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Working throughout the course of the year on projects and programs
related to environment and society, this year’s CUIP intern
for College Eight took a hands on approach to teaching others how
to live more sustainably. Chosen on the basis of previous experience
and excitement to take on multiple projects, this year’s C8
CUIP had a variety of interests and a desire to work with other
students. In addition, she worked for College Eight Programs, Long
Marine Lab, and had been involved in organic gardening and Site
stewardship. Finally, this year’s intern, Lauren Fieberg,
practiced sustainable living by growing most of her own produce
and being environmentally conscious.
Throughout the internship, Lauren was involved in many projects
relating to sustainability and the C8 course theme of Environment
and Society. During fall quarter, she was able to get experience
in outdoor education and working with databases through the C8 Sustainability
Project. This project, a service learning component to the C8 core
course, focused on teaching students to live sustainably through
hands on activities. In addition, this project allowed Lauren to
share knowledge learned at UCSC, as a third year Marine biology
and Environmental Studies double major. During the same quarter,
she gained programming experience organizing a trip to the San Francisco
Green Festival. The festival, an annual event, was full of environmental
speakers, organizations and products from around the country. It
provided an opportunity for UCSC students to see what others were
doing in the sustainability movement, from the small to the large
scale.
The next event that took place was Sustainable College Night, formerly
known as Organic College Night. Lauren helped work the event, dressing
up as a pea pod to entertain her peers, while music from the Rolling
Cultivators graced the Dining Hall. This event, which brings local
farmers, College Eight staff, Dining Services, the UCSC farm and
students together is meant to raise awareness about the current
disconnect within our food system. One of Lauren’s all-time
favorite events, Sustainable College Night, embodies what she lives
for and preaches everyday: eating locally grown organic food straight
from the farmer.
Soon came Spring quarter and Earth day, and College Eight worked
to make this year’s event better than ever. The event, dubbed
Ode To the Globe, was organized by Lauren and her fellow programs
assistants with the goal of reaching out to all groups of people
in both the UCSC and Santa Cruz communities. Many attended the event,
which offered a free organic veggie BBQ, tree planting, environmental
films and speakers, and upbeat bands. It offered Lauren another
opportunity to help program an event and gain valuable experience
in asking local businesses for donations. Tied in with donations
was the Banana Slug Spring Fair Provost reception at C8. It was
an informal discussion group made up of the provost and alumni who
addressed sustainability issues at the College. Lauren worked the
event, but felt there needed to be a place for student voices that
was not present -- a task for next year’s CUIP to work on.
Lauren’s final event will be a hike through UCSC’s upper
campus, farm and gardens, complete with a free local lunch! She
hopes the event will open students’ eyes to their surroundings
and provoke them to go explore.
In addition to planning events and organizing each quarter, Lauren
was required to attend a CUIP class. This class covered a variety
of topics related to the university and student life, from the budget
to student leadership. Although Lauren gained some valuable knowledge
throughout the course with regards to complexity of the university,
the lectures were often unrelated to her particular internship,
and she felt there could have been more student led lectures. The
class did, however, provide an outlet for valuable discussion amongst
CUIP interns and a place to get advice and reflect on achievements.
Overall, this year’s CUIP intern had many successes and grew
from her experiences each quarter. As for the future, she hopes
to take her experiences with her to graduate school to study agroecology
with a focus on organic horticulture systems. The skills she learned
throughout the internship will be useful for a potential future
in teaching, and simply working with others in the public sector.
She hopes to one day run a small-scale organic farming operation
or winery and expose others to the wonders of cultivating and caring
for the land.
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