University of California, Santa Barbara
SD-2: Food Education

The Environmental Studies Program offers several food courses taught by Dr. David Cleveland. His research and teaching focuses on small-scale, sustainable agriculture and its role in responding to climate change, resource scarcities, new technologies, and demands for social justice. His current foci include farmer and scientific knowledge and practice in plant breeding; the genetic, ecological, and sociocultural impact of genetically engineered crop varieties; and the potential impacts of agrifood system localization on climate change, nutrition, and community. Courses he teaches include: ES/ANTH 149 World Agriculture, Food, and Population ES 157/257 The Santa Barbara County Agrifood System ES/ANTH 158 Cultural and Biological Diversity of Food Plants ES/ANTH 166FP Small-Scale Food Production ES/ANTH 166BT Biotechnology, Food, and Agriculture

Throughout the year students are provided information about sustainable choices in the dining commons through special events such as Sustainability Week, Climate Friendly Menu Day, Earth day, sand Sustainable Seafood Day, etc.

Dining Services Campus Catering provides signage on their food, describing the locally grown organic, vegeterian, vegan, and healthy food choices.

EAB and many of the other student organizations provide events, such as cooking competitions with locally grown organics and field trips to local organic farms, and they are also encouraged to participate in committees that deal with sustainable food. We also have the PACES interns assisting with the Green Business Certifications in all the eateries.

There are two options for this, through AS Recycling at the Grove or via the Organic Garden. The GROVE is a department of the Associated Students Recycling Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The goal of their department is to create an educational space on sustainable practices that can be executed by community members. Their outdoor classroom is designed to be a sustainable landscape that is filled with case studies of organic urban farming techniques and flora native to Santa Barbara. The GROVE hosts workshops on sustainable gardening methods and is available as a meeting space for campus organizations. Workshops hosted by the GROVE are free to the public and involve educational tours, farmer lectures, and hands on gardening activities. These workshops are meant to be useful for active gardens and to educate the consumers as to what it means to eat “organic.” As a meeting place, the GROVE provides an attractive natural setting with sitting areas that is meant to be more inspiring than white walled meeting rooms. At the Organic Garden, students can sign up to get their own plot to grow their food. The Organic Garden group also provides seminars and workshops for their members.