| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.87 |
| Liaison | Carrie Metzgar |
| Submission Date | Nov. 5, 2024 |
University of California, San Diego
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Carrie
Metzgar Campus Sustainability Officer Utilities & Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
JANE TERANES CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION REQUIREMENT (JTCCER)
In late 2023, UC San Diego established the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement (JTCCER), a new graduation requirement for all incoming first-year students. Starting with the first-year student cohort entering in fall 2024, all bachelor's degree candidates will be required to complete a one-quarter course approved by the Academic Senate.
The JTCCER aims to empower students with the knowledge and skills needed to confront the urgent global challenge of climate change. The courses that fulfill the JTCCER requirement invite students to examine the complex nature of climate change and potential solutions from a variety of perspectives, including scientific, technical, cultural, psychological, political, and economic. This interdisciplinary approach encourages students to develop a comprehensive understanding of climate change and its far-reaching impacts. Students will gain knowledge and skills in areas such as:
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Understanding the scientific background of climate change
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Exploring societal impacts and social dimensions of climate change
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Developing potential solutions, including mitigation, adaptation, and justice
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Engaging in hands-on projects or experiential learning opportunities related to climate change
Further information about the JTCCER sustainability learning outcome is available here:
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Optional Fields
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Second Point of Distinction
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
In July 2023, the Pathways to a Fossil Free UC Taskforce charged each of the undergraduate campuses to conduct studies on how to reduce campus emissions by 90% or greater by 2045. Part of this charge was that each campus would need to adopt a living laboratory approach to the study, meaning the academic and research missions of the university would need to be incorporated in some way, at the discretion of each campus.
At UC San Diego, this charge led to a partnership between the faculty and administration of the Seventh College Synthesis Program and the sustainability staff of Operations Management and Capital Programs. The Synthesis Program is the core general education program of Seventh College, one of eight undergraduate colleges at UC San Diego. The Program consists of a series of courses that make up part of the required curriculum for Seventh College students. While the key goals of these courses include critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, each uses the lens of the climate crisis and justice. The program enrolls 3,600 students annually across all university majors. The Living Laboratory sections of Synthesis 100 and 150 are project-based courses.
For more information about the Synthesis Program’s Decarbonization Living Laboratory, please visit: https://sites.google.com/ucsd.edu/decarbonization-living-lab/home?authuser=0.
AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub: https://hub.aashe.org/browse/casestudy/28494/UC-San-Diego-Seventh-College-Synthesis-Program-Decarbonization-Living-Laboratory
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Campus Engagement
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Third Point of Distinction
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
After decades of planning, construction of the 11-mile extension of the Blue Line trolley began in the fall of 2016. The campus celebrated the grand opening of the new trolley line, along with two UC San Diego stations, on November 21, 2021. Planning and development of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley Stations was done in partnership with UC San Diego and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).
Students and employees who live throughout San Diego now have direct access to the heart of our campus, and students now have direct access to employment centers, shopping and area cultural attractions. Direct, fast and cost-effective trolley service enables everyone to take advantage of the educational, cultural, employment and health care opportunities offered by UC San Diego.
Leveraging the campus transit pass programs, including the student U-Pass and the employee FaSt Pass, there were nearly 600,000 Trolley passenger campus arrivals in the first full calendar year of operation of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley. Ridership counts are for the two on-campus stations (Central Campus and UCSD Health La Jolla Station). U-Pass is included within student fees, and the FaSt Pass provides reduced-cost savings for campus employees.
Also, per the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) provided data, total ridership, to and from campus at the two stations exceeded 1.2 million rides during calendar year 2022.
In the second full calendar year of Trolley service to campus, 2023, total ridership to and from the two campus stations increased to nearly 2 million rides, indicating nearly 60% increase year over year. For the calendar year 2024, to date, the monthly ridership numbers continue to increase by year-to-date counts by nearly 16% above the previous year counts.
Additional links and information:
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MTS Blue Line Trolley Extension: https://www.sdmts.com/uc-san-diego-blue-line-trolley-extension
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Triton U-Pass for Students: https://transportation.ucsd.edu/commute/transit/u-pass.html
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FaSt Pass for Faculty and Staff: https://transportation.ucsd.edu/commute/transit/ee-passes.html
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
An additional noteworthy distinction is the overall improved processes for developing this STARS report. The UC San Diego 2024 STARS report is the highest quality report the institution has ever submitted, due in large part to the following:
- Created a centralized platform via SharePoint to house all reporting materials and files, important links, key deadlines, and assigned tasks and responsibilities.
- Hosted an official STARS report kick-off event in February 2024 with over 40 people in attendance from more than 25 departments.
- Enlisted the Campus Sustainability Officer, Carrie Metzgar, to serve as the project lead.
- Hired a temporary position to support the development of all inventories and assist with academic credits.
- Led more than 60 one-on-one meetings with more than 150 campus partners to explain the STARS report, seek support with relevant credits/questions, and arrange follow-up meetings.
- Distributed a campuswide survey in order to enable members of the campus community to provide information about sustainability-related efforts, that may have otherwise gone unrecognized in the report.
- Collaborated with University Communications on featured articles to announce the development of the STARS report and seek participation from diverse campus groups.
- Conducted a thorough internal review enlisting the support and help from seven team members within Utilities & Sustainability.
- Identified additional credit areas to report University of California systemwide-related sustainability efforts and achievements.
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.