Volunteer at Weigh the Waste
Join us on Wednesday, February 19, from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM for Weigh the Waste, an educational program geared towards promoting food waste reduction!
The Office of Sustainability and a team of volunteers collect the uneaten food off diners' plates and weigh the total food waste at the end of the lunch period. The food waste is displayed on trays for the remainder of the day to provide a visual representation of the amount of food wasted during a single meal period. Volunteers can sign up to help our team collect and weigh food at the link on the right.
Celebrate a Sustainable Valentine's Day ❤️
This Valentine’s Day, we can still express our love for our partners while being sustainable! By making mindful choices, we can celebrate in a way that’s both meaningful and kind to the planet! Here are a couple of ways to make your Valentine’s Day more eco-friendly:
💌 Eco-Friendly Cards: Giving your partner a Valentine card can be eco-friendly! Use recycled paper and other materials you already have at home and put your artistic touch to work!
💐 Shop Local: Buy locally grown flowers or gift a lasting houseplant. Better yet, go out and pick flowers to build your own personalized bouquet!
♻️ Go Plastic-Free on Gift Packaging: Use recyclable or reusable materials like fabric or paper to wrap your special gifts!
🍃 Go on a Green Date: Have a home-cooked meal with local ingredients, have an outdoor picnic, take a walk in nature, or visit your local museum!
Regalia Reuse
Students
Calling all Spring 2025 graduates! Our Regalia Reuse Reservation Form will open on Monday, March 3, at 8 AM. Limited undergraduate and graduate regalia will be available on a first come first served basis.
Follow our Instagram for more updates and to reserve your spot once the form opens!
Alumni
We are still accepting donations of caps, gowns, or stoles from alumni who graduated in or after 2020! If you have items to donate, please drop them off at Facilities Management (625 W. Palm Avenue), Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm. You can also mail donations to Facilities Management, Attn: Office of Sustainability, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA 92866.
Davis Community Garden Sign-ups
Want to grow some of your own plants and produce? The Davis Community Garden is up and running for the spring semester! Watch as the garden beds flourish these next few months with students growing their own vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. 🌱
Reserve your garden bed today by completing the reservation form below! You can sign up for a garden bed solo or with up to 5 friends (total of 6 students), making it easy to share the gardening experience.
OCAP Internship Opportunities
Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) is seeking a Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Intern (open to current and postgraduate students) and a Communications and External Affairs Intern (open to current students only). Both internships provide an hourly salary of $18-24 for 10-20 hours of work a week. This is a great opportunity to gain professional experience while learning about sustainable power sources in our local community.
For more information about each position and instructions on how to apply, visit the link.
Article Picks
Companies are reformulating and simplifying plant-based products to meet consumer expectations on taste, sustainability, and nutrition. Many market themselves as alternatives to products contributing to emissions, pollution, and poor animal welfare. Recently, they’ve addressed growing concerns about the ingredients and impacts of their plant-based foods!
Only about 5% of plastic waste in the U.S. gets recycled, and the chances of it getting recycled again are close to zero! Emotional and deceptive marketing tactics make plastic recycling seem more effective than it really is. The technology, policies, and goals surrounding recycling are important, but the most practical way to reduce landfill waste is to minimize production and consumption.
Cleaner energy grids using wind, hydroelectric, and solar have slowly been on the rise. Government incentives and regulations have made these alternatives more cost effective in the long term. Older systems like coal plants have remained operational due to factors like political loopholes, historical jobs, local economies, and pre-existing infrastructure.
