consistent with the themes of sustainability and social justice, the goal of this Giving Day campaign is to diversify Inter-Org’s funding source. The popularity of the retreat continues to increase and your donation to this campaign will allow the Inter-Org experience to continue to be free of cost to all participants!

You can help us in a couple ways!  First, spread the word on your social media!  Second, if you are able to donate, consider giving any amount you can - everything helps!  Third, help us by spreading the word to family and friends and tell them about the impact of your Inter-Org experience if you've attended!  

Your donation will make a difference and we appreciate your support!  Find out more about the Inter-Org fundraiser on our campaign page when it goes live!

Sustainability Starter Kits

One of the main goals of the Carbon Neutrality Initiative is to engage students in actively lowering carbon use on campus. Most students use the same amount of energy and do not decide where that energy comes from. New campus residents have a unique opportunity to rethink the way that they live in part by living on campus. Creating a culture of sustainability can go a long way in the fight against climate change.

One of the problems with implementing sustainability practices is that a lot of students come from communities that do not prioritize such thinking.  I believe one way to create a culture of sustainability is to give all new residents on campus a “Sustainability Starters Kit”. These kits include a reusable bag, reusable straw, water bottle, utensils, stickers, and a pamphlet on sustainability here on campus. Creating an expectation for new students to do their part is important to becoming a lifelong sustainable citizen. Giving them the tools will create a culture to reduce carbon use on campus.

Your donation will make a difference and we appreciate your support!  Find out more about Sustainability Starter Kits on our campaign page when it goes live!

February 2018: Dig In Conference

Opportunity: Translator Sign Up Sheet 

The Translation Team is looking for students who are available and committed to volunteering as translators for our conference. Sign up here: Translator Email Sign-Up Interest List. The team will follow up with those interested and forward a Google Form to schedule shifts. For questions and/or recommendations about who to reach out to, please contact Diana Morales, dilmoral@ucsc.edu, and Michelle Hernandez, mherna81@ucsc.edu.

February 2018 Sustainability Profile: Katie Syme

Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world. This month we had the privilege to interview Katie Syme, a member of the Food Systems Working Group. Their Organization includes UCSC students, staff, faculty, and community members who have come together with the goal of improving the campus food system. FSWG works to bring sustainably grown food produced by socially responsible operations to campus dining halls and through a collaborative process, promote education and awareness of our food system. 

What does sustainability mean to you?

"Sustainability means taking into account the well-being of future generations on this earth in addition to its current residents- people are a part of nature, and our practices and policies should reflect that."

What sustainable practice do you live by in your daily life?

"I prepare my meals on the weekend so I don't have to cook throughout the week- it makes life easier and I eat out less (using fewer disposables and plastics)! I also practice personal sustainability by seeking out things that give me joy every day- little pauses help break up the monotony so I can be more available to save the world in any way I can."

What sustainable practice does UC Santa Cruz act on to keep the campus sustainable?

"The Food Systems Working Group is such a wonderful hub of honest efforts to improve the lives of UCSC community members. They work in providing resources to support the health and wellness of students and staff on campus. Student-led projects like the Real Food Calculator Team, Global Food Initiative, Demeter Seed Library, Food Access and Basic Needs Team, Rachel Carson Garden, and Produce Pop-Up work hard to make UCSC accessible to everyone. For example, the Produce Pop-Up provides mobile access points for organic food at half the market price! The Basic Needs Team also helps people with CalFresh assistance, temporary housing, hygiene care packs, etc.- all of which are must-haves for the broke college student."

Do you think UC campuses should join forces to become more sustainable, are there things we can learn from each other and apply?

"I definitely think that looking to other UC campuses for fresh ideas is the way to go- sometimes we forget that other colleges have been struggling with the same things we have and that they have their own creative ways of working within the limitations of a state institution. Human collaboration is the core of sustainability!

What are your thoughts on Food Justice?

"I like to think of it more as food IN-justice (credit to Ron Finley). We are not talking about the ways our food system is just- we are actively engaging the problems we see and finding solutions that work for our community. And that can be different for everyone! Food insecurity exists on a spectrum, and our solutions should reach out to every individual's experience."

Does sustainability only mean taking care of the planet, if it doesn’t explain?

"It depends on your definition of the planet- if your definition includes all aspects of the environment (animals, water, ecological dynamics, soil, plants, fungi, people from every walk of life, etc.), then yes, sustainability "only" means taking care of the planet. But that's a lot of responsibility to take on! Our economics and resource use is a part of that, our cities are a part of that, our institutions are a part of that. Humans are members of this planet as much as the trees and rivers are- we can really thrive while honoring our earth, it just requires innovative thinking."

What is your long-term vision for UCSC?

"I hope for a UCSC that considers the livelihood of its people and local ecology first. As housing and other resources become increasingly hard to access in the university's upcoming expansion, it is our duty to radically increase our efforts to reach out to the students and workers to improve our quality of life."

Is there a message you would like the UCSC students to know?

"You are powerful, you are meaningful, and you should NEVER give up on yourself. What lights your fire is valuable and necessary in a world that is not so great a lot of the time. Your passion can be brought to any project, no matter how insignificant it seems to you in low moments. (P.S. You can make it. School is the hardest thing, and anyone who says differently is not being real with you. But you're strong enough to take it on, and soft enough to acknowledge when you need a breath of fresh air.)" 

February 2018: Contests and Funding

February 2018: Contests and Funding

Association of California Water Agencies Awards

Awards are based on a combination of scholastic achievement and a commitment on the part of the applicants to their chosen fields, demonstrated by pursuing a degree related to or identified with agriculture or urban water supply, and environmental studies. Applicant must be a California resident and must be attending an accredited, University of California or California State University.
Deadline: March 1, 2018

Find more information by clicking here

Dr. W. Wesley Eckenfelder Scholarship

Dr. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr.'s career as an environmental trailblazer spanned more than 50 years, during which time he trained thousands of graduate students and professionals in the science and art of industrial wastewater treatment. To honor his dedication to the environmental industry, Brown and Caldwell are offering a $5,000 scholarship to support students who are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental profession.
Deadline: April 15, 2018

Find more information by clicking here.

Emily M. Hewitt Memorial Scholarship

The Emily M. Hewitt Memorial Scholarship is for an upper division or graduate student who shows a commitment to communicate and interpret a love of nature and an understanding of the need to practice conservation. Students pursuing degrees in environmental protection, forestry, wildlife and fisheries, biology, parks and recreation, park management, environmental law and public policy, environmental art, and California history are encouraged to apply.
Deadline: April 15, 2018

Find more information by clicking here.

Folsom Garden Club Scholarship Program

The Folsom Garden Club Scholarship Program is for both part-time and full-time students majoring in Horticulture, Floriculture, Landscape Design, Botany, Forestry, Agronomy, Conservation, Plant Pathology, Environmental Concerns and/or other related subjects.
Deadline: April 11, 2018
Find more information by clicking here.

2017 Global Engagement Photo Contest

The 2017 Global Engagement Photo Contest is for current UCSC International Students, current UCSC faculty or staff, and UCSC alumni who wish to share diverse cultural perspectives through photographs. Contestants are allowed a maximum of two photographs. Accepting Submissions from February 27, 2017, to March 28, 2017. 
Find more information by clicking here.

Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program

The Switzer Fellowship is granted to exceptional graduate students—10 in New England and 10 in California—who exhibit a promising future in environmental improvement and leadership. Winners get a one-year $15,000 cash prize, networking opportunities, and support to help foster their growth as environmental professionals.
Deadline: TBD

Find more information by clicking here.