Many student groups are focused on various aspects of sustainability, including the Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM, the student government); the Sustainability Council; Engineers for a Sustainable World; the EcoRep program; and the Earth Club.
The Sustainability Commissioner for ASUCM leveraged relationships with campus administrators and student groups, convincing leaders to invest in providing reusable water bottles to every first-year student on campus and to install new hydration stations on campus to promote the use of reusable water bottles provided to first-year students the year before. EcoFest was a huge success and continues each fall.
If you have any ideas on what might make a good activity at one of these events, please reach out to ASUCM, any feedback is more than welcome!
EcoRep Program
The EcoRep Program aims to educate students on and off-campus about sustainable behaviors that benefit our community and the environment. These goals are attained by using peer education techniques, the Ecoreps makes sure that students teach students in the most effective way possible.
The Eco-Rep program aims to educate students about sustainable practices that benefit the community and environment. The goal is to encourage environmental behaviors in all topics related to sustainability, focusing on sustainable living practices using peer education techniques to inform students.
The Eco-Reps create projects based on a chosen topic of the month. Information is sought out from prom professionals, the community, faculty/staff experts on outreach material used to encourage a sustainable lifestyle.
The Eco-Reps build strong relationships with students, the community, and the university, which lead to sustainable students.
Student Organizations
There are several sustainability-oriented student organizations that welcome new members all the time. Each has different teams and projects focused on climate, community engagement, education and outreach, energy conservation, food literacy, waste, and water.
These programs and organizations include:
Sustainable Agriculture Society
The Sustainable Agriculture Society promotes sustainable agricultural practices through education, research, and outreach. The society strives to educate members of the UC community about the importance of agriculture and the huge role that the Central Valley plays in the production of the world's food supply. Members work to promote sustainable agricultural practices and to help bridge the gap between the largely agricultural community of the San Joaquin Valley and the students, faculty, and staff at UC Merced.
For more information contact:
John Cronin, jcronin@ucmerced.edu
Engineers for a Sustainable World
ESW comprises students, faculty members, and professionals who are dedicated to building a more sustainable world for current and future generations. ESW mobilizes students and professionals to address the challenges of sustainability in the modern world. Through education, outreach, and technical projects, ESW builds collaborative partnerships to take practical action and create lasting examples of sustainability both locally and globally.
For more information contact:
Mariam Beg, mbeg2@ucmerced.edu
Student Sustainability Council
The ASUCM Sustainability Commission was created to decrease the carbon footprint of UC Merced and/or Merced by organizing and/or funding outreach events and technological retrofits; decrease the carbon footprint of campus events and activities by funding aspects of said events and activities, and generate a permeating mindset of sustainability across UC Merced and the Merced Community.
For more information contact:
Adriana Gomez, agomez86@ucmerced.edu
Earth Club
The purpose of the Earth Club is to advance awareness and understanding of environmental issues. This includes but is not limited to recognition of personal and public exposures to environmental containments, community outreach and education, and promotion of a healthier environment.
For more information contact:
Anzueth Barela, abarela@ucmerced.edu
UC Sprouts
The vision of the UC Sprouts program is to provide quality supplemental science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to elementary students in the Merced community by developing and executing a curriculum in which they plant and tend and edible garden, learning about plant development, nutritious eating, the importance of recycling and composting and about going to college from UC Merced Students.
For more information contact:
Adriana Gomez, agomez68@ucmerced.edu
Sustainability Outreach Student Association
The Sustainability Outreach Student Association promotes and spreads awareness of sustainability throughout the school districts in Merced County.
For more information contact:
Timothy Trisnadi, ttrisnadi@ucmerced.edu
Yosemite Leadership Program
The YLP provides participants with a variety of workshops and wilderness-based activities that foster ethical leadership behaviors and environmental awareness and understanding. YLP students gain a passion for wilderness, environmental sustainability, and social justice through the two-year, cohort-based program. The supportive, family atmosphere reinforces shared discovery and understanding of sustainability and leadership topics. The YLP summer internship also fosters leading-edge sustainable skills and practices through a 12-week internship in Yosemite National Park. Interns live and work in Yosemite, where they are able to interact daily with top-of-the-line park managers, nonprofit leaders, sustainability experts, and leading scientists.
Learn more about YLP by visiting the website.
