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Fresno, California: Innovation, Education and Action - Welcome to the VERDE project

(Vouchers for Environmental Resource Development through Education).
Who are we? We are a group of community development students, operating with support from the Blum Center at UC Davis, who are taking what we have learned in the classroom to Fresno, California.   
What is our plan? We seek to collaborate with businesses, higher learning institutions, and non-profit organizations in Fresno to design a program that engages individuals of all ages in local community development projects with a particular focus on education and the environment.  Under this program local organizations will identify projects in which volunteers and student interns agree to provide twenty hours of service in exchange for a $1,000 tuition voucher.  For those attending a participating institution of higher learning the vouchers can be used as a reduction in tuition fees.  For those not contemplating enrolling, these vouchers are negotiable.  They can be gifted or traded at an exchange established by VERDE .
Why Fresno? There are several reasons that we decided to work in the city of Fresno, and why we believe Fresno would benefit from this program. According to the website WWW.volunteeringinAmerica.gov, Fresno has an extremely low volunteer rate, ranked 66th out of 75 mid-major cities in the United States.   According to the website www.Forbes.com, Fresno ranks 7th in the United States for air pollution.  And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in May 2012 is 15.7% with over 25% of the city living in poverty and only 12% earning a bachelor’s degree or higher.   Our model could address all of these problems by providing tangible rewards to volunteers working on projects to clean up Fresno while expanding opportunities to attend local institutions of higher learning. 
Who benefits? Businesses benefit because the after tax value of the contribution for the $1,000 certificate could come close to $500.  It thereby becomes a cost effective way for businesses to demonstrate to their markets and to their community a commitment to solving these problems.  Universities benefit because their scholarship funds are replenished on a 3:1 ratio.  Volunteers benefit because they receive a tuition voucher for their services that can be gifted or traded.
What have we done so far? Throughout the year, we’ve been meeting with community leaders, city officials, students, businesses, & non-profit organizations in Fresno to begin the task of identifying the projects in which volunteers of all ages and capacities can participate.
What are some examples of volunteer projects?
Urban neighborhood beautification
Soil and hillside erosion control
Home and business energy efficiency   consultation and assessment
Rainwater cisterns and potable water quality assessment & maintenance
Fish and wildlife maintenance and control
Urban recycling and composting
Brownfield clean‐up
Urban and peri-urban tree planting and maintenance
Community gardening through empty lot utilization
Public space goat grazing as alternative to mowing
Recycling used computers & peripherals
Small appliance recycling
Creating and maintaining electric vehicle recharging stations
Neighborhood watch using Text Messaging alert networks
School and neighborhood environmental awareness education programs
Safe playground construction and maintenance
Constructing and maintaining bicycle routes and walking paths
Constructing and maintaining playgrounds using recycled materials
Graffiti control and clean-up

Where do we need help?  We have received overwhelming interest by all parties on the concept as well as some support that has covered travel and incidentals.  However, we now need help in structuring the tuition instrument in a manner that will meet all regulations and will attract investment by both businesses and higher learning institutions.  If interested in assisting or in seeking more information please contact:  

Roseanne Chavez, UC Davis
rdcchavez@ucdavis.edu 


On June 21st, 2012, we presented our VERDE model at the CA Higher Education for Sustainability Conference here at UC Davis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyyb9xYBjRw

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