Santa Clara University

This summer, from Thursday June 21 to Sunday June 24 the 2012 Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) Conference will be held right here on the beautiful grounds of Santa Clara University! AESS is an independent faculty-and-student-based professional association in higher education, designed to serve the needs of environmental scholars and scientists who value interdisciplinary approaches to research, teaching, and problem-solving. This year’s theme is “Preparing for our Environmental Future.” A major aim of AESS is to encourage interdisciplinary understanding of environmental science, ethics, history, and all of the other vital contributions of traditional disciplines. Some major topics of this year include: What’s the role of sustainability, our energy future, adaptation and resilience? What are our greatest needs and concerns when it comes to education? The Conference will feature workshops, lectures, and a poster session with leading person’s in the field of Environmental Studies and Sciences from all over the country.

The Sharks Foundation of San Jose have given the Bronco Urban Gardens program $25,000 to use for community outreach programs into local schools and community centers.  In addition to the Foundation's generous grant, Sharks' player Martin "Marty" Havlát donated twelve executive suite tickets to a game. On March 3rd, nine elementary-age students and three Americorps chaperones from BUG's Alma Verde After-School Program had the time of their lives at the Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues game. Though all the students are avid Sharks fans, none of them had ever been to a game before. The students screamed at the top of their lungs until the very end and as we were leaving, one of the students said: "This was the best night of my life!"
 

There are many changes ahead for us.  This year we welcome a new academic department of Environmental Studies and Sciences.  Michelle Marvier is the new department chair but I will continue to serve as ESI director.  We have many exciting and vibrant programs with great opportunities for student, faculty and staff involvement. 

Bronco Urban Gardens Program

We are in the process of hiring our new Americorps team to run food justice outreach programs at the Forge Garden, Alma Verde Youth Center and Gardner Elementary school.  We are thrilled to announce that ESI graduate Cara Uy will be joining us at the Forge Outreach Coordinator.  Her job will be to connect SCU campus to our neighboring communities in environmental justice outreach.  We also want to welcome Natalie Yoder who will be joining us from Austin, Texas, where she previously ran Nanny Goat Farms.  Natalie has extensive experience in urban agriculture and will be our “farmer” at the Forge Garden.  Finally, we are very pleased that Nicole Latham has signed on for a second year with us, continuing her wonderful work at Alma Verde. 

Forge Garden

This is going to be a busy year for the Forge as we undertake some more design work and build out the garden.  Our goals are to get a new fence and continue to build out our garden beds.  We hope to get lots of involvement from campus volunteers to make this a great campus education and outreach garden!

Sustainability across the Curriculum

John Farnsworth will lead the Penstemon project this year, looking to re-involve past participants in reading groups and discussions about sustainability.  We also hope to pilot a project involving selected departments in greening their curriculum!

Sustainability and Justice Research Programs

We are very excited to announce that ESI received a $30,000 grant from the Sustainability and Justice Research Initiative. With these funds, we are working with local partners, including Somos Mayfair and La Mesa Verde, to understand challenges to food  justice in the South Bay.

Residential Life Programs

We have many new students participaing in SLURP (Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project) class, conducting reserach to improve campus sustainability. Some recent highlights include Samantha Juda's interview with Voices of America about her SLURP project and new filtered water stations on campus, a direct result of on of our first year SLURP projects!

Joanna Johnson has joined us as the new director of the Bronco Urban Gardens program and the Forge Garden.  Joanna will also teach courses for ESS, including agroecology and soil, water and air. She is interested in how forming a connection with the natural world can impact the upcoming generation, inspiring them to care for the environment in which they live. Joanna comes to us from San Jose State University, where she taught courses in environmental education and sustainable agriculture, and the non-profit organization Wild Farm Alliance, where she promoted agriculture that restores wild lands. Part of her non-profit work involved piloting an experiential learning program for 6-12^th grade students that focused on agriculture, natural areas, and the impact of urban activities on local watersheds and ocean health. Prior to those endeavors, she spent three inspiring years helping to facilitate a sustainability-themed study abroad program in New Zealand before returning to California and receiving an M.S. in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.