ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP & AG-TECH CERTIFICATE
A hands-on, impact-first certificate that prepares students to design, operate, and scale school-based hydroponics while leading measurable sustainability gains. Learners master tower/aeroponic fundamentals, crop planning, nutrient management (EC/ppm, pH), environmental control (DLI, temp/RH, airflow), and post-harvest food-safety SOPs alongside a professional chef. They quantify outcomes with simple life-cycle metrics—water/meal, CO₂e from transport/energy/packaging, and a plastic audit—map storm-drain pathways to the ocean, pilot composting and reusable serviceware, and draft procurement language that moves pilots into district policy. A professor lecture series grounds the work in controlled-environment agriculture, LCA, environmental justice, watershed science, and policy.
Capstone: Impact Report: water/meal, plastic avoided, CO₂e estimate, $/meal, equity steps, and lessons learned
EARN 2-CR UCSB with OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT and CERTIFICATE
Ag-Tech Professor Lecture Series
Exclusive to students participating in the certificate program.
Global to Local: Governing a Just Transition
Prof. Elizabeth Trinh (Univ. of Michigan)
Climate Security & Food Systems
Eni Owoeye (Fulbright Scholar; State Dept. Ag & Environmental Security)
Policy & Purchasing that Stick: Moving Pilots into District Practice
K-12 procurement/policy lead
Watershed to Waves: How Cafeteria Plastics Reach the Ocean
Ocean plastics/urban hydrology researcher + local stormwater official
Environmental Justice in School Food
Prof. Gabriela Nagle-Alverio (Duke)
Counting What Counts: Life-Cycle Footprints of School Produce & Packaging
Professor Environmental Engineering and Sustainability
Nutrients, Microbes, and Food Safety from Seed to Service
Public-health faculty + special guest chef
Plants Without Soil: The Science of Controlled-Environment Agriculture
CEA Hydroponics Professor
