University of California, San Diego
Contact Information
Education and Research:
UCSD’s educational mission is to educate students about the natural environment and the impact of human activity on the planet. Currently, about 200 courses and seminars are offered on sustainability, social justice, the environment and conservation. The interdisciplinary Environmental Systems (ESYS) major has approximately 200 undergraduate majors. Other academic departments and programs offer a variety of courses and research in energy generation, sustainable building design, environmental chemistry, environmental ethics, international energy and environmental policy, sustainable business practices, and clean-tech innovation, amongst others.
UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) leads the world in research on algae and cellulosic biofuels, aerosol pollution, sea level rise and other areas. SIO established the human impact on climate change with the development of the Keeling Curve. Today, Scripps is at the leading edge of research in global, national and local impacts on climate change. In April 2009, university researchers partnered to establish the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology (SD-CAB) in an effort to make sustainable algae-based fuel production and carbon dioxide abatement a reality within the next 5 to 10 years.
Sustainability Across the Curriculum, a workshop open to any UC San Diego faculty, is designed for faculty who want to incorporate ideas about the environment and sustainability into courses they regularly teach. The Greenovation Forum series, an innovative set of forums bringing together experts from various sectors, are also held monthly.
The Sustainability Solutions Institute (SSI) engages students in addressing problems of the environment and solutions in a comprehensive way. SSI provides resources to enable teams drawn from different academic disciplines and non-academic experts to collaborate, develop, and apply knowledge and technologies to address challenges of a more sustainable future. Recently, SSI funded and enabled the Sustainability Walk, a student and staff project which developed a dynamic, interactive educational tool regarding the campus’ ‘green’ projects.
Student led projects such as the new Sustainability Resource Center (SRC), a LEED Commercial Interiors Silver candidate, will open fall 2009. The SRC houses both UC San Diego’s Sustainability 2.0 Initiative Staff and the Student Sustainability Collectives, and will function as a resource, meeting place, showcase sustainability efforts, and be a model for superior sustainable design. Student interns will be funded through The Green Initiative Fund. The unveiling of SRC will occur fall 2009.
Educational, sustainability achievements embraced by UCSD in 2009 include: the nation’s first sustainable collegiate race (one of two sporting events to receive Ever Green status), AQUAholics Anonymous (a student, staff, and faculty group working towards educating our community on the 12 steps to recover from over dependence on water), the Greenline (a service and a research project between students and Fleet Services to build a 100% biofuels bus line now in operation), Greeks Gone Green (a Greek club aimed to bridge the gap between environmental organizations on campus and the Greek community), Recyclemania, Power Down for the Planet, America’s Greenest Campus challenge, and an award winning National Wildlife Chill Out Competition student video.
Campus Operations:
The UCSD campus operations staff implements policies and practices to reduce our impact on the environment. All new buildings will be constructed to be certified LEED Silver, with a goal of achieving LEED Gold. In addition, buildings will continue to be certified under the LEED for Existing Building (LEED-EB) program. Currently, 3% of all building space is in a green-certified building and this will increase to 15% after new construction and existing buildings receive certification.
Procurement staff has identified and began purchasing green-certified products, such as Fair Trade, Energy Star and Green Seal-certified products. All of the institution’s coffee is Fair Trade certified and 76% of the cleaning supplies used are Green Seal-certified. The staff work with vendors to reduce or eliminate packaging, and have begun to purchase more paper with recycled content.
A single-stream recycling program for glass, paper, plastic, and metals has been instituted, diverting 67% of all solid waste from the landfill. Pre-consumer dining hall waste is diverted to an on-site composting program managed by students.
An aggressive alternative transportation program has lead to more than 50% of campus commuters using Alternative Transportation. Options include carpools, vanpools, triton bikes, walking, and public transportation such as UCSD Subsidized buses and train passes. A campus shuttle around the campus, and to and from several local bus stops and the nearby train station also runs. Free bus rides are available to any student, staff, or faculty with a valid UC San Diego identification. Currently, only 49% of commuters are commuting via single occupancy vehicles to and from the Main Campus.
The campus has purchased alternatively-fueled vehicles for the campus fleet including hybrids, electric vehicles, and vehicles fueled by biofuels and compressed natural gas. Currently, 37% of the campus fleet is composed of alternatively-fueled vehicles.
In consideration of grounds, 25% of total water usage is reclaimed water. Also, grounds staff started to replace non-native plants with native or drought tolerant species, when possible.
The university has been at the forefront of energy management and tracking campus green house gas emissions for several years. Notable actions include the installation of a 30-megawatt (MW), ultra-low emission cogeneration plant on campus, and, the installation of 1 MW of solar photovoltaic panels. Building energy conservation projects have been implemented for years on campus. Current projects include energy efficiency retrofits, departmental energy audits, dormitory energy competitions, and the construction of high performance green buildings. The university is also working to reduce the energy usage of computing and other electronic equipment through various energy efficiency projects and cyberinfrastructure programs.
There are various committees and work groups that meet regularly to discuss how to reduce the university’s environmental impact. The COOL Work Group (C02Lowering) meets every other month to discuss carbon-reducing solutions for the university. Currently, over 52 projects are being discussed, including implementation of a plan to incorporate off-peak wind in the campus power grid, installation of a wind turbine at Birch Aquarium, and utilization of sea water air-conditioning to support campus cooling, etc.
Administration and Finance:
UC San Diego (UCSD) adopts and follows the UC-wide policy on sustainable practices. Former President Dynes of the UC System signed the Presidents Climate Commitment to establish our dedication to environmental, financial, and social sustainability. To plan the path leading to a sustainable future, UCSD completed the campuses first Sustainability Assessment Plan and Climate Action Plan in December of 2008. The university has several environmental advisory committees tasked to prepare periodic reports to the chancellor and the university community; to recommend and support efforts to improve environmental stewardship and sustainability in facility planning and operations; and to make sustainability part of ongoing education, research, operations, and outreach programs. These are composed of faculty, staff, and students that meet regularly to share information about education, research, and outreach activities in the context of sustainability.
The students of UCSD conveyed their commitment to financial sustainability when in spite of financial challenges, UCSD students voted to raise their quarterly fees by $2.34 per student in 2009 to approve a Green Initiative Fund. These funds will support sustainable projects on campus such as the Sustainability Resource Center. This is one symbolic effort the students have made to demonstrate their financial support of becoming better environmental stewards.
UCSD also recognizes the importance of social sustainability and is committed to the promotion of diversity in all its programs. UCSD believes the ideals of a diverse University population and educational excellence is perfectly compatible and mutually beneficial; the environment is greatly enriched by the presence of people with diverse backgrounds and cultural perspectives. We stand committed to promotion of both these ideals and to a reaffirmation of the UCSD Principles of Community. In fostering such an environment the university seeks to: 1) encourage respect and understanding of all cultural traditions; 2) promote greater diversity among faculty, staff, and students; 3) support campus diversity-related initiatives and communicate their results to the campus and the surrounding community. This is possible through the Diversity Council which meets regularly to discuss the promotion of diversity on-campus.
The campus strives to be more accessible and affordable to low-income students. In an effort to achieve accessibility the University established the Student Educational Advancement Program (SEA) and Preuss Charter School. The goal of SEA is to motivate and prepare educationally disadvantaged and first-generation college students for college success and graduate school. Some outreach approaches of SEA are: tutoring programs conducted via computer webcams for middle and high school students; programs participating in individual or group tutoring/counseling in all core academic subjects, campus social networks, and other support. Additionally, Preuss UCSD is a charter middle and high school designed to be a rigorous college preparatory educational program for low-income students to be the first in their families to graduate from college. Through partnerships with the main university, Preuss prepares its graduates to distinguish themselves academically so that they will be competitively eligible for admission to the University of California and other similarly selective institutions of higher learning.
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