UCSC Climate Visioning Charrette

On Thursday, April 14th, UC Office of the President hosted a Climate Visioning Charrette at UC Santa Cruz, which was facilitated by a consultant team and included presentations by UCSC and UCOP staff.

All 10 UC campuses have been hosting these charrettes to support the achievement of President Napolitano’s ground-breaking goal of reaching Carbon Neutrality by 2025. The purpose of this workshop was to engage key academic, administrative, and operational leadership in order to start developing a cohesive vision towards achieving this ambitious goal. Nearly 40 UCSC staff, administrators, faculty, and students attended the charrette on April 14th.

Goals for the UCSC charrette included the following:

• Facilitate individual campus efforts towards carbon neutrality
• Leverage, support, and expand existing campus-level carbon neutrality efforts
• Align carbon neutrality efforts and collaboration between campuses, the U.C. Office of the President, and the U.C. Carbon Neutrality
• Create a carbon neutrality vision statement
• Identify key strategies and next steps for carbon neutrality at the campus level and across the UC system 

Desired Outcomes included:

• Draft a vision statement 
• Draft a list of strategies
• Develop an initial implementation approach

The UCSC Campus Snapshot that was presented at this event is available online here. A report from this event is currently being developed and will be available soon. For more information, please contact Climate Action Manager Chrissy Thomure.

Cool Campus Challenge

Launching Oct. 6 and running through Dec. 10, the first Cool Campus Challenge aims to get everyone across the UC campuses on board with the carbon neutrality effort with a bit of friendly competition to get things moving. Help prove that UCSC is the coolest campus!

During the 10-week contest, UC faculty, staff and students will be challenged to take steps to reduce their carbon footprints using an online tool to track their activity and earn points for their campus. Show how cool you can be all by yourself, or form teams among your friends, colleagues, and roommates. 

Here’s what you can do to be an important part of the Cool Campus Challenge (#UCool):

• Sign up and take the Challenge: http://www.coolcampuschallenge.org. Then invite your colleagues to do the same.
• Better yet, create a team so you can earn points together.
• Share this email with staff, students and colleagues.
• Send an announcement to campus listservs you’re on.
• Share your profile, the sign-up link, pledge you’re taking, etc., online with the Challenge hashtag: #UCool.
• Faculty, have your students take the Challenge as extra credit.

Once you sign up you will be given a variety of ways to learn more about your carbon footprint and to pledge to numerous actions that have a direct impact on reducing energy use. Each week, there will be a highlight for important theme along with suggested actions (or pledges) you can take that will either directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase education and awareness about climate disruption.

For every action you take, you’ll earn valuable points for our campus that will enter you in a raffle to win cool, energy efficient prizes. You can also earn “bonus points” for completing the action within a specified time period or for taking new and creative actions that aren’t yet on the pledge list.

Find out more and sign up to compete on the Cool Campus Challenge website.

To help spread the word, share this article. We have 10 years to be carbon neutral and we can’t be carbon neutral without you.

UCOP seeks an Associate Vice President of Energy & Sustainability

Associate Vice President of Energy & Sustainability
The University of California, Office of the President invites qualified candidates to apply for a newly created leadership opportunity: Associate Vice President- Energy & Sustainability. The University of California is the state’s premier public research university and one of its largest employers. Our campuses are routinely ranked among the best in the world. The Office of the President is the systemwide headquarters of the University of California, managing its fiscal and business operations, supporting the academic and research missions across its ten campuses, labs and five medical centers.

Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, the successful individual serves as a visionary leader and executive-level ambassador who will continue and expand the University of California's leadership role in energy and sustainability. The AVP creates collaborative opportunities among UC campus and medical center representatives from capital programs, sustainability offices, real estate, planning, facilities services, transportation, procurement, finance and other constituencies, including representatives and experts among the University’s faculty and researchers, to engage in cross-functional planning, problem-solving and innovation. 

Responsibilities include: 

• Collaborative Leadership: Leverage the robust and leading-edge programs and practices at campuses and medical centers. Convene operational experts, researchers and key stakeholders to further UC’s progress toward aggressive sustainability and energy goals 
• Lead and Oversee UC’s Carbon Neutrality Strategy: Oversee the refinement and implementation of the strategy and milestones needed to achieve carbon neutrality goals established by UC leadership. Oversee development of potential funding strategies and sources to effect carbon mitigation. Oversee the development and execution of a long term renewable energy strategy. Oversee work to support campuses and medical centers with resources for planning deep energy efficiency programs, zero net energy building projects and other renewable energy efficiency efforts. 
• Develop Energy Procurement & Hedging Strategy: Oversee the development and management of the procurement and hedging strategy for the University. Plan, budget, and manage commodity price risk mitigation procedures and metrics. Oversee commodity and UC equity position contract development, negotiation and execution. 
• Sustainability Program: Provide oversight and support to UCOP’s Office of Sustainability, which collaboratively develops, coordinates, and supports campus sustainability efforts throughout the UC system across the full range of sustainability areas. 
• Advocacy: In consultation with UC’s government relations leadership, represent UC’s interests and strategies with Federal and State government and regulatory agencies. Monitor regulatory actions and plans in greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, carbon mitigation, water efficiency, waste management, and other areas of utility and sustainability services. 
• People Management: Manage a team charged with implementing the University’s strategy and achieving the strategic goals. 

Qualifications for this role include: 

• Demonstrated understanding the interlocking roles that energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure, energy utilities, sustainability, climate action, energy contracting and wholesale electricity markets play 
• Demonstrated knowledge of a wide variety of sustainable practices and programs including renewable energy and other non-carbon sources of electricity. Knowledge of regulatory environment and risks facing UC as an Energy Service Provider 
• Strong technical utility/ energy background regarding the use commodities markets and futures to hedge UC’s fuel and energy needs, including working knowledge of the regulatory agencies such as FERC, CAISO, CEC and CPUC          
• Sound financial management expertise and oversight of matters including developing financing scenarios for energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure and related infrastructure maintenance initiatives 
• Ability to drive and implement energy and fuel acquisition strategies across the system 
• Carbon compliance experience including: full understanding of CARB and carbon allowance and off-set markets, a pulse on future direction of applicable regulations and facilitation of campus carbon market positions 
• Knowledge of real estate development, design, construction and facility operations, contracting related to design, construction, biogas development and operations, and strong negotiations skills Working knowledge of applicable laws, regulations and UC policies 

Knowledge/Experience and Education: 

• Bachelor’s Degree required; MBA or Master’s Degree preferred 
• Engineering, Sciences, Business and/or Management desired 
• Sustainability emphasis desired (i.e., sustainability-oriented degree programs) 
• Past experience with natural gas procurement preferred 
• 10+ years’ experience in energy 
• 10+ years’ experience in sustainable practices/policies 
• 5+ years in an energy sales and or commodity product structuring role desirable 
• 5+ years’ people management and/or account management experience 

For details on how to apply, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/owmjkzq and search for the position title above.

UCSC Academic Senate to Discuss Divestment from Fossil Fuels

The UCSC Academic Senate is slated to discuss divestment from fossil fuels at their May 29th meeting. The Environmental Studies faculty is submitting a resolution urging the Regents to divest the UC's investment portfolio from the top 200 fossil fuel companies ranked by carbon reserves exploitable.

Fossil Free UC has compiled a short document outlining rationale for divestment. They invite your comments and questions on the document here. If you are an interested party wishing to discuss the divestment initiative with The Fossil Free UC campaign, please contact ffuc-santa-cruz-group [at] ucsc [dot] edu to set up a meeting time.

To sign the petition addressing the UC Regents and President Janet Napolitano, please click here.

*Story and information provided by Alden Phinney, Chancellor Undergraduate Intern for Climate Action and contact for FFUC UCSC

Get Involved with UC Global Food Initiative

On July 1, 2014, President Janet Napolitano announced the Global Food Initiative, which will aim to address global issues in the food system. All 10 UC's will be working collectively towards this effort to support sustainable agriculture, healthy eating, and food security.  

UC Santa Cruz will be playing a critical role in this effort with the support of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) and Daniel Press, Executive Director of CASFS and Professor of the Environmental Studies Department. Daniel Press serves as the campus lead for UCSC in the GFI steering committee. Throughout the upcoming academic year students will be plugged in to subcommittees to uphold this initiative. Check out the UCSC fact sheet here! 

1) GFI lead Damian Parr (dmparr [at] ucsc [dot] edu) and fellow Alyssa Billys (abillys [at] ucsc [dot] edu) are working on media videos focusing on student experiential learning at CASFS as well as demonstration gardens. 

 2) GFI lead Tim Galarneau (tgalarne [at] ucsc [dot] edu) and fellow Crystal Owings (cowings [at] ucsc [dot] edu) are working with food pantries to promote food security on campus. 

 3) GFI lead Mary Beth Pudup (pudup@ucsc.edu) and fellow Joanna Ory (jory [at] ucsc [at] edu) are working on a lecture series based on food equity.

 4) GFI lead Katie Monsen (kmonsen [at] ucsc [dot] edu) and fellow Alyssa Billys are working on a catalog that will document all sustainable food systems and food systems research UC wide. 

 5) GFI lead Amy Bolton (abolton [at] ucsc [dot] edu) is working is working on a tool kit to promote and create Farmers Markets on UC campuses. If you are interested in getting involved with any of these GFI subcommittees, please contact any of the emails listed above. 

Also, stay tuned for a Town Hall so that UCSC's GFI leads and fellows can get your input on these efforts. " UCSC News Featured Calendar Events (on sidebar of newsletter, posted on calendar not blog)

UC and UCSC Address Global Food Needs

On July 1st, University of California President Janet Napolitano announced a major UC initiative, which will work to address food security, nutrition, and sustainable food system issues

By the year 2025, Napolitano estimated that the world's population will grow by another billion people. Around 1 billion people go to bed hungry every night, while another half billion suffer from obesity.

Some efforts that will be undertaken as part of this initiative are the following:

• Internally, campuses will heighten their collective purchasing power and dining practices to encourage sustainable farming practices, and model healthy eating and zero food waste; food pantries and farmers markets that exist on some campuses will be spread to all 10. Partnerships with K-12 school districts to enhance leveraging procurement for these purposes also will be explored.
• Food issues will be integrated into more undergraduate and graduate courses, catalogues of food-related courses will be developed, and demonstration gardens will be made available on each campus to increase opportunities for students to participate in experiential learning.
• Data mining of existing information will be deployed to help develop insights and action plans for California agriculture and response to climate change.
• New policies will be enacted to allow small growers to serve as suppliers for UC campuses.

At UC Santa Cruz, we've been leaders in sustainable agriculture and food systems work for many years. In response to the new initiative, Global Food Initiative campus leaders are developing best practices and the necessary tools for implementation with an overall goal of making such practices attainable for schools and communities nationwide. You can support the initiative by volunteering in a campus garden and learning about food production, attending an event hosted by the campus farm, taking a class on agroecology, or reaching out to GFI student leaders to get involved directly.

For inquiries regarding sustainable agriculture efforts contact GFI Fellow Alyssa Billys (abillys [at] ucsc [dot] edu). For food justice efforts in GFI, contact GFI Fellow Crystal Owings (cowlings [at] ucsc [dot] edu). Stay tuned for more updates on this system wide effort! 

Want to know more about the UC initiative? Read an article about it here.