March 2022 - Sustainability Champion of the Month: Julie Sutton

Julie Sutton, Grounds Manager in Physical Planning Development & Operations is the Sustainability Champion this month. She was instrumental in the rollout of new zero waste infrastructure across campus and does a lot to make our campus more sustainable. Learn more about Julie and her work.

March 10, 2022

By Alessandra Bicudo Alvares 

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Tell us a bit about yourself, your background, and how your path led to where you are today. 
My interest in landscaping started with my grandfather. He immigrated from Italy to work the apricot orchards and canneries in the Santa Clara Valley, then became a gardener. His first client was Shirely Temple at her Los Gatos home! He and my grandmother went on to open a retail nursery in Santa Clara.  Growing up in San Jose, my parents and godparents shared a 10 acre off-the-grid property in Boulder Creek where I spent most of my summer weekends from age 6 - 35. This is where I developed my love for the outdoors. I received my BS from Cal Poly SLO in Forestry and Natural Resources management. I have worked in landscape management and tree care for the private industry and in forestry and grounds management in the public sector. I came to UCSC in 2019 via UCSF where I worked 13 years in a similar role as the campus Landscaping & Grounds Program Manager and Campus Arborist. I had a one-year break in between working as the Sustainable Landscape Program Manager and county Arborist for the County of Santa Clara.

What does Sustainability mean to you?
I think of sustainability as using resources wisely. Not using renewable resources any faster than they can regenerate. Not creating waste than what can be recycled or reused. Living in a way that meets current needs without compromising the future.

As part of your role as Grounds Manager, you were instrumental in getting our recycling accepted again (then moved to Marina), and the new signage roll out that is ongoing on our campus. Can you tell us more about these accomplishments? 
The task of getting campus recycling accepted at the Dimeo Lane facility has been something our Grounds Resource Recovery team has spent the last few years on. Our team began in early 2020 running the sortline to

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new zero waste stations

remove contaminants which allowed for a few loads to be accepted but we were still limited by the types of recycled materials that the Dimeo facility could receive, making some loads of recycled materials rejected. When the CZU fires temporarily shut down the facility we began taking all recycling materials to the Monterey Regional Waste Management District facility in Marina. This facility is very modern and can accept many more types of recycled materials and to date we have had zero loads rejected! 

Grounds have adopted sustainable practices such as integrated pest management and electric blowers to name a couple. Can you talk about such initiatives and others that you were involved in? 
The campus has been practicing integrated pest management for many years and a system-wide policy will be coming out expanded on practices with more focus on education and further non-toxic practices.

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electric lawnmower

For the electric equipment, we’ve been upgrading to newer models of hand power tools that have longer battery life as well as replaced a gas powered ride-on mower to electric. We recently received a Carbon Fund Grant to pilot solar powered compacting waste receptacles which will increase the capacity of waste materials at outdoor container stations, thereby reducing the frequency that the containers need to be emptied. 

What common misconceptions about waste exist at UC Santa Cruz that you want to clear up? 
One of the most common misconceptions is wishcycling.  This is when an item is put into (or in some cases on top of) the recycling bin with hopes it can be recycled. The problem with this is that too many of these items can cause the whole load of recycling to be rejected and sent into the landfill. It is really important to take those couple of extra seconds to ‘think before you throw’, stopping to review the waste bin signs before placing them in the first bin you see. If you have a doubt, place it in the trash bin. 

If you could ask students to take 2 actions to support Zero Waste at UC Santa Cruz, what would they be?

  • If you are leaving for break, moving, or just ‘spring cleaning’ be responsible for your items by posting food and goods on a campus/community freecycle or Buy Nothing group instead of putting them in the dumpster.
  • If you are taking your food to-go from our campus dining halls, go for the reusable Eco-Box but make sure to return them so they can be reused.

Is there anything else about the work you do that you would like to share?
I feel very fortunate to work on such a beautiful campus with such an awesome team! Our Grounds teams are the most knowledgeable and dedicated staff I have ever worked with and it shows in the beauty of our landscape. I love being a Slug!

Lastly , what do you do for fun outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy spending my time with my family, camping and playing golf.  Most weekends are spent cheering my kids on with their sports. I also wine tasting and can’t wait to be able to attend concerts again!