Glean Up Isla Vista

With Santa Barbara County’s Mediterranean climate, Isla Vista is a neighborhood full of flourishing citrus and other fruit trees. Despite this, because of busy student life and fast tenant turnover rates, the overall Isla Vista bounty is underutilized. In California, organic landfill waste is the 2nd largest source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. One small-scale solution to organic waste is gleaning, defined as the act of collecting leftover food from farms, gardens, or markets that would otherwise be wasted. "Glean Up Isla Vista" is an Environmental Leadership Incubator combining URCA-funded donation crate giveaways, creative environmental zine entries, with collaboration with local composting and trading initiatives to provide long-lasting habits and awareness of our food's impact.