December 2016: Classes, Trainings & Community

UCSC Farm Produce Pop-up Thursdays from 10 am - 3 pm
Come and enjoy the UCSC Farm Produce Pop-up on Thursdays from 10am to 3pm at the Quarry Plaza! Food Systems Working Group will have a variety of vegetables and flowers from the UCSC CASFS Farm and select fruit from the Downtown Farmer's Market. They are now accepting EBT/CalFresh! The purpose of the pop-up is to bring the farmers' market to UCSC for students and to increase access to healthy and affordable food for all. If you have any questions, please contact Food Systems Working Group or visit their Facebook page.

UC Natural Reserve System Field Studies Summer Program, California Ecology and Conservation Summer Program: Deadline February 3
The UC Natural Reserve System is now accepting applications for the Summer 2017 Field Studies Program: California Ecology and Conservation. Applications are due on February 3rd. Students from across the UC system have gained strong independent scientific research skills while immersed in the training grounds of the UC natural reserves, from Big Sur to the Mojave Desert, from coastal redwoods to California grasslands to high altitude bristlecone pines. Check out this video and the article Non-stop Nature to get glimpses of what students are calling the most rewarding experience in their undergraduate careers. 

Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup: December 7 at 6 pm
Join the Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup community at Cruzio & Ecology Action Green Building in downtown Santa Cruz (877 Cedar Street). Learn about hot new technologies and mingle with 250+ fellow entrepreneurs, investors, bloggers, and tech enthusiasts. This event is always packed, so be sure to RSVP early. Doors open at 6:00pm, presentations start at 7:00pm. Entry fee is $10, and $5 for students with valid ID (pay at the door), and includes food, beverage, and live music.

Sun-Work Rooftop Solar Energy Training: December 10 & 17
A free 3-hour training session about rooftop solar energy will be offered on Saturday, December 10 from 9 am to 12 pm in San Jose and Saturday December 17 from 2-5 pm in Berkeley.  They're being sponsored by SunWork, a Bay-Area nonprofit that installs rooftop PV systems on small-energy-footprint homes with the help of volunteers. Register for the training online.

Santa Cruz Permaculture Design Course: January 1 Early Bird Deadline
Permaculture is an ethically based whole-systems design approach that uses concepts, principles, and methods derived from ecosystems, indigenous peoples, and other time-tested systems to create human settlements and institutions. This course includes the internationally recognized 72-hour curriculum, augmented by an additional 38-hours of hands on practice and field trips. Plus, folks have the option to camp on site each weekend, and build community around the fire! The early bird deadline is January 1st and there are payment plans, low-income and youth POC discounts for the course as well. For more information or to sign up, visit their website.

School for Field Studies Environmentally Focused Study Abroad Opportunities
SFS creates transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research. Their educational programs explore the human and ecological dimensions of the complex environmental problems faced by local partners, contributing to sustainable solutions in the places where we live and work. The SFS community is part of a growing network of individuals and institutions committed to environmental stewardship. Learn more about UCSC opportunities through this program here or visit the website.

Free workshops & trainings with Post-Landfill Action Network
The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) cultivates and educates the student-led zero waste movement and informs students about the waste crisis, equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to implement solutions about waste into their campus communities. UC Santa Cruz is a PLAN member school, which gives us free access to resources and support from PLAN, including workshops and trainings focused on student leadership and how to effectively reach zero waste. Learn more about these opportunities on the blog.

Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program: Deadline February 2 
This is a six-week program at Howard University that helps prepare undergraduate students for careers in international affairs. It includes two for-credit academic courses, a professional writing seminar, visits and meetings with foreign affairs professionals in a wide range of government and non-governmental organizations, and professional development activities. The program will run from mid-June until late July and encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial need. Applicants with any undergraduate major are welcome to apply. Additional qualifications and information about how to apply are on their website.

Fall Faculty Curriculum Workshop

On November 4th, twenty faculty from all Academic Divisions participated in the second part of a curriculum workshop on incorporating climate change and sustainability into existing curricula. Participants shared their research, teaching and pedagogical approaches and discussed ways to build relationships and collaborate to educate students about climate change and sustainability. We will be hosting quarterly events for faculty interested in climate change and sustainability education. If you or someone you know who is faculty are interested in participating, please email Shauna Casey to receive an invitation.

Standing Rock Statement

The following statement was posted on the American Indian Resource Center's Facebook page on November 22, 2016.  

"Today in the cold temperatures of the North Dakota landscape American Indians and allies are committed to protecting water, one of our most precious natural resources. As they attempt to exercise their right to care for this resource, to draw attention to the damage that will be done to all of us if the Dakota Access Pipeline is allowed to be built, they have been ridiculed, harassed, shamed and belittled. While the mainstream press ignores their efforts, alternative and social media outlets share stories and images of inhumane acts toward these unarmed warriors. On Tuesday morning, we woke to photos and video of defenders at Standing Rock being blasted with water hoses, shot with rubber bullets and suffering the effects of tear gas. That morning all of the Resource Center Directors decided that we must speak out publicly against this injustice – we stand with Standing Rock.
As the country prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, during Native American Heritage month, American Indians are living the horrors of American history all over again. The UC Santa Cruz Resource Centers want all Native students to know that we are aware of how this directly affects you. We support you and extend an invitation to our centers, where you will always be welcomed and nurtured.

To the warriors at Standing Rock, we see you. We know what is happening, we know what is true. We send this greeting so you can see us. We are far away in distance, but right beside you in spirit.

In Solidarity,
Nancy I. Kim, MA, Director, Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center
Managing Director, Resource Centers
travis s. becker, MA, Director, Lionel Cantú Queer Center
Dr. Judith Estrada, PhD, Director, Chicano/Latino Resource Center (El Centro)
Dr. Rebecca H. Rosser, PhD, Director, American Indian Resource Center
Interim Director, Women’s Center
Shonté Thomas, M.Ed, Director, African American Resource and Cultural Center
YOU CAN DO SOMETHING!
SUPPORT THE UCSF CLINIC at Standing Rock

https://crowdfund.ucsf.edu/project/2913

In early September 2016, the Do No Harm Coalition at UCSF was invited to help create a free clinic at the camp of the Standing Rock Lakota Dakota and their supporters who are gathering to protect access to clean water and dignity of their ancestral lands.

The Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) Health Clinic is a free integrative clinic proposed as a partnership with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe traditional healers, UCSF, National Nurses United, Herbal Medics, Changing Woman Initiative (indigenous midwifery group) and Global Health Care Alternative Project to provide free care to all people in the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. At the invitation of the tribe, our consortium's goal is to create a space for the imagining and practice of decolonized medicine in order to further the health of the community in the short-term with the expanded population due to pipeline resistance and in the long term after the encampments have dissolved.

We are currently raising funds to get the clinic doors open, to cover general liability and the necessary equipment and medications to practice responsibly. This clinic will be staffed by 100% volunteer work, with faculty covering during vacation time.

Currently there is no local healthcare access for all of the 2,000-5,000 people who are assembled at Standing Rock. The local 12 bed IHS hospital cannot care for nonnative people or native people from tribes that are not federally recognized. Your gift will be made directly to the UCSF fund that will used to get the clinic doors open!"

Alumni Survey 2016

Hi Sustainabilibuddies!

In preparation for the January Campus Job Fair, the Sustainability Office is seeking feedback from former students and staff about what y'all have gone on to do after graduation.  With your feedback, we're hoping to give prospective new employees a vision of what careers a Sustainability Office experience might prepare them for. 

While we greatly appreciate the 30+ responses we've received thus far, we could really use input from more alumni!

If you have a moment, please fill out our 11-question SurveyMonkey Survey! 

The survey allows you to skip questions if you wish.  Your responses will be visible to the Education and Outreach (E&O) team, but anonymous to everyone else.  That said, we would like to include some quotations for promotional purposes.  We may contact you asking your permission to use some of your feedback with name attached.

Also! You are cordially invited to attend the Sustainability Inter-Organizational Retreat and our Spring Alumni Mixer!

Inter-Org Retreat will feature an opening dinner for students, staff, faculty and alumni on Friday, January 13 on-campus. There are also opportunities for alumni to participate in an alumni panel on Friday night and/or lead a workshop on Saturday, January 14. If you're interested in participating in the retreat in some way, please indicate so on the Alumni Survey above.  Visit our website or email Melissa Ott for more information about Inter-Org Retreat.

The date for the Spring Alumni Mixer will take place the weekend of Alumni Weekend (April 28-30).  Those who indicate their interest on the Alumni Survey will be contacted with further details once the date and location are confirmed. If you are interested in helping plan the mixer, please email Melissa Ott.

Happy Holidays, the E&O Team!