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!