Innovative Approaches to Sustainability at Other Campuses

Here are a few selections of the innovative approaches to sustainability taking place on other college campuses. Each of these examples was chosen because they represent ideas that UCSC could potentially implement in some form, or in some cases, already has begun to. If you see something here that you want to make a reality at UCSC, contact the Sustainability Office at sustain.education [at] ucsc [dot] edu and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!

Students Suggest Ways to Get Peers Biking to SF State University
Northern California is home to the two most bicycle-friendly universities in the entire country, according to the League of American Bicyclists — and yet a mere 9.5 percent of students pedal to San Francisco State University, the Bay Area’s second largest campus. The university’s new Bicycle Geographies class sought to understand why so few students cycle to school, and published a report in May detailing the students’ findings and recommendations. 

UC Davis Gone Solar!

When a team of UC Davis students packs up its house and travels to Irvine next year for the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2015 Solar Decathlon competition, its members will bring not only a desire to win, but also to make zero-net-energy homes more affordable. After submitting an entry for the first time, UC Davis was one of 20 universities selected in February to compete in the Solar Decathlon. The competition draws students and scientists from universities across the nation — from Yale and Vanderbilt to CalPoly and Sacramento State — to design and build solar-powered homes that are energy efficient and attractive. Learn more here.

Maharishi U Management Uses Rain Water for Bottles
Campus residents can now fill their bottles at a free bottle-filling station that was recently installed. This station uses water from a 10,000-gallon cistern that collects rainwater.

Coastal Carolina U Releases Fracking Brief
Students created reports that analyze federal and state laws and their impacts on various communities. A recent report looked at fracking in North Carolina in an effort to best prepare students for sustainable leadership and public service.

Students Promote Green Cleaning
Students from several institutions promote the importance of using green products such as baking soda and vinegar for cleaning as a less expensive and healthier option.

U Texas Austin Students Create BioFuel
Through a 2013 grant, students have researched, studied and created a biofuel that is intended for use in university vehicles once out of the testing stages. This particular biofuel is created from a waste product that was slated to be thrown away and will decrease the university's fuel intake.

Innovative Approaches to Sustainability at Other Campuses

Here are a few selections of the innovative approaches to sustainability taking place on other college campuses. Each of these examples was chosen because they represent ideas that UCSC could potentially implement in some form, or in some cases, already has begun to. If you see something here that you want to make a reality at UCSC, contact the Sustainability Office susted@ucsc.edu and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!

Trash Goalie
Davidson College has launched The Next Play, an initiative that uses the influence of sports to advance Zero Waste sustainability-related goals. The primary responsibility of trash goalies is to help people sort waste properly. Even though recycling and composting are becoming more commonplace, the challenge now is encouraging people to consciously think about sorting trash in places where throwing it away has always been a very passive experience. Athletic events create a great stage as method for advancing sustainability-related goals, and spreading awareness plays a key role in promoting the zero-waste effort. Our campus has a Zero Waste Goal as well. We could use some "trash goalie" volunteers at sporting events here too.

Waste Watchers Make Trash Monster and Inspire a Recyclemania Competition
Attempting to raise awareness of how much is thrown away, a campus recycling group at Oregon State University collected and sorted residence hall waste to create a monster, and labeled the visual display with how much waste an average person produces over a certain amount of time. 'Slightly more than a dozen volunteers shed their squeamishness and donned plastic gloves to dig through bags of trash pulled from residence halls on campus.' The team rifled through each trash bag, pulling out recyclable items and replacing non-recyclable (trash) items back into clear plastic bags. They forged a trash monster to be on display during their annual RecycleMania competition.
The competition included several universities. The winner was based on which school collected the most pounds of recycling and compost per person. We could set up a competition here between the colleges to win an actual trophy made of all scrap materials; painted gold.

Campus Recycling Program Converts Grease to Biofuel
A recent partnership between University Housing and the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling resulted in Cease the Grease, an effort to collect used cooking oil from two residential areas, which would then be converted into biodiesel fuel.
After cooking, residents can cooled their kitchen grease, poured it into the container and emptied the grease into a collection bin. The grease was be picked up by a plant specialized in converting grease and oil into useful biofuel. In addition to creating renewable fuel, Cease the Grease will help prevent clogged drains, pests and odors in campus apartments.