Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Our mission is to: conserve and restore indigenous cultural and natural resources within the traditional territories of indigenous Mutsun and Awaswas peoples; steward our lands and waters, combining traditional resource and environmental management with contemporary approaches–ensuring a resilient future for all inhabitants of Popeloutchom and fulfilling our obligation to Creator; and research and teach the ways of nature—returning to the path of traditional ecological knowledge that our ancestors followed for thousands of years.
Bird School Project
The Bird School Project uses outdoor experiential learning to inspire students and teachers to develop a scientific understanding and appreciation of their local environments. We take students into the school yard where they acquire basic naturalist skills, learning how to observe, use binoculars, take detailed notes, and have fun with friends while doing so.
Cabrillo Sustainability Council
The purpose of the club is to support social, economic and environmental consciousness on campus. We work to empower our students, support our local community and reinforce the global sustainability movement through leadership development, event scholarship opportunities, volunteering and free education.
California Regional Environmental Education Community – CREEC
CREEC, administered by the California Department of Education, is a communication network supporting the environmental literacy of California’s students by providing teachers with access to high quality environmental education resources.
In addition to communicating news and information about environmental education, grants and local events, this website will soon offer a searchable database of standards-based programs, field trips, on-line resources and professional development opportunities from environmental education providers across the state. A regional coordinator provides professional development and resources to educators as well as foster communications among schools and organizations interested in supporting environmental literacy of California’s teachers and students.
CALPIRG – UCSC Chapter
We are the UCSC’s premier student public interest activism group. We work to protect the environment, provide hunger relief, and promote civic engagement. Our CALPIRG chapter works with professional staff on campus to educate the public, run grassroots campaigns, and lobby our elected officials in Sacramento and in Washington DC so we can get real results.
Community Agroecology Network
CAN works to empower families to build local, thriving food systems in Mexico, Central America and the US. Growing Justice, a CAN initiative focused on urban gardens, focuses on urban gardens, food justice, and community well-being in Watsonville and Pajaro, California, in partnership with Mesa Verde Gardens. Despite their location in the agriculturally-rich Pajaro Valley, food insecurity is on the rise. Food security refers to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that fulfills household dietary needs and preferences.
Eat For The Earth
Eat for the Earth transforms communities and empowers people to be agents of transformation, confidently making dietary changes to reduce their contribution to climate change and other environmental disasters, and influencing others to do the same.
Electric Auto Association Central Coast Chapter (EAACCC)
The EAACCC is a chapter of the Electric Auto Association (EAA). The EAA is a non-profit educational organization that promotes the advancement and widespread adoption of Electric Vehicles. The EAA acts as a public source of information to communicate developments in electric vehicle technology, to encourage experimentation in the building of electric vehicles, and to organize public exhibits and events of electric vehicles, and to educate the public on the progress and benefits of electric vehicle technology.
Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance (MBEVA)
MBEVA is proud to be the leading group educating and advocating for electric vehicles in the Monterey Bay region. Founded in 2009, MBEVA is a California grassroots public-private partnership comprised of diverse stakeholders in the tri-county region of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties whose overall mission is to promote rapid adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. MBEVA is fiscally sponsored by Ecology Action.
Farm Discovery At Live Earth Farm
Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm is a nonprofit organization working in the Monterey and South Bay area communities to empower youth and families to build and sustain healthy food, farming, social and natural systems. Our home, Live Earth Farm, is a 150 acre patchwork of working organic farm, riparian corridor, oak and redwood forest in the Pajaro Valley in Santa Cruz County. Farm Discovery hosts more than 2000 children on the farm each year for farm based, hands-on learning opportunities through 9 different programs.
Fisheries & Conservation Biology Lab (MLML)
The Mission of the California Sea Grant Extension Program is to contribute to the wise use and conservation of the sea’s resources through research, education and advisory services.
Friends of Corcoran Lagoon Beach
FoCLB assists Santa Cruz County Parks in meeting its mission to provide a safe, well-designed and maintained County beach access; assists County Planning and County Parks in meeting management obligations for wildlife habitat protection at Corcoran Lagoon Beach; and assists CA Fish & Wildlife in protecting the inner lagoon outflow from artificial breaching. Our main goals are to preserve and protect wildlife habitat, including nesting sites and the shoreline of the Monterey Bay National Marie Sanctuary, to educate through citizen science opportunities, and to chronicle species who call the beach their home through photography and exhibits.
Global Student Embassy
Global Student Embassy’s mission is to develop community leaders through action-oriented environmental education. GSE works in three global communities engaging students in Northern California, Nicaragua, and Ecuador in year-round place-based education, action-oriented sustainable garden and reforestation projects, and cultural exchange. Our student leaders in Santa Cruz County manage five local high-school gardens and are always looking for new ways to get involved.
GRAVITY WATER
Gravity Water combines rainwater harvesting, elevated storage, and gravity-fed filtration, providing communities in developing countries with a source of safe drinking water that is on-site, self-sustaining, and 100% energy-free.
Homeless Garden Project
The Homeless Garden Project provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people who are homeless on a 3.5 acre organic farm, a value-added workshop, and 2 store locations in downtown Santa Cruz.
Kenneth S. Norris Center For Natural History
The Norris Center supports natural history educational and research opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the greater Santa Cruz community. The Center hosts classes, offers natural history workshops, has a wide variety of specimens for teaching and research, supports internships and fellowships, and helps engage all people with the natural world.
Life Lab
Life Lab cultivates children’s love of learning, healthy food, and nature through garden-based education.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center
Dedicated to understanding and protecting the coastal ecosystem and cultural resources of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Our Mission is to inspire the public to protect Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary through participation in and support of sanctuary programs, projects, and partnerships.
We engage the public through public outreach and education programs; advocate on behalf of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary; and develop and strengthen partnerships to protect biodiversity and enhance ecosystem health in the sanctuary through coordinated action.
Mountains 2 Sea
MTNS2SEA partners with schools to provide at-risk youth with weekly outdoor adventure outings that focus on leadership skills, goal setting, and environmental awareness. Being outside is at the heart of what we do and nature provides the catalyst for change and empowerment. The program operates during the school year and outings include hiking, sailing, surfing, trail maintenance, local historical sites, working with community partners on environmental stewardship projects, and overnight backpacking.
New Earth Exchange (Sustainable Economy)
A not-for profit, cooperatively run organization, made up of local business owners, individuals and organizations who are concerned about providing the opportunity for Santa Cruz County residents to participate in a stable and just economy.
Planet Watch Radio
A new exploration of what’s going down in our part of the universe and what we can do about it: SOLUTIONS to big problems facing humanity today. Plus fun tidbits on astronomy, weather, earth and sky phenomena, and “cosmic relief”! Join co-hosts Rachel Anne Goodman and Joe Jordan on KSCO every Sunday 2-3 pm. To contact: radioplanetwatch@gmail.com
Regeneration/ Regeneración Pajaro Valley Climate Action
We envision a community that has achieved climate justice so all people in the Pajaro Valley can live in harmony with the natural world. As the climate changes, we help our community adapt and flourish. We advocate for a fair economy, plan for a healthy ecosystem & guide our community to a sustainable way of life!
Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery
The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery will delight, inspire and challenge by providing an exciting and interactive learning environment in which children can explore the wonders of Santa Cruz County. MOD is a popular destination for local youth, their parents and teachers in the Monterey Bay area. Additionally, the museum will be renowned as an attraction for visitors to the area.
Santa Cruz County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society
CNPS seeks to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to preserve them in their natural habitat through scientific activities, education, and conservation.
Santa Cruz County Outdoor Science School
The Santa Cruz County Resident Outdoor Science School is a school without walls or desks, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. The Outdoor Science School experience is available to fifth and/or sixth grade students accompanied by their classroom teacher who spend four or five days living on site.
Classes are conducted in the forest, at the edge of the creek, in the chaparral, and in the meadow. The most useful tools for learning are readily available: the students’ five senses. The subject area most emphasized in this hands-on learning experience is the science of ecology, the relationship between living things and their environment. From an understanding of basic ecological concepts, it is hoped that a deeper concern and sense of responsibility for the environment will result.
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
We strive to connect people to nature and inspire stewardship of the natural world through an array of educational programs and exhibits focused on natural and cultural history of our region. SCMNH has been connecting people in the wonders of nature for over 100 years, highlighting the region’s diverse plant, animal, and human communities.
Santa Cruz VegFest
Santa Cruz VegFest is dedicated to: bringing awareness to the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and helping support people in their transition to making healthier, more sustainable, and compassionate choices; and, connecting and networking in the larger community – solidarity needs to extend across causes and organizations in order to truly bring about a more just and sustainable world.
SEA OTTER SAVVY
The Sea Otter Savvy program strives to foster responsible behavior by users of the marine environment while they are viewing and recreating near sea otters. Together we can create a “sea otter savvy” community promoting responsible wildlife viewing, awareness of the effect our behavior can have on sea otters and other wildlife, and a safer, healthier coastal environment for all of us, otter and human alike.
SEYMOUR MARINE DISCOVERY CENTER AT LONG MARINE LABORATORY
The Seymour Marine Discovery Center is dedicated to educating people about the role scientific research plays in the understanding and conservation of the world’s oceans. Volunteers receive in-depth training to help educate the public through hands-on exploration of live animals and exhibits, outdoor interpretive tours, experiential learning programs, Science Sundays, and more.
SOUTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER- NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
The mission of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center is to generate the scientific information necessary for the conservation and management of the region’s living marine resources.
Time Bank Of Santa Cruz
Time Bank Santa Cruz is a project of the Santa Cruz Reskilling Expo, a 501C3 educational public charity that offers sustainable-living skills education to the public. Pop-up reskilling workshops are taught at members’ homes and other venues. Classes are free to TimeBankers and low-cost to non-members. Recent workshops and programs: Practicing Zero Waste, Basics of Monarchs, Laundry to Landscape Systems, Santa Cruz Grows seed library. Time Bank is a nonprofit network that uses time as currency to share skills and talents, using software to match the human resources of ordinary people with the unmet needs of others. Any Santa Cruz County resident willing to maintain a high level of trust is invited to join.
UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
The mission of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS or the Center) is to research, develop, and advance sustainable food and agricultural systems that are environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsible, non-exploitative, and that serve as a foundation for future generations.
UCSC STUDENT ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER
The Student Environmental Center seeks to create lasting initiatives that empower and educate others to implement sustainability at UCSC through student run projects guided by the Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus.
UCSC Environmental Studies
The mission of the Environmental Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz is to be an influential and effective leader in innovative, interdisciplinary environmental scholarship and teaching.
UCSC Sustainability Office
The Sustainability Office fosters a culture of sustainability at UCSC by actively engaging students, staff, faculty and community members through education, leadership development, institutional change and behavioral transformation. Volunteer and internship positions with the Sustainability Office are for UCSC students. However, we can also provide information about other on-campus environmental volunteer opportunities for non-students as requested.
UCSC Student Volunteer Center
Established in 1987, the UCSC Student Volunteer Center (SVC) is a University-sponsored, student-run organization dedicated to enhancing student involvement in the Santa Cruz community by providing meaningful volunteer opportunities, while connecting local organizations with passionate and engaged students.
Valley Women’s Club
The Valley Women’s Club is dedicated to community action, awareness and leadership in environmental, educational, social, and political concerns that affect the health and welfare of the San Lorenzo Valley and our community.
Watershed Stewards Project Monterey Bay
Corps members tackle a range of natural resource projects, from working on the beach next to the Pacific Ocean to maintaining trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Los Padres National Forest and on the Big Sur coast.
Watsonville Wetlands Watch
Watsonville Wetlands Watch is dedicated to the protection, restoration, and appreciation of the wetlands of Pajaro Valley, especially by involving members of the Watsonville community and students of the PV Unified School District.
Women in Science and Engineering UCSC
Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) at UC Santa Cruz is an organization run by graduate students, which welcomes the participation of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, and professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The overarching goal of WiSE is to advance women in the STEM fields both in percentage and position, in the face of historical, present, and future challenges.
Environteers 