Garden Commission

Rodolfo Alcalá-Dávalos

Garden Commissioner

Hey! My name is Rodolfo Alcalá-Dávalos (he/him) and I am a third year student studying Social Ecology. I am deeply honored to be ASUCI’s 2023-2024 Garden Commissioner. My main focus this year is to increase garden visibility, implement more efficient ways of growing at the garden, and integrate community knowledge to the way we grow.

My involvement with the garden started when I signed up as a volunteer in Fall 2022. The garden soon became my favorite place on campus because it fed me nutritious food, hosted a space to enjoy nature, and boosted my overall health. Just a couple of weeks later, I became a Garden Commission Intern. I looked forward to fun events, my favorite memory being when I dressed up as a groundhog. Overall, the 2022-2023 academic year taught me that the garden possesses a vast potential and power for providing nourishing food to those in need and for educating the public about forming sustainable— and therefore resilient— communities. 

Before joining the garden, I volunteered at the Basic Needs Center’s FRESH Food Pantry for a Fall quarter as part of their “FRESH Seminar.” There, I was exposed to topics about food insecurity, food waste, and community safety nets. We are lucky, as a UCI community, to have life-saving resources like these. An increasing number of people are having to approach these services to survive, and the Garden Commission takes a salient part in providing support.

Office Hours: TBD

Commission Description:

ASUCI’s Garden Commission works in a collaborative effort with Arroyo Vista Housing and the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) to support the “Ants In Your Plants” garden, located within the heart of the Arroyo Vista community. We take an organic approach: no commercial pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or herbicides are used near the food we grow. Once our fresh produce is harvested, we often donate it to the Basic Needs Center in an effort to increase food accessibility.

Our mission is to introduce to the UCI community the benefits of sustainability in a simple and fulfilling manner. What better way to learn than through experience? We host weekly volunteering opportunities for UCI students that provide them a chance to learn how to grow their own food. Combined with a collection of exciting events, both within the lush confines of our garden and beyond, we unveil the possibilities that sustainable living offers.

Goals:

Welcome students and staff to participate in or discuss projects/events around sustainability, food, and growing plants.

Collaborate with other clubs, organizations, and commissions for events. This includes ASUCI’s Sustainability Project Commission and the Sustainability Resource Center.

Donate fresh produce to Basic Needs Center’s Food Pantry.

Stay tuned about the garden, events, and volunteer opportunities at @gardeningwithuci on Instagram!

Contact us at garden@asuci.uci.edu