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Donate to UCCE Ventura County Programs on #GivingTuesday
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday.
Join us on Tuesday, December 1 for #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals to celebrate generosity worldwide. #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Kick off the holiday season with us!
#PushPlayCA!
COVID-19 put the world on pause, but our mission to connect the power of UC research in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, and youth development in our community continues to move forward. Your generosity can help ensure we continue to provide essential resources and trusted information in times of crisis and beyond.
In these challenging times, our role as problem-solvers, catalysts, collaborators, educators, and stewards of the land is more important than ever.
With your support, we can continue to invest in research, education, and services in our community—to be a neighbor in times of need.
Consider Donating to the Ventura County Master Gardener Program
We invite you to support our mission to extend research-based knowledge about home gardening, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices to our communities. Our program is driven by more than 200 active volunteers who use UC science-based information to offer solutions to gardening, landscape, and pest challenges. Last year, our volunteers donated 12,561 hours of service to the program.
The Master Gardener Program helps Ventura County grow by:
-
Offering water-wise workshops to help residents optimize use of a scarce resource
-
Staffing a helpline to answer questions for home gardeners
-
Working with other community organizations to maintain 9 demonstration gardens throughout Ventura County
-
Delivering dozens of educational and hands-on outreach programs and talks each year
Consider Donating to the Ventura County 4-H Program
Since 1914, the Ventura County 4-H Program has served generations of youth and families. Our motto is “To Make the Best Better.” Through our volunteer-driven experiential programs, we help Ventura County youth develop life and leadership skills that enable them to succeed. In the last 100 years, Ventura County has changed. But some things never change, including our belief in the power of youth.
4-H grows here:
-
7,300+ youth reached across Ventura County each year
-
14 community and 2 military clubs providing educational opportunities in STEM, healthy living, animal husbandry, leadership, and civic engagement
-
Outreach programs delivered in classrooms and virtually that connect youth with one of our county's most important resources: agriculture
-
Efforts driven and supported by 150 motivated and highly-trained volunteers
Help us serve even more youth by donating on #GivingTuesday
Join the #GivingTuesday Movement!
#GivingTuesday is a movement about ordinary people coming together to do extraordinary things. Whether you choose to donate your time or money this year for #GivingTuesday, thank you for helping make a difference!
Photo by Cathy Van Heest for Unsplash.
New Virtual After-School Club Offers Lessons in Sustainability for Youth Ages 9-12
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) 4-H Program is offering a free, virtual, after-school club for youth ages 9-12. The club – Sustainable You! – will focus on sustainability issues, including land, water, energy, food, and air. Youth do not need to be a member of 4-H to join, and again, there is no cost for participating.
A typical meeting will include:
- An introduction to a sustainability topic with an ice breaker;
- A discussion or video on the day's topic;
- A demonstrated activity;
- Games and art; and
- An activity that youth can do on their own.
The program consists of weekly meetings, which will be held on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30. It runs for 11 weeks, from September 29ththrough December 8th. The virtual after-school club is part of the online educational programs being organized by UCCE Ventura County. Learn more here.
While there is no cost, registration is required. Attendance is limited to no more than 50 youth.
The program is organized by UCCE educators, in partnership with the City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability Division and Ventura Water.
For more information, email Susana Bruzzone Miller.
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) is part of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources division. UCCE advisors offer research-based information in support of agriculture and natural resources. We also offer community-based educational programs, such Master Gardener and 4-H.
4-H provides experiences that enable young people to learn by doing. Since 1914, 4-H has welcomed young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, giving them a voice to express who they are and how they make their lives and communities better.
Through life-changing 4-H programs, nearly six million kids and teens across the US have taken on critical societal issues, such as addressing community health inequities, engaging in civil discourse and advocating for equity and inclusion for all.
Photo by Guillaume de Germain for Unsplash.
4HSustainableVirtualCamp Graphic-8-2020-IG
Summer safety: Tips to avoid foodborne and heat illnesses
Happy summer! It's time to get the barbecue grilling and the pool party started. To keep your summer healthy and fun, UC ANR offers some important safety tips.
Food safety
Food poisoning is a serious health threat in the United States, especially during the hot summer months. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 6 Americans suffer from a foodborne illness each year, resulting in thousands of hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Both the CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest four key rules to follow to stay food safe:
- Clean: Clean kitchen surfaces, utensils, and hands with soap and water while preparing food. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.
- Separate: Separate raw meats from other foods by using different cutting boards. And be sure to keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs away from other items in your refrigerator.
- Cook: Cook foods to the right temperature; be sure to check internal temperature by using a food thermometer.
- Chill: Chill raw and prepared foods promptly.
Here are some additional tips from the USDA. Be sure to check out the CDC's comprehensive food safety website, which also has materials in both Spanish and English. For food safety tips in real time, follow USDA Food Safety on Twitter.
Summer also means more outside grilling, which can pose unique food safety concerns. Before firing up the barbecue, check out these five easy tips from UC Davis.
Handling food safety on the road
Before you take off on a road trip, camping adventure or boating excursion, don't forget to consider food safety. You'll need to plan ahead and invest in a good cooler.
Remember, warns the USDA, don't let food sit out for more than one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees F. And discard any food left out more than two hours; after only one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees F.
If there are any doubts about how long the food was out, it is best to throw it out!
Get more food safety tips for traveling from the USDA.
Avoid heat illness
“Summer can be a time for fun and relaxation, but in warm climates, we need to stay aware of the signs of heat illness and help keep our family members and co-workers safe,” says Brian Oatman, director of Risk & Safety Services at UC ANR.
“UC ANR provides comprehensive resources on our website, but it's designed around California requirements for workplace safety.” But, Oatman notes, much of the information applies.
“The training and basic guidance – drink water, take a rest when you are feeling any symptoms and having a shaded area available – are useful for anyone at any time.”
To increase your awareness of heat illness symptoms – and to learn more about prevention – Oatman suggests a few resources.
“Our Heat Illness Prevention page has many resources, including links for training, heat illness prevention plans, and links to other sites. One of the external sites for heat illness that I recommend is the Cal/OSHA site, which spells out the basic requirements for heat illness prevention in the workplace. It's also available in Spanish."
For those on the go, Oatman also recommends the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) mobile heat safety app.
4-H Sustainable You! Virtual Summer Camp Offered
Youth ages 9-12 will have an opportunity to learn what it means to be sustainable through fun activities in a virtual summer camp. The camp will be held July 20-24th, with campers meeting online daily from 10-11:30 a.m. The camp is free of charge, but pre-registration is required.
The Sustainable You! Summer Camp is hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) 4-H Program, in partnership with the UC Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center (UC HAREC), and the City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability and Water departments.
UCCE Community Education Specialist Gwyn Vanoni noted that:
“The Sustainable You! Summer Camp is an engaging way for kids to think about their role in creating a sustainable future while having a lot of fun. This has been a summer day camp at UC HAREC for a number of years. While we're going virtual this year, we are working hard to ensure that the fun and focus of the camp remains true for the participants.”
The virtual camp will explore sustainability across five major theme areas: land, water, food, air and energy. A typical day will include:
-
An introduction to a sustainability topic with an ice breaker and simple journal questions or an art activity;
-
A discussion or video on the day's topic;
-
A demonstrated activity; and
-
An activity that youth can do on their own.
The virtual camp is part of the online educational programs being organized by UCCE Ventura County. Learn more here.
Details:
- What: 4-H Sustainable You! Virtual Summer Camp
- Ages: 9-12
- When: July 20th-24th (Monday-Friday)
- Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
- Cost: FREE, but pre-registration is required! Register: harec.ucanr.edu
For more information, email Susana Bruzzone Miller.
Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
"Big Dig" Day of Giving Slated for 6/5
On Friday June 5th, UCCE Ventura will launch a local campaign as part of UC ANR's statewide giving day, which we're calling “Big Dig Day”...a day to “dig deep” to support the UCCE programs that you care about in Ventura County.
Ventura County Master Gardener Program
We invite you to support our mission to extend research-based knowledge about home gardening, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices to our communities. Our program is driven by 209 active volunteers who use UC science-based information to offer solutions to gardening, landscape, and pest challenges. Last year, our volunteers donated 12,561 hours of service to the program.
The Master Gardener Program helps Ventura County grow in many ways, including:
-
Offering water-wise workshops to help residents optimize use of a scarce resource
-
Staffing a helpline to answer questions for home gardeners
-
Working with other community organizations to maintain 9 demonstration gardens throughout Ventura County
- Delivering dozens of educational and hands-on outreach programs and talks each year
Ventura County 4-H Program
Since 1914, the Ventura County 4-H Program has served generations of youth and families. Our motto is “To Make the Best Better.” Through our volunteer-driven experiential programs, we help Ventura County youth develop life and leadership skills that enable them to succeed. In the last 100 years, Ventura County has changed. But some things never change, including our belief in the power of youth.
4-H grows here:
-
7,300+ youth reached across Ventura County each year
-
14 community and 2 military clubs providing educational opportunities in STEM, healthy living, animal husbandry, leadership, and civic engagement
-
Outreach programs delivered in classrooms and virtually that connect youth with one of our county's most important resources: agriculture
-
Efforts driven and supported by 150 motivated and highly-trained volunteers
Help us serve even more youth by donating on “Big Dig” Day.
What We're Asking
Now more than ever, we all know the value of community. In times of crisis and beyond, we are here. We live where you live.
By donating to the Master Gardener Program and the 4-H Program, you help us extend the knowledge and resources of the University to our community. Join us on 6/5 and #DigDeep to support our UCCE programs.
Mark your calendar, spread the word, and stay tuned for more details.
#BigDigDay #DigDeep
#DigDeep for our programs!
