University of California, Santa Barbara
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Chancellor’s Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC) On October 22, 2008, Chancellor Henry Yang announced the members of the inaugural Campus Sustainability Committee. This committee advises the Chancellor and campus administrators on matters of campus sustainability, makes recommendations on sustainability initiatives, helps prioritize and monitor the execution and progress of the campus sustainability plan toward our goals, makes recommendations on allocations of available funding resources, and provides guidance in the creation and fostering of alliances. The committee conducts an ongoing and thorough consultative process to solicit campus input in developing our vision to enhance our international leadership in this critically important area, using the Campus Sustainability Plan as a blueprint for our campus’s sustainability efforts. The CSC has several subcommittees and change agent teams that work in different functional areas and report directly to the CSC listed below: ACADEMICS Ensure that all graduates of UCSB are literate in the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability and that sustainability research is supported. BUILT ENVIRONMENT Create superior places to study, work, and live that enhance the health and performance of occupants through sustainable design that incorporates human factors, construction, operations, retrofits, and biomimicry. COMMUNICATIONS Integrate sustainability into the daily habits of the campus community and encourage active participation and enthusiasm among students, faculty, and staff. ENERGY Achieve a climate neutral campus through energy efficiency, conservation, on-site generation, and strategic procurement of clean and renewable energy. FOOD Our campus will be a community with equitable access to healthy food to nourish and sustain themselves and their families. Students, staff, and faculty will have a direct connection to their food system and we will work towards regional self-sufficiency. The campus will also actively support such practices in both the neighboring and global communities through our food choices, policies, operations, and academic programs. LABS, SHOPS, & STUDIOS Reduce the environmental impact of laboratories, medical facilities, shops, and art studios while also improving safety, management practices, communication, and resource sharing. LANDSCAPE & BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT Increase biodiversity of the campus flora, maintain it as a living collection, enhance the utility of the campus as a classroom, protect native flora, and raise awareness about sustainable practices and self-sustaining systems, while reducing dependency on fossil fuels, extracted minerals, pesticides, and potable water. PROCUREMENT Employ efficient procurement strategies, processes, and systems for the acquisition and responsible use of resources in a manner that supports the economy, society, and environment. TRANSPORTATION Be a leader and catalyst in our region and the State, furthering human mobility and travel replacement options, advancing alternative fuels, and enabling carbon neutral vehicle deployment. WASTE Making UCSB a Zero Waste university by ensuring waste management programs and practices effectively promote the reuse, reduction, recycling, composting, and repurposing of materials, as well as encouraging the rebuying of recycled material. WATER Assisting in protecting and conserving water resources, with an emphasis on reducing potable consumption through conservation, efficiency practices, and behavior change.

Chancellors Sustainability Committee Membership: Marc Fisher, Vice Chancellor of Administrative services, Co-Chair, Chancellor's Sustainability Committee Bruce Tiffney, Dean, College of Creative Studies, Faculty, Earth Science, Co-Chair, Chancellor's Sustainability Committee David Austin, Faculty, Institute for Energy Efficiency John Foran, Faculty, representative for the Academic Senate Igor Mezic, Faculty Member, College of Engineering Alex Regan, Staff Representative, Library Maximilian Stiefel, Graduate Student Association Representative Roland Geyer, Faculty, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management Mel Manalis, Faculty, Environmental Studies Mark Brzezinski, Faculty, Ecology Evolution and Marine Biology Britt Ortiz, Staff Representative, Student Affairs Constance Penley, Faculty, Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media Denise Stephens, Campus Librarian Victoria Mansfield, Environmental Affairs Board Undergraduate Representative Samantha S. Rubin, Associated Students Undergraduate Representative Advisors to the Committee: Rachel A. Segalman, Faculty member Alan Heeger, Noble Laureate Bill Shelor, (Community Member) Sustainability University Now (SUN) Representative Consultants to the Committee: George Foulsham, News Director, News & Communications Mo Lovegreen, Director, Campus Sustainability Staff to the Committee: Jewel Snavely, Campus Sustainability Coordinator

The Office of Sustainability reports to the Acting Associate Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services and has a director, one staff member that splits her time between sustainability work and as the TGIF Grants Manager, and another staff member that focuses on Curriculum, Co-Curricular, & Research Initiatives, the CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference/Central Coast Sustainability Summit, and a part-time Postdoctoral Researcher; Staff Advisor, LabRATS. Within Facilities Management, there is the Campus Energy Manager, the LEED Program Manager, the LEED Program Assistant, and the Recycling, Refuse, & Water Conservation Manager. Within Student Affairs, there is the Sustainability Coordinator/Renewable Energy Initiative Grant Manager. Within Associated Students, there is the Recycling Coordinator. Within Housing & Residential Services, there is the Environmental & Energy Programs Manager. Within EH&S, there is the Environmental Programs Specialist.

The UCSB Office of Sustainability is the network for ensuring that the sustainable practices and concepts are designed, integrated, and maintained throughout the many aspects of daily academic life. Below is a list of accomplishments from FY 2014/2015 Water: • While UC Santa Barbara has already met the UC wide policy measures, new goals have been set in place to show campus solidarity with the community of Goleta. UCSB has committed to reducing potable water consumption 12% by March 2016. If accomplished, these reductions between June 2014 and March 2016 would account for more than 19 million gallons of potable water saved. • LabRATS (sustainable lab group) has secured funding to pilot new condensers in several labs that will operate on a “closed loop” recirculating system in which water is recycled and reused. With funding for 64 of the new units, UCSB expects to save 2.3% of its 12% goal with that effort alone. • Water savings contests were held between all Residential Halls and saved an average of over 10% during the 4 week contest. • Aerators in 5 buildings were replaced, dropping average faucet use over 70% (0.5 gpm vs 2.2 gpm) • Use of reclaimed water was expanded to the San Rafael Residential Hall lawn area. The reclaimed water line was also brought under the UCEN road to the last part of the Channel Island 5 buildings (Santa Rosa north/Creative Studies). The next step is to connect to irrigation for that area in 2015. Food: • The 2014-2015 sustainable food procurement assessment for the UCSB Dining Commons calculated 35% sustainable food purchases. This year, 45% of total produce purchases were grown and distributed within 250 miles of campus and 37% within 150 miles of campus. Additionally, we were able to purchase 30% organic produce. • We collaborated with UC Agriculture and Natural Resource Division’s Nutrition Policy Institute on a survey of students at all ten UC campuses to evaluate food security. • In collaboration with the AS Food Bank, we hosted two public forums on sustainable foods to engage students, staff, and faculty. • The AS Food Bank, in collaboration with students and other stakeholders throughout the state, hosted the CA Higher Education Food Summit in January 2015. • The UC Global Food Initiative Fellows completed a study on effective messaging for reducing food waste in the UCSB Dining Commons. • We launched the Edible Campus Program through a coalition of UCSB Sustainability, Associated Students Food Bank, and the Department of Public Worms. The kick-off event featured Jack and Kim Johnson and was a highlight of Alumni Weekend. Approval was secured from UCSB Environmental Health and Safety to ensure that food grown through the first phase of this program (Potted Citrus Trees) can be distributed via the AS Food Bank. Waste: • Associated Students Recycling launched an indoor compost program, placing bins in multiple department lounge and kitchen spaces where they may be accessible to students, staff, and faculty. The bins are managed entirely by student staff, and the program is an important step in bringing UCSB closer to its goal of zero landfill waste by 2020. AS Recycling hopes to expand the program this fall and eventually have bins available campus-wide. • We won the Best Practice Award for Innovative Waste Reduction at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference for optimizing waste management services through stakeholder engagement by: a. Removing over 350 landfill receptacles through engagement with custodial staff b. Supplying custodial staff with blue liners for recycling bins and new carts to allow them to service the recycling waste stream easier c. The construction of three new 4x8 vermicompost bins d. Re-engineering recycling collection bikes for ease of use and repair e. Our Zero Waste Week Outreach Project – students and staff carried around all waste produced in clear backpacks f. Purchasing over 20 hand-dryers to replace paper towel dispensers in buildings throughout campus g. Purchasing and introducing over 300 recycling and landfill receptacles to upgrade the indoor waste infrastructure throughout campus Energy: • UCSB was awarded a Best Practice Awards at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference for the Chilled Water Loop Optimization project. Eight separate chiller plants provide chilled water to the loop, for which the staff developed methods for balancing power for compressors, as well as peripheral components such as pumps and cooling towers. The result of the project is an energy savings of 2.1 million kilowatt-hours each year, or 2.5 percent of UCSB’s total electricity use. That’s a cost savings of $235,000 per year. Southern California Edison provided an incentive of $511,000 to support the project. • In 2010 UCSB students voted by referendum to fund the construction of a 425kW solar array which was completed in late 2014 and which will generate 650,000 kWh of clean energy per year. The array supports the Student Resource Building and the many Student Affairs departments providing student services which are housed there. Built Environment: • UCSB piloted and successfully executed its first LEED Lab, a year-long multidisciplinary immersion course in which students facilitate the LEED Existing Buildings process on a campus building (Student Resource Building) with the goal of LEED certification. • Several new buildings were completed and in the process of earning LEED certification: North Campus Recreation Building (tracking LEED NC Silver, 2014), Santa Cruz Residence Hall (tracking LEED CI Gold, 2015), and SNARL Classroom (tracking LEED Gold, 2015). Transportation: • UCSB and the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District came together in a partnership in developing a new Goleta-Isla Vista-UCSB route — Line 38. This new bus line will be free for UCSB students, faculty, and staff who have photo IDs, and the line could be in service as early as the fall of 2016. There will be enhanced service on two existing routes, the 12X and 24X, which will increase service hours and reduce wait times beginning in summer 2015. • In spring 2015, UC Santa Barbara’s application was selected by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District for $34k in grant funding toward the installation of 8 Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations. When installed in summer 2015, the campus Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment will include a total of 20 Level 2 (240V) and 4 Level 1 (120V) stations. • UCSB upgraded a second Compressed Natural Gas fueling station accommodating two vehicles to time fill. This will allow the CNG fleet to continue operation and possibly expand. Curriculum and Research: • We launched a Sustainability Literacy Assessment for undergraduate students which was designed by a research team in Political Science in partnership with UCSB Sustainability. • We concluded a successful first year of the interdepartmental PhD emphasis in the Environment and Society with an inaugural cohort of nine students representing six departments (History, English, EEMB, Sociology, Anthropology, and Film and Media Studies). We have accepted four new students for Fall 2015; students in this cohort will also include Linguistics and Geography. • We funded Dr. John Foran’s endeavor to incorporate sustainability awareness into four courses. • UCSB Sustainability supported a Geography student to study the effects of reclaimed water on soil through the Chancellor’s Sustainability Undergraduate Research Program. She completed her research and was accepted to present at the CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference. • We launched the Chancellor’s Sustainability Graduate Research Program which encouraged students in Political Science and Sociology to pursue sustainability research over the summer. Community Partnerships and Events: • The 4th Annual Central Coast Sustainability Summit took place at UCSB in fall 2014. The Summit is a conference whose goals include sharing best practices and building collaborations to address complex environmental and economic issues in our region. The 4th annual event will take place in October 2014. • UCSB supported the statewide California Higher Education Sustainability Conference in hosting its fourteenth annual conference at San Francisco State University. This conference includes representatives of every UC and CSU campus, as well as 12 private colleges and 20 community colleges. Total attendance was a record high of 1,222.