Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management (University of California Santa Barbara)
www.bren.ucsb.edu
One of the top graduate programs of environmental management in the nation, the Bren School is a center of leading-edge research that offers students a rigorous interdisciplinary education stressing not only the natural sciences, but also economics, law, and policy. Many faculty members are world experts in their area of research and provide policy advice to government agencies and organizations at the highest level.
University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)
To continue and further the UCSB mission of environmental education and stewardship, the UCSB Sustainability Program was formed in 2002. The 1969 oil spill motivated UCSB to take action to help the environment. Their actions started with energy efficiency and conservation, and expanded to creating the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and a green building policy. UCSB signed the Talloires Declaration committing to their action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations, and outreach. Currently, the Sustainability Program is creating a Campus Sustainability Plan, a living document to report sustainability progress and plans for the campus.
UCSB's Annual Sustainability Conference is held once a year to develop a structured approach to achieving a sustainable campus. The conference provides a forum for ‘eco-friendly’ campus practices and related workshops for representatives from over 300 colleges and universities, state and federal agencies, and companies. The forum highlights the success of its members and influences sustainable policy for the future.
The Green Campus Program is a student-run energy conservation program that seeks to identify and reduce waste through effective decision-making. The campaign heightens environmental awareness by bringing students and faculty together on Green Campus initiatives and highlights energy-use awareness, eco-conscious consumerism, and operational changes as being key aspects to an “eco-friendly” campus.
Global Warming Science & Society Event Series
Global warming presents one of the greatest challenges ever faced by American society. In the next few decades, it has the potential to impact every aspect of our lives, from the energy we use to the coastal cities we inhabit. Controversy about global warming exists at every level, from the science that underpins it and the political alliances forged around it, to the recognition of its social impacts and how we as a nation should respond to it. As a key coastal community and a pioneer in the modern environmental movement, Santa Barbara can play a leadership role in addressing the effects of climate change in our own communities, in America, and beyond. (David W. Lea, Chair, Global Warming Science & Society Event Series)
This educational series is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management,the UCSB Departments of Earth Science, Geography, Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, the Environmental Studies Program and the Marine Science Institute. Visit the website for more information and the event schedule.
Growing Solutions Incorporated
805.899.8899, www.growingsolutions.com
By creating a connection between nature and humanity, Ocean Futures Society inspires and educates people to act responsibly for the ocean’s protection.
Goleta Union School District
805.681.1200, www.goleta.k12.ca.us/
Through “eco-conscious” business practices, the school district utilizes innovative transportation, waste management, energy use, and landscaping programs. The Goleta Union School District runs its bus system under compressed natural gas and ultra-low sulfur diesel, a cleaner diesel fuel. The District’s voluntary installation of particulate matter traps and replacement of higher polluting school buses will reduce approximately 6 tons of the ozone precursor oxides of nitrogen and over 1,000 pounds of diesel particulate matter, a toxic air contaminant, over the lifetime of the buses. They are also implementing a creative, comprehensive recycling program throughout the school system, and have recycled more than 80 percent of waste through this program. Two schools within the District are using reclaimed water for landscape purposes, and all classrooms now use energy-efficient lighting, and energy-conserving gas heaters. The District uses integrated pest management on school grounds, and the District Board recently voted to make it the first pesticide-free school district in the county.
Enviromental Affair Board
What is EAB?
EAB is the main student environmental group at UCSB. We provide a central meeting place to help students interested in environmentalism discover their niche in the environmental movement. Anybody may become involved, and we welcome all levels of interest and participation.
Our Vision:
We acknowledge that environmental consciousness and sustainable living are no longer options for our generation. It is our mission to protect, preserve, and enhance the local (and when possible, global) environment by providing a gathering point for all UCSB students to practice environmentalism. EAB acts as the collective voice of the student body to influence decision-making on campus and in the local community by emphasizing the importance of sustainability in future planning. In addition, through volunteer work and by spreading awareness, we strive to make a positive impact on the natural environment and local community.
