The Campus Earth Summit has evolved over the years. The first Campus Earth Summit in 2002 was held inside a conference room. There was a sharing of updates and ideas from members of the Student Environmental Center about campus sustainability projects, followed by intermixed breakout groups of UCSC students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni. Originally, the Campus Earth Summit did not have workshops, entertainment or other student organizations doing outreach.

The Student Environmental Center’s first Campus Earth Festival, which I organized, was also in 2002. It featured keynote speakers including Mardi Wormhoudt, a campus string band, political Hip-Hop musicians from Los Angeles and Chicano rock-n-rollers from San Jose, as well as both on and off-campus organizations. It was also the first event held in the Quarry Amphitheater after being closed for several years, and aimed to bring students and community members together from all across campus and town.

The Student Environmental Center decided to hold the 11th Annual Campus Earth Summit on March 3rd after five “Blueprint Breakout Discussions”, each on a different day. The discussions were focused on 1) Transportation: Social & Environmental Justice on October 19, 2011; 2) Green Building: Land, Habitat, & Watershed on November 2, 2011; 3) Purchasing: Energy on November 16, 2011; 4) Waste Prevention: Water on January 25, 2012; and 5) Food Systems: Academics & Curriculum on February 15, 2012.

An announcement for the 11th Annual Campus Earth Summit at UCSC states, “The purpose of this event is to highlight efforts that will encourage the university to reach environmentally, socially, and economically responsible benchmarks. The event will feature skill workshops, student/staff opportunities and learning models for student involvement on the UCSC campus, as well as provide excellent educational tools for academic integration and those working alongside the student population to serve as an example of environmental activism.”

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This article, along with the following photos, were also published at Indybay.org.

Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz, Don Lane, kicked things off by stressing the importance of the ballot initiative and knowing which of the foods we eat are made with genetically modified ingredients. Lane said he was taking time away from being with his grandchildren who were visiting from out of the area, but felt they would understand because their health would benefit by the labeling of genetically modified foods.

Local campaign organizers, including Tarah, Mary, Patti, and Kyle, provided updates from a very successful first morning of collecting signatures, and also reviewed various legal rules, as well as agreements specific to the campaign. After that, a modest raffle was held, then volunteers signed up for locations to gather signatures, and received materials such as petitions, table signs, volunteer badges and sandwich board signs.

GMO-Free Right to Know! Santa Cruz has set a goal of collecting 10,000 signatures, but expects to reach that goal easily, and keep on gathering. Statewide, the effort is being led by The Committee for the Right to Know, a grassroots coalition of consumer, public health, environmental organizations, and food companies in California seeking the labeling of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).

The initiative needs 504,760 valid signatures to make it on the November 2012 ballot. Signatures can get thrown out (invalidated) for a number of reasons: being illegible, spelling mistakes, wrong county, etc. Therefore, the campaign aims to collect more than 800,000 signatures to make sure they have enough that qualify.

For more information, please see:

California State Grange Supports GMO Labeling for November Ballot
by Dan Bacher
Saturday Feb 18th, 2012
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/18/18707651.php

The Committee for the Right to Know
http://www.labelgmos.org/

Santa Cruz County Label GMOs Group, GMO-Free Santa Cruz
http://www.labelgmos.org/santacruz

GMO-Free Right to Know! Santa Cruz
http://www.facebook.com/nongmosantacruz

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This article, along with the following photos, were also published at Indybay.org.

On August 25th, 75 people marched in downtown Santa Cruz from Laurel and Pacific to City Hall on Center Street in an action organized by the Save the Knoll Coalition. One person maintained an indigenous chant throughout the march, many people carried signs and banners, and several distributed educational flyers.

The march was urgently organized for 10am on a Thursday because the Santa Cruz City Council was holding a special closed meeting, but the Branciforte Creek development was not on their agenda. However, prior to the closed meeting, twenty minutes were allocated for public comments about the pending Branciforte Creek development. Read More and View Photos

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Charlene Sul, a representative of the Save the Knoll Coalition, was one of the people who made impassioned public comments. Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Don Lane reported that he has been talking with KB Home representatives in an effort to protect the Knoll. Councilmember Tony Madrigal inquired with city attorney John Barrisone about holding another city council meeting soon to discuss the Knoll. Tony’s inquiry was backed by Councilmember Katherine Beiers, who said she was misinformed regarding the public comment period, and had told about 15 people that there would not be time for public comment.

At a rally outside city hall following the public comment period, Save the Knoll organizers stated that they felt the response from City Council was positive overall. But this is no time for people to let their guards down, rather it is important for people to continue putting pressure on KB Home and the Santa Cruz City Council.

Ohlone descendants have asked for a halt to any earth movement or development on the 6,000 year old village and burial site. Hundreds of Santa Cruz residents have rallied in support of the Ohlone people who are asking that the area be protected before anymore of their ancestors are disturbed.

For background information, breaking news, and ways to get involved in the ongoing efforts to save the Knoll, visit the coalition’s website at SaveTheKnoll.org

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Over 90% of Prop 23 financial support has come from chemical and oil companies, namely Valero and Tesoro, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and Koch Industries, the largest private U.S. chemical company, headquartered in Witchita, Kansas.

The out-of-state chemical and oil companies who sponsored the initiative refer to their measure as the California Jobs Initiative, while environmental organizations and other opponents are calling Prop 23 the Dirty Energy Proposition.

The California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), an organization working to defeat the proposition, explains, “California leads the way with clean energy technology. But oil companies from Texas are spending millions to fund Prop 23 and block California’s global warming law. They want to keep polluting despite threats to our health and our climate.”

For more information, check out: Van Jones slams Koch Industries’ role in Prop 23

While I was finishing lunch in a nearby restaurant, I heard the owner speaking with one of her employees about the expansion of the market, and she was not happy about it. She said that the increased amount of goods and services now being offered each Wednesday at the Farmers’ Market will have a negative impact on her restaurant and other downtown businesses. The feelings expressed by this longtime owner of a downtown restaurant do not correspond with an announcement from the Farmers’ Market which states, “The plans for the new Downtown Market have engendered excitement and full support from downtown businesses located adjacent to the market.”

The Farmers’ Market was also strangely quiet compared to previous weeks. Notably absent was the weekly drum circle and the crowd it attracts. And a vendor was selling artisan bread where for years, Food Not Bombs had been distributing free meals to anyone. Read More and View Photos

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Established activist organizations dished out information to prospective members, and hundreds of vendors pitched their freshest accessories to thousands of medical marijuana patients and connoisseurs. At the same time, prominent members of the cannabis community discussed a wide-range of topics, including marijuana cultivation, medication and prohibition. However the main buzz, on and off stage, was the initiative to “legalize, control, and tax cannabis in California,” which is to be decided by voters in the state during the November 2010 elections. Read More and View Photos

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Numerous events took place in Santa Cruz, CA, including a march which began at the wharf and went up the sidewalk of Pacific Avenue. The march ended at the clock tower where there was a rally and a mock trial of the private automobile, the largest contributing source of CO2 in California and Santa Cruz County. The trial was presided over by the honorable Fred Keeley, a former member of the California State Assembly and currently the Treasurer of Santa Cruz County. Read More and View Photos

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The proposed Santa Cruz County State Park and Beach closures are Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Castle Rock State Park, Castro Adobe State Historic Park, Coast Dairies State Park, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Lighthouse Field State Beach, Manresa State Beach, Manresa Uplands State Park, Natural Bridges State Beach, New Brighton State Beach, Palm State Beach, Rio Del Mar State Beach, Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, Seabright State Beach, Seacliff State Beach, Sunset State Beach, The Forest of Nisene Marks, Twin Lakes State Beach and Wilder Ranch State Park.

A rally to save State Parks and Beaches took place on June 1st at Natural Bridges State Beach. On June 2nd, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks took a bus to Sacramento for the only public hearing on this proposal before the Legislative Budget Conference Committee. Read More and View Photos

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On May 30th, Life Lab celebrated its 30-year history with a birthday party in and around the Garden Classroom, located on the UCSC Farm, and featured garden crafts, visiting the chickens and goats, honey tasting, wheat threshing, tractor rides, and carrot birthday cake. Woodoven pizzas, strawberry tarts, fresh squeezed lemonade and hand-cranked ice cream were also available. Read More and View Photos

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