October 2012: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Amazing Opportunities in the Sustainability Office for Fall 2012--Apply Now!

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 the 2012-2013 academic year, and we are looking for talented individuals with a passion for sustainability to join our team. You do not need 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.

Sustainability Project Clearinghouse

An IDEASS Sustainability Program project that you can find out more about on the Project Clearinghouse website

Are you a staff, student or faculty member 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 today! The Clearinghouse is a database of sustainability projects designed to help students, staff and faculty get involved in the campus sustainability movement. The database provides a centralized place to learn about campus needs; identify ways to get involved; and serves asa reference for understanding the successes and challenges previous projects have faced. Visit our website to view published projects or create a user account and  upload your own projects and sustainability ideas. If you or your group is interested in receiving a training on how to upload your project to the database, please contact Shauna Casey.

Green Office Certification Program Seeks Student Staff

As a member of our Green Office Certification program you’ll learn how to conduct energy and waste assessments of campus offices, write reports and present recommendations to participating office staff to empower them to improve their environmental performance. As a member of the green office certification team, you’ll attend weekly meetings and work closely with campus staff and other stakeholders to reduce waste and increase conservation in campus offices. Ideal candidates will demonstrate interest in sustainability, initiative, excellent organizational, communication and writing skills. Find out more about the program here, and for a list of available positions, click here. Send your resume and letter of interest to Shauna Casey. Be sure to note the position title you are applying for in the subject line of your email.

Student Job Opening: Zero Waste Team Seeking Program Associate

UCSC has a goal of reaching Zero Waste by the year 2020! As of 2011-12, UCSC successfully diverted 63% of waste from the landfill. There is still a large amount of landfill waste that could be reduced, reused, repaired, recycled or composted instead. With the mission of advancing UCSC’s progress towards its Zero Waste goals, the students on the Zero Waste Team focus on working collaboratively to reduce waste on campus, help develop and implement pilot projects campuswide, work with other student organizations and stakeholders on campus, and serve as a resource to the greater campus community. Contact Sustainability Coordinator Elida Erickson for more info! APPLY TO ER# 6236 here.

UCSC PowerSave Green Campus Program seeks motivated candidates to be For-Credit Interns 

For-credit interns will work with other interns focusing on energy conservation projects in the state-owned housing & dining facilities. Program interns are responsible for the successful implementation of the Alliance to Save Energy's PowerSave Green Campus Program, an education and outreach program that seeks energy savings on the UC Santa Cruz campus, primarily through low-cost technology adoption and no-cost behavior changes. For more information about the PowerSave Green Campus program please visit the website. To apply please send a resume and cover letter to UCSC PowerSave Green Campus.


Student Environmental Center 2 and 5 Unit Internships Available for Fall

The Student Environmental Center (SEC) has 2 and 5 unit internships available for this fall! If you are interested in getting involved with SEC's sustainability efforts, please visit their webpage here. Examples of past internships include Publicity Intern, Transportation Rock the Bike Intern, Food Sourcing Intern, College Eight Garden Intern, and Waste Prevention Intern! SEC will also be hosting a General Gathering on October 3rd in the College Eight Red Room from  6:30 to 8:30 PM with fun activities, free home-cooked dinner, interesting people, and anyone and everyone is welcome to come for the evening!

The Campus Sustainability Council (CSC) is accepting new members for the 2012-13 school year!

The role of the Campus Sustainability Council (CSC) is to provide funding to registered UCSC student organizations for programs and events that create, implement, and monitor environmentally sound practices on campus as established through the protocol outlined in the Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus. These organizations additionally facilitate greater collaboration between students, the administration, staff, faculty, and the community. There are spots open for new council members to join the CSC leadership team! They hope to have the council formed by the 4th week of fall quarter. Gain valuable skills in leadership, grant-writing, networking, and much more by participating. For more information and dates of CSC membership orientation meetings, please email csc@ucsc.edu or visit the website.

Environmental Education for the Next Generation Seeking Instructors

Environmental Education for the Next Generation (EENG) provides free, youth-led environmental education programs to 1st and 2nd grade classrooms in public schools throughout California. EENG 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. In this way, they strive to promote sustainability throughout our many communities, from the youngest members of society up. For more information, please visit www.EENG.org.

Bike Smart Seeking Cyclists for School Bicycle Rodeo Events

Love cycling? Come share your passion with the youth of Santa Cruz County. Bike Smart, an Ecology Action Bicycle Program, is seeking enthusiastic cyclists of all abilities to assist with their school bicycle rodeo events. The goal is to engage students and empower them to ride by teaching safe cycling techniques (shoulder checks, turn signals, handling skills, and more!) Rodeos last for only two hours. Kira Ticus will email you as rodeos are scheduled and you can sign up as convenient. For more information, please contact Kira Ticus and visit the website.

Capitola Commission on the Environment Seeking Youth Member
The City of Capitola Commission on the Environment (COE) is seeking one youth member, aged 18-30, to represent the youth voice of our community. Meeting once per month, the COE advances sustainable planning, policy, and projects in the Capitola community. The youth representative can expect to gain experience in municipal government planning and policy formation, engage in public service projects, and participate in networking opportunities with local government leaders. Interested individuals must be residents of Santa Cruz County and be able to commit to a minimum of one year term. Please contact Susan Westman, Interim Community Development Director at swestman@ci.capitola.ca.us for more information and to apply.

Get Involved with the Campus Sustainability Plan
Since 2010, working groups of staff and students have been making progress on environmental performance 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! If you'd like to check out the original Campus Sustainability Plan, click here. To get involved in the planning process and help create the next set of environmental performance targets for UCSC, please email Elida Erickson.

Design Your Own Course or Become a Community Outreach or Graphic Design Intern with ESLP

Interested in experiential education and student empowerment? UCSC's Education for Sustainable Living Program is a student-run organization which offers an accredited student-led course - CLEI 161 & 61- every spring quarter. ESLP is currently seeking students with the desire to design their own courses ranging from environmental to social justice issues. They are also looking for 2-unit or 5-unit interns interested in doing community outreach and graphic design. For more information and ways to get involved visit the eslp.enviroslug.org or send an email.

Help UCSC Take Back the Tap

Take Back the Tap is working hard to eliminate the sale of single use water bottles on the UCSC campus. We are trying to combat the private industry, so everyone has access to water. As well as, reduce waste in order to make our campus a more sustainable institute. If you're interested in getting involved or have any questions please log onto the website for more information, visit the Facebook page, or send an email.

Volunteers Needed for Santa Cruz Open Streets - Sunday, Oct. 7

Santa Cruz Open Streets is a free community event happening Sunday, October 7 from 9 AM - 1 PM on West Cliff Drive. The idea is to create a 2-mile temporary street park for people to bike, walk, and recreate in a safe, fun, festive, and traffic-free environment. Lots of volunteers are needed to bring this exciting new event to the community. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Event Founder/Director Saskia Lucas with your name, phone number, and email address. A mandatory volunteer meeting is on Tuesday, October 2, from 6-7 PM, at Ecology Action. Pizza and snacks will be provided, and they will be providing training as well as giving out volunteer t-shirts. For more information about SCOS, visit the website. Like the Facebook page to receive all the latest event updates!

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.

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.

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! 

October 2012: Clubs, Gardens, & Hikes

Food Systems Learning Journeys for Fall Quarter

Food Systems Working Group (FSWG) will be coordinating and leading six exciting learning journeys this coming fall through our partnership with OPERS and the Recreation Office.  To find out more about the FSWG learning journeys and sign-up, go to the Recreation website for more info. You can begin signing up for recreation activities on October 2.

Arboretum Gardening Days

The Arboretum has gardening many days of the week in different gardens. If you're interested in volunteering in the Arboretum gardens, please click here to learn more.

Arboretum Garden Tours - 1st Saturdays 11 AM
Join a docent-led tour on the first Saturday of the month. The tour is free with your Arboretum admission. Tours start at 11 AM in front of Norrie's Gift Shop. Find out more about what's going on at the Arboretum by clicking here.

Arboretum Community Day - 1st Tuesdays
The first Tuesday of every month, visit the Arboretum for free! Typically, admission to the Arboretum is $5.00 ($2.00 for children, free to Arboretum Associates, UCSC students with valid ID, and volunteers). Find out more about what's going on at the Arboretum by clicking here.

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. They meet Tuesdays from 6-8 PM in building A3 of the Village. Find out more about FoCAN here.

Natural History Club - Meeting times TBD
The Natural History Club is all about exploring the natural spaces on and around our beautiful campus. They go on hikes around campus, learning about its natural history. They focus on learning plants, birds, animal tracking, mushrooms, and anything they discover. Overall the club seeks to deepen members' understanding, awareness and connection with nature. Visit the Natural History Club Facebook group for meeting times, locations and more information. Meeting times will be determined once the Fall quarter starts.

Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers' Market - Wednesdays 

Eating locally grown food reduces your carbon footprint and supports the local economy. Purchasing your food through the area’s farmers’ markets ensures that you are getting the freshest, healthiest and tastiest foods while supporting local jobs, increasing local spending and promoting the region’s strong farming tradition. Check out the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers' Market, and learn more, including hours and locations, here.

Student Environmental Center - Wednesdays 5:30-7:30 PM

The purpose of the Student Environmental Center is to promote student involvement through research, education, and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices on campus in collaboration with the university. 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 - Tuesdays 9 PM

Path to a Greener Stevenson (PTAGS) meets in the Stevenson House 2 lounge. PTAGS is an environmentally conscious group of staff and students whose aim is to implement change towards sustainability through projects within our community. They see the Stevenson community as an environment to encourage students to turn their innovative thoughts into action. This year, Stevenson residents received reusable hand towels (pictured above) largely thanks to the works of students in PTAGS. For more information including the Fall meeting time, visit the Facebook group or email Blake Redding.

Gardeners' Alliance Gatherings
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. To see a list of on-campus gardens and find out more, visit the Gardeners' Alliance website here.

Stevenson Garden Work Days - Time TBD

If you would like to volunteer and get involved with the Stevenson Garden, they will be having work days during Fall quarter (dates TBD)! To learn more about the Garden, check out the website, Facebook group, or email Blake Redding.

Kresge Garden Work Days - Check calendar for garden hours
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.

Seymour Center Offers Guided Tours on the Santa Cruz Wharf - Saturday & Sunday, 1 PM & 3 PM
In collaboration with the City of Santa Cruz, UCSC's Seymour Marine Discovery Center is now leading free 30-minute public tours on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf every Saturday and Sunday at 1 and 3 p.m. The Seymour Center's marine science interpreters are also available between tours to answer questions about the variety of wildlife visible at the wharf. Find out more here.

Are you part of a sustainability club, hiking, or gardening group not listed here? Have you participated in any of the above groups? Tell us about it in the comments or send us an email!

October 2012: Upcoming Events

First FoCAN Meeting of the Year - October 2, 6-8 PM (A3 in the Village)

Friends of Community Agroecology Network (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. They are having their first meeting of the year on October 2nd at the Village, building A3 from 6-8 PM. This will be a crucial meeting welcoming new faces, talking about food systems in regards to the food chain and learning more about CAN. There will be opportunities to get more involved with FoCAN and as always, potluck style dinners! For more information, please contact Catherine.

Student Environmental Center General Gathering - October 3 from 6:30-8:30 PM (College 8 Red Room)

The purpose of the Student Environmental Center (SEC) is to promote student involvement through research, education, and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices on campus in collaboration with the university. SEC will be hosting a General Gathering on October 3 in the College Eight Red Room from 6:30 to 8:30 PM with fun activities, free home-cooked dinner, interesting people, and anyone and everyone is welcome to come for the evening! Find out more about SEC here.

Cover Crops in the Orchard - Sunday, October 7 from 10 AM - 1 PM (Alan Chadwick Garden)
Orin Martin and Matthew Sutton will discuss and demonstrate cover cropping for the home orchard. Learn how to prepare your orchard’s soil for winter rains and boost soil fertility, including best choices for cover crops and planting techniques. $20 for Friends of the Farm & Garden members, $30 for general public, $5 for UCSC students, payable the day of the workshop. For more information, contact 831-459-3240 or casfs@ucsc.edu.

Santa Cruz Open Streets - Sunday, October 7 (West Cliff Drive)

In the new Santa Cruz Open Streets event set for Sunday, October 7th from 9 AM - 1PM, West Cliff Drive will be turned into a giant street park for FREE, public recreation. The road will be temporarily closed to automobiles and open for people to bicycle, jog, skate, dance, and more! This family-friendly event will also feature fun and free activities, info booths with resources for active and sustainable living, live music, free raffles, and food. Road closure from Lighthouse Field to Natural Bridges State Park. For more information visit www.scopenstreets.org. Like the event on Facebook to get all the latest updates.


Activities include:

• REI climbing wall
• Zumba and kickboxing demos by Minorsan Self-Defense and Fitness
• Bicycle skills and fun obstacle course by Trips for Kids
• Dog agility course by Pacific Veterinary
• Cuban salsa music by Flor de Caña
• Watsonville Taiko drumming
• Penny Ice Cream
• Low 'n' Slow food truck
• Free raffles with great prizes

Follow Your Food: From Seed to Seed - Wednesday, October 10, 7-9:30 PM (Oakes 105)
Join Jared Zystro from the Organic Seed Alliance and Elizabeth Henderson from the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) for a talk investigating culture in agriculture, food justice, and our responsibility of stewarding the seeds that sustain us. We will discuss the role that the general public and farmers play in supporting a grassroots movement toward the regeneration and resilience of our food system. A focus will be placed on the importance of cultivating farmer-centric seed systems that develop locally adapted and open pollinated varieties. This event will take place in Oakes Academic Building 105. For more information, please contact Elan or visit the Demeter Seed Project website.

CAN/FoCAN Fundraiser - October 11, noon to 10 PM (Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery)
There will be a fundraiser for Community Agroecology Network at the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery October 11, from noon to 10 PM. Come hang out around 6 PM, enjoy good company, and support CAN in furthering their mission of sustaining rural livelihoods and environments in Latin America. For more information about Friends of Community Agroecology Network click here or contact Catherine.

Seed Exchange and Culture Swap - Saturday, October 13, 12-3 PM (UCSC Farm Gatehouse)
The UC Santa Cruz Demeter Seed Library invites students, staff, faculty, community members, and farmers from California’s central coast to participate in the ancient tradition of sharing heirloom and open pollinated vegetable and flower seeds. Join the seed project and gain access to its collection of locally adapted seeds for free. We will have workshops on seed saving, making kombucha, as well as free access to seeds and scobys. For more information, please contact Elan or visit the Demeter Seed Project website.

PICA's First Garden Workday - Saturday October 13, 10 AM - 2 PM (Sustainable Living Center at the Village)

The Program in Community Agroecology (PICA) is an experiential living/learning program located at the Village in the Lower Quarry that focuses on agriculture and community sustainability. Join them at the Sustainable Living Center/A-quad of the Village for their first garden workday of the school year. Come harvest, turn beds, and enjoy a delicious lunch!

Fall Plant Sale at the Arboretum - Saturday, October 13, 12-4 PM

Looking for some plants for your home or garden? Don't miss the fall plant sale at the Arboretum, hosted by the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and the California Native Plant Society, Santa Cruz County Chapter. 10 AM - 12 noon for Arboretum and CNPS members, and 12-4 PM for the public. For more information, please visit the website.

41st Annual Environmental Education Conference - October 9-13 (Oakland, CA)
Hosted by the North American Association for Environmental Education, this conference will gather more than 1,000 environmental education professionals for workshops, field experiences and a research symposium. Keynotes include "The Story of Stuff" author Annie Leonard, "Social Marketing to Protect the Environment" author and professor Wesley Schultz, and urban and environmental policy and planning professor Julian Agyeman, who will co-present "Environmental Education for the Future: Integrating Equity, Inclusion and Diversity." For more information, please visit the website.


AASHE 2012 Conference - October 14-17 (Los Angeles) - Registration ends October 8
AASHE 2012: Investing in the Future will feature campus tours, a Student Summit with keynote speaker Billy Parish, and workshops including "Campus Recycling & Zero Waste" and "Communicating Sustainability to Create Change." New this year, the conference will feature advanced sessions and an advanced track. The final conference schedule is now available here. Registration for AASHE 2012 Ends October 8. Visit the website to sign up.

Greenbuild International Conference and Expo - November 14-16 (San Francisco)
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.

Hosting a sustainability related event in Santa Cruz or know about one happening in October? Post in the comments or send us an email!

Sustainability Course - CLEI 99/199F: Undergraduate Research Experience Tutorial

College Eight: Environment and Society
Developing Green Entrepreneurship

“Developing Green Entrepreneurship” is College Eight’s education and mentoring program designed to empower students to create a more sustainable world. If our planet and society are to flourish, the organization and conduct of education, business, politics and policy must radically change. This will happen only if a new generation can apply its capabilities and imagination to changing environmentally destructive practices. Our new year-long tutorial will extend existing efforts at College Eight and across the UC Santa Cruz campus to nurture green entrepreneurs and sustainability professionals. Its goal is to provide students with the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge, complementary to their majors, to conceptualize and establish green projects, organizations and businesses. The three-quarter sequence will introduce students to the concepts, methods and practices of conceptualizing and conducting research into sustainable energy, resources and food production, to developing green entrepreneurial capabilities and to writing business plans and grant proposal to support their projects. The sequence offers two units of academic credit in each of three quarters, followed by the opportunity to compete for a summer research award. Faculty and community mentors will teach in the classroom; research projects will be supervised by faculty, mentors and project teams from advanced courses.

• Fall Quarter: Students will receive 90 minutes of classroom instruction each week, and participate in 2 to 3 hours of applied labs, field research, data analysis, problem solving and design.  Both classroom and field research will take place at the Sustainable Living Center, located in the Lower Quarry, which is the site for a planned sustainability district. In the classroom, students will learn the basics of resources and energy concepts, measurements surveying and assessment, building energy and resource auditing, energy system sizing, testing, installation and operation, water supply, demand and distribution, and intensive food urban production.  They will design and conduct  their own supervised research projects at the site, observe and measure resource use, install and operate energy monitors and data loggers, conduct behavioral surveys of Village residents and design program to alter residents behaviors and practices.
• Winter Quarter: Students will continue field research in the Village and will learn how to design and develop green entrepreneurial projects, under the direction of faculty and community mentors. Students will study both successful and unsuccessful efforts to develop green products, businesses and services, listen and meet with guest speakers who have entrepreneurial experience and have launched successful businesses and organizations. They will study the nuts-and-bolts of business plans and legal requirements for profit-making and non-profit enterprises and how to develop collaborations and social networks.
• Spring Quarter:  Students will learn how to write and present business plans to potential funders and investors, how to write grant proposals for submission to funding agencies (including those oncampus),  and how to manage their enterprises.  They will be expected to write one or more grants for submission to on-campus funding sources. They will also continue their field research.
• Summer and beyond:  Students who successfully complete the three-quarter tutorial sequence can apply competitively for summer research awards that will allow them to pursue and, ideally, launch their projects. These “sustainability research and green entrepreneurship fellows” will be expected to mentor a new cadre of students enrolling in the tutorial during the next academic year.

CLEI 99/199F: Undergraduate Research Experience Tutorial

F-W-S 2012-13 (2 units per qtr.)

Time: TTh 4-5:30, at the PICA Classroom

Instructors: Ronnie Lipschutz (rlipsch@ucsc.edu) & Kevin Bell (kwbell@ucsc.edu)

The goal of this 2 unit tutorial is to introduce students to the concepts, methods and practices of conceptualizing and conducting research into energy and food production and consumption.  The tutorial consists of 90 minutes of classroom instruction each week, at least 90 minutes of work in the Village and an additional 2 hours of data analysis and presentation.  Research will take place in the “Village” in the Lower Quarry, where a “Sustainability District” is being planned. Students will learn the basics of resources surveying and assessment, building energy and resource auditing, energy system sizing, testing, installation and operation, water supply, demand and distribution, and intensive agroecology (at the Village and CASFS).  They will design and implement sets of research projects at the site, install and operate energy monitors and data loggers, conduct behavioral surveys of Village residents and experiments to alter their behaviors and practices. Admission to the tutorial is by application and interview, and enrollment is limited to

25. Some STEM (science-engineering-technology-math) background is helpful but not required, although students will be expected to acquire such STEM skills as are necessary to engage in analysis and research.  This tutorial is one of the gateways to a proposed College Eight minor in Sustainability Studies and a BA in Sustainable Technology in the School of Engineering. The Sustainability District (SD) Research & Development Plan. An SD is a bounded residential or business area in which available flows of renewable

resources are harnessed to supply a significant fraction of the SD’s energy, water and food demand.  An SD consists of three primary elements: an energy microgrid, a set of intensive gardens, and a water collection and distribution system.  A renewable energy microgrid can include rooftop photovoltaics and solar water heaters, wind microturbines, heat pumps providing district heating, cooling and hot water, energy storage in the form of batteries, water tanks, compressed air and electric vehicles, possibly a biogas digester, and various monitors and controllers.  All of this energy supply technology is complemented by demand management, including conservation improvements in buildings, replacement of inefficient appliances, real-time energy use information, incentives for load-shifting as feasible, timed devices on washers and dryers, and so on.   Water is pumped from ground sources, as available, and through rainwater catchment, combined with intensive conservation and greywater use. The Village is the first of several sites where research on renewable energy microgrids will be conducted (others include the Green Wharf and Hartnell College in Salinas). The Village includes 20 modular buildings, about 10-12 years old, of which the majority is student residences.  It is located in an old lime quarry that has been filled to provide a usable ground area of roughly 100 x 600 meters.  Each building has a roof area of roughly 540 sq. m.  The entire site is below ground level, and is supplied with water and power from external sources.  There are several food gardens on site.

Ultimately, the Village will become both a living laboratory for subsequent student cadres as well as an experimental site for testing new technological configurations and behavioral projects and a demonstration site for interested visitors.

PICA Classroom Tutorial Schedule

• Week 1: Energy & site assessment basics
  In-Class: What is energy, what does it do, how is it measured?
  On-site: Develop site map of buildings and identify energy-related building features
• Week 2: Energy sources, on-site and off
  In-class: Calculating & measuring energy fluxes; heat transfer, heat pumps; theoretical and actual energy inputs to site (utility data)
  On site: Document building structure & composition, internal energy uses, energy flows through buildings (conduction, convection, radiation); individual building orientations, roof areas; other energy collection sites
• Week 3: Conversion efficiencies and conservation
  In-class: How much energy is converted into useful work; how can efficiency be increased; where does waste heat go?
  On-site: Measure daily solar exposure at various locations, begin assessment of wind resource; identify conservation strategies & develop conservation plan
• Week 4: Energy sociology & regulation
  In-class: how do people use energy and why?  how do building codes and regulations affect energy use in buildings?  develop survey.
  On-site: Survey a set of building occupants regarding energy use, daily practices, transportation choices, water use, etc.  Provide logbook to residents.
• Week 5: Water
  In-class: Hydrological cycle; What water is used for; where UCSC’s water comes from; rain harvesting; greywater; conservation strategies.  methods for measuring water use
  On-site: Measure water use, based on faucet flows and other uses (e.g., toilets, landscape).  Identify potential reductions.  On-site water sources. 
• Week 6: Food questions
  In-class: Food work; what does it take to produce food (including climate, varieties; local vs. far food; organic v. conventional (comparative resources inputs)
  On-site: Visit PICA garden & CASFS; acquire input/output data
• Week 7: Food energetics
  In-class: comparative energy & resource inputs & outputs; agroecology vs. industrial agriculture; subsidies to production
  On-site: Assess measure energy intensities & subsidies at PICA & CASFS
• Week 8: Food policy & practices
  In-class: political economy of food systems; how can an apple fly 6,000 miles and not cost a fortune; what do people eat & why; tastes, marketing, processed foods
  On-site: Survey of residents’ eating purchases & practices; food prep
• Week 9: Recycling & composting
  In-class: recoverable resources from food wastes; principles of composting; other end
  uses of food wastes;
  On-site: visit to PICA compost pile; assess biomass potential of Village
• Week 10: Other microgrid options
  In-class: biogas, biodiesel, combined heat & power (CC heat pumps)
  On-site: Designing the Sustainability District charette—layout, potentials, requirements, models

Other topics:

1. Building composition, structure, insulation, heat flow & loss

2. Appliances, lighting, user behaviors

3. Solar & wind assessments

4. Monitoring, data collection & analysis (Utility data)

5. Water use & resources

6. Greywater for gardens

7. Water capture & cisterns

8. Intensive composting & gardening

9. Policy issues (microgrids)

10. Behavioral change

11. Transportation

12. Heat pumps & CHP

13. Sustainability district design

For more information, please contact Bee.

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! 

IDEASS Sustainability Program Spaces Still Available - Apply Now!

Are you interested in...

• Learning how to build and install a rainwater catchment system?
• Sequestering energy for the grid from algae?
• Creating a digital media platform to change Boardwalk consumer habits?
• Installing an electric vehicle charging station on the Wharf?
• Filming and editing a documentary about local sustainability initiatives?
• Working with local businesses to reduce their carbon footprint?

Or maybe you have your own idea for a sustainable design project with potential to make a real community impact, but you aren’t sure how to make it a reality? If you answered yes to any of these questions and want to learn what it takes to work as a sustainability change agent, then you should apply to IDEASS!

Impact Designs: Engineering and Sustainability through Student Service is a new team-based internship program on campus designed to create opportunities for students to work on local (primarily off-campus) sustainability challenges with community partners or industry sponsors. 

Apply Now by Clicking Here! Applications to be considered for enrollment in Fall 2012 will be accepted until the program is full!

IDEASS offers a unique college experience. Students spend minimal time in the classroom, putting the majority of their effort into realizing project deliverables in the field. This is an opportunity for undergraduates approaching graduation to transition into the emerging green-technology workforce. Multiple IDEASS students graduating in 2012 are entertaining or have already accepted job offers resulting from their achievements working on an IDEASS project.

Santa Cruz Wharf Wind Turbine Project

Visit the Project Clearinghouse and search for IDEASS to view examples of completed and active IDEASS projects. Click here to read a student testimonial about an IDEASS project taking place in Porter College!

To find out more about IDEASS, please visit the website or contact IDEASS with any questions or concerns. IDEASS needs your talent, so apply today!

September 2012 Sustainability Profile: Beth Terry & Kicking the Plastic Habit

Blogger extraordinaire and recently published writer Beth Terry used to be just like everyone else. She "lived the plastic lifestyle," and the convenience and familiarity of all things plastic and the ubiquity of it in her life obscured any of the side effects that relying on plastic has on the planet and our health. Most of us, even those of us who are aware of the consequences of plastic and try to listen to our environmental consciences, still use plastic more than we might realize.

Source: OnEarth.org

In 2007, the plastic-happy train Beth had been traveling along, which sped through life collecting plastic products and using up disposable food containers, came to a screeching halt. She saw a photo that changed her life completely. Beth describes the photo in her new book Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too:

"The picture showed the decomposed carcass of a Laysan albatross, an ungainly-looking seabird that nests on Midway Island, which is halfway between California and Japan surrounded  by thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean. The flesh of this particular bird--a chick!--had fallen away to reveal a rib cage filled with plastic bottle caps, disposable cigarette lighters, even a toothbrush--small pieces of plastic that had no business out there in the middle of nowhere. Pieces of plastic like those I myself used and tossed away every day. 

Frozen in my desk chair, I started at the awful image. For several seconds, I literally could not breathe." (p. 3)
 

The photo that Beth Terry came across in 2007 that worked as a catalyst for her journey to a plastic-free life.

 After seeing the image, Beth was in shock. Shock turned to grief, which soon turned to anger. Something had to change.

As she began researching the issue more, she found out the many reasons why plastic is so bad--not only does it cause the death of seabirds and other marine life, but plastic in animals moves up the food chain and into the foods we eat, and the "chemicals from plastics could leach into our food and drinks" (p. 4). Suddenly, the repecurssions of a plastic-dependent lifestyle came a lot closer to home, and she realized that our actions not only affect animals, but they also affect us. "We're pumping this stuff into the environment so fast that it's coming back to us on our dinner plates," she writes (p. 4).

The things she learned and realized that first day, all a result of that catalystic image on her computer screen, were just the beginning of her journey to understanding the many issues surrounding plastic. With understanding and her investment in wanting to stop the damage from plastic that was a direct result of her actions, Beth began collecting the plastic in her life in order to identify where she needed the most improvement and decided to stop acquiring new plastic. She created some rules for herself that were practical and tangible, and she created a blog to share what she was learning and experiencing on her journey to a plastic-free life.



Beth Terry with her plastic accumulation from the 1st week of paying attention to her plastic.

Over the last 5 years, her plastic consumption has dropped dramatically. On August 19, 2012, when Beth spoke at the Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz for Science Sunday, she carried with her a single plastic shopping bag that held 2 pounds of plastic products--the total amount of plastic that Beth had accumulated in the year 2011. One bag!


To hear Beth speak about her plastic-free living experiences, check out this video from TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch.

Her lecture at Science Sunday brought people of all ages to hear her story and find out how they can practically and effectively avoid plastic in their lives. The audience was filled with parents and children, teenagers, college students, adults, and senior citizens. Plastic free living can begin at any age.

She spoke about the albatross picture and how mother albatrosses feed these plastic products to their babies, mistaking them for food. It "shocked me out of my complacency," she told the room full of people. For her, it was one of those realizations that cannot be ignored. "I have to do something. I can't not," she remarked.

In addition to telling the story of why she was inspired to change her lifestyle, Beth spoke for most of the lecture about why personal change actually matters. In going over her reasons, Beth gave examples from her own experience and tangible suggestions for ways to implement these changes into our everyday lives. In addition to the tips she provided for avoiding plastic, Beth's presentation was down-to-earth and inspiring, providing a sense that anyone can do what she is doing and that it doesn't take a degree in environmental studies or an understanding of the complexities of ecology to have a reason to make these changes. All it takes is to be informed on a basic level, seek answers when it will help you make better decisions, and practice a lifestyle that does the least harm. If you want to see Beth's list of reasons why personal change matters, check out her blog post about it here.

Beth is also really funny, which makes her book an enjoyable read, as well. Positive and funny encouragement always works better than bitter, serious diatribes, and Beth definitely knows this. Her presentation certainly inspired many of those who were there on August 19, and after the lecture, the line for purchasing Beth's new book and meeting her for a signature crowded the entryway of the Seymour Center.

At the end of her book, Beth writes:

"Whoever you are, whatever your age, gender, or economic status, there is something for you to do in the fight against plastic pollution. There are so many ways to reach out and connect with the wider world. There are so many different ways to participate in this global movement. All talents and skills are needed.

Just pick one thing and get started." (p. 317)  

If you want to learn more about Beth and her plastic-free life, please check out her blog at myplasticfreelife.com. You can take her "Show Your Plastic" Challenge here and begin thinking about living without plastic starting today. For a list of some simple ideas for getting plastic out of your daily routine, view Beth's Plastic-free Living Guide here.

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Each month, our newsletter features a person or group on campus that is working toward a more sustainable world. If you know of a person or group that you think we should profile, or if you would like to be profiled, please send us an email.

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