Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.34
Liaison Elida Erickson
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of California, Santa Cruz
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Shauna Casey
Sustainability Programs Manager
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Central Sustainability Website 

Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):
The Sustainability Office website serves as a central source for information on the campuswide sustainability effort. This includes links to the various student organizations, the staff working groups and committees, courses and research, and other relevant documents and resources.

The website URL for the central sustainability website:
http://sustainability.ucsc.edu/

Sustainability Newsletter 

Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
Managed by the UCSC Sustainability Office, it provides monthly news and events for campuswide activities, distributed to over 3,000 recipients from October-June.

None
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
http://sustainability.ucsc.edu/news-events/newsletters

Social Media Platforms 

Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:
Sustainability blog: http://ucscsustainability.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ucscsustainability Twitter https://twitter.com/UCSCSustain

The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
http://sustainability.ucsc.edu/

Student Newspaper Coverage 

Does the institution have regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat?:
Yes

A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
City on a Hill Press, the primary student newspaper at UCSC, regularly covers stories on sustainability. There is also a KZSC environmental show on our campus' radio station that discusses sustainability.

The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
http://www.cityonahillpress.com/

Student Research Publication 

Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The Sustainability Project Clearinghouse is an online database of current, past, and future sustainability projects at UC Santa Cruz. Students, faculty, and staff can post project ideas, search for projects to get involved in, and search for published projects in order to learn about the campus' accomplishments in many areas of sustainability.

None
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
https://projectclearinghouse.ucsc.edu/

Green Building Signage 

Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes

None
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
The LEED GOLD certified Cowell Student Health Center features signage for the building that highlights its green building features.

None
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
https://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/leed-certification-ceremony.html

Sustainable Food Systems Information 

Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
UCSC Dining has taken the initiative to provide our students with plenty of local and organic foods. Aside from merely incorporating more sustainable foods into the menu, they also make sure to bring customers’ attention to the reasons why theyx choose these (sometimes more costly) items. They post an array of signage in each of the dining halls to accomplish this informative publicity. One sign highlights 10 reasons to choose organic. Another, larger, poster explains the purpose for choosing the fair trade direct coffee bought from the Community and Agroecology Network. Several fliers are dedicated to addressing the correlation between the distance and production process of foods, and their respective carbon footprints. They also bring attention to the Real Food Challenge which revolves around incorporating sustainable food systems in higher education and high schools. Lastly, they encourage students to minimize waste through signage. They help our students recognize the value in preventing food waste by sampling, taking only what will actually be eaten, and recognizing that even though we compost our food scraps, this is still an energy intensive process.

None
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
http://housing.ucsc.edu/dining/

Sustainable Grounds Signage 

Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Our mission is to involve the university community in ecological restoration and guardianship of UCSC land. Our intent is to raise awareness about restoration and stewardship issues so that individuals can minimize their impact on the natural landscape, while providing a venue for interested students, faculty and staff to help restore and maintain our beautiful campus lands.

The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
https://physicalplant.ucsc.edu/plant-services/grounds/stewardship-program.html

Sustainable Walking Map or Tour 

Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
At UCSC, we value practical education for building a thriving, sustainable world. We see our campus as a living lab where problem-based teaching, research and applied work combine to develop actionable solutions that improve the sustainability of our campus and the greater community. From vibrant student-run gardens to innovative green buildings, this map highlights many of the spaces for experiential sustainability education on our campus.

None
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
https://sustainability.ucsc.edu/engage/UCSC%20Living%20Lab%20Map_WEB.pdf

Guide for Commuters 

Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
The UCSC Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) website has information about a wide range of alternative transportation methods to commute to campus. The website includes information on public transit, carsharing, vanpools, and bike routes. A transportation brochure is offered at new student orientations, tabling events, and at outreach presentations. TAPS circulates a brochure on sustainable transportation that gets sent to all students. New staff and faculty also get information verbally (with link to website) at orientations.

The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
http://taps.ucsc.edu/

Materials for Cyclists and Pedestrians 

Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
Yes

None
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
We have a variety of online tools for finding bike lockers, locks, trails, etcetera on our website. https://taps.ucsc.edu/commute-options/bikes/index.html

None
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
http://taps.ucsc.edu/

Green Living Guide 

Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
In 2012, Colleges, Housing and Educational Services started the Student Sustainability Advisor's (SSA) Program which provides a sustainability advisor for each of the 10 colleges on campus. The SSA's educate the RA's about green practices and help them incorporate sustainable principles into their college events and programs.

None
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
http://sustainability.ucsc.edu/

Other Outreach Materials 

Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
Yes

A brief description of these materials or publications:
The Environmental Media Project (EMP), is a student media organization founded in 2008 at UCSC. The goal of the EMP is to publish a comprehensive guide to and testament of sustainability related efforts on or linked to the Santa Cruz campus, student, staff, faculty, and administrative body so as to further awareness, promote coverage of such projects, and encourage and organize action. While their primary focus has been the annual publication of Gaia magazine, we are always looking for new students to get involved and help expand its critical media coverage of environmental issues and efforts.

The website URL for these materials or publications:
https://gaiamagsc.wordpress.com/contact-2/

Optional Fields 

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.