University of California, Santa Barbara 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application
Category
Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE
Evening at the UCSB University Center
Photographer: UCSB Photographic Services
Contact
Jill K Richardson
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Office of the Vice Chancellor-Administrative Services
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
(805) 893-8367
jill.richardson@vcadmin.ucsb.edu
Governance & Administration
Committees
Chancellor's Committee for Sustainability - 2008
Academic Senate - Subcommittee for Sustainability - 2007
Change Agents Group - campus faculty, staff, and students who update the Campus Sustainability Plan
The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) Committee - student committee that awards grants for sustainability projects (2006) - the first campus in California to initiate a green fee
Department or building-wide sustainability committees:
Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee
Phelps Hall Sustainability Committee
Bren Hall Sustainability Committee
Davidson Library Sustainability Committee
Associated Students Sustainability Committee
Student Affairs Sustainability Committee
Department of Public Worms (composting program)
LabRATS (Laboratory Researchers and Technical Staff) - a group of laboratory faculty, staff, and students interested in sustainable laboratories - 2007
Staff
The staff below receives complete or partial funding for campus sustainability efforts:
Associate Vice Chancellor, Administrative Services
Campus Sustainability Coordinator/TGIF Grants Manager, Administrative Services
Campus Energy Manager, Physical Facilities
Engineers (2), Physical Facilities
Associate Director, Physical Facilities
Recycling/IMP Manager, Physical Facilities
Transportation Alternatives Supervisor, Parking Services
Energy & Environmental Manager, Housing & Residential Services (H&RS)
Assistant Director of Residential Dining Services, H&RS
Chief Financial Officer, H&RS
Construction Project Managers (2), H&RS
Strategic Sourcing Specialist, Business Services
Executive Officer, Department of Geography
Sustainability Education and Outreach Coordinator, Department of Geography
Director of Special Projects, Student Affairs
Assistant Director, Exercise/Sport Studies/Recreation, Student Affairs
Director of Resources Planning, Student Affairs
Director of Administration, Student Health Services
Director of Dining Services, University Center
Divisional Manager of C-Stores, University Center
Policies/Documents
Campus Sustainability Plan - approved by Chancellor in April 2008 - includes a mission statement and nine functional areas short- and long-term goals
Campus Climate Neutral Plan - in progress
All new buildings must meet LEEDTM-NC Silver standards
25 LEED-EB buildings to be certified in 5 years - one completed, just starting year 2
UCSB Academic Plan-includes environmental/sustainability as a core strength
Long-Range Development Plan - includes sustainability
Memberships
US Green Building Council - national chapter
USGBC - local chapter (California Central Coast Chapter - C4)
American Colleges and Universities Presidents' Climate Commitment
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
California Climate Action Registry
Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences - founding member
Operations
Energy
Fluorescents replaced by T8 bulbs
Dimming ballasts installed
HVAC's replaced with energy efficient models
LEDs replacing street lights, etc
5 photovoltaic systems ~ 200 kWh
Solar water systems: Residence Halls (1980's), RecCen (2009)
Electricity consumption/sq ft decreased by 31%; natural gas consumption/sq ft decreased by 23% from 1998 to 2007; building sq ft has increased significantly since 2003
Building
New buildings required to meet LEEDTM-NC Silver
The campus has 4 LEED certified buildings, 1 pending:
LEED Portfolio Pilot Program - 25 buildings
STARS Pilot Program - in pilot
Food & Dining
Compost all pre-waste in dining area
Pilot program to compost pre- and post-food waste (2008)
10% of produce is local/organic
Fair trade coffee
Special Events Catering - biodegradables and local/organic foods
Parking and Transportation
Campus has a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)
- Free bus passes - students
- Subsidized bus passes - staff/faculty
- Extensive carpool programs
- Commuter buses
- ZipCar rentals
- 57 hours of free parking per quarter for those with no parking permit
20% of campus fleet uses alternative fuels
Land Use
Restoring native habitats along the perimeter of campus
Bioswales installed around campus to handle surface water runoff
Native and adaptive plants produced from pure seed stocks in the CCBER
Current building projects taking place on previously constructed land
Purchasing
EPP catalog posted in 2008
Sustainability criteria in all strategic source agreements UC system-wide
Chemicals
90% of cleaning supplies are Green SealTM
Use IPM instead of pesticides and herbicides
LabRATS Green Chemistry: micro-experiments and less-toxic alternatives
Chemical Exchange: online warehouse of chemicals
LabRATS , nationally recognized in Science magazine (10/2007)
Waste
Compost 100% of pre-food waste and green waste
Divert 60% of our waste from the landfill
Ellison Hall diverts 89% of it s waste stream using a pilot recycling program
Recycling on campus grounds is maintained by a student-run organization
Dining facilities recycles their cooking oil
Water
Ultra-low water fixtures for all new construction and retrofits
Waterless urinals replace traditional urinals in new buildings and retrofits
Drought-tolerant landscaping reduce the need for irrigation
93% of campus landscape uses reclaimed water
Use a real-time, weather-sensitive irrigation system
Curriculum & Research
Academic Programs/Degrees
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management: Master’s and Ph.D. degrees
Environmental Studies Program: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees – one of the nation’s first environmental studies programs created in 1970 after a 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel
Department of English: Literature and the Environment Program (created in 2008)
Technology Management Program, College of Engineering and the Bren School: Eco-Entrepreneurship Program (created in 2007)
Summer Program for Environmental Media: Blue Horizons Program
Carsey-Wolfe Center for Film, Television, and New Media: Environmental Media Initiative
Writing Program: environmental business plan competition for projects that look at the triple bottom line (created in 2007)
Academic Senate currently working on core curriculum requirement for all undergraduates in sustainability (in committee now and should be formally approved in 2008/2009 academic year)
Academic Centers/Research Units
College of Engineering: Institute for Energy Efficiency (created in 2008)
College of Engineering: Solid State Lighting and Energy Center
Bren School: Research Program on Energy and Water Sustainability (created in 2007)
Bren School: Governance for Sustainable Development
Bren School: Water Policy Program
Endowed Positions
Environmental Studies: Barry Schuyler Professorship
Environmental Studies: James Dehlsen Professorship
Bren School: Donald Bren Distinguished Visitor (created in 2007)
Sustainability Champion – faculty position crafted by the Academic Senate and is in the Executive Vice Chancellor’s office pending formal approval (should be formally approved in academic year 2008/2009)
Other
Academic Senate: Subcommittee on Sustainability
Cree, Inc. LED University Program - one of five colleges involved in this LED lighting program
Campus Culture
Student Organizations
Ecological Coalition - a central organization that keeps up on most (~40) environmental student groups on campus. Below a brief list of organizations overseen by the E-Coalition:
- A.S. Bikes
- A.S. Recycling
- Bren School Sustainability Committee
- CalPIRG
- Campus Democrats
- Coastal Fund
- Department of Public Worms
- Energy Club
- Energy Forum
- Engineers without Borders
- Environmental Affairs Board
- Green Campus Program
- The Green Initiative Fund
- Greenhouse and Garden Project
- Isla Vista Composting Coalition
- Students for Ellison Hall Sustainability
- Women in Science and Engineering
Education for Sustainable Living Program-founded at UCSB in 2004
Housing
Santa Rosa Dormitory: Sustainability Hall
Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative - four co-op houses/apartments for students in Isla Vista
Conferences
Created the first Higher Education Sustainability Conference in California in 2002 and have played an integral role in ensuring the conferences continue on an annual basis - conference attendance has grown from 100 attendees in 2002 to 1,000 attendees in 2007. UCSB has hosted the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and will host the 8th annual conference in 2009. Outreach for these conferences covers the University of California system (10 campuses), the California State University system (23 campuses) and the California Community College system (110 campuses), as well as the private universities and colleges within California.
The first "Environmental Summit" was held on the UCSB campus in 2006, the brainchild of Professors William Freudenberg and Robert Wilkinson. The summit attracted over 250 participants from seven countries interested in creating a professional society in environmental studies and sciences. Out of the summit was created the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, currently housed in the Environmental Studies Program at UCSB.
Hosted the California Student Sustainability Coalition - Spring Convergence in January 2008
Other
In Academic year 2007/2008 there was a student-driven petition to add sustainability as a General Education requirement for all undergraduates (helped support the Academic Senate's initiative currently in committee listed above)
Community Service and Outreach
Collaborations
MarBorg Industries (trash and recycling hauler): collaborating on a pilot campus composting system - will commence in August 2008
Community Environmental Council: CEC staff lecture courses in the Bren School; collaborate on the Fossil Free by '33 and the 2030 Challenge campaigns run by the CEC; Bren School co-sponsors the local Earth Day celebration (Earth Day started in Santa Barbara in 1970 after Senator Gaylord Nelson flew over the 1969 Platform A oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel)
County of Santa Barbara: County staff lecture courses in Environmental Studies; collaborate on local recycling and composting efforts
USGBC: working on the pilot phase of the LEED Portfolio Program
USGBC, local C4 Chapter: one of the founding members, collaborating with a variety of architects and builders in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo Counties
Presidents' Climate Commitment: UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang appointed to the PCC Advisory Board
Alliance to Save Energy - a statewide organization funded by the California Public Utilities Commission, which provides internships for college students through the Green Campus Program
Community Education
Green Campus Program - works with local schools on energy efficiency education
Outdoor Science Education Program - three of our Natural Reserves host student tours and education for local schools
Teacher Enrichment Adventure in Watershed Education and Training (TEA-WET) - a NOAA-funded program for Santa Barbara-area middle school teacher environmental education run by the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
Kids in Nature - a program with the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration that teaches elementary school-aged children about the environment - awarded the 2007 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Kids Do Ecology - a program run by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis bringing ecology into the school classrooms
Ocean's Alive! - a program run by OCTOS (Outreach Center for Teaching Ocean Science), which provides research lesson plans and projects for local schools
Campus departments and organizations participate in local Earth Day events (Cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta)
Bren School has an environmental lecture series/seminars that are free and open to the public
Bren School holds their annual Master's student final project presentations off-campus in downtown Santa Barbara to encourage public participation - approximately 400 people attend the event
