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Sustainability at UC

October 2018

Thanks for reading the Sustainability at UC newsletter, a bi-monthly paper-free look at notable sustainability news across the University of California system. Feedback and suggestions can be emailed to sustainability@ucop.edu.

-Emma, Matt, Ryan and Sapna


Campus Sustainability Highlights

UC and Stanford start transitioning to all-electric buildings

Two of the state’s universities, the University of California and Stanford University, are taking new steps to eliminate carbon emissions in their buildings. With governments squeezing carbon out of their power grids, zero-emission buildings will emerge as an important tool for reaching carbon neutrality by mid-century.
 

UCSF rolls out new fleet of electric buses to reach carbon-neutral goals

UCSF decided to replace the 10 diesel and five gasoline-fueled shuttles with electric buses to help clear the air and reach the UC-wide goal of being carbon-neutral by 2025. The UCSF shuttle system transports about 8,000 people a day on 16 routes that travel among university campuses, facilities and the 16th Street BART Station. The shuttles log about 1 million miles per year.
 

UCLA student wins award for diversifying voices in mainstream environmentalism

Valeree Catangay, a fourth-year environmental science student at UCLA and Student Engagement Fellow for UC's Carbon Neutrality Initiative, received the Brower Youth Award for Environmental Leadership in August for her work in environmental justice. Catangay also recently won the #YouthStepUp climate action competition for Activism at the Global Climate Action Summit for her work as a part of the California Allegory Youth Fellowship, a group of California youth activists and artists on the frontlines of climate injustice.
 

UC Merced could lead the change toward more inclusivity in STEM

At the Chancellor’s Dialogue on Diversity and Interdisciplinarity on Sept. 13, Professor Donna Riley addressed the need to take a different approach in diversifying the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Age and student demographics make UC Merced the right university to lead the change, Riley said, calling out recent grants received to create curriculum in biological sciences and chemistry that is more inclusive of underrepresented, non-traditional students. She also noted that curriculum design can make a huge impact on inclusivity and student success. 
 

New semester, new efforts to fight student hunger

Across the UC system, 44% of undergraduates and 26% of graduate students say they are food insecure, meaning they experience reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns at times due to a lack of money and other resources, according to a report from the UC Global Food Initiative. A successful push at UC Berkeley last year to start helping an estimated 10,000 Berkeley students in need to sign up for CalFresh, a federally funded program that issues a free debit card for groceries to those who qualify, is intensifying, with a goal of 3,000 students applying in 2018-2019.


Upcoming Events and Deadlines

Sacramento County Office of Planning and Environmental Review offering a paid student internship

Sacramento County’s Office of Planning and Environmental Review is seeking a student intern who is able to work part-time during the school year and continue full-time through the summer. The intern position is for the Long Range & Master Plans Section, with assistance provided to other sections within the organization, including Environmental Review. Applications are due Monday October 8th.
 

Forum on Electrifying Transportation in Southern California: Opportunities & Challenges for 2030

UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation has partnered with regional groups to host this forum on Wednesday, October 17th, from 9:00am-3:00pm. The forum will engage leading stakeholders on issues related to innovative transportation electrification in Southern California and discuss how transportation electrification can best benefit frontline communities.
 

Apply for UC San Diego's Triton Innovation Challenge

The Triton Innovation Challenge awards cash prizes totaling $20,000 to support new and innovative ideas that relate to the environment (comes from, inspired by, or directly impacts nature.) Social innovation ideas and those with or without a prototype are encouraged to apply. All participants are also eligible to compete for up to $300,000 in investment funding from the Rady Venture Fund and Triton Technology Fund. Anyone affiliated with UC San Diego is invited to apply. Applications are due by 9:00am on October 17th.