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 [at] ucsc [dot] edu and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!

U Saskatchewan Student Helps Deal With Costly Research Byproduct 
A Sustainability Living Lab project, a biological engineering student is investigating a system to process manure from the campus' Dairy Research and Teaching Farm into a product that can be kept on campus or one that is cheaper to have discarded. Currently the university spends $65,000 annually for the manure to be hauled away. Here at UCSC, we have many places on campus that serve to create a living laboratory where students can become involved in hands-on work like this.

Colorado Mountain College Holds Art Exhibit
In an effort to raise awareness for sustainability, an inaugural college-wide art exhibit at Colorado Mountain College showcased work that was either created with sustainable materials or with content reflecting the theme of sustainability. How can the UCSC Art and Environmental Studies Departments collaborate on projects like this here?

Southern Oregon U Partners to Reduce Student Mileage
Part of a statewide "Drive Less. Save More." campaign, the university is working with the Oregon Department of Transportation and a district authority to reduce the number of miles driven by university students by providing information to students about the benefits of traveling by foot, bike, skateboard, bus and shared car. The program's goals are to to reduce traffic, increase parking availability on campus, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Wesleyan U Students to Build Living Wall 
The university’s Wild Walls student group recently announced its plans to build a vertical plant wall on campus this semester focusing on redesigning conventional campus landscaping while promoting self-sustaining ecosystems.

Stanford Recycle-Mania Tournament
Students at Stanford University created a parody video of All About the Bass called All About No Waste as part of a nationwide Recycle Mania Tournament. It's catchy and educational about zero waste efforts!

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 and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition! 

"UC Green" Flipboard Highlights Environmental News UC-Wide
Wondering what kind of sustainability research and projects are taking place at other UCs? "UC Green" is an online magazine full of links to stories about the sustainability findings and successes UC-wide. Click here to read it!

Sustainability: A Solution To Student Retention?
Recent statistics from The Princeton Review (1) indicate that 69 percent of college applicants now cite an institution's level of commitment to environmental sustainability as a factor in their college choice, with 24 percent saying that is a very significant factor. This raises an intriguing question: if institutional commitment to sustainability impacts students' decisions regarding where to attend school, how does it impact what happens once they arrive on campus? Is there a correlation between sustainability and student retention and graduation rates?

Survival Of The Fittest For Green Gym Pedalers
Blending the concepts of sustainability, fitness and social media, Fit for Green is the brainchild of Executive MBA and Ph.D. graduates from UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, including founder and CEO John Spirko. “Our goal is to make working out on ordinary gym equipment more interactive and rewarding by returning energy to the grid and competing with peers through modern social networking,” he said in a statement. “This new return on investment model will be a catalyst for renewable energy machines in all gymnasiums replacing calories burned with watt-hours created as a measure of fitness accomplishment.

New Mexico State University Geographers Map Outdoor Campus Recycling Resources
Researchers in the Spatial Applications and Research Center (SpARC) at New Mexico State University recently mapped the outdoor recycling bins on campus and determined they are not evenly distributed across campus and need to be closer to buildings. Those who conducted the study predict that relocating the bins may lead to increased recycling.

Works Cited 
1. The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review Releases Free "Guide to 311 Green Colleges" in Partnership With the U.S. Green Building Council. April 20, 2011.

September 2012: 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 it's something that UCSC could potentially implement in some way, or it's similar to something already being implemented on our campus. If you see something here that you want to make a reality at UCSC, contact the Sustainability Office and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!

UC Merced posts videos for several sustainability focus areas
Check out the UC Merced sustainability website for great short videos that summarize the objectives and programs for green building, water, waste & recycling, student engagement. Objectives and initiatives are also posted for 8 other sustainability topics.

U Oregon Students Start Campus Shoe Recycling Program
A group of students from the Lundquist College of Business’ Center for Sustainable Business Practices and the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center have launched a shoe recycling drive program that debuted during the Olympic Trials taking place on campus. "A Step in the Right Direction" sorts selected shoes based on their condition; intact shoes are donated to those in need while worn-out shoes are sent to the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program where they are used in sports equipment, playground floors and other materials. After the trials, collection boxes will remain on campus indefinitely.

UCB's Sustainability Tour and Sustainability Map
At UC Berkeley, students, staff, faculty, and visitors can explore the campus with the help of a self- guided one-hour tour of campus sustainability features and a detailed campus sustainability map. The Office of Sustainability at UCB has made the walking tour available for self-service, but also offers guided tours on request. Read the full article on page 3 of their newsletter.

Auburn U Uses Solar Power to Charge Electric Vehicles
Facilities Management, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, has funded a pilot project for the installation of 24 solar panels atop the stadium parking deck. The solar system is designed to offset the energy used for 10 electric charging stations that have been installed on the lower level of the parking deck. The system is also expected to offset the energy to power lighting when the charging stations are not in use.

U of Oregon Student Visits UCSC Campus, Comments on Water Bottle Habits
A student from the University of Oregon recently visited the UCSC campus. "At the University of Oregon and all around Eugene, I always fill up my reusable water bottle without even thinking, both because of the many accessible spigots to fill it and because I rarely notice plastic water bottles sold. I realized this natural behavior after coming back to California, where I found myself buying plastic water bottles from the lack of accessibility and ready availability of all things fast, convenient, cheap, and plastic," said Taylor Woolsey, a third year International Studies student there. Fortunately, she had no trouble finding places on the UCSC campus to fill up her bottle! Having access to spigots and not having access to single use plastic water bottles really can make a difference in the choices people make. Let's keep up the great work, UCSC!

To find out more about UCSC efforts to get rid of plastic water bottles on campus and make it easier for everyone to fill up their reusable bottles, please check out Take Back the Tap UCSC!