State of the Air 2013

 

Released by the American Lung Association, this annual report uses air pollution monitoring data from 2009, 2010, and 2011 to determine the nation's most and least polluted cities and to grade air quality in each county of every state. The report finds that nationwide 42% of Americans live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution. Although the five most polluted cities in the US for ozone and for particle pollution are all located in California, many of these cities have succeeded in improving their air quality in recent years.

 

Click here to view the interactive website. Click here to read the report.

On May 30, Santa Cruz Commons invites people to replace slogans with stories grounded in their own experiences.

 

Weird and Scary Stories We Tell Ourselves About the Community: From Watsonville to Santa Cruz

 

Karen Delaney, Lynn Robinson, and Martin Garcia will begin by telling their own stories about Santa Cruz and Watsonville: north and south, rich and poor, weird and ordinary, scary and commonplace. Finally, everyone will be invited to tell stories about times when a community worked for them. Join them on Thursday May 30th from 7:00-9:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County in Aptos. (6401 Freedom Boulevard, Aptos, CA: 1.3 miles away from the Highway 1 Freedom Blvd exit, on the right hand side of the street if you are coming from the freeway.)

 

 

The 2013 Sierra Water Work Group Summit, sponsored by the Sierra Nevada Alliance, the California State Bar, Inyo-Mono IRWMP and in partnership with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy will take place at Kings Beach, CA. The Summit will focus on three broad topics: integrated regional water management, policy and legal issues surrounding water and watershed management, and engaging and serving disadvantaged communities and Native American tribes.

 

This three-day event is an occasion to raise the profile of the Sierra, discuss issues specific to disadvantaged communities, inform stakeholders of state and federal water policy issues, and share accomplishments, challenges, and resources among Regional Water Management Groups throughout the Sierra Nevada. This year's Summit will feature speakers and panelists from IRWM Groups, lawyers, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, tribes, and public officials. The Summit will bring together IRWM stakeholders from all over the Range of Light and will feature informational workshops, great food, networking and interactive discussions. 

 

Forum Goals:

* Coordinate efforts of IRWM's across the region;

* Engage DAC and Tribal Stakeholders;

* Increase knowledge of policy and legal issues surrounding water management

 

Click here for more information.

 

 

The University of California's Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California (CCREC) seeks contributions for an upcoming Casebook. CCREC is a University of California multi-campus research initiative that links university researchers, community-based organizations, and policy-makers in collaborative projects to address the state's interconnected crises in the economy, education, employment, environment, health, housing, and nutrition.

 

The Casebook will highlight the unique ethical dilemmas that arise in collaborative, community-based research, using mini-case studies and vignettes to illustrate core ethical principles, and to invite readers to engage with the most vexing ethical conundrums collaborative researchers face. The Casebook will:

 

Help researchers identify and navigate ethical tensions they face;

Serve as a training guide for new scholars, community leaders, and policy makers; and

Inform policy discussions about research ethics and possible IRB revisions.

 

To inform its analysis, CCREC is seeking contributors to share the ethical dilemmas that they have faced in their work. CCREC staff will incorporate these dilemmas into mini-cases and vignettes that will be discussed across topically organized chapters, and all contributors will be acknowledged in the appropriate places. CCREC staff will write the Casebook and will solicit your feedback on the parts that draw upon your work. CCREC is especially interested in ethical issues surrounding the following research practices: obtaining informed consent; protecting confidentiality and anonymity; navigating power dynamics (particularly regarding race, class, gender, and language); framing research questions; data interpretation and ownership; publishing and disseminating research findings; and participating in policy debates or political struggles.

 

Cases should:

Be grounded in fieldwork that illustrates the complex ethical dilemmas that collaborative, community-based researchers and/or community partners face; and

Be focused on one or more of CCREC's focal areas: the economy, education, employment, the environment, health, housing, and nutrition. 

Submissions:

Submit a brief (two page max.) summary of your project that describes the context of the work and the ethical issues it raises AND/OR request to be interviewed by a CCREC staff member in lieu of writing a summary.

 

Submission/interview request deadline is July 1, 2013, via email to arnewman@ucsc.edu.

Please contact Anne Newman (arnewman@ucsc.edu) for more information. Click here to download a flyer of this announcement for distribution.

The Service Learning Institute at CSU Monterey Bay, a national leader in service learning and civic engagement, is searching for an Associate Director. Service learning is a core requirement for all undergraduate degree programs at CSUMB. CSUMB's unique approach to service learning is strongly grounded in the campus' commitment to issues of diversity and social justice. The Associate Director manages the support and evaluation systems for service learning campus-wide, and with the Institute Director, provides leadership for the SLI's faculty development efforts. 

 

The Associate Director serves as the leader of a dynamic group of service learning professionals in: coordinating the service learning community placement process; leading faculty development and training efforts; managing program evaluation and data-gathering processes; facilitating the production of the SLI's written and electronic materials; and overseeing the continuing development of the SLI's web-presence. The Associate Director also serves as Service Learning Liaison to the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, facilitating service learning course development efforts in that college. The Associate Director also participates in the development of the SLI's academic program, and contributes to the intellectual growth of CSUMB's service learning program and pedagogy, providing leadership for the SLI in the absence of the Director.

 

To find out more about the Service Learning Institute, visit the website.