Our newsletter

1. Why We Do This Work: 2023 the hottest year on record by a substantial margin.  

2. Spotlight on: AIRC Director Angel Riotutar

3. Spotlight on: ENVS Professor Karen Holl

4. UCSC news -- update on our decarbonization/electrification plans

5. Geek out -- new library climate research guide

6. Geek out -- download the Recycle Coach app

7. Internship: 2 units in ENVS as a Village Gardener

8. Fellowship: $6000 Earth Futures Institute​ Frontier Fellowships

9. Volunteer: Weekly update from Environteers.org

10. Don't forget: Climate Coalition meets 1st & 3rd Saturdays @2:30 @ McHenry

1. Why fight the fossil fuel industry and its enablers?  2023 was by a substantial margin the hottest year on record, and Jan 2024 is continuing to break records for global air and ocean temperatures.  "Business as usual" economic and especially fossil-fueled activities is pushing us ever closer -- maybe already over -- key climate tipping points...but social tipping points could be close too.

2. Spotlight on AIRC Director Angel Riotutar, a Sustainability Champion working at the intersection of social and environmental justice.

3. Spotlight on ENVS Professor Karen Holl and team who researched successful reforestation techniques (and challenges when tree-planting organizations fail to anticipate the financial and maintenance issues that large-scale tree-planting entails).  

4. UCSC News: Tues Feb 20 was the most recent Town Hall updating the campus about decarbonization plans (how to retire our methane-powered cogeneration plant and electrify the campus instead).  Details, including soon the zoom recording, are here.  Two major reports remain before the Chancellor makes her decision: one from PG&E (more anon) and one from the Just Transition and Equity Team, the executive summary of which can be found here.

5. New Climate Research Guide developed by ENVS faculty member Susan Maret and research librarian Christy Caldwell.

6. Geek out: New from the Sustainability Office: download the Recycle Coach app and never throw your single-use coffee cup into "paper recycling" again!

7. 2-unit ENVS spring term internship as a Village gardener, flyer here and more info below:

My name is Cate, I am a program coordinator for a research group on campus called Seed Spoon Science. The goal of our program is to connect Latinx STEM majors with local Latino families through garden based education. 

We are collaborating with Res Life and Groundskeeping at the Village to revitalize the B Quad Garden, which is the former home of PICA. We are working to create an educational program in the legacy of PICA that provides a place for student gardeners to take care of the garden and build community. We are establishing this program as a 2-unit ENVS internship opportunity for next quarter (Spring 2024). The long term goal with this internship is to build a new student cooperative which will focus on taking care of the Village B Quad Garden. 

Interns will be: 

• Propagating seeds, creating crop plans, seed saving

• Pruning perennial plants and taking cuttings from perennial plants

• Planting out garden beds with edible crops

• Harvesting food crops and distributing food to students

• Garden-related building (building pest-proof covers for raised beds)

• Cultivating native ecosystems in garden settings

• Collaborating with Village Res life to host community events for Village residents

• Collaborating with researchers using the space to collect data on how much food that water from rain tanks can produce

• Collaborating with researchers building fog catchers that rest on top of garden beds and capture water

• Hopefully, founding a non-hierarchical cooperative which can take care of the village garden as a community space! 

Please feel free to share this information with students enrolled in your classes or involved with your organization. Attached below is our flyer. Here is a link to the application! There is also a QR code on the flyer. 

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8. Earth Futures Institute announces $6000 Frontier Fellowships.

The Earth Futures Institute at UCSC is now accepting 

applications for our 2024-2025 Frontier Fellowships program.  These fellowships provide

support for undergrads to do original interdisciplinary research on topics relevant to

ensuring Earth's future. Climate change and its consequences can be a major focus. 

Students will receive a $6000 stipend to work over this coming summer.  They will start

work in Spring quarter 2024 and complete their projects with deliverables in Spring 

Quarter 2025. Faculty can receive up to $2000 to support research expenses, including an

optional faculty stipend.  Funding is available for six Fellows this year.

The EFI Frontier Fellowships are a unique opportunity for undergrads at UCSC to design their

own research projects in collaboration with UCSC faculty.  And obtain summer support.

The deadline for applications is March 10, 2024.

9. Events and volunteer opportunities in Santa Cruz County, delivered to your inbox thanks to Andy Carmen and Environteers.org.    Click here to subscribe to the weekly Environteers newsletter, worth its weight in gold!

10. The next Climate Coalition meeting is this Saturday, Feb 24 @ 2:30 pm @ McHenry patio, to plan Earth Day and our Fossil Free Degree Campaign!