November 2016 Sustainability Profile: Ivy Young of Santa Cruz Community Compost Co.

Each month, our newsletter features a person or group that is working toward a more sustainable world. This month we are featuring Ivy Young of Santa Cruz Community Compost Co., which employs a number of UCSC alumni and turns Santa Cruz residents' food scraps into rich compost.

What does your organization do?

Santa Cruz Community Compost Co. is a bicycle-powered, community oriented, compost collection service. Customers collect their food scraps and other compostables in the bin we provide. Then, we pick it up weekly via cargo bike and deliver it to a local urban farm where we transform it into high quality fertile soil that is either returned to our customers or made available to the host farm.

How many pounds of food scraps does your organization divert from the landfill each year in creating compost? How many miles do your riders bike compost each year?

Since our first haul in June 2014 we have diverted more than 130,000 lbs of waste from the local landfill and we’re hauling around 2000 lbs more every week from around 250 local homes and businesses. Though we don’t track our riders’ miles, we cover ground from Shaffer at Delaware all the way to 42nd Ave and even take a trip up to the UCSC faculty housing once a week.  

How did you decide to use bicycles for transporting the compost?

The idea was originally sparked by a company in Austin, TX, the Compost Pedallers, that operates using a similar model. While bicycle transport does present some challenges, we believe in operating our business in a way that is energy efficient, inspiring and honors our core values. Bicycles are clean, quiet and when people see us out riding it puts a smile on their face.  

What’s one of your favorite memories associated with your organization and composting?  

I’m a single mom and in the first 6 months of operating routes, I often had my then 5 year old son riding on the back of my bike with me as I trekked all over town.  He would keep me company by singing “Keep on the Sunny Side” and he would chant “go mama, go mama, go” whenever I had to go up a hill.  I feel so grateful that he has been able to share in this experience and see what is possible when you work hard for something you believe in.

How did you get involved with composting?

I grew up composting so I’m someone who feels very strange whenever I’m faced with throwing a banana peel in the trash.  Most of my previous knowledge, however, was in the realm of small, backyard piles.  I have had to learn as I go about how to handle such large amounts of organic waste and I still have a lot more to learn.  I have become so excited now about the microbial universe living within a compost pile and the incredibly transformative process that occurs there that the work I’m doing is becoming a sort of philosophy to me.  

What does “sustainability” mean to you?

I don’t think that “sustainable” is just a catch phrase for the green movement.  To sustain something is to find the balance between what is possible and what is plausible. Sustainability is getting out on your tiptoes, reaching out for your most perfect Ideal, but not letting your feet leave the ground because you can’t inspire others when you’re floating in a bubble way out of reach, and it’s our collective efforts that will really make a difference. Sustainability to me is waking up each day, doing the very best you can and believing that your neighbor is doing the same.  

Has this job influenced you to live more sustainably in other ways?  

This work pushes me to my limits sometimes physically, socially and emotionally and while I had always considered my lifestyle to be sustainable because I eat organic, compost, and reuse my plastic bags and twistie ties at the bulk bins, I had never considered whether my inner life, social life or physical existence were truly sustainable. I’ve really tried in the last few years to apply the spirit of sustainable living to more than just how I consume things. Now, I ask myself questions like, “Am I an energy efficient vehicle?” “How does the energy I expend contribute positively to my community?” “Where is my time/energy/spirit being wasted and where is it being transformed into something useful?” I see the transformation that occurs in my piles--rotting detritus that smells somewhat like baby vomit becoming fresh living healthy soil that smells like the rain forest--and it gives me hope that even the most rotten things in life can, with time, be transformed into something beautiful.

Thank you, Ivy Young, for sharing about your work and inspiring us! To learn more about Santa Cruz Compost Co., visit their website.

Join a regional green living magazine startup with ECO-SHIFT in conducting local market research

Internship Description:
Two Santa Cruz County-based environmental professionals are in the early startup phase of launching a regional green living magazine. Targeting a spring-summer 2016 issue, the launch is on an accelerated pace. The first phase requires marketing research to help (a) understand the appetite for this publication in the region and (b) inform the branding, naming, format and content development of the first issue. The yet to be named magazine startup requires 4 interns for 6 hours per week to conduct market research at community events. Community events are within a 40-mile radius of Santa Cruz, so at least 2 interns require a car (mileage will be reimbursed). Interns will also work with the data collected by compiling, organizing, and analyzing it. Interns will also learn to prepare data visualizations and narratives, incorporating them into the magazine’s foundational and supporting documents. The internships are currently unpaid but are available as 2-credits. They are interested in interns starting immediately but can wait until winter quarter for the right fit.

Specific objectives of the projects assigned to the intern

1. Assist co-founders in developing market research survey instruments and coordinate survey locations.
2. Complete market research assignments, conducting surveys and developing an audience profile through data analytics.
3. Serve as an internal advisory member to the co-founders.
4. If interested, prepare content for magazine based on market research findings.
5. There is the potential to continue the internship quarter to quarter through the 2015-2016 academic year and summer.

Prerequisites:
No coursework required although demonstration of writing skills developing and use of Microsoft Excel in coursework is a certain plus.

Preferred skills/background:
Previous work with the public is preferred as is a positive attitude and willingness to learn as part of a team. They are a very team-oriented duo who strive to work efficiently, creatively and collaboratively. They highly value these characteristics in applicants. Since the magazine is a written product, they also prefer applicants who demonstrate competent writing skills. With the team's deep expertise in complementary areas of environmental consulting, policy and technology, interns will learn a wide range of best practices, the magazine launch process and organization, and participate in a fast-paced, start-up environment.

Required skills/background:
They require experience in Microsoft Excel, with an understanding of formulas, equations, functions and data manipulation. Most important for this project is that applicant can demonstrate that he/she is a quick learner, detail oriented, dedicated and is enthusiastic to work with us in a startup environment.

If you are interested, please submit a cover letter or introductory email including the following to Agnes Topp at amartelet [at] hotmail [dot] com
Thank you, they look forward to hearing from you!

Relevant coursework

• A resume or CV highlighting skills or work experience relevant to this internship
• Your availability for work this quarter and when you can start
• Whether you have a car
• Why you are interested in working with them
• The environmental issue you are passionate about
• We hope to have our interns selected to start immediately or in winter quarter by early to mid-November!

About The Company:
Two Santa Cruz County-based environmental professionals are launching a regional green living magazine that is yet to be named. The magazine will be the California Central Coast’s source for practical tips and authoritative information for the environmentally conscious consumer. This magazine will be rich with locally relevant content and photography to creatively inspire and enable the reader to gain a deeper understanding of issues, actions, and products and lead a sustainable lifestyle.

The company is seeking to fill a niche for their target audience of mature, eco-conscious consumers. Those consumers are more likely to support local businesses and are willing to spend more for sustainably-sourced and produced goods. Studies show that eco-conscious consumers are more likely to turn to written media in magazines and on the web for information than the television or radio.

According to the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report, nearly 9 in 10 Americans say the words “conscious consumer” describe them well and are more likely to buy from companies that manufacture energy efficient products (90%), promote health and safety benefits (88%), and commit to environmentally-friendly practices (87%). This is especially true in California, where conscious consumers are shaping State policies and political leadership.

Procurement Services Receives Gift for Sustainability Efforts

Procurement's Strategic Sourcing Team is proud to report that they have received a $5,000 gift from The Dreaming Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham to expand on their vendor sustainability program.  Their benefactor selected Strategic Sourcing's initiative from among more than a dozen proposals from students, staff, and research groups.

Last year, Strategic Sourcing initiated a program to improve sustainability efforts on the part of their suppliers. Strategic Sourcing's goal, keeping with the Procurement's Strategic Sourcing Team's commitment to the Campus Sustainability Plan (CSP), is to engage suppliers to develop strategies that promote sustainable procurement practices within the supply chain and measure those suppliers to agreed standards. To that end,  Procurement's Strategic Sourcing Team applied to the Provost's Sustainability Internship (PSI) program, and recruited a dynamic and capable UCSC student named Marissa Meisterling to develop the process.

Throughout FY15, Marissa contacted 17 select suppliers and developed a method for benchmarking suppliers’ sustainability efforts. This information acts as a baseline and a framework for encouraging vendors to take additional steps to improve their "sustainability profile." To expand on these efforts, they have retained another engaging and brilliant PSI student intern, William Watson. Our goals for this year are to establish an online method to better engage suppliers, work with Procurement Buyers to incorporate sustainability into their daily interactions with vendors, and significantly increase the number of participating suppliers. 

That's where their benefactor comes in. To accomplish these goals, they will need to move to an online database that the suppliers can access and update themselves, providing them with additional information, and exhibiting their progress as an incentive to participate in the program. Further, the Procurement's Strategic Sourcing Team will need training and marketing materials for both their own staff and their vendors. These items cost money, and they now have a $5,000 budget to work with.

They are extremely grateful to the benefactor for supporting this effort. There has never been funding for this kind of effort before. By encouraging their suppliers to make more sustainable choices, they can enhance UC Santa Cruz's excellent reputation as a green campus, and promote real-world actions that support a healthy environment.

Global Village Cafe Receives Green Business Certification

Congratulations! Global Village Café located at the McHenry Library is the first contracted food vendor on campus to receive their Green Business Certification from the City of Santa Cruz. This intensive program focuses on pollution prevention, water and energy conservation, solid waste and recycling, equipment and facility upgrades as well as staff training are part of this comprehensive City of Santa Cruz Green Business Program.

With the assistance from campus dining (which currently have all 13 locations certified) this 6 month implementation process was achieved in early December. 

Victoria Salas, Adam Hoffman, and Clint Jeffries in the Global Village Cafe at McHenry Library

“I felt it was a major priority to become a certified Green Business. Given the transitional environmental/sustainability issues our generation is facing, I believe our certification will help lead the way for other independent food vendors to demonstrate their commitment to support local agriculture, food waste awareness, and energy efficiency. Going through this process of being certified has revealed several minor measures that all of us can take to make a major difference in the food industry. Thanks to all who helped along the way!" said Adam Hoffman, General Manager at Global Village Cafe. 

“Collaborating with campus vendors to achieve certification is one of the dining department goals from the current 3 year campus sustainability plan and Adam was enthusiastic and motivated from the first contact,” stated Clint Jeffries, Green Business Manager for UC Santa Cruz Dining. 

Assisting Adam in the detailed process was the Chancellor's Undergraduate Intern for Dining, Victoria Salas.  If you want to make change happen on this campus and get involved in UCSC as more than just a student, you should apply for the Chancellor's Undergraduate Internship Program, which is currently accepting submissions until February 13. Find out more about the campus-wide internship program here.

To learn more about the Green Business Certification of Global Village Cafe, please contact Candy Berlin.