February 2013: Internships, Employment, and Volunteering

It's cold outside. It's beginning to rain. Soon you'll start seeing your breath all hours of the day and the body heat of people cramming onto the bus with you will become welcome. You know what you need? The warm fuzzy feeling that you get from working on something you're really passionate about. It's more heart-warming and energizing than all those cups of coffee you've been downing to get back onto something vaguely resembling a school schedule.

There are tons of internship, employment and volunteering opportunities right now that can give you that boost.  Here are just a few:

Volunteer for the 12th annual Earth Summit, Friday, March 8th

This is an all-day event that brings people from the sustainability community all around campus together with the general public. This event will include everything from workshops to live music, not to mention tons of delicious, fresh, local food. Volunteers are needed throughout the day, but especially for set-up and clean up. If you are interested in the event you can check out the blog post here, or if you already know you want to volunteer please contact Melissa for more information.

Volunteer at the Santa Cruz Natural History Museum

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. 

Apply for the Provost's Sustainability Internship Program (P.S.I.)

The Provost's Sustainability Internship Program (formerly the Campus Sustainability Internship Program, C.S.I.) is currently looking for Staff Mentors who are interested in having a student intern for the 2013-2014 school year and Student Interns who are looking to run a unique sustainability project and get highly applicable professional training. The Provost’s Sustainability Internship Program is a combination course and internship that pairs students with staff across campus departments to complete a year-long sustainability related project. It is a great opportunity for staff to recruit talented students to work with them for the entire academic year, at a low-cost rate. The Sustainability Office pays for half the cost of the intern and provides them with professional development training and project support throughout the duration of the internship.
Applications for Mentors will be due February 20th, and Student applications are due April 4th Please contact Nikki if interested.

Make Haste to Zero Waste! Events coming to a dining hall near you!

Do you love food and hate waste? Come join UCSC Dining as we move towards a Zero Waste campus and learn more about food waste. We are looking for interested students to help participate in Waste Awareness Events in the dining halls on campus. In return for participation, you will be rewarded with a FREE MEAL PASS! For more information, please contact Dining Sustainability Intern Victoria.

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.

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.

You're already starting to feel a little warmer, huh?

November 2012: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Seeking Sustainability Theater Arts Consultant: Apply immediately!

The Sustainability Theater Consultant will work with the Sustainability Office's Education & Outreach Team this year to develop a 3-5 minute theatrical sustainability skit to perform for the freshman core classes in order to educate students about sustainability at UCSC and encourage them to get involved and thinking about sustainability in their own lives. Theater experience including directing, performing, and writing required, and experience working with other students who have little-to-no theater experience is ideal. Strong organizational skills required. No knowledge of sustainability or environmental studies necessary, but an interest in learning about sustainability and promoting it to the campus is important. Estimated 10-15 hours/week, competitive pay.

Send your resume and letter of interest to Shauna Casey at scasey(at)ucsc.edu. Be sure to note the position title you are applying for in the subject line of your email.

Get Involved with the Campus Sustainability Plan

Since 2010, working groups of staff and students have identified environmental targets for UCSC in eight topic areas: Buildings & Facilities, Energy, Food, Land & Habitat, Procurement & Business Contracts, Transportation, Waste, and Water. Now, it's time for UCSC to create a new Campus Sustainability Plan 2.0 for the years 2013-16 (see the original plan here)! To get involved in the planning process and help create the next set of environmental performance targets for UCSC, view the schedule of workshops or email Elida Erickson.

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.

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

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.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation (EENG) 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 www.EENG.org.

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 contact Kira Ticus and 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! 

June 2012: Internships, Employment & Volunteering

Carbon Fund Paid Position Available Immediately--Apply Now!
The UCSC Carbon Fund is looking for someone to fill the Student Facilitator position before Summer Starts! This is an hourly paid position available to both work-study and non-work study students. An ideal candidate would have experience leading meetings, experience managing a budget, great organizational skills, as well as written and verbal communication skills, and an interest in sustainability. For more information, visit the ER system code #5780 "UCSC Carbon Fund Student Facilitator." If interested, apply through the ER system or send a cover letter and resume to the Carbon Fund. This position is expected to fill fast, so apply TODAY! Find out more about the Carbon Fund here.

Stevenson Garden Internships for Fall
This spring, the Stevenson Garden has had many successful workdays after its expansion in winter. Currently, there are 12 new beds, and Garden Interns have been busy planting fruits, veggies and cover crops. Stevenson Garden 2-unit and 5-unit internship opportunities through Stevenson College and the ENVS Department are available for fall 2012. Interns will be responsible for general management of the Stevenson Garden, supervising work hours at the garden site every week, planning and facilitating volunteer opportunities and workshops for students, and attending Gardener’s Alliance Gatherings.  If you have horticultural experience and strong leadership qualities or just a strong passion for gardening, this would be a perfect fit for you! Please email Blake Redding for more information.  

WAGES Paid Summer Internships - Apply Now!
Women's Action to Gain Economic Security is seeking motivated, high-achieving current or recent undergraduates who would be excited to get hands-on experience and make a real impact in economic development and women's empowerment. An ideal paid summer intern candidate is bright, tech-savvy, and solution-oriented. They are excited about the opportunity to contribute and expand their nonprofit skills at an evolving, grassroots organization and will thrive in a dynamic, collaborative environment. Interns will play key roles supporting their operations and programs – directly advancing their mission of creating worker-owned green businesses that create healthy, dignified jobs for low-income women. For details, please click here.     

Take Back the Tap's New Water Spigots and More Businesses On Board

Take Back the Tap UCSC is an initiative to end the sale and distribution of bottled water on our campus. If you've seen those new water spigots around campus for filling up water bottles (like the one above, located outside Stevenson Acad 150), you can thank Take Back the Tap. If you're interested in getting involved, please email Take Back the Tap or visit their Facebook page.

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.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers
Environmental Education for the Next Generation is a 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.

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.

May 2012: Internships, Employment & Volunteering

Exciting Jobs and Internships - Apply NOW for 2012-13 Academic Year Positions!

Are you interested in gaining professional experience in a fun and engaging environment where you can build connections with fellow students interested in sustainability? The Sustainability Office is currently hiring for Spring 2012 and the 2012-2013 academic year, and we are looking for talented individuals with a passion for sustainability to join our team. You certainly do not have to be an Environmental Studies or sciences major to work here! Check out our current list of opportunities, including both internships and paid positions! If you have any questions, please contact Shauna Casey.

Take Back the Tap's New Water Spigots and More Businesses On Board

Everyone welcome OPERS Facilities Center as the newest bottle-water free facility on campus! When you're heading to the basketball court or the pool, stop by the spigot installed by the Take Back the Tap team on the water fountain, and thank the OPERS staff behind the desk and supervisor Todd Hammond for taking bottled water off their shelves. You may have also seen the new water spigots around campus (above, at McHenry Library). Thanks to the Carbon Fund and Take Back the Tap, filling your bottle at water fountains is easier than ever! Take Back the Tap UCSC is an initiative to end the sale and distribution of bottled water on our campus.  If you're interested in getting involved, please email Take Back the Tap. Check out their Facebook page here.

Spring 2012 Gaia Magazine Coming Soon + Opportunities to Get Involved!

The Spring 2012 issue of Gaia Magazine is coming soon! Interested in getting involved in putting together this environmentally focused magazine next year? Want to contribute your work? Keep your eyes peeled around campus in the next few weeks – the Spring 2012 issue of Gaia Magazine will be appearing at your local libraries, college cafes, mailrooms, and more. Look for the beautiful fern on the cover, and enjoy the contents! When you’ve finished reading, keep Gaia sustainable by passing your copy on to someone else. If you like what you see, and will be a student at UCSC next year, consider joining the Gaia Team, submitting to next year’s issue, or just helping the team spread the word about Gaia to the campus community. Email the team for more information, and visit their Facebook page or website!

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.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Teachers
Environmental Education for the Next Generation 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.

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.

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.

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.

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