Where the Health Can You Eat Around Here?

Dining recently hosted a Healthy Menu Tasting that was FREE to the campus community. The event was held at the Terra Fresca Restaurant in the University Center. From 3:30-5:00 PM students and campus members were served tasty and nourishing dishes from the new Spring Healthy Monday’s menu currently available at the campus dining halls, and several cafes. Even with a downpour of rain approximately 150 guests arrived & campus chefs were kept busy serving up items like: Green Curry Veggie Bowls, Eggplant Lasagna and Chipotle Seitan Fajitas. Campus partners including OPERS, Wellness Center, and our Health Center joined in for the afternoon and brought along resources and information to share with the crowd! 

If this interests you, on April 23rd from 11:30-2:30 PM in the College 9 and 10 Multipurpose room, Dining will be hosting their 4th Annual Organic & Local Foods Fair. This is also a free event. And everyone is welcome to stop in! 

Come meet and talk with our purveyors and vendors of local /organic products that are served here at UCSC. Meet growers, manufactures and supplies who are keeping engaged with REAL food! Plenty of free samples, tasting of new and interesting foods, share your likes and engage with others about what excites your palate!- Don’t miss this event, it only happens once each year! Yes, this will be another Zero Waste Event! 

Check out our website and Facebook for current updates!

CASFS Apprenticeship Alum Wins Land Steward Award

Many of us college students, at some point in our college career, ponder about post college life and where we will find ourselves ten years from now.  Here is some inspiration that is an example of a UCSC alumni's great successes in the field of agroecology!

Celia Barss is a 2002 graduate of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food System’s Apprenticeship Program at UC Santa Cruz. She has recently become the proud recipient of the 2014 Land Steward Award. This award was presented by Georgia’s organic agriculture community, which held their 17th annual Organics Conference. The Land Steward Award honors an individual who has contributed greatly to the organic movement in Georgia both on the farm through environmentally friendly production, and off the farm through leadership, education, and outreach.  The awards ceremony brought more than 1,000 attendees to Jekyll Island to celebrate the coast and the myriad ways organic growers are essential to restoring natural resources in Georgia and beyond.

Celia Barss is currently the manager and grower at Woodland Gardens, a certified organic vegetable, fruit and cut-flower farm in Winterville, Ga., just east of Athens. She runs the farm with a focus on long-term sustainability, and is a leader in the field of small-scale agriculture.  We wish you a warm congratulations from the UCSC Sustainability Office Celia!

First UCSC Climate Science Conference

More than a dozen nationally prominent climate scientists and policy makers gathered for the first Climate Science and Policy Conference at UC Santa Cruz Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1. This conference was organized by UCSC's divisions of Social Science and Physical and Biological Sciences. The well-attended conference featured opening and closing keynote addresses by climate scientists Susan Solomon and Michael E. Mann, and three panel discussions focused on the current state of climate research, mitigating the effects of climate change, and adapting to future effects.

Solomon, now at MIT, is a renowned atmospheric chemist who was the first to attribute the ozone hole to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). She opened the conference Friday evening with the Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy and compared the challenge of climate change to past environmental challenges–specifically, lead pollution and the ozone hole–and finds hope in the way those challenges were met.

Climate change, however, is an especially daunting problem. She said we are accustomed to dealing with environmental pollution that is reversible but the changes happening now because of manmade carbon emissions (greenhouse gases) are largely irreversible for at least 1,000 years.

For more information about the Conference, check out this article.

FoCAN's First Local Intercambio of 2014

Beyond Organic: Narratives of our Local Food System, and event put on by Friends of Community Action Network (FoCAN), focused on facilitating a space for dialogue surrounding fair labor practices and transparency in our local food systems. Representatives from across our food system provided a unique opportunity for the Santa Cruz and UCSC community to highlight the untold experiences, feelings, and ideas for fair treatment for people who work tirelessly to make our food available for consumption. FoCAN is truly grateful for having the panel participants share their stories with the group and would like to let them know that this is just the beginning of the conversation.

 Here is the link for the summary of our event.

UCSC - Frontiers in Black Bear Ecology

A new study published by UCSC reveals just how much human food has contributed to the diet of Native Yosemite black bears over the past century.

Researchers at UCSC were able to estimate the proportion of human-derived food in bears' diets by analyzing chemical isotopes in hair and bone samples. The results, published in the March issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, show how bears' diets have changed over the years as the National Park Service took different approaches to managing bears and people in Yosemite.  For more information, check out this article!

April 2014: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Provost's Sustainability Internship - $1500 Scholarship!

Are you interested in working to make our campus operations, infrastructure, and physical environment more sustainable? The Provost's Sustainability Internship (PSI) program is a great way to get involved! We pair students with staff mentors to plan and implement a year-long campus sustainability project. Students receive internship credit for the fall, winter, and spring quarters and a $1500 scholarship upon completion of the program in spring quarter. Student applications are due by 5pm on April 25th.

Generation Waking Up Leadership Training
GenUp is holding a leadership training in Santa Cruz April 25 - 27 that will bring together a diverse group of young people from around the region who are committed to transforming our world at the intersection of environmental sustainability, social justice, and human thriving. If you're interested in attending, apply here before the deadline of April 15th. For more information about lodging, scholarships, and other event details check out their website here.

IDEASS Internship Opportunity
Do you have an idea for a sustainability project at UCSC or in Santa Cruz? IDEASS is a green-tech service learning program at UCSC that is accepting early bird applications for next fall! If you're curious about getting invaluable hands-on experience with sustainability next year, please fill out our application here. IDEASS can fulfill senior exit credit for some majors- including ENVS. Many alumni have been offered jobs that relate to their projects upon completion of the program and graduation. Students that apply earlier have the opportunity to be a part of the planning process for projects next year. For more info, see this link.

Practicing Agroecology and Social Awareness - 2 unit internship
Wouldn't you love to spend this spring quarter outside of the classroom? CAN is hosting a 2-unit internship through the Environmental Studies Department called Cultivating a Daily Revolution. The internship is for up to 10 students and includes a weekly interactive lecture series and service learning project. Participants will have the opportunity to network with various community partners, meet new people, share weekly meals, and gain experience working on hands on projects in agroecology, indigenous Knowledge, community activism, and sustainable living. To sign-up send an email to focan [at] canunite [dot] org and visit the ENVS Internship Website to find out more information about how to get credit. The deadline to sign up for Spring Quarter is April 16th. Or if you cannot commit, anyone is welcome to attend the class.

PowerSave Spring Internships
Every quarter the PowerSave UCSC team looks to hire new four-credit interns! These interns will be given two units of credit through the ENVS Internship Office and will work closely with their project coordinator and the rest of the team to accomplish one (or more) energy-saving project(s) that will make a difference on our campus. Along with working on their projects, interns will also be able to represent the PowerSave team at the many awesome campus sustainability events that occur in Spring at UCSC. To apply, send your resume to the PowerSave Team at powersave [at] googlegroups [dot] com.

Common Ground Center Spring Internship
Interested in an Internship with Common Ground Center? We are currently looking for new 2-unit interns to help support the media team (newsletter, posters/flyers, and videography) for spring. Please fill out the application as soon as possible to be considered. Applications accepted until position filled. Apply here!

Naturalist Internship 2013-14
Create a rich and rewarding experience for sixth graders during their week of outdoor education. Foster a greater connection to nature for all students. Develop and teach hands-on science curriculum in a fun, engaging way. Sing, dance and laugh with students during evening activities. Play, learn and live with our community of dedicated and passionate naturalists and staff. If you would like to learn more about the program, send UCSC Alumni Darya Soofi, a current FHOS intern, an email at dsoofi74 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Volunteer for Sea Slugs!
Sea Slugs are a UCSC student-based organization built around environmental activism and community evolvement. We have ties with many local organizations including the Save the Waves Coalition and the Surfrider Foundation. All those interested in environmental stewardship can attend our April 10th meeting. For information about the April meeting, stewardship opportunities, or any other oceanic shenanigans, contact seaslug.ucsc [at] gmail [dot] com or visit our website.

Sierra Club's Search for Next Generation Leaders
Sierra Club is looking for the next generation of environmental leaders! Today, more young organizers than ever are running savvy campaigns and changing policies at the local, state and national level. This summer, hundreds will take part in our award-winning grassroots leadership training program to learn the skills they need to launch campaigns. These five week long trainings are run by, and for, young movement leaders. Does this sound like someone you know? Nominate a young leader to gain the skills and confidence they need to launch and win real campaigns for sustainability, climate, and justice.

Provost's Sustainability Internship - $1500

Are you interested in working to make our campus operations, infrastructure, and physical environment more sustainable? The Provost's Sustainability Internship (PSI) program is a great way to get involved! We pair students with staff mentors to plan and implement a year-long campus sustainability project in topics such as waste, water, land and habitat, transportation, food, etc. We are currently accepting applications, so if you are interested please apply soon. Student applications are due April 25th and mentor applications are due April 11th.

Program Benefits 

• An opportunity for meaningful action: PSI provides staff and students an opportunity to make a difference in their campus community. Hear what previous participants have to say about their experience in PSI. 
• Students receive academic credit for three quarters and a $1500 scholarship upon completion of their project 
• Staff/faculty mentors pay only half the cost of the intern ($750), for 6 hrs/week of work in fall and 12 hrs/week in winter and spring quarters 
• Students participate in weekly classes and trainings to improve their professional development and leadership