October 2016: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Internships

Global Food Initiative Internships
The UCSC Global Food Initiative team is currently recruiting for two internships. The positions available are the Food Workshop Coordinator and the Food Distribution/Pantry Coordinator, which address student food access and security, as well as overall well-being on campus. For more details, please contact Tim Galarneau, Staff Advisor at tgalarne[at]ucsc[dot]edu, or Diane Villalba, Student Intern at dvillalb[at]ucsc[dot]edu, for more details!

Produce Pop-Up Stand Internship
The Food Systems Working Group is looking for two driven individuals to assist with the weekly organic Produce Pop-Up in Quarry Plaza. Responsibilities will include outreach and collaboration efforts, budget and finance planning, and overall assistance in weekly preparation and operation of the Produce Pop-Up stand. To learn more information about the Food Systems Working Group and the Produce Pop-Up, please visit Facebook and Instagram, or email project coordinator James Lande at jamlande[at]ucsc[dot]edu. This is a 2-quarter commitment, 2 units per quarter.

Save The Waves Development Research Assistant
The Davenport-based organization Save The Waves has an opening for an intern to serve as the team’s development research assistant for 15-20 hours/week. The intern will support institutional fundraising, donor research, data management, maintaining and improving database functionality, and data integrity to create systems to support fundraising growth and innovation.  Job description available here. To apply, email a resume and cover letter to intern[at]savethewaves[dot]org.

Leedscape Planning and Design Co.
Leedscape Planning, a landscape architecture firm based out of Beijing, is looking for interns with experience in ecological restoration to help improve China's green infrastructure.  Leedscape is open to two forms of paid collaboration. Either an onsite internship that allows hands-on opportunities (interns may have the opportunity to travel across China for ecological assessment), or an internet collaboration that allows a more flexible schedule.  Full details on PDF.  Please send your questions, cover letter, and resume to alina[at]leedscape[dot]com[dot]cn.

Employment

Action Education Coordinator for Friends of Community Agroecology Network
Friends of the Community Agroecology Network (FoCan) is hiring an educator to design and implement a 5-unit, peer-led course involving seminar section and service learning.  Applicants should have experience with agroecology and food/social justice issues, but no prior teaching experience is necessary.   Fall and Winter quarters.  $10 per hour, 10 hours per week Fall quarter, 15 hours per week Winter quarter.  A full description is avaliable on the website here.  Please send your resume and a brief description of why you are interested in the position to focan[at]ucsc[dot]edu.

FoCAN Media & Documentation Coordinator
Friends of the Community Agroecology Network is hire a media coordinator to manage their website, social media accounts, and photo archives.  Fall quarter, possible extension to Winter and Spring.  $10 per hour, 10 hours / week.  A full description is avaliable on the website here.  Please send your resume and a brief description of why you are interested in the position to focan[at]ucsc[dot]edu.

City of Chico Urban Forest Manager: Deadline October 13
The City of Chico is recruiting for the full-time position of Urban Forest Manager.  Responsibilities include implementing an urban forest management program in City parks and public spaces and coordinating with public and private agencies.  Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's degree, five years of arboricultural experience, and experience in public relations.  Full description and application here.  Please direct questions to Amanda Strand at amanda[dot]strand[at]chicoca[dot]gov  Recruitment closing date of Thursday, October 13, 2016, at 5:00 p.m.

Volunteering

Open Streets Santa Cruz: October 9
Open Strets Santa Cruz is in need of 50 enthusiastic volunteers to turn West Cliff Drive into a car-free pop-up park!  The event is on Sunday, October 9th, from 9am to 2pm.  Volunteers are asked to sign up for a 2-hour shift and will be rewarded with pizza and a stylish T-shirt.  Sign up here and be sure to attend the orientation meeting (pizza provided) on Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Louden Nelson Community Center (301 Center St.).  Please direct questions to Maura Connolly at maura.c.connolly[at]alumni[dot]wfu[dot]edu.

Fall Bike To Work / School Day: October 6

The Sustainability Office is hosting the Main Entrance to UCSC site for Fall Bike to Work/School Day this Thursday. We are looking for more volunteers to hand out free breakfast to bicyclists and talk about bicycle advocacy from 6:30 - 9:30 AM--you can sign up for one hour or more.  More information is on the website here. To volunteer at the UCSC site, contact Melissa at mott[at]ucsc[dot]edu.

Green Builder Internship
Long Way Home is seeking interns to learn and apply green construction methods in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala.  Interns will experience various alternative construction methods, depending on the time of their visit including pounding tires with rammed earth, using bottles stuffed with trash to form fences, creating and placing glass bottle bricks, or harvesting cactus pads for a natural sealant.  Applications are accepted year-round.  Internships may be as short as one week to as long as three months.  No qualifications needed, but experience in construction, education, and Spanish will be valuable.  Cost is $75 per week.  To volunteer, contact Ariel Wexler at Volunteer[at]lwhome[dot]org or apply at the website here.

Long Way Home NGO Internship in Guatemala
Long Way Home is offering an internship in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala to anyone interested in managing a grassroots organization.  Responsibilities include fundraising, marketing, bookkeeping, reporting, and managing resources. Experience can be tailored to your specific area of interest. Applications are accepted year-round.  Minimum 2-month commitment.  No qualifications needed, but non-profit experience and Spanish language skills will be valuable.  Cost is $75 per week.  To volunteer, contact Ariel Wexler at Volunteer[at]lwhome[dot]org or apply at the website here.

New Santa Cruz Environteers Website
For more even more environmentally-themed volunteering opportunities in Santa Cruz County, be sure to check out environteers.org! Environteers is a new website dedicated to providing easy access to the many rewarding environmental volunteer opportunities in our community, and to promote the diverse and dedicated environmental organizations serving Santa Cruz County.

Students & Staff Share Takeaways from Fall Conferences

There were many sustainability conferences all over the country this quarter! Students and staff in the Sustainability Office were able to attend many of them and wanted to share what they learned. Here are some key takeaways and stories from the conferences they attended this fall. If you ever attend a sustainability related conference and want to share a report-back in a future newsletter, please email sustain.education@ucsc.edu. 

South by Southwest Eco Conference
"Biomimicry, the idea of innovation inspired by nature, is a relatively new field of science focusing what we can learn from nature rather than what we can extract from nature. After facilitating an Education for Sustainable Living Program class on the topic of Biomimicry last quarter, I have been constantly curious about the world around me. When I heard about this conference, I saw it as a way to learn more about the field and meet the people with big ideas for Biomimicry..." Click here to continue reading this report from Lily Urmann, Green Labs Facilitator.

The Post-Landfill Action Network's Zero Waste Youth Conference 
"This conference was a great experience. We met a ton of hardworking and dedicated students from all across the country who were making positive impacts at their respective campuses. The conference theme was zero waste and we learned how to overcome challenges to get a zero waste program started, how to build a strong initiative, and how to network to leverage your goals. We were also inspired by some amazing speakers! To top it off, we had beautiful farm to table food and all of it was a 100% zero waste event!" - Jamison Czarnecki, Carbon Neutrality Fellow

National Bioneers Conference 
"Bioneers, for me, brought the many threads of 'sustainability' - environment, people, ecology, biodiversity, diversity, justice, equity, celebration of difference, purpose, conservation, conversation, art, climate, water, community, etc. - into a beautifully, vibrantly, amazingly woven cloth that held all of the attendees in its embrace for a weekend, bringing us in contact with new ideas and new people, encouraging us to sink into the realities of our world in their fullness..." Click here to continue reading this report from Melissa Ott, Office Manager/Events Coordinator.

Why I Love Bioneers 
"Even though this was my third time attending Bioneers, I was constantly blown away by the influx of new experiences and inspirations. I was grateful this year to be part of the Youth Leadership program, where I was surrounded by motivated young adults out to change the world. The dire state of our planet is often scary and overwhelming to think about, but the capacity of humans and our ability to collaborate on solutions keeps me hopeful. That is why I love Bioneers..." Click here to continue reading this report from Lily Urmann, Green Labs Facilitator.

Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education 
"I had the honor of representing our campus at the national annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Sustainability professionals from all around the world converged on Minneapolis, MN for the occasion. The session that struck me the most was an all-day workshop focused on incorporating sustainability and diversity issues..." Click here to continue reading this report from Elida Erickson, Interim Sustainability Director.

UC Carbon Neutrality Summit - Bending the Curve
"It's not often that UC President Napolitano, Governor Jerry Brown, 50+ faculty and researchers, Nobel laureates, and business leaders get together in one place to focus on a topic.  But on October 26 & 27, these movers and shakers got together at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UC San Diego to focus on one of the most critical issues facing society; climate change..." Click here to continue reading this report from Chrissy Thomure, Climate Action Manager.

UC Office of the President (UCOP) Fellowship Orientation
"On Saturday, November 14th, the UC Santa Cruz Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellows and Global Food Initiative Fellows attended the UC Office of the President’s fellowship orientation.  During this daylong event, the UCSC fellows were able to meet all of the other UC-wide fellows and get to know which exciting projects they were working on.  The UCSC fellows were able to share our efforts with the Cool Campus Challenge and which projects they will be undertaking as the academic year continues.  They also learned about new strategies from different workshops on how to maximize student, staff and faculty engagement.  Completing this orientation provided the UCSC fellows with a network of like-minded UC fellows and new strategies that will help UCSC complete the UCOP sustainability initiatives.  The fellows look forward to the future projects and opportunities that will secure UCSC’s carbon neutrality and food security goals." - Jordi Vasquez, Carbon Neutrality Fellow

December 2015: Classes, Trainings and Community

Classes

Sustainability Minor
The minor will incorporate courses offered by College Eight and departments across campus, student-initiated classes through the Education for Sustainable Living Program, and an interdisciplinary capstone. The minor is open to ALL UCSC students. For more information, click here.

Winter Quarter Courses at Kresge

Kresge 64: Tools for World Changers
Wed 11:00am-1:40pm (2 units)
Develops life skills that support you and help you support others. Implement effective methods for personal productivity (managing your to-dos, calendar, and inbox), interpersonal communication, meeting facilitation, event hosting, collaboration, and regenerative community design.

Kresge 67: Transformative Justice Seminar
    Tu Th 9:30am-11:45am (2 units)
    Examines the principles and processes of restorative justice juxtaposed to current practices in the judicial and educational systems of contemporary society. Students study leading restorative justice practices and their implication for individual and community transformation. Click here to learn more about restorative justice at Kresge.

Spring Construction Classes at Cabrillo

If you are a UCSC student and are interested in enrolling in a Spring semester class 

in Cabrillo ’s Construction & Energy Management Program, please see the list of courses 

in the attachment, here. Then contact Ronnie Lipschutz (rlipsch [at] ucsc [dot] edu) for further information about enrolling and having your tuition paid by College Eight. The last day to register is January 24th.

Trainings

Higher Learning on Interior Lighting Webinar

Thu, Dec 10, 2015 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Come learn more about interior lighting, with a focus on troffers and how new technology can significantly reduce energy use in higher education spaces. Colleges and universities in the U.S. spend around $1.10 per square foot on electricity with lighting representing 31% of the energy usage. The presentation will cover Princeton University’s recent lighting and controls upgrades, the University Financing Foundation assistance to education and research organizations with planning, development, and financing of facilities and equipment at below-market costs, and an overview of the Interior Lighting Campaign. 

Community

Permaculture Film Series

Tuesdays 6:00-7:30pm 

During Winter Quarter: Jan 5 - Mar 8

Save the date! Common Ground Center is offering a permaculture film and discussion series during winter quarter. Stay tuned for a list of films in their next newsletter. The series is free & open to the public, and students enrolled in Kresge-161: Permaculture & Whole Systems Design are encouraged to attend the series to see examples of thriving, resilient and sustainable communities worldwide. 

The World Cafe: Food, Tea, Conversations that matter

Mondays 5-7pm in the Kresge Seminar Room 159.

The World Cafe is a weekly potluck of both food and ideas. It aims to bring a diversity of people together to explore whatever topics matter to them. Each night is focused on a different theme, often proposed by a student club or passionate individual wanting to develop their conversational leadership. Savor the inquiry as you savor the food and tea, connect deeply with one another, form friendships, move projects forward, and create actionable knowledge. The World Cafe is a process used around the globe to surface the collective intelligence of groups of all sizes.

Produce Stand in the Quarry Plaza
CASFS has just ended its apprenticeship program and farm stand for the year, but there is still a chance for to get fresh produce on campus! Currently, students from the Food Systems Working Group (FSWG) and the Global Food Initiative (GFI) are hosting a produce stand on Wednesdays from 2:30-5 in the Quarry Plaza! Come by to get fresh leafy greens from our on-campus farm and fresh fruit from our local farmers market! We look forward to seeing you there! If you would like more information please contact abillys [at] ucsc [dot] edu or ucscfswg [at] gmail [dot] com

Divestment Student Network People Of Color Caucus

The People of Color (POC) Caucus is a place for organizers of color in the divestment movement to meet, collaborate on shared projects, and support each other to build the Climate Justice movement the world needs. Check their Purpose, Principles and how to get involved here. Divestors of color who are interested in learning more, fill out this quick membership form to be shared on their listserve, membership contact page, and facebook group.

Get Involved with UC Global Food Initiative

On July 1, 2014, President Janet Napolitano announced the Global Food Initiative, which will aim to address global issues in the food system. All 10 UC's will be working collectively towards this effort to support sustainable agriculture, healthy eating, and food security.  

UC Santa Cruz will be playing a critical role in this effort with the support of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) and Daniel Press, Executive Director of CASFS and Professor of the Environmental Studies Department. Daniel Press serves as the campus lead for UCSC in the GFI steering committee. Throughout the upcoming academic year students will be plugged in to subcommittees to uphold this initiative. Check out the UCSC fact sheet here! 

1) GFI lead Damian Parr (dmparr [at] ucsc [dot] edu) and fellow Alyssa Billys (abillys [at] ucsc [dot] edu) are working on media videos focusing on student experiential learning at CASFS as well as demonstration gardens. 

 2) GFI lead Tim Galarneau (tgalarne [at] ucsc [dot] edu) and fellow Crystal Owings (cowings [at] ucsc [dot] edu) are working with food pantries to promote food security on campus. 

 3) GFI lead Mary Beth Pudup (pudup@ucsc.edu) and fellow Joanna Ory (jory [at] ucsc [at] edu) are working on a lecture series based on food equity.

 4) GFI lead Katie Monsen (kmonsen [at] ucsc [dot] edu) and fellow Alyssa Billys are working on a catalog that will document all sustainable food systems and food systems research UC wide. 

 5) GFI lead Amy Bolton (abolton [at] ucsc [dot] edu) is working is working on a tool kit to promote and create Farmers Markets on UC campuses. If you are interested in getting involved with any of these GFI subcommittees, please contact any of the emails listed above. 

Also, stay tuned for a Town Hall so that UCSC's GFI leads and fellows can get your input on these efforts. " UCSC News Featured Calendar Events (on sidebar of newsletter, posted on calendar not blog)