Humanities Goes Green!

In Fall 2013, the Humanities Division proudly launched its very first green team with the goal of obtaining Green Office Certification through the UCSC Office of Sustainability. Green team members pledge to serve as sustainability champions for the department and act as liaisons with the Office of Sustainability to implement sustainable practices in everyday operations, improve overall environmental performance, reduce waste, and build a community of sustainability for the Humanities Division. The team is also committed to the Chancellors Sustainability Challenge, a coordinated campuswide effort to make significant progress toward reaching zero waste by 2020. Join us! We want to expand the Humanities Green Team to include representatives from each department in Humanities, including staff, faculty and students. Please contact us if you’re interested HGT@ucsc.edu.

For more information, check out the full article here!

April 2014 Sustainability Profile: Financial Affairs Green Team

Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world. This month features the Financial Affairs Green Team, who hosted "A Year in Waste" this past year in order to encourage use of sustainable practices in their office.

We asked the Financial Affairs Green Team about the Year in Waste and their strategies for spearheading sustainable practices in departments.

Financial Affairs is deeply entrenched in sustainability and hosting a year in waste. Tell us a little about what the "Year In Waste" is and how financial affairs has worked to green their business practices:

In response to the Chancellor’s Sustainability Challenge and to support the university’s goal to be zero waste by the year 2020, the Financial Affairs Green Team kicked off this effort by presenting "A Year in Waste". The Green Team hosted a fall "Year in Waste" event as a creative and fun way to build awareness of waste generated by Financial Affairs activities and to encourage more sustainable and ecologically-friendly practices. This event included a humorous skit by the Financial Affairs Actors Pool, a raffle of donated "green items", food, a debut of the Dimeo Lane Video - sharing what was learned from visiting the Dimeo Lane Landfill about trash management and sustainability, and an inspirational talk and call to action by Director of Sustainability, Lacey Raak.

Financial Affairs was also a collaborator on a four week pilot waste stream project including Waste and Recycling, Grounds Services, Custodial, and 2300 Delaware Facilities Managements. During this pilot, a baseline measurement of waste was collected and will be used to compare against future waste measurements. Through education, conservation and increased composting, our goal this year is to divert at least 10% of our waste from going to the Dimeo Lane Landfill. With the help of a carbon fund grant, a second worm bin has been installed and is in use.

Another event featured as part of our "Year in Waste" was a Bring your Hand Towel to Work Week. Eighty-two percent of Financial Affairs employees pledged to stop using paper towels for at least a week. In addition, employees took the Chancellor’s Challenge with a prize given to units with the highest participation levels. This was a wonderful opportunity to educate and engage people in discussions about campus sustainability and living a greener lifestyle - encouraging us all to be mindful of the amount of waste we generate. To that end, educational events related to a waste reduction theme have been scheduled for the year: Worm Composting with David Shaw, Preparing Green Lunches by Culinary Educator Talya Lutzker, and an E-waste Recycling Presentation by Hannah Hodgson.

All eight units of financial affairs have undergone green office certification.

There are so many other departments and units on campus-- what is one strategy that you would suggest to those that are interested in spearheading sustainability efforts and greening their business practices?
Critical to the success of the Financial Affairs Green Team has been the level of commitment, engagement and support for sustainability from Financial Affairs Management and The Chancellor. The creation of a Mission Statement helped to clarify our focus and work more effectively towards reaching our goals. The "Green Team" used project plans to share goals and objectives with actionable steps for management approval prior to execution.

The creation of a clear vision and mission along with a commitment to educate others is a great starting place for any department interested in enacting change and greening their practices. Clear communication is key – providing all participants with opportunities for discussion, education and engagement. It is important to have "stakeholders" rather than passive observers to truly effect change.

October 2012: News & Achievements

Procurement and Business Contracts Worm Bin

Back in June when students were on break, the Procurement and Business Contracts Office was setting up their new worm bin for food scraps! Here's a photo of David transferring the inhabitants of their existing worm bin to their new home. Procurement and Business Contracts is certified as a "Tree" through the UCSC Green Office Certification Program. Find out more about Green Office Certification here.

Ethnic Resource Center Green Team has a new website
Last January, our newsletter profiled the American Indian Resource Center's Green Team. Since then, the Team has expanded and is now titled the Ethnic Resource Center's Green Team. In June, they launched a new website that includes resources, photos, and information about what the Green Team does. Check it out here!

Sustainability Office Zero Waste Team member Elizabeth Lin photographed and mentioned in Santa Cruz Sentinel article

Photo by Dan Coyro

In his 'State of the Campus' address Chancellor Blumenthal highlighted partnerships with the community that improve ocean health and sustainable agriculture, and accepted 100% PCW paper from Sustainability Office Zero Waste Team Coordinator Elizabeth Lin, stating that his office is as paper-free as possible.

What are your thoughts about this month's news? What are you most proud of related to campus sustainability at UCSC? What do you want to see happen here? Post in the comments! 

January 2012 Sustainability Profile: American Indian Resource Center's Green Team

Last winter, the American Indian Resource Center's Green Team began working on encouraging sustainable practices in the campus community. This fall, they put on an event to raise awareness for the environmentally conscious belief systems of indigenous peoples, and they plan on continuing to bring sustainable practices to upcoming resource center events.

Compiled from an interview with Michelle Neumann, Green Team Vice President:

"The Green Team is a student-run subdivision of the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC). Our mission is to instill green practices in AIRC events, as well as create an awareness of how indigenous people have led sustainable lives for thousands of years. For example, we held an event this fall 2011 quarter called Heal the Earth. At this event we had lectures and workshops intended to teach students how to incorporate indigenous belief systems and lifestyles into their daily lives, therefore creating a deeper understanding of traditions and acceptance of emerging knowledge.

"The Green Team started as an idea that both Carolyn Rodriguez (AIRC intern) and I [Michelle Neumann] wanted to revive through Heal the Earth 2011. The AIRC did have Heal the Earth before the Green Team was created, but we really wanted to add our own little tweaks to it by making it a student-run event and include both old and new sustainable practices or ideas. After our first project, Heal the Earth, we started to really evolve into something greater trying to play a part in AIRC events. Currently, the Green Team is working on an the AIRC's upcoming UCSC powwow scheduled for this spring quarter. The Green Team intends to handle all aspects of trash created at this event as well as raise money through selling items made out of recyclable materials."

"The goals of Heal the Earth are to target our consciousness and support our community in an effort to instill a commitment to sustainability. Relational and holistic thinking is often central to indigenous worldviews; therefore, this event aims to target individual, community, social, and environmental relationships and perspectives."-- From the Heal the Earth 2011 Proposal

The Green Team Members:

• Carolyn Rodriguez - Green Team President
• Michelle Neumann - Vice President
• Madana Cast - Secretary
• Lucio Ramirez - Treasurer, AIRC Program Coordinator and UCSC Grad student
• Chelsea Hawkins - Green Team member
• Blanca Farjardo - Ethnic Resource Center staff member
• Carolyn Dunn - Fiscal Liason and Director of the AIRC

Find out more about the AIRC's Green Team on their website here.