Growing a Student Environmental

Resource Center at UC Berkeley

Presentation for the 2014 ASUC Senate Leadership Institute

AGENDA Determining a Need for a Center A Brief History

Mission and Objectives SERC Organizational Chart

Growing Support and Partnerships

Learning Outcomes

Programs & Services

Success

The Green Initiative Fund

Contact Information

DETERMINING NEED FOR A CENTER

Student Environmental

Resource Center

The Green Initiative Fund

(TGIF) needed a relatable team in the LEAD Center.

UC Berkeley offers 546 sustainability courses and 74 sustainability degree

programs- represents 20% of graduates.

UC Berkeley has 40-50 environmental and sustainability focused student organizations who need advising and support for leadership

development, collaboration, projects, campaigns, etc.

LEAD Center aims to provide leadership

development, advising, and support for individual

students, student orgs, student government, and

campus communities.

TGIF has funded over 220 student

sustainability internships.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Hired staff Director in December 2013 and officially became a functional area within the

LEAD Center, a unit of the ASUC Student Union.

Functioned as a student org with advising from TGIF Coordinator; hired student staff to

implement programming.

Received funding from The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) and the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee

on Student Services and Fees (CACSSF).

Established in 2012 by students.

2012-2013 Directors

2013-2014 Directors

MISSION

The Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) cultivates a collaborative space to strengthen the

collective effectiveness of the sustainability community, and provides resources for students to actualize their visions of a more equitable, socially

just, and resilient future.

OBJECTIVES

To provide institutional memory and leadership transition support for student orgs, projects, and initiatives

To cultivate safe space for civil discourse and the expression of diverse opinions

To engage students in applied and active education

To create a collaborative working space

To provide advising, financial, and leadership development resources to students

To offer educational programming and skills-based trainings

To communicate student-focused resources and opportunities

To build community centered on visions of a more equitable, socially just, and resilient future

10 Student Environmental

Training Fellows Vacant- On Hold

SERC Director Katherine Walsh

TGIF & Sustainability Initiatives Coordinator

Sharon Daraphonhdeth

Media Associate Manon von Kaenel

Communications Associate

Hanna Morris

Community Liaison

Roberta Giordano

Education Associate Jeff Noven

Marketing Specialist Sam Klein

Marketing Specialist

Angie Shen

TGIF Program Associate

Caitriona Smyth

TGIF Program Associate

Jimmy Dunn

Zero Waste Research Center Associate

Shannon Davis

Zero Waste Research Center Associate Anna Yip

Zero Waste Research Center Associate

Gary Richmond

Curriculum Development

Associate Vacant-On Hold

Blog Staff

Nature Village Program Associate

Claire Kaufman

Key

Career Staff

Student Staff

2 CSSC Reps Angie Shen

Kristy Drutman

Words of the Watershed Staff

Nature Village Program Associate

Vacant

SERC ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

GROWING SUPPORT & PARTNERSHIPS

College of Natural Resources

Career Center

LEAD Center and ASUC Student

Union

Campus Recycling & Refuse

Services

Office of Sustainability

ASUC

Environmental & Sustainability

Student Organizations

Berkeley Climate Action

Coalition

California Student Sustainability

Coalition

Who shares similar

values and objectives?

Whose work aligns with

SERC’s mission?

What can SERC offer a

potential partner?

What can a potential

partner offer SERC?

SERC LEARNING OUTCOMES

Each student will be able to define sustainability and the 3 E's and explain their interrelation.

Students will identify careers and professional opportunities that align with their personal values and goals.

Students will learn to gather and organize information relevant to subject matter, critically analyze environmental and sustainability media, and construct informative and convincing journalism and audio-visual stories.

Each ECO Advisory Council Member will demonstrate the ability to garner support for change through communication skills, consensus building strategies, and respect for the ideas and differences of others.

Each student will learn how to apply concepts of sustainability to their campus and community by engaging in the challenges and solutions of sustainability on their campus. (ACPA)

PROGRAMS & SERVICES • The Green Initiative Fund

• Zero Waste Research Center

• Nature Village: Sustainable Living

Program

• SERC Workshop Series

• ECO Advisory Council

• SERC Career Series

• SERC Film Series

• Social Greens

• 5 DeCals

• SERC Blog

• Words of the Watershed Journal

• California Student Sustainability

Coalition Representation

• Earth Week & Food Month

Leadership

• Green Certification for Student

Orgs

• The Den: Sustainability Projects

Clearinghouse

• Environmental & Sustainability

Organization Database

• Advertising for student activities

• Peer and staff advising for

students and student orgs

• Support for student attendance

at conferences and trainings

• Connections with environmental

and sustainability resources

SUCCESS Hosted and co-sponsored over

30 events to date.

Sent 10 students to PowerShift

2014.

Secured temporary

space in two locations.

Launched the SERC Blog and Words of the Watershed

SERC students taught four

semester-long “DeCal” classes.

Co-hosted a “Mondo Banana” screening with the SF Green

Film Festival.

Hired a full-time staff director,

became official campus unit.

Secured over $220,000 in

grant funding to date.

The Green Initiative Fund

(TGIF)

TGIF awards grants during the

fall and spring semesters to UC

Berkeley student, staff, and faculty

applicants.

The Green Initiative Fund is UC Berkeley’s campus

sustainability fund.

TGIF allocates funds to projects that promote sustainable modes of transportation, increase energy and water efficiency, restore habitat, promote

environmental and food justice, and reduce the amount of waste created by UC Berkeley.

Established by student vote during the 2007 ASUC

elections, TGIF is financed by student fees-

$6.00/student/semester.

The grants are selected by the

TGIF Committee, a student-majority

committee.

Since its inaugural grant cycle in spring 2008, TGIF has awarded over $1.8 million in grants to 123 projects, in the form of 96 spring grant awards, 26 fall mini-grant awards, and 1 mini-loan.

These grant awards have included the funding of 233 student sustainability internships and student interns have worked an estimated 15,000+ hours on TGIF-funded projects.

As of 2014, TGIF also includes the Zero Waste Research Center, Nature Village: Sustainable Family Living, and The Den: Sustainability Projects Clearinghouse.

CONTACT INFORMATION

SERC

Hearst Gym 102 MC 4500

Berkeley, CA 94720

serc@berkeley.edu

510-643-2992

http://serc.berkeley.edu

Katherine Walsh, Director

QUESTIONS?

TGIF & Sustainability Initiatives

Hearst Gym 102 MC 4500

Berkeley, CA 94720

tgif_info@berkeley.edu

http://tgif.berkeley.edu

Sharon Daraphonhdeth,

Coordinator