This project focuses on offering young children in the Child Development Laboratory opportunities for engagement with the natural world and the ability to develop an ethic of care for our planet. Children will be able to spend time outdoors and in the Arcata Community Forest no matter the weather, geared up for the elements and ready to observe, interact, and develop an ethos of care for the place they call home.

This project will serve students in the emerging Critical Agriculture Studies major and the wider university community. The project will fund some initial infrastructure, including two polycarbonate greenhouses, a rainwater catchment system and a vegetable washing station. A part of this project is the ‘Cotton & Collards: A Black Plant Relationships Initiative’ which focuses on two plants central to the history of Black people in the United States.

Cal Poly Humboldt is the owner of an 888-acre forest in Jacoby Creek. This forest contains an unknown amount of carbon stored in its trees, which it captures through a process known as sequestration. In 2022, a pilot program (originally called the Jacoby Creek Carbon Inventory) was launched to quantify the carbon present in this forest. The SHIFT Committee originally allocated $61,453 to this effort in the 23-24 AY which resulted in the training of 14 new students and the completion of approximately 30% of the forest inventory.

The Latinx Community Food Initiative aims to broaden student access to fresh, culturally relevant foods while empowering them to learn where to obtain and even grow their own ingredients, fostering a deeper connection to ancestral food practices and environmental sustainability. A bi-monthly food security campaign will be hosted, designed to connect students with essential resources that promote food autonomy and access to fresh, culturally significant ingredients.