Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.87
Liaison Nurit Katz
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of California, Los Angeles
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Bonny Bentzin
Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer
UCLA Sustainability
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Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.

AASHE enables its nearly 1,000 members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges.


Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):

The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. This unique event is jointly organized by independent / private colleges, California Community Colleges, California State Universities, and the University of California creating the opportunity for dialogue across institutions.


Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):

The UCLA Student Action Research (SAR) program is part of the student-led Education for Sustainable Living Program offered for credit through the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. The ART program at UCLA has become one of the most robust programs in California and serves as a model for other campuses seeking to start a collaborative student-staff-faculty sustainability research program. Started in 2007, the ART program has evolved from a small group of students working independently to a program of more than 50 students annually participating in a 20-week program working collaboratively with campus staff and earning up to 6-units of course credit. As of 2014, the program has engaged over 240 students in 56 teams for over 40,000 credit hours working collaboratively with 46 different campus stakeholders. In a survey of stakeholders, 93% of respondents characterized the projects as 'successful' and most 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that working with the ART team positively impacted the way they viewed 1) the impact of students at UCLA, 2) sustainability at UCLA, 3) interactions between students and faculty, and 4) their personal work experience at UCLA. In a survey of alumni of the program, 89% of respondents indicated that they accomplished what they set out to do and most 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that ART had a positive impact on the way they view their ability to effect change in the world. Several case studies of projects will be presented.


Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):

The fourteenth annual Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards competition (at CHESC 2018) is being made possible by the Higher Education Energy Efficiency Partnership Programs, this competition is meant to:

- Highlight the achievements that California campuses have made through innovative and effective energy efficiency projects and sustainable operations.
- Showcase specific projects as models to be used by other campuses to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability goals.
- Provide campus staff with a compendium of Best Practice projects that could be transferable to their campus.

During the 2018 competition, UCLA received the following awards:
- Student Sustainability Leadership: UC Los Angeles, Student Seminar “Introduction to Sustainable Living: From Fundamentals to Applications”
- Sustainable Transportation: UC Los Angeles, Air Travel Mitigation Pilot Program
- Water Efficiency & Site Water Quality: UC Los Angeles, Water Reclamation in a Dense Urban Research University
- Sustainability Innovations: UC Los Angeles, Innovatively Applying Sustainability Research

https://chesc.org/best-practice-awards/2018-best-practice-award-winners/


Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):

Nurit Katz - CHESC Conference Steering Committee, Sustainable Works Advisory Board
Bonny Bentzin - CHESC Conference Institutionalizing Sustainability Program Track Committee, Sustainable Works Advisory Board


Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:

Nurit Katz - Chief Sustainability Officers convenes a Southern California Sustainability Officers Group meeting that meets at a different campus roughly every quarter.

Bonny Bentzin - Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer participates in the AASHE mentorship program, mentoring a sustainability staff member with the University of Wisconsin.

Bonny Bentzin and Nurit Katz both provide regular mentorship to other institutions through lectures and tours to students, faculty and staff visiting the campus from other institutions.


Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the peer review activities:

Bonny Bentzin, Nurit Katz, Erin Fabris and other members of the UCLA team will be serving as reviewers for Arizona State University's STARS submission


A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :

Carbon Neutrality Initiative
In November 2013, President Napolitano announced the Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI), which commits the UC to emit net zero greenhouse gases from its buildings and vehicle fleet by 2025. The President formed the Global Climate Leadership Council (GCLC) to advise UC on achieving this ambitious goal.

Other efforts include the Global Food Initiative, as well as efforts on Green Building, Procurement, Waste and Water

More information on campus and system level progress can be found in the Climate Change and Clean Energy section of this site, as well as in the most recent UC Annual Sustainability Report (pdf).

To date, the GCLC has secured funding for and supported implementation of a number of carbon neutrality projects in support of this initiative, including the Cool Campus Challenge, Carbon Neutrality Student Fellowships Program, a Deep Energy Efficiency study, Faculty Climate Action Champions, and campus carbon neutrality planning charrettes in spring 2016.

Learn more about how people think and act on climate by watching the UC-Vox "Climate Lab" series and follow @ClimateUC on Twitter for the latest UC research and news on climate and sustainability.

Global Food Initiative
The University of California Global Food Initiative (GFI) addresses one of the critical issues of our time: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a world population expected to reach 8 billion by 2025.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative
As a cutting edge for research and innovation, the University of California brings sustainable technology from laboratory to market through its entrepreneurship programs. In addition to breakthroughs by its world class faculty, UC offers Cleantech to Market, a graduate level program that develops innovative cleantech leaders and entrepreneurs. From wave energy capture projects to biofuel innovations, UC student researchers are leading the way to a sustainable future. Read more about UC innovation and entrepreneurship in the annual UC Technology Commercialization Report.

https://ucop.edu/sustainability/programs-initiatives/index.html


Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.