SERG: Crop Swap, Plant Starter Kit and Coffee Grounds

April is Earth Month, and the Sustainability Employee Resource Group (SERG) would like to invite the UCOP community to participate in our upcoming events in Oakland Franklin Building Lobby and UCPath Center second-floor break room.

• Swap your crops or plants: Do you have too many oranges or need a lemon for your favorite recipe? If you’re fortunate to have a vegetable garden, fruit trees or an abundance of house plants, this event is for you! Connect with your work community, reduce food waste and swap excess homegrown produce and plants at our crop and plant swap. Bring produce or plants to share with coworkers and take home what you need — it’s that simple!
• Pick up a new plant for your work or home office: Indoor plants improve air quality, help reduce stress and support cognitive health. They cultivate a sense of well-being through our symbiotic relationship — indoor plants depend on us for care; in turn, they improve the air we breathe and make our space more beautiful. Stop by to pick up free plant seeds, soil and a compostable container to brighten your work or home office. Take care of your new plant with these steps for seedlings (PDF).
• Take home a bag of used coffee grounds for your compost or soil: Coffee grounds have a high nitrogen content, along with other nutrients helpful to plants. When used in compost, they help create organic matter that improves soil water retention. Check out the following resources to learn more.
  — Using Coffee Grounds in the Garden, by Trish Grenfell, UC Master Gardener of Placer County
  — Benefits of Composting with Coffee Grounds, by Pam Snethen, UC Master Gardener of San Bernardino County
  — Composting is Good for Your Garden and the Environment, UC ANR (PDF)

For questions regarding this event, contact Michael Aires, UCMG (Oakland), or Erin Warnock-Smith, SERG co-chair (UCPath Center).