New Student Sustainability Advisor Positions in Colleges

For students living on campus, college life involves living, studying, and socializing in the college community they're affiliated with. In each of the housing areas, students produce waste and use resources in their day-to-day lives. At a campus where "environmental responsibility" is a part of our mission, UCSC colleges have created new Student Sustainability Advisor positions to support environmental responsibility on-the-ground.

"The SSA's primary role is to raise awareness and offer educational opportunities about ways campus residents can positively affect and contribute to UCSC’s sustainability goals," says Silas Snyder, Safety, Training and Conservation Coordinator for UCSC Housing and Dining Facilities.

Though many of the colleges are working toward zero waste goals, have gardens, or participate in composting, community life in the ten colleges at UCSC is about to get even greener, thanks to the new Student Sustainability Advisor (SSA) position that is currently open for applicants.

The SSAs will collaborate with campus sustainability leaders and residential life program staff and students to bring sustainability programs and awareness more to the forefront of residential life at UCSC. These student leaders will expand the team of people working on meeting the University's various conservation commitments, like the green house gas, landfill reduction, and water reduction goals. To learn more about the SSA position and find out how you can apply, please contact Silas Snyder or apply to ER #6782 the Employee Request System here.

December 2012: Internships, Employment, and Volunteering

Like the beautiful forest of our campus, here is a veritable forest of opportunities for you to get involved in the sustainability movement, both on and off the UCSC campus. You can make sure that the world's trees stay around for a long time through a wide variety of programs for people with different interests and passions. Take a look!

New! Student Sustainability Advisors
Colleges, Housing and Educational Services is creating new Student Sustainability Advisors, who will collaborate with campus sustainability leaders and residential life program staff and students to bring sustainability programs and awareness more to the forefront of residential life at UCSC. To learn more about the SSA position and find out how you can apply, please contact Silas Snyder or read more here.

Help UCSC Take Back the Tap
Take Back the Tap strives to eliminate the sale of single use water bottles on the UCSC campus to advocate for access to clean water worldwide and reduce waste. If you're interested in getting involved or have any questions please visit the website, Facebook page, or send an email.

Get Hands On with CAFF
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers wants volunteers to work in their education programs for low-income youth in the Santa Cruz area. Kids aren’t your thing? They also need volunteers for their Harvest Of The Month campaign which highlights the produce of local farmers. Check out their website to learn more.

Undergrads Can Do Real Research
UCSC is ranked the 2nd most influential research university in the world. Because of this, undergrads are considered an important resource for the work that we do here.  Opportunities to become a part of that are always changing! To find out more about how you can become a student researcher visit the undergrad research website.

Be a Program Leader in Nicaragua Through GSE
The Global Student Embassy is seeking students to help run sustainability projects in Nicaragua. Do you speak Spanish? Do you know about sustainable living and farming techniques? You could be an important part of making sure a developing country learns to grow in a way that’s safe for the environment. For more information on this specific program and how to apply please visit their website.

Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Interested in gardening, habitat restoration, tidepooling, maintaining exhibits and helping at events for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History? Volunteer today! Find out more and fill out an application here.

A National Environmental Organization Wants YOU
The Environmental Leadership Program has just opened up applications for positions in 2013. Want to become a part of environmental change at a national level? Consider applying to become a Fellow of the program and begin your journey to a sustainable career, through networking with some of the most influential environmental leaders in the country. Visit their website to learn more.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Instructors
EENG provides free, youth-led environmental education programs to 1st and 2nd grade classrooms in public schools throughout California to help cultivate the next generation of passionate caretakers of the earth. For more information, please visit their website. 

Bike Smart Seeking Cyclists for School Bicycle Rodeo Events
Come share your passion for bikes with the youth of Santa Cruz County. Ecology Action's Bike Smart Program is seeking enthusiastic cyclists of all abilities to assist with their school bicycle rodeo events, which empowers and engages students through safe cycling education. For more information, please visit the website.

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.

Know about other internship, employment, or volunteering opportunities related to sustainability around Santa Cruz or the campus? Post in the comments or send us an email!

IDEASS Students Inspired by NASA Ames Innovative Projects

Article by Hanna Haas, Student Outreach Coordinator for IDEASS

The IDEASS (Impact Designs: Engineering and Sustainability Through Student Service) class had the pleasure of touring the NASA Ames Center this month, where they learned about innovations in green building technologies, research on renewable energy micro-grid systems, and an engineering project that converts algae into a biodiesel fuel stock while simultaneously sequestering harmful carbon emissions and cleaning up wastewater. 

IDEASS Class at NASA Ames Center

NASA Ames recently completed construction of a new building called the Sustainability Base, where students were able to learn about topics such as net zero energy use, and bloom fuel cells, which convert natural gas into electricity through a chemical reaction rather than traditional combustion, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information about the design of the sustainability base, click here.

IDEASS also toured research facilities linked to an onsite microgrid, which is used to make predictive models that will support consistent energy delivery for its users. This is in particular interest to a few of the IDEASS students who will be working on a five-year effort to create micro grids in Santa Cruz. 

Additionally, the class was given a presentation by a former IDEASS student who is working as a research assistant to convert algae into fuel. Algae can be grown as a crop that is very high in oil content. Thus, algae can be converted into "clean energy" biofuels that cleans waste water, removes carbon dioxide from the air, and retain important nutrients. NASA plans to integrate this technology into bio refineries to produce renewable energy products, including diesel and jet fuel. For more information on this project, click here. 

Though many IDEASS projects focus on other topics than those demonstrated at the NASA Ames Center, all of the students who attended the tour were inspired by these projects that show the possibility of innovation. 

Interested in enrolling in IDEASS for Winter Quarter? 

There will be a few spots available for winter enrollment on select projects concerning select projects. If interested, please email ideass@ucsc.edu for more information.

Introduction to the Climate Action Team

Indya and Camille the Climate Action team members

Hi Sustainability Folks!

We are the Climate Action Team on the UCSC campus working to create student, staff and faculty collaboration in order to reduce our overall campus greenhouse gas emissions. 

Indya Green is our Climate Action Intern working on establishing a climate action related projects on campus and outreaching for the Climate Action Plan and the Campus Sustainability Plan. 

Camille Carrillo is the Campus Sustainability Internship Program Climate Action Intern, working on establishing a Green Revolving loan fund on campus and outreaching to students about the Climate Action Plan. 

What is the Climate Action Plan? 

A governing document on the UCSC campus established by the Climate Action Working Group, that provides three goals to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions/footprint. 

Those three goals are:

2000 levels by the year 2014

1990 levels by 2020

80% below 1990 levels by 2050

These levels are the levels of greenhouse gas emissions that our whole campus emits, thats including student, staff and faculty activities. 

The Climate Action Team members, Indya and I, are currently working with the Climate Action Manager, Lacey Raak, to update and revise the plan in order to get it approved by March 2013. 

If you want to help us reach our goals, get involved with one of the many working groups on campus!

These working groups are primarily staff but they encourage student involvement and provide opportunities for collaboration between students and staff. Some of the working groups related to directly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions are Climate, Energy, and Transportation. 

Any questions about the Climate Action Plan or if you want to get involved with the working groups

Please feel free to contact Camille Carrillo clcarril@ucsc.edu

A new project has begun this quarter! In collaboration with Environmental Health and Safety and Green Campus, the Sustainability Office is establishing a Green Labs Certification Program!  The vision is to create a green lab program that improves energy efficiency and increases green purchasing and recycling through behavioral change, physical improvements and education. We are working on our certification checklist at the moment using ideas from programs at Yale, Harvard, UC Irvine, and other schools. Our goal is to have 2 certified pilot labs by July 2013!

If you have any questions regarding this program, are part of a lab and/or want to get involved, please contact Indya Green at rigreen@ucsc.edu 

Reduce, Reuse, Rejoice: Green Holiday Tips

The holidays are coming and along with the holiday cheer comes increased energy use, transportation and waste in general. During the holiday season, we may be scrambling to get out of our dorms and houses to head home. Once home we might rush to get a last minute ingredient or present. In your mad rush, don't forget about energy conservation and other wasteful habits that have an impact on our environment. Take only what you'll eat to avoid food waste at meals, consider the sources and life-cycle for gifts you buy, and consider buying less stuff! (watch the Story of Stuff). Here and below are some additional tips for going green this holiday as well as some sobering statistics to help motivate you to find ways to integrate sustainability into your holiday rituals.

Before you head home, remember: 

• There will be a planned electrical shutdown on campus and could be power outages over break, so remember to unplug all appliances, electronics, and shut off power strips. Be sure to empty mini-fridges, unplug, and leave the door ajar. 
• Close windows and blinds to prevent major heat and cool fluxes. 
• Empty trash and recycling in proper receptacles. 
• Please respect the campus closure dates. Our campus plans for energy savings during campus closures-- please help us keep our energy use down during those dates.

Once home: 

• Shut curtains and lower your blinds for extra insulation. 
• If you have a programmable thermostat and you'll be out of the house, turn it to 60 degrees. Keep it a little lower than you're comfortable with in short sleeves when you're home and supplement with layers and blankets. 
• Make sure to check faucets for leaks and tighten them before you leave your house for holiday or winter festivities 

Also remember that energy conservation is important year-round! If you would like to get involved in doing energy assessments and finding ways to reduce energy use on-campus, check out PowerSave Green Campus or the Green Office Certification Program if you'd like to have your office's waste and energy assessed.

EPA Food Recovery Challenge

EPA Honors Calif., Nev., Ariz. Universities for Pledge to Significantly Reduce Food Waste

Seventeen Schools Pledge Multi-ton Waste Reduction

SAN FRANCISCO – In celebration today of America Recycles Day 2012, the U.S. Environmental Agency announces the participation of 17 California, Nevada, and Arizona universities in EPA’s national Food Recovery Challenge.  An event is being hosted by the University of California, Berkeley, one of the first participants to join the Food Recovery Challenge.  

The Food Recovery Challenge is a voluntary program that aims to limit the 34 million tons of food wasted nationwide annually by reducing unnecessary consumption and increasing donations to charity and composting.  By participating, these schools, with a combined 460,000 student enrollment, pledge to reduce food waste by five percent in one year

“Food waste is a particular problem for California, the world’s fifth largest food supplier, because of the enormous quantities of water and energy required for production,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.  “EPA is proud to partner with these universities as they commit to support the environment and their community by reducing food waste.”

As participants, the 17 schools—University of California Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, San Francisco, Santa Barbara; and Santa Cruz; California State University Fullerton, Humboldt and Northridge; University of Southern California; City College San Francisco; Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University; and University of Nevada Las Vegas and Reno—join 42 other colleges and universities nationwide in pledging to reduce wasted food.  In addition to higher education institutions, other participants include grocers and entertainment venues, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers stadium.

Nationally, food is the single largest material sent to landfills, accounting for 25 percent of all waste sent to landfills.  When excess food, leftover food, and food scraps are disposed of in a landfill, they decompose and become a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.  In turn, limiting wasted food will reduce methane emissions.  

The Food Recovery Challenge is part of EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of food and other widely-used everyday items through their entire life cycle, including how they are extracted, manufactured, distributed, used, reused, recycled, and disposed.

For more information on the Food Recovery Challenge, click here.  

For additional information on EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, click here. 

Money Available For Your Project Ideas!

Imagine a carbon neutral campus  (a campus that removes as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it puts in). Solar panels and wind turbines on every roof. Bikes and pedestrians fill the streets. What else comes to mind when you think of a more sustainable campus? Did you know that there is tons of money available to help UCSC reduce its carbon footprint? 

UCSC's Carbon Fund was founded in 2010 through Measure 44, a $3-per-quarter student fee. The Carbon Fund provides grants to projects that reduce local greenhouse gas emissions on campus and in the surrounding Santa Cruz area. The UCSC Carbon Fund is dedicated to giving students, staff, and faculty members like you the power to make a change! We're looking to fund projects that reduce waste, energy, water, and gas consumption in innovative ways.

Past projects include the installation of a wind turbine on the Santa Cruz municipal wharf that helped to make the historic Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf energy more self-sufficient. 

For more examples of more past projects click here.

Project abstracts are due Friday, November 16th online. Access the abstract submission form here. We hope you take advantage of this great opportunity to help our community move towards a sustainable future! Apply for the Carbon Fund today!