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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Student Fee Measure on ballot to support airport shuttle program


Transportation and Parking Services, in conjunction with the SUA Internal Vice Chair's Interns, launched another successful series of Slug Shuttles last month that transported 603 students at no cost from campus to the Mineta San Jose International Airport and Diridon Caltrain Station at the beginning and end of Spring Break. In all, 28 shuttle trips helped car-free students reach planes, trains, and light rail—including four trips returning student to campus as Break ended.

More than 1,100 students have used the Slug Shuttle since its inception last Fall. Measure 53 on the Spring 2013 Student Ballot will determine whether funding will be made available to continue Slug Shuttle service at Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Break in the future. View the Student Ballot here starting May 1. To learn more about the slug shuttle program, please visit the TAPS website.

UCSC Featured in Princeton Review's Green College Guide

UC Santa Cruz is one of the 322 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company known for its test prep programs and college rankings profiles UCSC in the fourth annual edition of its free downloadable book, The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges.

The Princeton Review chose the schools for this guide based on a 50-question survey it conducted in 2012 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges. The Company analyzed data from the survey about the schools' course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation to measure their commitment to the environment and to sustainability.

Said Robert Franek, Senior VP/Publisher, The Princeton Review, "We are truly pleased to recommend UC Santa Cruz along with all of the fine schools in this book to the many students seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally-responsible choices and practices."

View the book here (UCSC is featured on page 135). Read more in this article by USA Today.

UCSC Receives Sustainability Best Practice Awards

UCSC will be recognized with two Best Practice Awards at the statewide Higher Education Sustainability Conference this summer in the categories of Monitoring-Based Commissioning and Sustainability Innovations.

The Monitoring-Based Commissioning award goes to the Earth & Marine Sciences Building project, which significantly reduced the carbon impact of the Earth and Marine Sciences Building through a process known as MBCx (commissioning). This project was made possible by the diligent efforts of campus facilities staff, including (below): Dan Miceli (HVAC supervisor), Dave Ciolino (Project Management), Gabe Sandoval (bldg tech) and Patrick Testoni (Energy Manager).


The Sustainability Innovations award goes to the UCSC College Dorm Bi-Level Stairwell Lighting Retrofit and Green Revolving Loan Fund. Together, these projects are sustainably innovative because our campus was able to reduce energy consumption and utilize associated cost savings to fund future energy efficiency projects. The revolving aspect of the loan is an innovative solution to funding sustainability projects on campus that can generate quantifiable monetary savings and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Revolving Loan and Bi-level Stairwell Retrofit were made possible through the collaborative efforts of representatives from the UCSC Carbon Fund, Physical Plant and Facilities, Planning and Budget Department, the Sustainability Office, Alliance to Save Energy PowerSave Green Campus Program, and College Housing and Educational Services.

Read the list of best practice awards state-wide here, and find out more about the conference on the website.

May 2013: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Apply to Volunteer with Sprout Up
Sprout Up is a non-profit program that looks for undergraduate volunteers to help bring lessons of environmental science and sustainability to local elementary school classrooms. They are college student founded and operated non-profit that is always seeking new instructors. For more information about potential volunteering opportunities with them check out their website.

Volunteer for Bike to Work Week and Day
Love bikes? Want to make Bike to Work Week and Day a success and join in the fun? Click here to learn about the many opportunities to get involved this year.

Internships with WaterLab Wastewater Recycling Research Facility
WaterLab Research Facility studies wastewater recycling and how to use recycled water to conserve unused water reserves. Though still in progress of becoming a full-fledged research facility, internship opportunities exist and will be expanding as the facility grows. Learn about the issues this facility will address and about the methods and features of the lab in this article. UCSC students can learn more about WaterLab and internships by contacting Eli Weintraub and via the Center for Integrated Water Research website.

IDEASS Accepting Applications for Interns for 2013-2014
Turn your ideas into reality! Do you have your own sustainable project design with potential to make a real community impact, but you aren’t sure how to make it a reality? Apply to IDEASS, a team-based 3-quarter internship program that provides students with real opportunities to work on local sustainability challenges with community partners or sponsors. Please click here to apply today for Fall Enrollment or go to http://sustainability.ucsc.edu/ideass for more information!


Rock & Roll on the Knoll Seeks Collaborators 
On the Stevenson Knoll on May 11, from 2 PM - 12 AM, the Rock & Roll on the Knoll event will be blasting tunes and celebrating the UCSC community through art and music. If you are in a sustainability org, are a musician, artist, or dreamer and want to collaborate, email rockandrollontheknoll2013@gmail.com. They are looking for people interested in making the event sustainable, and are open to any ideas you have for engaging activities! Find out more on the Facebook page here.



Volunteer to Campaign for the GROW Measure 54
The purpose of the GROW measure (Gardens, Resources, Opportunities, Waste Management), a new undergraduate fee of $4.20 per student, per quarter is to ensure students have adequate training and educational opportunities to garden, compost, and reduce their impact on the environment. This measure will provide infrastructure support and student work positions on the UCSC campus, across college gardens, experiential learning sites, and waste reduction efforts as we strive for a Zero Waste campus by 2020. If you are interested in participating in the campaign to promote the GROW Measure 54 prior to the elections this spring, please contact student leaders at ucscfswg@ucsc.edu or call 831-459-3675 for more details. Campaigning has begun and voting begins on May 13 through May 20, 2013.

Sustainability Office and Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services (CHES) Hiring Now for Next Year!
Are you interested in gaining meaningful work experience? The Sustainability Office and CHES are looking for motivated and passionate students to join their teams for the 2013-14 academic year. Read more here.

National Fellowship Program: Deadline July 1
The Environmental Leadership Program's National Fellowship Program offers intensive leadership and skills training and national networking opportunities. Through immersive retreats, their curriculum helps emerging leaders hone their leadership styles, improve their strategy and organizational development, and strengthen their outreach to diverse constituencies. With the assistance of professional coaching and peer learning, each Fellow develops a Personal Leadership Plan. It consists of two multi-day retreats in September 2013 and January 2014 and access to 4 hours of professional coaching. For information on eligibility, cost, dates and locations, and how to apply, visit the website. Applications are due July 1.

Berkeley-Based Urban Adamah Residential Leadership Training Program Accepting Applications for Fellowship
Urban Adamah, based in Berkeley, CA, is a three-month intensive residential leadership training program for young adults ages 21-31, that integrates urban organic farming, social justice work and progressive Jewish living and learning. Twelve Urban Adamah Fellows are selected each season to operate an organic farm and educational center, intern with community organizations addressing issues at the intersection of poverty, food security and environmental stewardship, and learn an approach to Jewish tradition that opens the heart and builds joyful community. Applicants do not need any farming or Jewish knowledge to participate. Summer program is June 9 – Aug 30, and fall program is Sept 8 – Nov 22. Admissions to the fellowship are rolling. Applications will be reviewed as soon as they are complete. Visit the website for more information and to fill out an application at www.urbanadamah.org

Farming Institute Immersion Program Accepting Applications
Come learn to farm at The Farming Institute! The Farming Institute is a unique, fast track, 11 week farming immersion program taking place on two organic vegetable farms in Eastern Iowa. It is designed to equip emerging farmers of all ages, such as college students, recent graduates or others wanting to fulfill a dream. The program includes a mixture of hands on and classroom experience. During the program, students will complete a business plan for their future farm and learn about the land, the business of farming and the farming process. For more information or an application visit http://www.thefarminginstitute.com or email Kate Edwards at kate.wildwoodsfarm@gmail.com or by phone 319-333-2980.

Apply for SEE-U, Summer 2013
Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) is seeking applicants for it's summer session. SEE-U is a program that seeks to highlight ecologically impacted areas of the world for undergraduates of all majors. You travel to your choice of one of the four beautiful yet endangered ecosystems where you live and learn about the particular challenges that area faces. Hosted through Columbia University, you earn 5 science credits while going abroad with other students and learning about environmental concerns on an international level. For more information click here.

AHA Bolivia Sustainability/Social Responsibility Internship
This combined internship, learning workshop, and cultural experience program is designed to introduce students to socially responsible business practices, international business, and environmental respectfulness in business. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how business works in a developing nation, and how it relates to export markets such as the U.S. and Canada. Participants will engage in hands on learning and will produce a measurable intern project by the end of the program. Program includes: practical internship, learning modules and accompanying activities (6-8 hours per week), accommodation (shared housing), artisan site visits, spanish classes (6 hours per week), and airport pick-up. The cost is $2700 for 4 weeks. For questions, or to apply, send your resume and a letter of interest to Cecilia at ahabolivia@gmail.com. Visit the website at http://www.ahabolivia.com.

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 at scasey@ucsc.edu.

Sustainability End of the Year Celebration May 21


Please save the date for the 5th Annual End of Year Sustainability Celebration and Planning Event, which will be held Tuesday, May 21st, from 1-4 PM in the Stevenson Event Center.

You are invited to join students, staff, faculty, and administrators from throughout the campus community to celebrate our accomplishments for the year and connect to our vision for the future.

The event will feature nearly 40 project posters from more than 10 different campus organizations and departments. There will be presentations from students, staff, and faculty about their sustainability achievements, live music powered by bike generator*, food, and opportunities to meet and mingle with others interested in sustainability at UCSC. Join the Facebook event here!


We hope to see you there! To view photos from last year's event, click here.

For questions, or to help out with this event, please email Melissa Ott at mott@ucsc.edu.

*Attendees to the event will be able to ride the bike generator in 15 minute shifts if they are interested.

May 2013: Innovative Approaches to Sustainability at Other Campuses

Here are a few selections of the innovative approaches to sustainability taking place on other college campuses. Each of these examples was chosen because they represent ideas that UCSC could potentially implement in some form, or in some cases, already has begun to. If you see something here that you want to make a reality at UCSC, contact the Sustainability Office and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!
SUNY ESF Launches Bicycle Safety Committee
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) has formed a Bicycle Safety Committee to provide a focus on education and improved communication on best practices as well as increasing bike infrastructure on campus. Since its launch, the committee has coordinated the curb removal from campus pathways, obtained a bicycle accident report from the City of Syracuse Police Department and began collaborating with neighborhood groups and city officials about making cycling safer.

Univ. of Missouri Secures Funding for Green Roof
The Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee at the University of Missouri (Columbia, MO) has pledged $27,000 to fund the construction of a green roof atop the university’s Rollins Dining Hall. A 2,520-square-foot modular system will be installed by October 2013.

RISD Pilots Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies
The Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI) has created a pilot program in Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies (NCSS). This two-year program aims to ascertain levels of student interest in NCSS and create a pathway of study which would allow students to compliment and add focus to work explored in their major areas of study.

University of Minnesota Launches Virtual Warehouse
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) has launched a new online exchange to facilitate reuse and waste reduction. Similar to Craigslist or Freecycle, the virtual warehouse allows users to exchange university property without visiting the ReUse warehouse or moving items to a building's dock for pickup.

May 2013: Classes, Training, and Community


Join the Kresge Natural Foods Co-op
The Kresge Community Natural Foods Co-op is a non-profit student-run food store located on the south side of Kresge College. It has been a Kresge College tradition for over twenty years, supporting small farmers, the UCSC Farm Project, and the Kresge Organic Garden. While anyone can buy food at the Food Co-op, members receive a discount. The Co-op operates as a collective and a variety of membership options are available. Special pricing is available on bulk orders. Come in for groceries, lunch, snacks, hot coffee, tea, or just to spend time with your friends. Hours: Weekdays 9 AM - 6 PM To contact the Food Co-op, call 426-1506, or attend the bi-weekly meetings every other Sunday at 11 am in the Student Lounge.

Common Ground Center Hosts Speaker Series
The Common Ground Center at Kresge College is a collaboration of students, faculty and staff promoting education for a just and sustainable world. In the month of May they are hosting two world renowned speakers who will discuss the relationships between economy, equity, and the environment. Victor Menotti, Director of the International Forum on Globalization will share his ideas about Alternatives to Economic Globalization on Wednesday May 29th from 7-9 PM and Gar Alperovitz on Thursday May 30th from 7-9 PM, both at Kresge Town Hall. For more info and to RSVP for these events please visit the Common Ground Center Facebook page. You can contact the Center by email here.

TAPS Seeks to Connect with Electric Vehicle (EV) Drivers
Interested in learning more about electric vehicle charging developments planned for UCSC? Want to know of potential electrical shutdowns at Core West? Transportation and Parking Services is wanting to be in better touch with our electric vehicle user community at UCSC – please send an email to tabuika@ucsc.edu to be added to the list of current electric vehicle users. Learn more about UCSC's current EV accomodations on the TAPS website.

Early Bird Registration Now Open Until June 7 for AASHE Conference
Join higher education sustainability leaders in Nashville for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2013 Conference & Expo, taking place October 6-9 at the Music City Center. Early bird registration ends June 7. Visit the website to learn more about the conference.