To learn more about the UC wide sustainability goals, view the UC Sustainable Practices Policy
GOAL 1:
Build communities of care, resilience and preparedness in the face of climate change
UCSC must focus on empowering faculty, staff, and students with the resources, tools, and opportunities for action for a changing world. As UCSC undergoes the daunting task of tackling climate change and other social and environmental challenges, the impacts on the campus community, such as climate anxiety, must be at the forefront of planning efforts. At the center of building communities of care are mental health services, physical and programming spaces dedicated to self-care, individual and institutional preparedness regarding emergency planning, resilience efforts in relation to human-amplified natural disasters, and sustainable and equitable operations. Being cared for, educated, and prepared will empower UCSC community members to more effectively serve in their important roles as teachers, researchers, staff members, administrators, and students.
Strategies
- Develop and implement a strength-based skills program to help campus community members build skills and tools to cope with the emotional challenges facing us daily.
- Reimagine the policies, practices, infrastructure, and lived experience at UCSC to build a health promoting university.
- Develop community-centered spaces and programming.
- Provide sustainability and climate related training to all incoming students, faculty, and staff.
- Improve the campus community’s emergency preparedness through a resilient and responsive campus.
- Implement diverse, equitable, inclusive and just (DEIJ) approaches to care.
- Develop sustainable and affordable campus housing.
Current Year Priority Initiatives
- Identify UC Santa Cruz’s priority areas of focus for the Well-being Collective and each of the 5 pillars of the Health Promoting Campus, including associated Key Performance Indicators for each area.
- Identify one equity indicator that the UC Office of the President (UCOP) Sustainability Officer’s (SO) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEI/J) working group (wg) can potentially implement systemwide.
- Develop and share sustainability related onboarding materials with students, staff, and faculty.
- Create a diverse portfolio of ways to distribute emergency preparedness trainings informed by the realities of climate change.
- Strengthen ties to the greater Santa Cruz community to build participatory-based and community-led climate capacity and resiliency.
- Advance green building practices in all capital projects.
GOAL 2:
Decarbonize campus to build an equitable, accessible, and fossil-free future
UCSC must address its own role in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, in order to comprehensively combat climate change and reduce the university’s contributions to the environmental injustices associated with the burning of fossil fuels. The associated health issues, extreme natural disasters, loss of land and homes, and economic consequences of climate change impact under-resourced communities, and people of color carry an outsized burden. Looking forward, decarbonizing and electrifying the campus will present opportunities for innovative research. Students may practically apply classroom knowledge in the field by using the campus as a living learning laboratory, and encouraging interdisciplinary innovation in the campus’ day-to-day operations. It is important that the university achieve this goal while simultaneously strengthening electrical power resilience in order to maintain the successful fulfillment of UCSC’s mission.
Strategies
- Reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions through the funding and implementation of decarbonization and electrification.
- Reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions.
- Convert equipment and vehicles to electric, hybrid, or clean fuel alternatives.
- Increase installed renewable energy, battery storage, and resilient infrastructure.
- Implement energy efficiency projects.
Current Year Priority Initiatives
- Identify and pursue funding and revenue opportunities to support D&E initiatives. Invest in initiatives that prepare and stage the campus for future electrification.
- Develop and implement Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies to support bike safety and education.
- Advance short- and long-term improvements to shuttle operations and infrastructure.
- Implement Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Toolkit parking strategies.
- Track, and make public fossil fuel versus electric equipment and vehicles purchases.
- Pursue additional planning and design of photovoltaic and battery storage.
- Define and list high-value critical infrastructure and research equipment across campus.
- Prioritize LED building conversions and building commissioning opportunities.
GOAL 3:
Steward the land and water to support healthy ecosystems while balancing infrastructure needs
UCSC is situated in a unique location, at the intersection of many different habitats including redwood forest and open meadows, natural and built lands, multiple watershed drainages, and more. Effective stewardship of campus will involve a variety of strategies to support biodiversity and preserve habitats. The campus will also increase housing availability; enhance safe and accessible circulation pathways; and support sustainable and accessible transportation options. Increasing temperatures and long-term drought necessitate that UCSC continue to serve as a leader in best practices in water management. Additionally, traditional ecological knowledge, cultural preservation of known archaeological sites, and dedicated land access for the Amah Mutsun are essential to merging environmental justice practices with existing sustainable land stewardship practices at UCSC.
Strategies
- Develop and execute land management plans for campus to protect ecosystems and promote biodiversity.
- Offer living laboratory opportunities.
- Collaborate with local tribes to incorporate indigenous perspectives into land management and use.
- Use best practices when designing and implementing development projects to minimize ecological impacts.
- Improve physical infrastructure for a diverse array of multi-modal transportation options.
- Implement water systems that adapt to uncertain water conditions.
- Advance water conservation and efficiency measures.
Current Year Priority Initiatives
- Finalize and begin implementation of campuswide Habitat Conservation Plan.
- Begin the development of UC Santa Cruz Stewardship Corp to implement components of the UCSC Wildfire Vegetation Management Plan.
- Preserve and monitor natural resources and ecosystems.
- Finalize the UCSC Wildfire Vegetation Management Plan and Cal VTP Project Specific Analysis
- Engage faculty and students in living lab engagement opportunities related to advancing the goals of the S&CAP.
- Continue discussions with campus leadership about potential options for developing an MOU with local tribes that focuses on campus natural and future built environments.
- Meet or exceed the green building design requirements of the UC Sustainable Practices Policy for new construction and major renovation projects.
- Begin master plan for campus fleet and commuter EV charging while advancing immediate EV charging infrastructure needs.
- Conduct a feasibility study to determine if we can provide METRO layover bus parking on campus.
- Begin the Circulation Master Plan study.
- Advance water conservation and efficiency efforts.
GOAL 4 :
Advance a circular economy in the consumption cycle
The EPA defines a circular economy as one that reduces material use, redesigns materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive, and recaptures “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. Creating a campus culture and infrastructure that supports reuse of what is purchased is foundational for a circular economy. By choosing to use its financial resources to support sustainability-minded companies, UCSC has the opportunity to develop a circular economy through the procurement, food, and waste systems. UCSC will increase its ability to do business with companies that integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principals into their operations, are small, local, and/or diverse businesses, and that sell products that are transparent about their environmental and social impacts. A cornerstone component of a circular economy is a consistent, accessible, and convenient waste system for items at the end of their useful lives.
Strategies
- Harness the spending power of the university to support sustainable and diverse businesses and products.
- Create infrastructure, tools, and processes that enable reuse, refurbishment, and sharing of university-owned resources.
- Improve waste management system to meet the UC waste goals.
- Increase the purchase of sustainably-sourced and plant-based foods in the campus food system.
Current Year Priority Initiatives
- Develop tools and resources to facilitate use of the UCSC procurement system to increase sustainably-sourced products and services for campus.
- Work with vending machine vendors to remove all single-use plastic beverage bottles that have an available alternative from vending machines.
- Secure resources and develop infrastructure that supports a culture of reuse and reusables and conduct annual data collection of reusable item usage vs disposable item usage to track the success of existing programs and identify future target areas.
- Increase consistency and accessibility of zero waste stations, including compost bin availability.
- Complete Stage 1 of the Post Landfill Action Network’s ATLAS certification program.
- Explore the feasibility of alternative waste management practices to increase landfill diversion.
- Conduct a complete accounting of food that is plant-based, meets the AASHE STARS definition of sustainable food, and/or from vendors who are building a resilient food system.
GOAL 5:
Manage Sustainability Office programs and resources to maximize effective outreach, engagement, and transparency across campus community
The Sustainability Office strives to foster a culture of diverse, equitable and inclusive sustainability at UCSC. We actively engage students, staff, faculty and community members through education, leadership development, institutional change and behavioral transformation. We build partnerships with students and community members to improve UCSC’s environmental performance, seeking to model the way for how large institutions can work collaboratively to solve some of the world’s biggest environmental and social justice challenges.
Strategies
- Engage and educate students, faculty, and staff.
- Steward Carbon Fund student fee measure funds to effectively advance campus projects.
- Collaborate across campus divisions to advance climate change, sustainability, and resilience goals in Leading the Change: the UCSC Strategic Plan.
- Maximize transparency by reporting successes and challenges.
Current Year Priority Initiatives
- Host programs and events that advance a culture of sustainability amongst diverse campus community members.
- Provide paid student employment opportunities in relevant priority topic areas.
- Build and maintain a strong web and social media presence.
- Create and maintain regular feedback mechanisms for events and programs.
- Advance professional development for Sustainability Office staff.
- Manage the Carbon Fund committee, awarding funds at least twice annually.
- Participate in Joint Senate/Admin committee on Climate Change, Sustainability & Resilience for Research and Teaching, and co-chair Operations Committee.
- Establish and maintain regular annual cycle for sustainability reporting, including: UCOP, S&CAP, Carbon Fund, and Sustainability Certificate reports; distribute reports broadly.