University of California, Los Angeles
EN-3: Student Life

UCLA student groups focused on sustainability range from organizations specific to certain sectors and professions, those completing service and demonstration projects on and off campus, and others pursuing education and advocacy on a variety of issues. Below are examples of such types of student groups. For a more comprehensive list of student organizations visit: https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/our-initiatives/student-organizations/

UNDERGRADUATE GROUPS:

Renewable Energy Association - The mission of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) at UCLA is to spread awareness of the importance of renewable energy and serve as a hub for student-driven projects. See more about REA at https://www.instagram.com/reaucla/.

Bruin Beekeepers - Founded in 2018, the UCLA Bruin Beekeepers are on a mission to strengthen bee populations and their relationship with humans at UCLA and the surrounding community through habitat restoration, education, and research. See more about Bruin Beekeepers at https://bruinbeekeeper.wixsite.com/bruinbeekeepers.

Clean Consulting UCLA - Clean Consulting aims to empower companies to understand and act on their connections with the natural world by making them aware of their corporate social responsibility and the growing presence of sustainability in the professional sphere. See more about Clean Consulting at https://cleanconsulting.org/.

Bruin Home Solutions - Bruin Home Solutions (BHS) is a group of student engineers, scientists, designers, and entrepreneurs collaborating to build a better tomorrow. BHS engages motivated students in a number of multifaceted sustainability initiatives and teams. Learn more about them at https://www.bruinhomesolutions.com/projects.

E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity - E3 is a community of UCLA students who share a passion for tackling various current environmental issues. Through a number of environmentally focused campaigns, E3 fosters a culture of sustainability at UCLA, including during Earth Month. Learn more about E3 at https://www.instagram.com/e3ucla/.

Dig: The Campus Garden Coalition at UCLA - Dig hosts weekly workshops at a campus community garden, first created by E3, and welcomes all to get involved, regardless of experience. Produce from the garden goes to UCLA’s Community Programs Office Food Closet. Dig uses peer learning and the garden to educate one another about food, activism, health, and sustainability. Learn more about Dig at http://digucla.weebly.com/.

Engineers without Borders (EWB) - UCLA
Engineers Without Borders at UCLA supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders. EWB-UCLA is involved in many international projects, and is also offering two courses that feature engineering design for communities in Ethiopia and Uganda - with no prior experience required. Learn more at https://www.ewb-ucla.org/.


Net Impact UCLA
Net Impact is UCLA’s premier social impact consulting organization. Members combine social good, business, and problem solving to do some pro bono consulting work for non-profits and other mission-driven firms. Learn more at https://www.netimpactucla.org/.


UCLA Student Wellness Commission (SWC) Environmental Awareness, Recycling, and Terrestrial Health (EARTH)
EARTH is a division of the SWC, and committed to addressing the health-associated aspects of environmental concerns. EARTH bridges environmental movements and international health policies, and provides students with a unique perspective on how to find solutions to meet larger global challenges. See more about EARTH at https://www.instagram.com/earth_ucla/.

Bruin Dine
Bruin Shelter, Hunger Project, and Swipe Out Hunger created Bruin Dine to address food waste and food insecurity at UCLA. The student organizations began discussing Bruin Dine in Fall Quarter of 2017, and since then have worked with UCLA Dining and Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) to safely run the program. Bruin Dine aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity by recovering food from UCLA’s dining halls and serving it to students in need. https://www.instagram.com/uclabruindine/

CALPIRG
CALPIRG is a statewide, student directed, public interest advocacy organization and is funded through student fees. Our organizers and advocates train students on how to run effective campaigns to solve some of society’s most urgent issues through policy. Our primary mission is to encourage student power and activism and to serve as a resource to all student organizations. Last year we had several significant accomplishments. We were the group that passed SB100, one of the strongest climate change laws in the country which committed the entire state of CA to 100% clean electricity by 2045. And in the 2018 election, CALPIRG students across the state registered 6,000 students to vote and contacted 500,000 students to get them to the polls. Read more about our accomplishments here:
https://www.instagram.com/calpirgucla/

Ocean Resources for Conservation and Advocacy (ORCA)
ORCA provides opportunities for students interested in the marine world to dedicate themselves to actively promoting conversations on ocean conservation and justice, while providing access to resources for achieving career-related goals and policy progress.
https://www.instagram.com/uclaorca/


The Environmentalists of Color Collective at UCLA aims to:
(1) Raise awareness about the contributions that people of color have made to the environmental justice movement,
(2) Reframe the definition and values of mainstream sustainability to be more inclusive of all marginalized and underrepresented communities, and
(3) Stimulate critical dialogue about environmental racism and justice issues at UCLA and beyond.
https://www.instagram.com/ecc.ucla/

Good Clothes Good People
Good Clothes Good People is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide FREE clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies to students and others in need. We were founded by undergraduates and high school students working to integrate artistry and service in Louisville, Kentucky, and have expanded to UCLA’s campus to serve the Los Angeles community. Since its opening, the UCLA Redistribution Center has served over 5,000 visitors and partnered with a variety of organizations to best aid students in need.
https://www.instagram.com/goodclothesgoodpeople/

Medical Aid Initiative
Medical Aid Initiative (MAI) is a student-found organization, partnered with UCLA Health, that aims to reduce medical waste in the US, enhance healthcare access worldwide, and promote communal awareness of issues regarding medical waste and resource partitioning. As a student volunteer program, MAI collects excess, unused medical supplies from UCLA Health and coordinates their distribution to humanitarian organizations that utilize them to reach underprivileged communities outside of the US. MAI envisions improving healthcare in developing nations through redistribution of localized and unused resources, thereby reducing medical waste in the US.
https://www.instagram.com/maiatucla/


SAGE - https://www.bruinsage.org/
The mission of SAGE at UCLA is to cultivate the next generation of mindful industry workers by educating students on climate action and providing them with the professional tools necessary to become effective leaders and sustainability advocates within their future careers. We pursue this through a three pronged approach:
- Corporate consulting: researching and presenting to industry professionals on how to decrease their environmental impacts and rethink the design process from a sustainable lens.
- Legislation education and action: contributing to the effort of informing the UCLA student body on policies and bills relating to sustainability. Student voices are an under-utilized catalyst for change.
- Personal mentality and lifestyle: providing media (books, movies, podcasts, etc.) to our members and hosting discussions to engage in conversation about sustainability.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bruinsage


GRADUATE GROUPS

Science Policy Group
The goal of SPG is to learn more about the intersection between science & society. SPG strives to make policy more accessible to scientists, and science more accessible to the public. – through three primary objectives:
- Engage within and beyond the UCLA community to convey the impact and role of science on everyday issues.
- Create and consolidate science policy professional development tools for students and scientists.
- Provide opportunities to interact with policymakers through advocacy and speaker events.
https://www.scipolucla.com/

Net Impact
Net Impact is a dynamic and rapidly expanding network of MBAs and alumni one of the most progressive and influential in existence today. Members share a passion for exploring the interdependence of business and social responsibility while in business school and throughout their professional careers. The UCLA chapter has been active in hosting numerous events and forums. For more info visit: https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/about/clubs-and-associations/professional/net-impact-(ni)

Leaders in Sustainability
The Leaders in Sustainability certificate program is aimed at graduate students (masters and doctoral) who will become decision-makers in various types of organizations (businesses, non-profits, governmental, etc) and who will have to address the three dimensions of sustainability. The emphasis is open to all graduate students at UCLA. Currently there are over 150 students participating in the program from departments as diverse as the Anderson School of Management, the School of Law, the School of Public Affairs, the School of Public Health, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Arts & Architecture, Geography, Economics, and others. Leaders in Sustainability allows students to create a program tailored to their needs and background, by choosing among the sustainability related opportunities at UCLA. Students take a core course in sustainability and relevant electives and participate in leadership training. Additionally, students have a positive impact on the community as they learn experientially by collaborating on client projects for local businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. Leaders in Sustainability students also give themselves a career edge by developing a broad knowledge of topics that are increasingly relevant to employers. For more info, visit: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/lis/

Graduate Student Water Resources Group (GSWRG)
GSWRG is organized by an Executive Committee of students across campus and mentored by a Director. This group solicits graduate students across campus who are interested in water, but reside in many different departments and schools. They put on seminars with invited guests and set up sessions where students present their work to each other for discussion. GSWRG also circulates information about opportunities for funding and for research positions with faculty on water projects and internships off campus.
https://community.ucla.edu/studentorg/3452 | https://www.instagram.com/uclawatergrads/

E3-Ecology, Economy, Equity Community Garden: In 2006 students from the organization E3-Ecology, Economy, Equity established an organic garden on campus. The organic garden, located at Sunset Recreation, features various vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers. Gardening classes are offered in collaboration with UCLA Recreation; where students can enroll to work with a certified Master Gardener.

The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital, as well as UCLA Dining have installed aeroponic tower gardens, which allow for produce to be grown in a dense, urban environment. UCLA Dining uses the produce from these towers in the Dining Halls.

The UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) and its Eatwell Pod launched a community garden at Sunset Recreation. The terraced garden sits atop the existing amphitheater, consisting of 31 beds which are used by student organizations, academic courses, and UCLA staff and faculty to grow food and hold workshops. This garden is maintained by the Garden Oversight Committee, a joint committee of DigUCLA leaders; Semel HCI researchers; and Recreation staff dedicated to maintaining this hub for experiential learning and dialogue about our food systems.

https://www.recreation.ucla.edu/amphitheatergarden

Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) that manages dining facilities and book stores on campus. The organization has a student majority board and student employees, and regularly accounts for sustainability in its strategy and operations. One ASUCLA location LuValle obtained grant funding to replace its aging water station, in order to avoid using refill ice and thousands of single-use paper cups. The Kerckhoff Coffeehouse has partnered with the Undergraduate Student Associations Council (USAC) Facilities Commission to launch a Reusable Mug Program via a third-party app to track the usage and returns of the cup via individual QR codes for each mug: https://www.asucla.ucla.edu/pressreleases/reduce-coffee-cup-waste-with-kerckhoff-x-reuzzi-dine-in-mug. More details on ASUCLA's work, including sustainability efforts, may be accessed at https://www.asucla.ucla.edu/2022-2023-meeting-calendar-and-minutes and https://www.asucla.ucla.edu/asucla-annual-report.

UCLA also has a student-run, on-campus farmers market: https://www.instagram.com/uclafarmersmarket/.

Anderson Venture Impact Partners (AVIP) is a self-sustaining student-led investment fund that targets non-concessionary financial returns as well as positive social and/or environmental outcomes in the U.S. related to pertinent current issues faced at the time of investment. AVIP achieves these targets by deploying capital into early-stage, for-profit companies whose impact is embedded into their business models: https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/about/centers/impactanderson/impact-investing.


The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) is a student-run fund that provides seed capital to projects, initiatives and events across campus with a focus on sustainability: http://tgif.ucla.edu/.

Students are the intended audience for a large variety of sustainability events on campus. Examples include the following:

The Energy Innovation Conference is held annually by UCLA Anderson's Energy and Cleantech Association. This student-run event hosts over 200 participants, including students, academics and industry professionals. Through keynote speakers and panelists, the event highlights companies and technologies that have the potential to reinvent the energy industry. Learn more at https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/about/clubs-and-associations/professional/energy-management-group-emg/energy-innovation-conference.

UCLA has two annual Sustainability Fairs. Sustainival is hosted annually in October by Residential Life and Housing and Dining. The fair is targeted at the students living on The Hill (area with on campus residence halls for undergraduates), and brings together student organizations and other partners to showcase their work and educate participants about sustainability. More info on the 2022 event may be viewed at https://community.ucla.edu/event/bb962610-6783-43bf-b0ef-dc5c730dbc0a.

The Earth Day Fair is held in the Spring for Earth Day, and is led by the student organization E3. Learn more about the 2023 edition at https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/event/earth-day-fair-2023/

Waste Awareness Week is a joint effort between UCLA's Renewable Energy Association (REA) and various other organizations on campus, all of which are committed to promoting accessibility and sustainability. View more about Waste Awareness Week and REA programming at https://www.instagram.com/reaucla/.

Climate Justice Forum (CJF: https://ecc-ucla.weebly.com/2023-climate-justice-forum.html ) and Conversations (CJC: https://ecc-ucla.weebly.com/cjc.html) -
UCLA's Environmentalists of Color Collective (ECC) held the first CJF in May 2018. The program included performance artists and speakers creating a safe space for discussion of the critical topic of climate justice. This year, CJF was the capstone event of a monthlong series of programming, CJC, organized in partnership with - and support from - the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) and its student fellows, as well as The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF).

Institute of Environment and Sustainability (IoES) Environmental Justice Symposium Speaker Series - https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/event/environmental-justice-series-with-cynthia-babich/ | About the series
The struggle for environmental justice defines many of the communities that make up Los Angeles. This winter we welcome you to come and hear from some of the region’s leaders about the issues communities have faced, continue to face, and to learn from their activism and commitment.


The UCLA Office of Sustainability continually advertises many more events for students at https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/events/.

At UCLA, students and non-students alike regularly organize and exhibit art performances and installations with a sustainability focus. One notable recurring event is the Coastalong Music Festival, which is sustainable, bike-powered music festival run by students: https://www.instagram.com/coastalong/.

Other recent art events and exhibitions addressed the resilience of nature (https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/event/nature-always-wins/) and the intersection of climate anxiety and technology (see lower part of this page: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/leah-likin-honors-project-covid-anxieties).

The Outdoor Adventures program within UCLA Recreation is designed to nurture and encourage a life-long love of outdoor pursuits along with environmental stewardship. Outdoor Adventures programming and resources include the Challenge Course, Den Camps and Waterfront Adventures: https://recreation.ucla.edu/rec-programs/experiential-teambuilding-programs. The UCLA Challenge Course is located on campus at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, nestled amongst the pine and eucalyptus trees, and the Marina Aquatic Center - where Waterfront Adventures occur - is located 10 miles from campus. These facilities and programs are subject to campus, as well as local and state, policies that support waste disposal and reduction, protection of wildlife and other Leave No Trace principles.

Freshman Cluster Program - Food: A Lens for Environment and Sustainability
Students in the Food cluster explore the complex connections between food and the environment, focusing on scientific, economic, cultural and social factors. Learn more at http://www.uei.ucla.edu/academic-programs/ucla-cluster-program/cluster-m1/.

Common Experience
Each year, The Common Experience selects a shared medium, focused on a particular theme, for the Bruin community to read, listen or watch together. The current Common Experience theme is Sustainability and Climate Change and the shared medium is Leah Thomas’s “The Intersectional Environmentalist.” Learn more at https://firstyearexperience.ucla.edu/commonexperience.

Sustainability Living Learning Community (LLC) - Sustainable Living Dorm Floors: The Sustainability LLC provides students with opportunities to work alongside campus partners in both structured and informal methods to explore ways in which UCLA students can lead more sustainable lifestyles. Learn more about the LLC at https://reslife.ucla.edu/living-learning/sustainability.

UCLA's Office of Sustainability hosts student employees to support various campus initiatives - from zero waste to carbon neutrality. See these pages for more details: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenuMQAgjKTv1dJYuSKP04cIGnAfI-dnlRHr5V0SDZS3GaojA/viewform and https://www.instagram.com/p/Crv4ffexUy0/.

Additional departments and units across campus (Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, Healthy Campus Initiative, etc.) also hire students to support programming and research focused on sustainability.

Other information can be found at sustain.ucla.edu.