Earth Summit
Earth Summit History
In 2001, the SEC was created with the goal of seeking clear and specific sustainable initiatives through student voice, education, and empowerment.
To achieve these goals, SEC convened the first Earth Summit in 2002. They brought students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members together to discuss the state of sustainability at UC Santa Cruz.
Of many notable accomplishments that first Earth Summit manifested, it first guided Earth Summit participants to form working groups and the Chancellor's Sustainability Action Council (CSAC), a supporting group designed to "help institutionalize and coordinate the ongoing efforts of the working groups." Together, these working groups and CSAC sought to spark important conversations and put projects identified at Earth Summit into action.
Today, Earth Summit remains on of the longest running events on campus. And while we do focus on sustainability each year, we change the focus and theme to reflect current campus and global issues.
Earth Summit 2025
Cultivating Climate Action
The Student Environmental Center debuted the Zero-Waste Planning Guide during Earth Summit 2025.
This year, Enviroslug went all out— hosting the most attended Earth Summit in the past five years.
Centered on the theme of cultivating climate action within the UCSC student community, Earth Summit 2025 brought energy, creativity, and purpose to campus.
Our keynote speaker, Alexandria Villaseñor—founder of the international nonprofit Earth Uprising, speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and youth delegate at COP26—shared her powerful message of youth-led climate advocacy.
The event featured hands-on workshops, a community mural, yoga sessions, a clothing swap, bottle painting, and tables from sustainability-focused organizations across campus. It was a day of connection, action, and inspiration.
Earth Summit 2024
NO TIME TO WASTE
Thank you all for coming out to our 23rd Annual Earth Summit! This event continues to be a space for the campus community to come together and celebrate past and current actions in campus sustainability, reflect on the year, and promote education for a sustainable future at UCSC. We loved getting to see your messages to the Chancellor about the waste crisis on campus. Stay tuned for updates on our new projects!
Earth Summit 2023
NO TIME TO WASTE
Thank you to everyone who came out to our 22nd annual Earth Summit and participated in the No Time to Waste Scavenger Hunt! Congratulations to McKenna Berry for winning the $500 REI gift card! If you are interested in checking out all the submissions, you can find them in our submission gallary located on the ESLP website. Huge shout out to our donors: New Leaf, Go Ask Alice, Verve, Petroglyph, Sockshop Santa Cruz, REI Co-op, and Epicenter Cycling for their contributions to our NTTW Scavenger hunt! Stay tuned for updates on our No Time to Waste campaign progress coming in summer.
Earth Summit 2022
NO TIME TO WASTE
Our Earth Summit theme this year, “No Time To Waste”, focused on education and political engagement. Enviroslug submitted an opinion poll for the 20202 UCSC campus elections to gain a better understanding of where students stand on the issue of Zero Waste. We asked 2 questions:
Should UCSC stop purchasing products that end up in landfills?
Should students have a say in future sustainability plans?
Students responded with a resounding YES to both questions, not only supporting the movement for a Zero Waste campus, but also starting critical conversations around the importance of including student voices in sustainability initiatives on campus.
Earth Summit 2020
OUR TIME IS NOW
As a part of the 2020 Earth Summit: Our Time Is Now, a podcast entitled “Enviroslug Radio” was created by a few Enviroslug members to discuss sustainability and the environment, and how those issues affect the students of UC Santa Cruz and the surrounding Santa Cruz County.
The first episode, released June 5, 2020, highlighted farmworker exploitation and the power of a union amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosts Bijan, Chelsea, James, and Neil sat down with Sarbjit Sangha, a United Farm Workers representative and leader among Punjabi farmworkers at Monterey Mushrooms, a fresh mushroom company in Morgan Hill, California, to talk about the protections and benefits his union provides.
Earth Summit 2019
Just Sustainability: Intersecting Narratives of Hope
As a part of the 2020 Earth Summit: Our Time Is Now, a podcast entitled “Enviroslug Radio” was created by a few Enviroslug members to discuss sustainability and the environment, and how those issues affect the students of UC Santa Cruz and the surrounding Santa Cruz County.
The first episode, released June 5, 2020, highlighted farmworker exploitation and the power of a union amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosts Bijan, Chelsea, James, and Neil sat down with Sarbjit Sangha, a United Farm Workers representative and leader among Punjabi farmworkers at Monterey Mushrooms, a fresh mushroom company in Morgan Hill, California, to talk about the protections and benefits his union provides.
Earth Summit 2018
Now U.C. It: Basic Needs Crisis At UCSC
This year's Earth Summit focused on the current crisis at UCSC in which students are being forced to fight for their basic rights. Earth Summit was an opportunity for students, alum, faculty, and community members alike to come learn how the current enrollment crisis at UCSC has permeated every aspect of students' lives and what folks can do to get involved in the movement to fight it. Speakers and workshops helped give attendees methods of enacting change on and off of campus.
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Leader, Valentin Lopez spoke on the history of the land UCSC is on and helped the SEC reveal the Mission Bell petition we worked with the Amah Mutsun to create.
Students learned about food and housing justice on campus from members of SUHWG.
Attendees participate in our direct action station where they could sign petitions, register to vote, and comment on the Student Housing West environmental impact report.
We also be featured our 4th Annual Student of Color Caucus and Whiteness in Sustainability workshop in order to engage in the conversation about racism within the sustainability movement and on campus.
