Growing and Designing Flower Arrangements and Bouquets for Special Events

Growing and Designing Flower Arrangements and Bouquets for Special Events - Saturday, July 25

Join professional flower grower Zoe Hitchner of Healdsburg’s Front Porch Farm, and Sky DeMuro of UC Santa Cruz's Alan Chadwick Garden for a workshop on special event flowers.

If you are a bride, groom, farmer-florist, or simply love playing with flowers, this workshop will delight and educate. The workshop will take place on Saturday, July 25 at the Chadwick Garden on the UCSC campus, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The instructors will lead participants in demonstrations and hands-on activities to make unique, seasonal arrangements that are farm-fresh and elegant. In addition to basic floral design techniques, including hand-tied bouquets, centerpieces, corsages, and boutonnieres, this workshop will also cover organic growing and selection tips for those who want to grow their own flowers.

Cost of the workshop is $125 (all supplies included), or $95 for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. A discounted entry fee of $45 is available for beginning farmers (see contact information, below, to register at the discounted price). Space is limited to 20 participants and you'll take home your arrangements.

Pre-registration required. Pre-register online at http://flowers2015.bpt.me. For more information or to register at the beginning farmer entry fee, call (831) 459-3240, email casfs@ucsc.edu, or see http://casfs.ucsc.edu. Workshops are cosponsored by the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems and the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden.

The Alan Chadwick Garden is located between Merrill and Stevenson Colleges on the UC Santa Cruz campus, near the corner of Merrill College Road and McLaughlin Drive; free public parking is available in the Merrill College parking lot.
For directions, see http://casfs.ucsc.edu/about/directions.html

May 2015 Green Tip: Sustainable Art

Do you have any old glass bottles or bottle caps? Would you rather repurpose products instead of recycling them? You can turn them into beautiful art pieces! Meesh Montgomery and Jacquelyne Vera, students at UCSC, do just that. With Mother's Day coming up, you can show your mom -and Mother Earth- how much you love her by making sustainable and recycled art.

Meesh makes flower vases, watering devices for their plants, and paper flowers. They use glass bottles, paper, and bottle caps that they find in recycling bins or laying around. They have always had a passion for art and when they started school here, they had a new passion: sustainability. So, they combined the two to make sustainable art.

Meesh says their favorite part of recycled art is how good they feel while making it. They say that, first of all, it relieves a lot of their stress. Second, they feel good being sustainable while doing something they love. They would love to delve more into larger sculptures using recycled materials, but they don't have enough space in their dorm room.

Jacquelyne makes jewelry/charms out of polymer clay and different pattern friendship bracelets. She uses any items she comes across as inspiration. She's currently learning how to make koi ponds and flower gardens in Altoid cans, pies in bottle caps, and terrariums in old light bulbs.

Jacquelyne says her favorite part of making things is how fun it is. She enjoys making things while watching random youtube videos and finds it relaxing. She likes seeing her friends' faces when she gives them the items.

Below are some of her amazing and adorable creations:

May 2015: Classes, Community and Training

The Homeslice CSA: Registration Now Open
The Pie Ranch in Pescadero is expanding their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to include Santa Cruz and Davenport. As a CSA member, you will receive a weekly delivery of organically grown produce. You can either sign up for half a season for $312 or a full season for $600. The boxes come with vegetables, leafy greens, herbs, wheat flour or berries, dry beans, seasonal fruit and eggs available on request. Register to be a CSA here.

2nd Annual Transportation Festival: May 8
The Student Environmental Center's Transportation Campaign is hosting the 2nd Annual Transportation Festival on May 8th from 1 to 4 P.M. at the College Eight Upper Lawn. There will be activities, an open mic, a panel, and a drawing at this event! This is a great opportunity for students to learn more about sustainable transportation on and off campus.

PICA Garden Workdays: All Spring Quarter
Every Saturday from 10 A.M. - 2 P.M. the Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) hosts garden workdays. Free vegetarian lunch will be served. Meet in the A-quad of the village.

Student Garden Market Cart: May 11
The next Student Garden Market Cart will be held Friday, May 15 from 12-1:30 P.M. in front of Science & Engineering library. PICA and other campus gardens will be handing out free produce from their gardens.

IDEASS at the Crepe Place
Three IDEASS teams—rainwater catchment, graphene synthesis, and the use of graphene filters for desalination—will be participating in the WISE meeting for Science On Tap, which happens monthly at the Crepe Place. Stop by on May 27th to hear their presentations and learn about the future of green technology! Check out the event page here.

Want to Live at PICA next year?
At the Program in Community and Agroecology, students grow organic food, share in community meals and learn sustainable living skills. Through PICA, students from a variety of majors have the opportunity to study agroecology and apply their knowledge to everyday activities within their community. If you are interested in a sustainability-themed housing for the 2015-2016 school year, sign up for the Village and mark "strongly prefer" for involvement in PICA.

Upcoming Common Ground Events
The mission of the Kresge Common Ground Center is to create cultural change for social justice, environmental regeneration, and economic viability. They act as a catalyst and facilitator of systemic change through undergraduate action-education, research, advocacy, and civic engagement. Common Ground is hosting a speaker series this quarter through their Collaborative Learning class and other events this spring. To find out more about the events, click here.

October 2014: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

INTERNSHIPS

Transportation & Parking Services Walk to Class Challenge Paid Internship Available

The Provost's Sustainability Internship Program is still seeking a Transportation & Parking Services intern to coordinate the second annual Walk to Class Challenge! If you are interested in applying for this year-long internship, receive 12 units for the year, and a $1500 scholarship, please email Melissa at mott [at] ucsc [dot] edu. Information about the position is available here.

Student Environmental Center Internships Available

Are you looking for a sustainability internship this year? Check out the Student Environmental Center, an organization where students can grow as individuals, learn leadership skills, and gain invaluable work experience. Interns with the Student Environmental Center learn about current campus projects and policies and have the opportunity to participate or take on leadership roles in many topic areas. They have 2-unit and 5-unit opportunities available for the following positions:

• Blueprint and Earth Summit Intern - The Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus is a multi-use, living document that strives to encompass the current visions of students, faculty, staff, and community members that have come together to share their ideas and goals for the future of UCSC. The Earth Summit is an event held in Winter quarter to celebrate sustainability on campus. A year-long commitment preferred.
• College Eight Garden Intern - Every quarter SEC interns facilitate a gardening class. The campaign coordinators create a syllabus, organize the class, and oversee maintenance of the garden. Interns are needed to assist the campaign coordinators in these tasks. They need 2-unit or 5-unit interns to help maintain the garden this quarter. No gardening experience necessary!
• Outreach and Media Intern - The Student Environmental Center is seeking a student to serve as a Outreach & Media Intern who will work directly with the Outreach and Media Coordinator, staff advisor, and SEC leadership. The intern will gain knowledge in the sustainability organizations on campus, media, and outreach. 

To apply, attend their General Gathering on Wednesday, October 8 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM in the College 8 Red Room. Free vegetarian dinner will be served. Details can be found here. You can also email seccochair [at] ucsc [dot] edu to apply.

Food Systems Internships Available

The Food Systems Working Group has an exciting new cadre of student leaders working across their partnerships with Dining, the Farm, and Garden efforts. Are YOU looking for an internship to join them? Email ucscfswg [at] gmail [dot] com if you'd like to find out more!

Environmental Studies Internships (2 or 5 units!): Deadline October 9
Looking for an environmentally related internship for fall? You do not have to be an Environmental Studies major to get an internship through the program! Internships allow students to apply the concepts and theories they learn about in academic settings to workplace settings. As an intern, you can see how people relate with one another, test out theories learned in classes, and observe the inner workings of the work environment in a myriad of different fields and disciplines. Deadline for learning contracts is October 9--view a list of available positions here and contact Chris Krohn at ckrohn [at] ucsc [dot] edu for more information.

Want to Teach a Class in Sustainability?

The Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) is looking for outgoing, organized and intelligent students who want to create, innovate and teach their own class in sustainability in Winter Training Seminar in 2015. Students will create their own syllabus, lesson plans, learn to lead and facilitate a class, and prepare to teach their own class in Spring 2015. Interested students can email ESLP [at] ucsc [dot] edu or visit their website.

EMPLOYMENT

PICA is Hiring - Applications Due October 13

Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) is hiring five new interns to commit for the full academic year in the following positions:

• PICA Garden Assistant II (ER # 6573), the Main Garden Coordinator position.
• PICA Program Assistant (ER #6769), the Administrative Assistant position.
• PICA Program Assistant II (ER # 3372), which has three open positions: the Community Meals Coordinator, the Compost Coordinator, and the A-Quad Garden Coordinator 

If you would like to apply, please visit the UCSC Employee Request (ER) system and type in the ER number for the position you're seeking. On the ER system application, please include a cover letter, a resume and two professional references to be considered for the position.

VOLUNTEERING

Apply to Volunteer with Sprout Up

Sprout Up provides free, youth-led environmental education programs to 1st and 2nd grade classrooms in Santa Cruz. Their college student-instructors teach children vital concepts in environmental science and sustainability during the earliest stages of their educational development, cultivating the next generation of passionate caretakers of the earth. Through activities, experiments, and discussions, they get kids thinking in new ways about the world that surrounds them, inspiring them to bring the message of environmental stewardship home to their families and friends. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact them at directorsc [at] sprout up [dot] org, and feel free to visit their website at www.SproutUp.org.

Get Involved with Integrated Climate & Energy Study
Interested in climate and energy sustainability? Want to get hands-on experience exploring these topics in relation to our campus? Chrissy Thomure, Climate Action Manager in the Sustainability Office, is coordinating an Integrated Climate & Energy Study with key stakeholders and a consultant. The study launches this year, and students are encouraged to participate! Email Chrissy at cthomure [at] ucsc [dot] edu to find out more.

Volunteer at a PICA Garden Workday

Want to get your hands dirty and enjoy this sunny weather? Volunteer for the first PICA garden workday of the quarter on Saturday, October 18 from 10 AM - 2 PM. Everyone is invited and a free garden grown lunch will be served. They will be planting veggie starts, digging garden beds, making compost and harvesting from the garden. Come learn about where your food comes from! Meet at the entrance to the A-quad by the Village at UCSC. Check out this website for more information.

Arboretum Volunteer Gardening Opportunities
The Arboretum also has volunteer gardening hours throughout the week! Visit their website for details.

Volunteer for Sea Slugs!
Sea Slugs is a UCSC student-based organization built around environmental activism and community evolvement. The organization has ties with many local organizations including the Save the Waves Coalition and the Surfrider Foundation. For information about meeting times or any other oceanic shenanigans, contact Sea Slugs at seaslug.ucsc [at] gmail [dot] com or visit their website.

Local Bike Clubs Seeking UCSC Volunteers

Want to join Green Ways to School as a volunteer for local middle school Bike Club rides? They are seeking dedicated interns who are available Wednesdays from 1 - 3 PM. Below are some of their upcoming activities:

• 10/8: Bike Skills presentation and practice at school
• 10/15: Mountain Biking practice
• Mountain Bike at DeLaveaga or Emma McCrary trails
• Visit HUB/Bike Church
• Cyclocross Ride
• Intro to Bike Polo
• and more to be determined!

If you're interested in volunteering, please email Tawn at cyclerevolution [at] gmail [dot] com

Volunteer at a Stevenson Garden Workday

Come by the beautiful Stevenson Garden from 1-2 PM on Fridays to help plant seeds, harvest, and have fun in the sun!

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 at scasey [at] ucsc [dot] edu.

PICA Garden Workday - Oct 18th

Please volunteer at the first PICA garden workday of the quarter on Saturday, October 18th from 10am - 2pm. Everyone is invited and a free garden grown lunch will be served. They will be planting veggie starts, digging garden beds, making compost and harvesting from the garden. Come learn about where your food comes from! Meet at the entrance to the A-quad by the Village at UCSC. Check out this website for more information.

April 2014 Green Tips: Sustainable Spring

Hey Slugs! It's Spring time and there is no better time to get sustainable! Here are a few ideas on how you can get extra sustainable this spring.

1. Start a garden or get involved in one

Spring is the perfect time to start a garden. Start planting tomatoes, zucchinis and strawberries and enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer! If you don't have access to a plot to grow a personal garden there are plenty of places to get involved in gardening on campus. Check out the Chadwick Garden, the Kresge Garden, the College Eight Garden, and more!

2. Thrift your new Spring wardrobe

When the sun starts shining a little brighter and the need for cozy sweaters and sweats becomes less and less we all start digging through our closets to find something more appropriate for the warmer weather. What we find leaves us unsatisfied. "How on Earth did I fit into this dress last year", "How did anyone let me out of the house wearing this bro tank?" When you start asking yourself these types of questions don't head down to Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters. Definitely don't start ordering online (all that packaging is so wasteful!). But hit up one of the local thrift stores. Crossroads, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill are all easily accessible in Downtown Santa Cruz.

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3. Take advantage of the weather

Gorgeous Spring weather means there are no longer excuses for driving or busing around campus. Pull out your bike, dust it off, ride it on into the bike co-op on campus, catch your breath and realize the lack of exercise you got this winter, get a tune up, and ride that baby to all your classes! If biking isn't an option for you, hop on your own two feet and enjoy the fresh air and the redwoods on your way to class.

4. Spring Cleaning

By the time Spring comes around all the junk can really pile up around your dorm or house. Now is the perfect time to reorganize and get clean. Make sure you recycle everything you can. Any papers you don't need from last quarter or the pile of red bull cans in the corner that are STILL sitting there from finals can all be put in recycling. Before you get rid of anything check and make sure one of your hall mates or housemates can't use it. One person's trash could be someone else's treasure!

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