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Environmental Studies

December 14, 2017
Cowell Ranch Hay Barn recognized by architects
The Cowell Ranch Hay Barn has received recognition from the East Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
November 03, 2017
Solar greenhouses generate electricity and grow crops at the same time, UC Santa Cruz study reveals
The first crops of tomatoes and cucumbers grown inside electricity-generating solar greenhouses were as healthy as those raised in conventional greenhouses, signaling that "smart" greenhouses hold great promise for dual-use farming and renewable electricity production.
November 01, 2017
ENVS prof Elliott Campbell receives global environmental change award
Elliott Campbell, associate professor of environmental studies, will receive a 2017 Global Environmental Change Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union during its December meeting in New Orleans.
October 30, 2017
Talk with the architect: Cowell Ranch Hay Barn
On Wednesday evening, November 8, architect, UC Santa Cruz alumnus and Professor Emeritus of architecture Richard Fernau will speak about his office’s renovation/reinvention of the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn.
October 25, 2017
Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell steps in to leadership, asks others to step up, too
Two months into her new job, Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell has brought energy, focus, and vision to the division.
October 23, 2017
Hay Barn receives preservation design award
The Cowell Lime Works Hay Barn has won a 2017 Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation.
October 19, 2017
The 2017-2018 Campus Food & Garden Guide is now available
Students who want to get involved in sustainable food systems will find all the options at their fingertips in the new 48-page 2017-18 Campus Food & Garden Guide.
October 19, 2017
Investments in Beginning Farmer Training Paying Off
A new report explores the impact of a unique beginning-farmer training program.
October 16, 2017
Migration, climate, housing among the topics featured during fifth annual UC Santa Cruz Research Frontiers Evening Oct. 26
Six UC Santa Cruz researchers who are tackling "key issues of the 21st century" will be featured during the fifth annual Division of Social Sciences Research Frontiers Evening on October 26.
October 11, 2017
Social Sciences honors outstanding staff, teaching, research
The Division of Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz presented four major awards today (Wednesday, October 11), recognizing outstanding accomplishments by faculty, staff, researchers, and emeriti faculty.
September 29, 2017
New series of organic grower guides available from CASFS
A new series of technical guides developed at UC Santa Cruz targets small- and medium-scale organic specialty crop growers with the production information they need to be successful.
September 20, 2017
Join the fun at the Harvest Festival on Oct. 1
Celebrate the abundance of the fall harvest with live music, cooking demonstrations, tasty food, activities for kids, and tours of the UCSC Farm at the annual UC Santa Cruz Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 1, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
August 28, 2017
USDA awards $2.5 million grant to UC Santa Cruz to expand organic strawberry research
UC Santa Cruz researchers who have pioneered alternatives to methyl bromide in commercial strawberry production have received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will take their work national.
August 23, 2017
Lessons of regional recovery from around the country
As the country's political and cultural divides appear insurmountable, Chris Benner says hope can be found at the local and regional level.
August 17, 2017
Dining for Farmers supports Farm & Garden's apprenticeship training programs
Seven of Santa Cruz County's best restaurants are participating in the "Dining for Farmers" dinner series, donating a portion of their proceeds to apprenticeship training programs.
August 03, 2017
UC Santa Cruz celebrates 50 years of organic farming
The three-day celebration culminated with a joyful dinner presided over by famed chef, restaurateur, and organic food advocate Alice Waters.
July 25, 2017
Applications open for 2018 apprenticeship, new scholarship support available
Applications for the 2018 Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture are being accepted through August 15, 2017.
July 24, 2017
Master gardener Orin Martin celebrates 40 years at the Alan Chadwick Garden
Orin Martin, who is celebrating his 40th anniversary with the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden this month, enjoys every minute, calling the students and apprentices he shares his days with "the light of the world."
July 10, 2017
Growing farmers and the food movement for 50 years
The experiment in organic gardening that began at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 is now the oldest university-based organic research and education facility in the country.
July 10, 2017
Gardening workshops July 29 are part of UC Santa Cruz celebration of 50 years of organic farming
The public is invited to attend an afternoon of gardening workshops on Saturday, July 29, as part of the "First 50 Celebration" of the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden.
June 21, 2017
Mountain lions fear humans, fleeing when they hear our voices, new study reveals
New research into the behavior of mountain lions indicates that they don't like encountering humans any more than we like bumping into them on hiking trails.
June 21, 2017
African leopards revealed: Study documents minute-to-minute behavior of elusive cats
The elusive behavior of the African leopard has been revealed in great detail for the first time as part of a sophisticated study that links the majestic cat's caloric demands and its drive to kill.
June 13, 2017
Farm & Garden’s Market Cart produce stand opens June 20
Celebrate the start of summer on Tuesday, June 20, when the Farm & Garden’s Market Cart opens for 2017.
May 30, 2017
Ronnie Lipschutz appointed to chair in integral ecology and environmental justice
Ronnie Lipschutz, professor of politics and provost of Rachel Carson College, was honored as the inaugural holder of the Robert Headley Presidential Chair for Integral Ecology and Environmental Justice.
May 22, 2017
Karen Holl recognized for tropical forest restoration work
Karen Holl, professor of environmental studies, has been named a recipient of the 2017 Theodore M. Sperry Award, presented by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).
May 04, 2017
U.S. farmland becoming a hot commodity as investors buy up acreage
Institutional investors have been buying up farmland across the country in a trend that could have significant impacts on farmers.
April 26, 2017
From founding farmer to champion of the fair food movement
Oran Hesterman, author of Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All and president and founder of Fair Food Network, talks about his roots on the UCSC Farm.
April 24, 2017
Community Supported Agriculture season is about to begin
Join the campus’s 2017 Community Support Agriculture program and get a fresh-picked box of organic produce from the UCSC Farm each week--at a 5 percent discount if you sign up by May 1.
April 17, 2017
Farm & Garden’s plant sale April 29-30 highlights 50th anniversary
The UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden’s annual Spring Plant Sale will have a 50th Anniversary flavor this year, featuring some of legendary gardener Alan Chadwick's favorite plants.
April 13, 2017
Five graduate student alumni return for awards
The five honorees will be presented with the first Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni Award and be part of panel discussions where they’ll share their stories on career and entrepreneurship opportunities.
April 07, 2017
Growing farmers and the food movement for 50 years
Fifty years after students transformed a brush-covered rocky hillside into a verdant organic garden, UC Santa Cruz is widely regarded as a trailblazing force in sustainable agriculture education and research.
March 22, 2017
Water wizards: Building an underground savings account to bolster water supply
An innovative water-conservation strategy diverts water from overflowing rivers to fallow farmland, where it seeps into the soil and replenishes depleted aquifers.
March 16, 2017
Tropical reforestation and climate change
Tropical reforestation is an important part of the global effort to mitigate climate change, but ecologist Karen Holl says current international goals may be overly ambitious.
March 10, 2017
Reef madness: A coral grows at UC Santa Cruz
Hundreds of students and community members are contributing their handiwork to the Crochet Coral Reef, a massive participatory art project that combines higher geometry with handicraft while calling attention to the disappearing wonders of the marine world.
February 15, 2017
Diversity, inclusivity key to a growing economy
The face of small business is shifting. From 2007–2012, Latino-owned businesses in the U.S. grew by 34.5 percent and African American-owned enterprises grew by 46.3 percent. A quarter of all new businesses were started by immigrants.
January 23, 2017
End of the pipeline
In a new book, Professor Flora Lu looks at the oil industry's impact on the Waorani, an indigenous Ecuadorian population living in a region renowned for its ecological diversity.
January 17, 2017
Cowell Ranch Hay Barn wins architectural awards
The Cowell Ranch Hay Barn has won two architectural awards: a 2016 Excellence in Design Honor Award from American Institute of Architects Montana, and the 2017 U.S. WoodWorks Regional Excellence Award from the Wood Products Council.
January 17, 2017
UC Global Food Initiative launches free online toolkit for schools
The UC Global Food Initiative has launched a free online toolkit to help schools teach healthy eating habits and provide nutritious, sustainable food to students.
January 09, 2017
Jan. 18 teach-in highlights activism in the Trump era
UC Santa Cruz joins UCLA, UC Berkeley, and other college campuses for a nationwide day of democratic education and action
January 06, 2017
Santa Cruz receives $450,000 grant to study economic inclusivity in emerging countries
UC Santa Cruz will test and refine the foundation’s emerging inclusive economies framework in geographic contexts and markets.