University of California, San Diego
ER-15: Sustainability Research Identification

The comprehensive UC San Diego Principles of Sustainability read: UC San Diego strives to practice and promote the principle of sustainability, defined by the Brundtland Commission as meeting today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The ultimate success of the University, the well-being of its constituents and the surrounding community, depend on our ability to achieve our research, education, and service missions while promoting sustainable behaviors and practices. UC San Diego therefore, establishes and acknowledges the following Principles of Sustainability in order to establish sustainability as a foundational value of the University. • We are committed to the creation of a sustainable relationship between human societies and the natural environment upon which we all depend. • We recognize that sustainability is a key part of our mission, and that sustainability encompasses social, economic, and cultural interactions set within a supporting ecosystem. • We recognize that UC San Diego can make vital contributions to sustainability solutions through its research, teaching, and operations. • We encourage the development of academic programs to create sustainability solutions through research and experiential learning. • We encourage the discussion of sustainability concepts in appropriate academic disciplines and across all levels of education. • We encourage the incorporation of sustainability concepts in education, research, and campus operations. • We commit to conduct open, periodic assessments of UC San Diego’s progress toward sustainability to guide campus policy and decision making, and to openly communicate assessment results to the university community. We are committed to the development and enactment of policies that promote the fulfillment of these principles.

A broad cross-section of UC San Diego departments actively includes sustainability in their research and in their teaching. Just a few of the more than 36 departments involved in this effort include the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Communications, Engineering, Environmental Studies, History, Literature, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology; as well as efforts in the Jacobs School of Engineering, the Rady School of Management, and UC San Diego’s School of Medicine. To provide additional insight into the comprehensive nature of UC San Diego’s efforts, here are some of the specific areas of interest our faculty are currently exploring: carbon trading, climate change, conservation (biology), ecology, emergent diseases, epidemiology, environment, environmental economics, forest resources, international treaties, recycling, remediation, renewable energy, toxicology, urban gardens, among many others.