University of California, Los Angeles
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Sample of objectives from UCLA Sustainability Plan – Curricula and Research Chapter (https://ucla.app.box.com/s/5tdvpynjn4qo7b0ffwmi9ydmxisuyetn):

- Evolve the process for awarding tenure to place greater emphasis and celebration on interdisciplinary collaboration while sustaining academic freedom.
- Publish and maintain a sustainability and social and environmental justice
cross-reference document for the course catalog.
- Develop a comprehensive plan to expand the breadth and depth of sustainability work in curricula and research endeavors.


Sustainable LA Grand Challenge (SLAGC) - Transformative Research and Collaboration (TRACtion):

TRACtion is a two-year series of collaborative activities, events and opportunities with a significant emphasis on civic engagement and societal impact. It is aimed at bringing faculty into collaborative spaces with their colleagues from across campus and with partners in the Los Angeles region to unlock unprecedented potential for impact.

TRACtion will thematically cycle through all four Sustainable LA Grand Challenge topic areas: Transportation, Energy, Water and Ecosystems, which allows for focused and strategic attention to each of these topics and real, societally impactful progress.

The intention for this programming is to be proactive, rather than reactive, and to systematically and productively engage regional stakeholders to:

- Encourage cross-sector knowledge transmission;
- Inspire the co-development of use-inspired research agendas;
- Mobilize UCLA knowledge, scholarship and innovations to accelerate impact and progress in the region; and
- Broaden participation of academic disciplines and stakeholders to inspire new dialogue and ideas about how to overcome barriers to change.

Here is a sample of how TRACtion will function in its first iteration: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HHy8EaOwjnPl1m0bK81S9tfHnkvBm7NB/view?usp=sharing. TRACtion will bring individuals from community-based organizations and advocacy organizations together with academics to assess transportation sustainability gaps through a just transition lens that integrates equity and climate outcomes. Through a series of five working group meetings participants will share knowledge across disciplines and sectors, aimed at co-framing challenges and co-developing additional studies or interventions to confront the prioritized challenges.

Each working group will:
1. Engage in discussion to determine what are the important factors within their working group’s theme for a just transportation transition in Los Angeles.
2. Review previously-collected information on existing applicable government goals, strategies, and targets to assess their sufficiency.
3. Identify applicable performance metrics deemed important by the working group and assess government’s ability to track progress toward implementation.
4. Identify knowledge, political, and values gaps or barriers between the current baseline and the adopted or proposed targets/goals.
5. Assess and prioritize these gaps or barriers.

TRACtion programming is not meant to be exhaustive of Sustainable LA Grand Challenge’s support for UCLA faculty or regional partners working to confront urban sustainability challenges. Rather, it is meant to be a proactive supplement to the gold-standard support that is already offered.

The UCLA Sustainability Plan includes a chapter on improving and expanding engagement across campus with sustainability (https://ucla.app.box.com/s/l7937iskpkxumvtcpicw4g4sje5tio4c). Objectives include developing a comprehensive, university-wide sustainability communications
and engagement strategy that is inclusive and accessible; publishing a bi-annual
sustainability literacy and culture assessment aligned to the Sustainability Plan; and including a seat for UCLA Sustainability on all major campus strategic plan steering committees.

The UC Office of the President (UCOP) also has relevant objectives within the UCOP Strategic Framework (https://www.ucop.edu/strategic-framework/_files/ucop-strategic-framework.pdf):

- Strengthen an Inclusive UC Workforce and Community - improve employee engagement through building a culture of trust and inclusion, professional development, mentorship, strategic engagement and fun; strive to be an employer and partner of choice
- Support a Prosperous, Resilient, and Healthy California - marshal the institution’s expertise and external partners to effectively advance a more inclusive and prosperous California; utilize and promote UC’s intellectual capital and world class research to drive public policy

At both the campus and systemwide levels, UCLA follows policies and pursues goals to achieve more sustainable operations.

The University of California (UC) Sustainable Practices Policy (https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3100155/SustainablePractices) establishes goals in 12 areas for all UC campuses: green building, clean energy, climate protection, transportation, sustainable operations, zero waste, procurement, foodservice, water, health care, performance assessment, and health and well-being. Below are some of the UC-wide sustainability policy areas and goals:

CLIMATE - All campuses, including their academic health centers, will maintain greenhouse gas emissions at or below 1990 levels.

ENERGY - Reduce each location’s energy use intensity by an average of at least 2% annually.

FOOD SERVICE - Procure 25% sustainable food as defined by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (AASHE STARS) at each campus and 30% sustainable food as defined by Practice Greenhealth at each academic health center by 2030.

GREEN BUILDING - Design and construct all new buildings and major renovations to a minimum LEED BD+C (Building Design and Construction) Silver rating.

PROCUREMENT - Reach 25% preferred level green spend per product category; target to be reached within three fiscal years after a category is added to the Sustainable Procurement Guidelines.

TRANSPORTATION - At least 50% of all vehicles acquired by each UC location after July 2023 will be zero-emission or plug-in hybrid.

WATER - Reduce growth-adjusted potable water consumption by 36% by 2025, when compared to a three-year average baseline of fiscal year 2005–06, fiscal year 2006–07, and fiscal year 2007–08 at each location.

ZERO WASTE - Reduce per capita municipal solid waste generation to 25% below fiscal year 2015–16 levels by 2025 and 50% below fiscal year 2015–16 levels by 2030 at each campus.

UCLA has additional objectives for sustainability beyond those set for the UC system. The first-ever comprehensive Sustainability Plan (SP) for our campus was published in 2022. The UCLA SP (https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/plan/) addresses multiple areas of sustainability, including operations, and serves as a guide for ongoing and future campus-specific projects and initiatives. Some of the SP's objectives are developing new buildings that outperform the California Building
Code energy efficiency requirements, maintaining and extending efforts to reduce and offset the carbon impact of university air travel, and reducing the environmental impact of UCLA Health’s waste stream. Administrative units of UCLA (Housing & Hospitality, Transportation, etc.) have additional plans and objectives focused on sustainability in their operations.

As part of a Sustainable Investment Framework (https://www.ucop.edu/investment-office/_files/sustainable-investment-framework.pdf) for the UC, the Chief Investment Officer has committed to allocating $1 billion over five years to climate change solutions; ensuring engagement with portfolio companies via dialogue, shareholder resolutions and proxy voting is aligned with our sustainability beliefs; and implementing guidelines that will integrate ESG criteria into manager due diligence, agreements, and manager performance review. Additional measurable objectives and outcomes, as well as resources, may be accessed at https://www.ucop.edu/investment-office/sustainable-investment/index.html.

A number of plans and initiatives at UCLA also support diversity, equity and inclusion. The Sustainability Plan includes an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Chapter (https://ucla.app.box.com/s/4o33mdophqlj6kjesu1w1kou4v7mfl1y), which includes objectives such as increasing student funding opportunities for sustainability, elevating diverse voices in sustainability communications, leveraging UCLA’s branding and supply chain to advance social and environmental justice, and continuing to develop land-based pedagogical opportunities with the Gabrielino Tongva and Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. A related EDIJ effort at UCLA has been implementation of the Moreno Report (https://equity.ucla.edu/ucla-moreno-report-updates/), which addresses discrimination against faculty and supports campus inclusion and belonging more broadly. One objective of Moreno Report implementation is that UCLA will develop and provide mandatory anti-discrimination and preventing sexual violence/sexual harassment training for all UCLA students and employees (including staff, police, and faculty).

As for wellbeing, both the UCLA Sustainability Plan (SP) and other initiatives on campus address the issue with sustainability objectives. In 2013, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI), a vision of Jane and Terry Semel and supported by them. As a result of Semel HCI’s success in fostering a culture of physical, emotional and social wellbeing, Chancellor Block announced on May 9th, 2018, the establishment of the Semel HCI Center at UCLA. The Center's vision is to make UCLA the healthiest place to work, learn, and live and to inspire other communities both locally and beyond. Semel HCI's goals include supporting the enhancement and expansion of current health and well-being efforts and fostering synergies and coordination among the myriad groups and programs that support and educate about well-being at UCLA. Additional info about past and ongoing work through Semel HCI may be accessed at https://www.healthy.ucla.edu/reports-briefs-policies/. In concert with or in addition to Semel HCI's work, the UCLA SP lays out sustainability objectives that address wellbeing. Examples include bridging the gap between initiatives to promote planetary and human health (https://ucla.app.box.com/s/yrhjr4islej45jv1ovfgbwyslvcuprni) and investing more in sustainable food education and purchasing (https://ucla.app.box.com/s/uumwsmkbs11eu4tehq0e0j74xq8tombk).

From the UC Sustainable Practices Policy (https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/3100155/SustainablePractices), page 8: "The University of California (“University”) is committed to responsible stewardship of resources and to demonstrating leadership in sustainable business practices. The University’s locations should be living laboratories for sustainability, contributing to the research and educational mission of the University. The goals outlined throughout these policy and procedures sections shall be applied within the constraints of research needs and budgetary requirements and in compliance with safe operating practices and all applicable rules, regulations and laws. Policy goals are presented below in twelve areas of sustainable practices."

In the charter (https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/UCLA-Sustainability-Charter.pdf) for the UCLA Sustainability Committee, sustainability is defined as: “the integration of environmental health, social equity and economic vitality in order to create thriving, healthy, diverse and resilient communities for this generation and generations to come. The practice of sustainability recognizes how these issues are interconnected and requires a systems approach and an acknowledgement of complexity.”

University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) - https://secondnature.org/initiative/uc3-coalition/

In launching UC3, distinguished universities from the United States, Canada, and Mexico committed to mobilizing their resources and expertise to accelerate local and regional climate action in partnership with businesses, cities and states, foundations, and other organizations. Working across several spheres of influence, UC3 convenes peer groups and networks to support the implementation of the strategies included in the 2020-2025 UC3 Strategic Plan (https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/UC3-Strategic-Plan-2020-2025.pdf). The goal of these groups and networks is to help UC3 members improve, scale, and accelerate collective and collaborative climate action. The peer-to-peer connections established through these unique groups and networks are a chance for university heads, faculty, staff, and students to:
- Share knowledge of best practices related to emissions mitigation, climate adaptation and resilience
- Showcase bold climate action activities that inspires ambition among peer institutions
- Collaborate on innovative solutions to grand climate challenges and demonstrate the power of working in partnership as members of a coalition
- Influence national and international policy agendas by leveraging the collective voice of leading global research universities

We Are Still In - https://www.wearestillin.com/
America’s Pledge and We Are Still In have joined forces. Visit americaisallin.com for the latest updates on efforts to mobilize the whole of American society to cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by 2030 and put the country on track to reach net zero by 2050. As part of We Are Still In, UCLA has signed onto one or more of the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments: https://secondnature.org/signatory-handbook/the-commitments/.

The above responses are not exhaustive of the ongoing and continually evolving work of UCLA and the UC system. Our sustainability planning efforts cover all areas addressed by this STARS credit, and in cross-cutting ways as well.

For instance, the Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) is a UC-wide effort that has addressed campus academics, operations and engagement, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion - at the campus level and in relation to sustainability. Additional resources and info from CNI may be accessed at https://www.ucop.edu/carbon-neutrality-initiative/reports/index.html.