The Seventh Annual UC Santa Cruz Campus Earth Summit is set for Thursday, January 31, 2008, at the College Nine/Ten Multipurpose Room from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Hosted by the UCSC Student Environmental Center and the UCSC Sustainability Office, the Campus Earth Summit brings together students, staff, faculty, and administrators to challenge the growing threat of climate change and update the "Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus." This year, the Earth Summit takes place in conjunction with "Focus the Nation" events at more than 1,550 institutions nationwide, designed to move the debate on climate change from talk to action.
UC Santa Cruz has long been a leader in environmental education and action. The Summit, whose theme is "Local Solutions to Climate Change," will feature presentations from Chancellor George Blumenthal; Santa Cruz County Treasurer Fred Keeley; Professor Daniel Press, chair of the Environmental Studies department; Matthew St. Clair, sustainability manger for the UC Office of the President; UC Student Regent Ben Allen; UCSC Sustainability Coordinator Aurora Winslade; and student activists.
Attendees will enjoy an organic lunch made from locally grown ingredients. Discussion groups in the afternoon will facilitate the formation of working groups on such issues as Campus Community Connections, Campus Food Systems, Social Justice, Renewable Energy, Curriculum Development, Waste Prevention, Green Building, Green Purchasing, and Transportation. The groups will assess the progress of current sustainability efforts, including a review of the newly published "UCSC Sustainability Assessment" action items, as well as collaborate on creative solutions for the future. The outcome will be used to update the "Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus," a manifesto that envisions a sustainable future for UC Santa Cruz.
For more information on the UCSC Campus Earth Summit, including the event agenda, go to http://sustainability.ucsc.edu or contact Tommaso Nicholas Boggia, (831) 234-4507, tboggia@ucsc.edu
For more information on Focus the Nation, go to http://www.focusthenation.org.
Sponsored by the Student Environmental Center, UCSC Sustainability Office, College Nine/Ten, College 8, Food Systems Working Group, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research, SHR Training and Development, Environmental Health and Safety, ALBA Organics, Global Chillers, Education for Sustainable Living Program, UCSC Business and Administrative Services, and Physical Plant.
