University of California, Santa Barbara
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

PACES (Program for the Assessment and Certification for the Environment and Sustainability): PACES assesses how departments currently apply ecological practices, raises awareness about campus policies and standard practices, and offers resources to help implement them. The program also connects departments with knowledgeable stakeholders who can provide technical assistance to help implement new practices. PACES interacts with various faculty in various departments.
LabRATS (Laboratory Resources, Advocates, and Teamwork for Sustainability):
LabRATS is a UCSB program dedicated to promoting sustainable practices in the university’s laboratories. When a lab works with the program, LabRATS staff does a thorough analysis of the lab’s usage of water, disposables, machinery, lighting, space, and transportation. LabRATS provides the lab with recommendations for practices and improvements that the lab can undertake. For example, they will provide recommendations for materials that are more recyclable and provide information about more energy efficient lab fixtures. At the end of LabRATS analysis, their findings and recommendations are presented to the laboratory members.

Central Coast Sustainability Summit: Staff are invited to attend the annual Central Coast Sustainability Summit where local municipalities and community organizations get together to share best practices and discuss common issues in energy, transportation, waste, and water management. The annual regional sustainability summit is open to all campus staff. The Summit hopes to encourage dialogue that can bring about positive environmental change.
Sustainability Steering Committee - each year we send a staff, and a high level administrator to the annual in-person Sustainability Steering Committee meetings at the UC Office of the President. The Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC) engages decision makers from all ten campuses in developing and implementing a successful systemwide sustainability policy.
Sustainability Officers Retreat & Priority Setting Workshop - Each year we send staff to attend a UC System wide retreat and priority setting and training on campus sustainability.
DEIJ+Sustainability Capacity Building Workshop - In 2022, UCSB Staff attended two workshops that were hosted as part of the CNI-funded Sustainability & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) capacity building project. The workshops built individual and collective capacity to integrate the core values of diversity, equity and inclusion into our sustainability work.