Visions for the year from the Sustainability Office Fall Retreat in 2011

As we reflect on past visions we look forward to the following year.

By the end of this year, I will raise and secure a permanent source of funding annually for all the programs that fall underneath the Campus Sustainability office and for future programs.
- Kirsten, Development Coordinator

I will help sustain the Sustainability Office - support its staff & students, secure ongoing funding, and make sure we take time to celebrate! I will ensure strategic planning for sustainability, climate, the office & its student organizations.
- Aurora Winslade, Sustainability Director

Students at Inter-Org Retreat

I would like to assist the Zero Waste Team in making our campus meet the 75% waste diversion by 2012 and help lay the foundation to meet 100% waste diversion by 2020 through education, legislation, & ACTION!
- Devin Jokerst, Zero Waste Team

Zero Waste Team at Earth Summit

This year, I will work hard and pass on sustainable cultures and attitudes to new interns. Go PROPS! Since I am proud to be a part of the S.O., I want other people to be the same!

- Shannon M.

This year FOSO will increase its presence on campus by engaging new students in sustainable behavior.
- Nicole Fiore

I want to become as involved as possible with Green Campus. The main goal I have is to reduce energy use in buildings on campus and reduce waste in the dorms.
- Delia

This year my goal is to make an impact and bring greater awareness of energy efficiency and water conservation to the UCSC campus!
- Ivan Cheung, Green Campus

I dream for students & faculty to have an infinite love & care to maintaining a healthier greener life on campus. I want to see the philosophy of Zero Waste strive & SOAR at UCSC. I hope that students will always feel motivated to pick up trash wherever they go.
- Elizabeth Lin, Zero Waste

I want to see Take Back the Tap succeed in order to reduce waste on campus and educated peers / staff about tap water. While working on this campaign I hope to expand my knowledge on how to successfully implement change on campus / community / states etc.
- Rebecca, Take Back the Tap 

New water bottle Spigot at Mchenry Library

To find direction in the maze of problems revolving around waste. Finding a way to make waste a positive rather than a negative. Establishing long term positive policy changes in the UCSC waste world.
- Anonymous

Have our University as a whole believe and all contribute to a non-impactive way of living.
- Lauren

This year (2011-2012), I would like to have educated others of the importance of helping save energy, water and other resources. Knowledge is the key to action!
- Siara Barber-Crespo, Green Campus

By Spring 2013 I want to increase UCSC’s energy efficiency to the most it has ever been. I want to see 80% of all the buildings outfitted with energy saving light fixtures and/or sensors. I want to accomplish this feat with coordination amongst student, faculty, and other orgs.
- Daniel Glatman, Green Campus

My vision for this year is to be involved in policy making on campus regarding environmental and the United States as a whole. I want to be able to have a voice and make people listen to the problems with our enviornment.
- Nick Martinez, SSITE

This year SSITE will be the collaborative space for new and current student leaders to engage in the movement towards sustainable development.
- Tan Ha

I envision myself creating a project in the sustainability office either through CSI or Climate Action Plan. I also plan to find successful projects through the CSC.
- Camille, Climate Action Plan

By 2012, June, the time I hope to graduate, I will have strengthened the Carbon Fund logistics, the funded projects by this funding body will be effective in reducing GHG, and prepare the committee for continuing in the future.
- Andrea

I want to become more and more involved in campus sustainability and identify in what way I can become involved that I will be most passionate about. This year, I hope to build relationships with students and staff who are part of sustainability efforts on campus and make their jobs easier and help their projects run smoothly.
- Melissa Ott, Internship Coordinator Assistant 

Sustainability Office Open House 

This year I will support students in developing professional & leadership skills in sustainability.
- Shauna

This year, PROPS will become a major campus operation, led by students, to help UCSC be ever more sustainable!
- Shannon M.

This year FoSO will grow to be a thriving and effective student group that not only supports the Sustainability Office goals, but the campus wide sustainability initiatives as well.
- Olivia

This year Take Back the Tap will serve as a model for future behavioral change campaigns in FoSO and campus-wide. This year I will serve as a peer mentor and share my institutional knowledge and leadership training with as many students as possible.
- Gabi Kirk

This year I will have helped the university in reaching its zero waste goals by inspiring and motivating my peers and faculty to make strong positive change.
- Alexis Gomez, Zero Waste

By the end of the year I will have informed the majority of the student body, staff, and faculty about the Carbon Fund. Additionally I will have helped set the groundwork for a long lasting presence of the Carbon Fund at UCSC.
- Elissa, Carbon Fund

Displaying Carbon Fund poster at the End of Year  Celebration

By the end of this year, I want CSI to have a clear & organized binder with all the important documents needed to make the program super easy to start up again next year. I also want CSI to be a strong, engaging & empowering program for students that have a clear goal or objective. In addition to having students make more amazing projects happen.
- Jay Leu, CSI

I hope to have a better understanding of how the efficiency of offices on campus can be improved. I look forward to working with others to find ways to reduce energy consumption. All campus offices will work tightly with the student body & our campus will become a leading example in the field of sustainability.
- Jon

This year I will make sure students within the sustainability office feel confident in the PROPS program and its goals so they can take it to the next level and keep it going while I’m gone.
- Olivia

Early Educational Services: Teaching Eco-Responsibility to the Next Generation

Article by Grace Sorenson, Campus Sustainability Intern

From 11-month-old infants to pre-teens, the children in the Early Educational Services program at UC Santa Cruz are instilled with environmentally-conscious behaviors from day one.

“We are caretakers, but we are also preparing them to be responsible adults, and that includes behaviors such as recycling and composting,” says Sohyla Fathi, Director of Early Educational Services.

All food served at EES is prepared on campus. The menu is minimally processed and simple, and is organic or from the garden when possible. The kids eat together with their instructors, and green dishes for compost are located at each table. Reusable silverware and dishes are used at every meal. Each placemat at the tables is a laminated graphic delineating the basic food groups—grains, vegetables, fruits, protein, and dairy.

In the classroom where the youngest bracket of children are cared for, boys and girls between 11 months and 2 years old sit around a table with an instructor joyfully eating fruits and vegetables and cheese. A dish for compostable food scraps is on each table, and though they’re a bit too young to separate dairy products and vegetable matter, it seems that it’s never too early to start modeling the composting process. An instructor enthusiastically shows me a nearby poster with photographs of their regular field trip to the adjacent College Eight garden, where they empty their buckets into the garden’s compost.

In the sprawling outdoor play area there is a garden, and a nearby workstation with dwarf-sized gardening tools and a long line of miniature watering cans. There are tomato plants, parsley, cilantro, peas, basil, oregano, and mint. Sohlya explains that the kids plant the garden together and are each designated a specific plant that becomes their responsibility to care for and water. “That one’s mine!” a small blonde girl yells proudly, pointing emphatically at an oregano plant. When certain herbs or vegetables are used for a meal, the children harvest what is needed and bring it to the cook.

Clearly labeled, multi-lingual recycling stations are stationed in each classroom. Skylights illuminate most of the rooms with natural light, and containers and toys are made of wood and other natural materials instead of plastic. The lush forest surrounding the entire facility seems to serve as daily reminder to the kids of what the “environment” is and why it’s worth preserving. The values and habits imprinted upon us when we are young often last our entire lives, and it is an environment like this that will help foster a more responsible, ecologically-aware generation of young adults.

April 2012: Internships, Employment & Volunteering

Campus Sustainability Internship Program - STUDENT APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED to April 13!
CSI is a combination class and internship that pairs students with staff mentors to work together on sustainability related projects, year-round. The program introduces students to sustainability policies and practices through internship work experience, professional skills trainings, guest lectures, class discussions, and peer-to-peer advising. Students receive academic credit quarterly, and a scholarship at the end of the year for their service. The staff application deadline has passed. The student application deadline has been extended to April 13. Visit the website for more information and to apply.

Take Back the Tap Seeking Interns & Volunteers
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for academic credit interns and volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Interns and volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap. Visit their Facebook page.

Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability Internships

PROPS interns conducting an audit of the Cantu Center.

Are you interested in helping UCSC’s offices, resource centers, and departments function more sustainably? Do you want hands-on experience conducting energy and waste audits? UCSC’s very own green office certification program, the Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability (PROPS) has a Spring quarter internship position available for you! For more information on how to get credit (and possibly earn a scholarship) working with PROPS in the Sustainability Office, email PROPS and visit the website!


Friends of the Sustainability Office Internships
If you are interested in an education and outreach internship working in the Sustainability Office, apply today to become a FoSO intern. Interns will help coordinate events, contribute to the newsletter and blog and help with general outreach efforts. Students can receive internship credit for their first quarter and are eligible to receive a stipend after their first quarter of service in the Sustainability Office. Stipend amounts increase over time and with performance. Send your resume and a brief letter of interest to Nikki Fiore if you are interested.

Site Stewardship Internships & Volunteering
The campus Site Stewardship Program has recently completed an action packed quarter of restoration work. Thanks to a hard working crew of interns and volunteers, they were able to make great progress with their on-going coastal revegetation project, treat several invasive weed sites both on campus and at Younger lagoon and partner on a joint restoration project with the newly formed Student Plant Society. Even though they have enjoyed success, they have much work ahead of them. If you are interested in an internship or an opportunity to volunteer please contact Bill. Visit the website.

American Indian Resource Center Spring 2012 Internship
Interested in working with the American Indian Resource Center? Internship responsibilities include: coordinating quarterly programs and projects, such as quarterly receptions, Full Circle Mentor program events, editing of the quarterly newsletter, and developing and implementing a project individually or as a group (for example a Native American outreach day for high school students). Interns develop and edit resource guide and assist with the updating of American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) Website. Please feel free to stop by the Ethnic Resource Center located on the third floor of the Bay Tree Bookstore and speak with Carolyn Dunn, the AIRC Director about the application process, or send her an email.

Interactive Ecology Internship through Arboretum
On behalf of the Arboretum, Brett Hall will be running an internship called Interactive Ecology Tuesday and Thursdays where participants will take a botanically focused field trip to local natural areas once each week and spend the other day working in the Arboretum with the native collections. It will be a great opportunity to blend collection management for conservation with building your plant knowledge. If you are interested, please contact Brett.

Greywater Project Sustainable Loop Project
Ken Konviser of Corralitos, CA, is interested in doing a greywater project in his orchard. It would be a Senior Project for an individual or group of students interested in creating a sustainable loop that will naturally clean gray water in order to convert it into a food and irrigation producing resource. Native plants will clean household gray water to feed a pond containing plants and fish. Ducks will feed on these and provide eggs for this rural homestead.  Water from the pond will then be cleaned sufficiently by aquatic plants and bacterial activity in order to be used to irrigate the orchard and gardens of a homestead/orchard in Corralitos. If you are interested, please contact Ken.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers
EENG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to spread environmental literacy and an ethic of sustainability throughout our community, from the youngest members of our society up. Their Environmental Science & Sustainability Program links teams of college student instructors with 1st and 2nd grade classes for weekly lessons exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. For more information about all the EENG has to offer, please visit their website or send them an email.

Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup at Santa Cruz Mission: April 14
Volunteers are needed at the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park on Saturday, April 14 from 8:30 AM - 1 PM for the 15th Annual California State Parks Foundation’s Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup. Projects include adobe restoration, painting, exterior landscaping, installation of irrigation system and more. Find out more and register to volunteer here.

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 or email Matt.

Sierra Club's "Best Internship On Earth" - Deadline April 2
This summer, get out of the office and into the great outdoors! Spend June, July, and August hiking, biking, rafting, climbing, exploring, and chilling! The Sierra Club is now accepting applications for the Best Internship on Earth, an opportunity to spend the summer exploring the great outdoors and documenting your journey for the Sierra Club and The North Face. The intern will get a $2,000 gift certificate from The North Face to outfit them with all the gear they need for their summer of adventure. All travel expenses are covered and the intern is paid a generous stipend. If you're a student or recent graduate over the age of 18, you can apply by submitting a 60-90 second video that showcases your love for the outdoors and why you want to be the Sierra Club's 2012 Outdoor Youth Ambassador. The application period closes on April 2, 2012 at 5PM PDT. More information here.

Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available
The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps.  For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit their website.

California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer

Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.

Call for Volunteers: Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, and it is coming back to San Francisco November 14-16. If you are a full-time student or professional age 25 and under, volunteer and attend for free! For more information visit the website. For questions, click here to send an email.

Opportunities with Pick Up America
Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.  

Green Corps Now Accepting Applications

Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps' year-long paid program, you'll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. When you graduate from Green Corps, they help you find a career with one of the nation's leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, visit the Green Corps website.

Student Conservation Association Internships
The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.

Events & Opportunities: March 12 - 18

Sustainability Office calendar | March Newsletter | Sustainability Office Website

Events & Club Meetings

UCSC Natural History Club: Tuesdays 4-5 PM

Visit the Natural History Club Facebook group for meeting locations and more information, or contact Darrow Feldstein.

Friends of Community Agroecology Network: Tuesdays 6-8 PM

FoCAN is a student-initiated, student-led community at UCSC that supports CAN's mission of promoting rural livelihoods and sustainable food systems through action education and participatory action research. FoCAN meets weekly at the Sustainable Living Center in the Village, building A. Through communal meals, discussions, and activities, these weekly meetings create a community that fosters dialogue and experiential learning about the global food system and sustainability. Find out more here.

Free Patagonia Rising Film Screening: Tuesday, March 13 

The UCSC Environmental Studies Department and the Pepper-Giberson Chair present a free screening of the film Patagonia Rising on March 13 in the Media Theater at 7:30 PM. The film focuses on a heated conflict surrounding a proposal to build five large hydroelectric dams on the Baker and Pascua Rivers in Patagonia. Promoted as "clean" energy, the project's cultural and environmental impacts would forever alter the region. The documentary brings awareness and solutions to this global conflict over water and power. More about the film can be found here. There will be a post-Screening Q&A with Director Brian Lilla, Dr. Jeffrey Bury, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, and Berklee Lowrey-Evans, Patagonia Campaign Coordinator at International Rivers.

Student Environmental Center: Wednesdays 5:30-8:30 PM

Student Environmental Center (SEC)'s General Gatherings take place in the College 8 Red Room. Vegetarian dinner provided. For more information, visit their website or send them an email.

Path to a Greener Stevenson: Thursdays 7 PM

Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) meets in the Stevenson House 2 lounge. They are currently working on reducing paper towel use in the dorms and are collaborating with the Zero Waste Team to buy reusable mugs for the Stevenson Coffee House. For updates, visit the Facebook group or email Blake Redding.

Guided Nature Walk - Tiger Hunt: Friday, March 16, 2-4 PM

Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4. This week, they'll be searching for the infamous (and endemic) Ohlone tiger beetle (Cicindela ohlone) in some probable haunts. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.   

Kresge Garden Work Days: Sundays 10 AM - 2 PM 

Join fellow gardeners at the Kresge Garden workday and workshop every Sunday! Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch! To see what the weekly workshop will be, check out the website.

California Higher Education Sustainability Conference: June 18-21

Save the date! The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference is taking place June 18-21, 2012 at UC Davis. The Conference highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. Find out more here. 

Get Involved - Internships, Volunteering, Contests, Grants

Campus Sustainability Internship Program - Student Interns and Staff Mentors Apply Now!
CSI is a combination class and internship that pairs students with staff mentors to work together on sustainability related projects, year-round. The program introduces students to sustainability policies and practices through internship work experience, professional skills trainings, guest lectures, class discussions, and peer-to-peer advising. Students receive academic credit quarterly, and a scholarship at the end of the year for their service. CSI helps staff by providing them with vetted, trained, and low-cost assistance on sustainability related projects they have undertaken or would like to initiate. Staff applications due March 16 & student applications due April 4. Visit the website  for more information and to apply.

Read an interview here featuring CSI Staff Mentor Kathryn Cunningham and Student Intern Christian Frederick about their work this year with the CSI program.

Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available

The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps.  For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit their website.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers

EENG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to spread environmental literacy and an ethic of sustainability throughout our community, from the youngest members of our society up. Their Environmental Science & Sustainability Program links teams of college student instructors with 1st and 2nd grade classes for weekly lessons exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. For more information about all the EENG has to offer, please visit their website or send them an email.

California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer

Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.

Opportunities with Pick Up America

Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.

Green Corps Now Accepting Applications

Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps' year-long paid program, you'll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. When you graduate from Green Corps, they help you find a career with one of the nation's leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, visit the Green Corps website.

Student Conservation Association Internships 

The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.  

Energy Department Clean Energy Workforce Training Grants: Deadline March 30

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program have announced up to $1.3 million for clean energy workforce training programs. Higher education institutions can apply to partner with MEP Centers to create building efficiency training programs that are tailored to building operators, building managers and energy service providers. Applications are due March 30, 2012. Click here for more information.

Apply for the ReCharge! Retreat: Deadline April 1

Interested in clean energy? Want to attend a one-week summer ReCharge! Retreat? Focus the Nation selects twenty students to attend the retreat, five from each quadrant of the country, who show passion, dedication, and drive to accelerate the transition to clean energy. The retreat, which takes place August 12-18, 2012, includes a balance of intellectual rigor, collaborative practices, reflection and physical activity as it applies to building our clean energy future. Apply today for your chance to be a part of this life changing opportunity! Application deadline is April 1st, 2012. Find out more on the Focus the Nation website.

"What Makes Your Campus Green?" Student Video Contest - Deadline April 6

What makes UCSC green? Answer this question in a video contest and you could win up to $2500! The Herman Miller Student Video contest is designed to give students the opportunity to submit videos of their own creation that address the question "What makes your campus green?" Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three video submissions that best represent creativity, originality, and appropriateness to the theme. More information is available on the contest landing page.

California Naturalist Program: April 7 - June 16

Join this exciting new pilot program through the Arboretum, offered for the first time in California. Become certified as a California Naturalist by completing 40+ hours in class and field. Access further community involvement in local parks and research. Cost: $300 Scholarships available - please inquire! More information here.

Earth Week 2012 - April 16-22

Want to participate in Earth Week 2012: Finding Room to Bloom? Student organizations can register their Earth Week events now on the Earth Week website. Interested in being part of the Earth Day Festival on April 22? You can also sign up online to have a table or workshop on Earth Day. If you are interested in getting involved with planning Earth Day (April 22), please email Sam Moll, College 8's Special Environmental Programs Coordinator. For those who wish to attend these festivities, stay tuned for more information here.

Student Opportunity: MobilizeU Competition

AASHE has partnered with Earth Day Network for the launch of MobilizeU, an international collegiate competition calling upon students to mobilize their campus communities around four weeks of environmental activism surrounding Earth Day 2012 (March 29 - April 29). Students worldwide are encouraged to join the movement as a regional coordinator or school coordinator and organize activities including campus clean-ups, new voter registration drives and Earth Day events. Coordinators will share a photo or video documenting their efforts on the MobilizeU Facebook page.

Volunteer with Take Back the Tap
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap.

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 or email Matt.

Have news you want us to share? Email us!

Events & Opportunities: March 5 - March 11

For a complete list of news, opportunities and events, please read our newsletter.

Upcoming Events 

UCSC Natural History Club - Tuesday 4-5 PM 

Want to explore the natural beauty of our campus? Interested in learning about particular species and discovering the wonders of UCSC natural history? Join the Natural History Club on hikes through campus. Meeting locations and additional information can be found on the Facebook group or by contacting Darrow.

Friends of the Community Agroecology Network: Tuesday 6-8 PM

FoCAN is a student-initiated, student-led community at UCSC that supports CAN's mission of promoting rural livelihoods and sustainability food systems through action, education and participatory action research. FoCAN meets weekly at the Sustainable Living Center in the Village, building A. Through communal meals, discussions, and activities, these weekly meetings create a community that fosters dialogue and experiential learning about the global food system and sustainability. Find out more here.

Student Environmental Center - Wednesday 5:30-8:30 PM

Student Environmental Center (SEC)'s General Gatherings take place every Wenesday in the College 8 Red Room. As always, free vegetarian dinner will be provided. For more information, visit their website or send them an email. 

   

Stevenson Garden Work Day - Thursday, March 8
Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) is expanding the Stevenson Garden and needs your help with building a new fence! Meet in the Stevenson Garden (by the Knoll)--time to be announced soon here. There will be food, music, good company, and good old manual labor! Please help them expand their garden and create a larger space for organic growth and community! For more information, please visit the Facebook group.

Path to a Greener Stevenson: Thursday 7 PM

Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) meets in the Stevenson House 2 lounge. They are currently working on reducing paper towel use in the dorms and are collaborating with the Zero Waste Team to buy reusable mugs for the Stevenson Coffee House.  For updates, visit the Facebook group or email Blake Redding. 

Guided Nature Walk with Campus Natural Reserves Steward: 
Friday, March 9
Our campus does not end at the buildings, so come explore the variety of vivacious ecosystems and what inhabits them! Guided Nature Walks will leave from College 8 Red Room every other Friday from 2-4. Please check out the flyer for details. For more information, please contact Alex Jones, the Campus Natural Steward.

Farm Fridays: Friday, March 9

 Each week, one dining hall features a dish incorporating ingredients from the UCSC Farm and other local organic farms in the region. The food is delicious, and it feels great to be eating the most local food possible! For more information, contact  Candy Berlin or view the Farm Fridays schedule here.

The Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) will be joining with Dining Services' Farm Fridays by hosting an informational table at Crown/Merrill dining hall on March 9. Go talk to them to find out more about local and organic food in your dining hall!

PICA Saturday Garden Play Day: March 10
PICA's last Garden Play Day this quarter, including a Cob Oven Bake-Off, will be on Saturday, March 10th, from 10AM - 2 PM in the PICA Gardens, in the Village. The event is free, no registration is required and will happen rain or shine (there will be an indoor rainy day activity for those who don't want to get wet). A free garden-grown lunch, including some cob oven baked goodies, will be provided! For questions or more info, please contact Mira Michelle.  

Amah Mutsun Relearning Garden Work & Learn Party: Sunday, March 11
Meet at the Arboretum's Horticulture buildings at 9:30 AM  Spend the morning working to re-establish plants of traditional importance to the Mutsun people and the afternoon learning to weave, or concoct traditional medicines from willow.  Please bring water, lunch, and work gloves if you have them.  Materials are limited so please RSVP to Rick.  Directions and more information here. 

Gardeners' Alliance Gatherings: March 11
The Gardeners' Alliance is a group within SEC's Students for Organic campaign that works to  promote the campus gardens and unite the garden-friendly community by creating a space to promote and share information between campus gardeners and the students of UCSC. Email Dominique for information about timing and locations.

African American Theater Arts Troupe Collecting Old Cell Phones Until March 16

This month, the African American Theater Arts Troupe is performing Ruined by Lynn Nottage, directed by Don Williams. The play is set in the Congo (read more here), and to give back to communities affected by mining and war in the Congo, AATAT is recycling old cell phones and donating the money to refugee women in the Congo. Cell phones can be dropped off in the Cultural Arts & Diversity Office in Stevenson College anytime between 8 AM and 5 PM Monday-Friday until March 16 in the drop box inside the office. For more information please contact Don Williams.

Kresge Garden Work Days: Sundays 10 AM - 2 PM  

Join fellow gardeners at the Kresge Garden workday and workshop every Sunday! Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch! To see what the weekly workshop will be, check out the website.

Internships, Employment & Volunteering

Sustainability Profile: Campus Sustainability Internship (CSI) Program
Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world.  The CSI Program application deadline is approaching (read more here), so in order to give readers a first hand account of the program, we interviewed CSI staff mentor Kathryn Cunningham and CSI student intern Christian Frederick about the work they are doing in the program to get a sense of what CSI is all about and why it is valuable to both student interns and staff mentors. Read the interview here.

Kathryn Cunningham is a Strategic Sourcing and Sustainable Procurement Manager in Procurement and Business Contracts (P&BC) and CSI staff mentor to CSI Intern and Environmental Studies Senior, Christian Frederick.

If you know of a person or group on campus that you think we should profile, or if you would like to be profiled, please send us an email.

Apply now to be the UCSC Sustainable Food Systems Admin Assistant - Deadline March 5

How much real food are our dining halls serving? What changes can be made to our food procurement to achieve our sustainability goals? As an intern, you will help us answer these questions! This internship will give you direct experience working with UCSC Dining and the Food Systems Working Group. Details can be found here. Deadline March 5.

Riekes Center for Human Enhancement Naturalist Position Available

The Riekes Center Nature Awareness Department is seeking a dedicated instructor interested in long-term mentoring of youth in nature. Currently they are seeking an instructor to fill a position for their spring 2012 homeschool nature programs beginning immediately and running through the end of May. They are also recruiting for summer camp instructors and the possibility exists for this person to also fill a lead instructor role for their 2012 summer camps.  For details please, email Ken Clarkson or visit theirwebsite.

Volunteer with Take Back the Tap
Take Back the Tap UCSC is looking for volunteers to end the sale of plastic water bottles on our campus. Volunteers can work on outreach, event planning, water taste tests, website and media creation, or discussion with store managers. If you're interested, email Take Back the Tap.
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California Youth Energy Services Hiring for Summer 


  
Do you live in the SF Bay Area during the summer? Interested in a fun, educational and enriching paid summer job? You should apply to be an Energy Specialist through the California Youth Energy Services program! Energy Specialists conduct basic energy & water assessments and retrofits of homes in the local community. Find out more about the program here. If you want to hear from someone who's worked as an Energy Specialist for CYES before, please contact Melissa.


Opportunities with Pick Up America
  
Pick Up America is looking for people to travel with them this year! They are seeking young, energetic leaders who are ready to hit the road, pick up litter, and organize for a more sustainable America. An ideal candidate would be self-motivated, know how to be a team player, and be eager to educate, strategize, network, and inspire resource stewardship and zero-waste in America. Visit their website to find all the details about the available positions.   



Green Corps Now Accepting Applications
  
Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps' year-long paid program, you'll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. When you graduate from Green Corps, they help you find a career with one of the nation's leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, visit the Green Corps website. 

Student Conservation Association Internships

The SCA is one of the biggest partners for national parks and forests. Each year, they send thousands of youth across the country to get conservation experience in awesome places. Living expenses, housing, and round trip travel provided. Internships run from 3-12 months and are available in all 50 states. Visit their website for more information and to apply.   
  

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 or email Matt.

Earth Week 2012 - April 16-22

  

Want to participate in Earth Week 2012: Finding Room to Bloom? Student organizations can register their Earth Week events now on the Earth Week website. Interested in being part of the Earth Day Festival on April 22? You can also sign up online to have a table or workshop on Earth Day. If you are interested in getting involved with planning Earth Day (April 22), please email Sam Moll, College 8's Special Environmental Programs Coordinator.  For those who wish to attend these festivities, stay tuned for more information here.

Donations and Funding Opportunities

Energy Department Clean Energy Workforce Training Grants - Deadline March 30
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program have announced up to $1.3 million for clean energy workforce training programs. Higher education institutions can apply to partner with MEP Centers to create building efficiency training programs that are tailored to building operators, building managers and energy service providers. Applications are due March 30, 2012. Click here for more information.

"What Makes Your Campus Green?" Student Video Contest - Deadline April 6
What makes UCSC green? Answer this question in a video contest and you could win up to $2500! The Herman Miller Student Video contest is designed to give students the opportunity to submit videos of their own creation that address the question "What makes your campus green?" Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three video submissions that best represent creativity, originality, and appropriateness to the theme. More information is available on the contest landing page.

Classes & Trainings
ESLP Spring Courses

The Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) is a collaborative & interdisciplinary effort to reshape the way we learn, effectively mentor students, and engage in projects that support the resiliency of the UC Santa Cruz Community. ESLP offers a five-unit (CLEI 161) and a two-unit (CLEI 61) course every Spring Quarter, which are open to everyone and can be found on the UCSC portal under College Eight courses. Visit the ESLP website for more information.

Webinar: College Recycling Processing Equipment & Vehicles - March 8
Hosted by the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), this webinar will identify ways to maximize efficiencies through processing equipment and vehicles. as well as a variety of other college recycling process topics. It will take place at 4 PM, online. Click here for more information and to register.

LEED Certification Training
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system for sustainable buildings, such as the LEED Gold Certified Cowell Student Health Center on campus. Interested in becoming trained on LEED certification during a one-day class on campus? Please contact David Boyle for more information.   

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