September 26, 2005

UC Santa Barbara Embarks on 'Sustainability' Program, Plans Public Presentation October 6

Perrin Pellegrin

The University of California, Santa Barbara is seeking to become a "sustainable" campus and will be developing plans for the effort during the current academic year.

At a kickoff event on Thursday, October 6, the public can learn more about UCSB's plans and the principles of sustainability. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Room 1910 Buchanan Hall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Sustainability refers to practices that create new ways for people to live and thrive while keeping the planet's ecosystems healthy and available for future generations. Sustainability presumes that resources are finite and therefore should be used wisely to benefit humanity now and in the future.

In 2003 the UC Regents approved a university-wide policy, the Green Building Policy and Clean Energy Standard, which was an important first step toward comprehensive sustainability plans for the system and its campuses.

To become a sustainable campus, UCSB will adapt a framework created by The Natural Step (www.naturalstep.org), an organization founded in Sweden in 1989. Today more than 70 municipalities and 60 corporations and institutions---including IKEA, Electrolux, McDonald's, Starbucks, Nike, the University of Texas, and the cities of Santa Monica, and Portland, Oregon---are actively using The Natural Step's principles and approach to sustainability. The Natural Step provides a framework to help organizations analyze current practices and expenses, establish an incremental plan of action, and conduct a careful measurement of results.

At the October 6 event, Duke Castle, a co-founder of the 250-member Oregon Natural Step Network, will explain the approach and offer examples of its successful use. The steps UCSB will take to develop its Campus Sustainability Plan will also be introduced. Among other things, the campus plans to examine and improve its use of energy and water, its procurement and transportation practices, and its landscaping and construction practices. In the year ahead a series of workshops will be held at UCSB to assist the campus in developing its Sustainability Plan.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.