Green Work Study Program

Funded through The Green Initiative Fund, this project allows students to work alongside campus groundskeepers and gardenrs in their daily routine to care for, maintain, and manage green spaces and public areas. This project will serve as a teaching tool for students to learn about the value of native California flora, environmental care through skilled labor, protection of streams from harmful runoff, where green-waste is diverted, and skills in landscape maintenance and botany.

A work-study program such as this provides an opportunity for students to connect with groundskeepers who belong predominantly to an ethnic minority and experience an enriching view of our campus that often goes unseen. The team hopes to show that the contribution Facilities Services puts into ensuring long-term sustainability environmnetal health and protection are extremely valueable to learn about and not "just grueling work".

Team Member Biographies

Juan Casanova - Landscape Supervisor

Juan was born and lived in Mexico until the age of around 20-22 before he moved to the US. Before moving to the US, he worked as a waiter in Mexico, but after he came here he worked at a small landscaping company for approximately 5 years, until he started working at UC Berkeley as a gardener in 1994. Through his hard work, he slowly moved up in ranks and in three years went from Gardener to Lead Gardener, and then his current position as Landscape Supervisor. Juan is also a certified arborist.

Juan’s daily routine at UC Berkeley includes checking emails in the morning, guiding the gardeners on what to do during the day, and answering any questions they may have. He then walks around campus to see how the landscape is currently and ensures everything is in place before conducting any meetings he may have during the day. He is working on a new program at UC Berkeley that would teach the current gardeners the skills required for an arborist and show them the type of work needed as one.

According to Juan, the thing he enjoys most about his work is the trees. He loves working with them through trimming and monitoring their growth, and he also enjoys the physical work involved with it. He especially loves good landscaping, so maintaining the campus is enjoyable for him and he loves the work he does.

Carlos Coronado

Carlos was born in Arizona and grew up in the L.A. region. He moved to the Bay Area to pursue a position on the campus maintenance team and has worked at UC Berkeley for seven years. Carlos’s typical day begins at 6:00 a.m.; his work starts with hardscaping of campus grounds, distribution of mulch, or pathway maintenance. As the day progresses, his team transitions to litter and garbage removal in the high-traffic areas of campus, then they shift to focus on weeding. After work, Carlos likes to play basketball with friends and enjoys active hobbies in his free time such as going to the gym and jogging.

Carlos’s favorite part of his job is having a tight-knit community with the other gardeners of the Union sector. His good relationships with his co-workers have given him a sense of stability and support that have helped him during the uncertainty of current times.

Ivan Casanova

Ivan grew up in the El Cerrito in the Bay Area and has lived around the Cal community for a long time. He worked at Home Depot before he began work at UC Berkeley seven years ago. During his time at UC Berkeley, Ivan has worked all around campus, though he is currently working in the area around Sproul. Recently, the campus began moving away from the use of Roundup weed killer, so Ivan’s work involves laying down mulch as an alternative method to keep weeds down without pesticides. He is currently in the process of joining the tree trimmer crew.

Ivan loves being able to work outside, and enjoys the year-round good weather of Berkeley. He also finds the physical aspect of his job gratifying and likes applying his knowledge and skills for landscaping in his work.

Nick McAleer

Nick grew up in small-town Wisconsin and has worked with plants throughout his life; his first job was picking sweet corn. He attended the University of Wisconsin where he received his bachelor's degree in urban forestry. Nick worked for the city of Stevens Point as an arborist before moving to the Bay Area, having worked at UC Berkeley for the past 3 years. His regular work on campus involves weeding and work maintaining trees which include chipping, pruning, and mulching. He enjoys working outdoors and appreciates the people he works with.

Roy Albina

Roy was born in Oakland, and when he was 10 years old moved to Antioch where he currently lives. He has two sons, aged two and four years old. His favorite thing to do in his free time is going to the park with his kids. Roy loves gardening and showing other people the value and fulfillment in growing plants; he has worked with the campus grounds staff for 5 years. 

He also enjoys playing basketball after work and feels that friendly competition with his co-workers helps with team bonding. In fact, the work atmosphere between team members is Roy’s favorite part of his job. Whether receiving donuts from Carlos or having a pizza lunch with Ivan, the members of the Union Gardeners have shared many small moments of mutual kindness that build their camaraderie as a team. Although it has been difficult to keep morale up during the pandemic, this companionship between co-workers has definitely helped Carlos and the other campus gardeners keep a healthy state of mind.