University of California, San Diego
ER-T2-1: Student Group

UC San Diego’s Student Sustainability Collective (SSC) functions as a student-managed subset of the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC). The SRC consists of three general spaces: the SSC, the Sustainability Coordinator offices, and public outreach space. The Collective provides a space for the community to engage the university into proactive change for sustainability through programming, events, outreach, resources, support, and community. The Student Sustainability Collective at the Sustainability Resource Center was founded on the principles of community, service, collaboration, and empowerment under the belief that engaging and providing resources to the campus community on issues of sustainability will lead to a more sustainable future. Accordingly, the Student Sustainability Collective stresses a high importance in service to students, staff, and faculty. Recognizing the value of social justice and peace, environmentalism, and responsible business policies in view of the challenges posed by inequality, climate change, and other issues, the Student Sustainability Collective is committed to the triple bottom line of sustainability as a foundational principle in daily operations, interactions, decisions, and purchasing practices. In this light, the Student Sustainability Collective as an important part of the Sustainability Resource Center seeks to be a positive influence in university life and the community that surrounds the campus.

The SRC has helped establish seven new hydration stations around campus. These stations are open 24/7 and deliver superb drinking water to refillable bottles. An emphasis has also been placed by the SRC to eliminate the sale of water bottles in all campus dining halls. The campus, working with the SRC, is currently in the process of the phasing out of the sale of water bottles and students are more encouraged to use re-useable bottles and the hydration stations on campus. The SRC has also pushed the elimination of the use of water bottles during UC San Diego’s annual new student orientations. By giving out re-usable water bottles, new students are encouraged to come to UC San Diego with an increased awareness the importance of making sustainable in their daily life. In addition, the SRC has teamed up with UC San Diego’s Associated Students to create the “Fracking Resolution.” This resolution states that the university will not associate with companies that extract natural gas through means of “fracking,” therefore encouraging companies to be aware of the negative environmental affects that “fracking” causes.