On the eve of Earth Day, UCSB announced adoption of a comprehensive Campus Sustainability Plan designed to make significant contributions to energy conservation, resource management, and environmental awareness—as well as to education and research—on the campus and beyond.

The plan was formally approved by Chancellor Henry Yang, who, in an April 21 e-mail message to the campus community, said the Campus Sustainability Plan “will serve as both the long-term vision and a blueprint for our campus’s sustainability efforts.”

Developed as a “living document” that will be updated on a regular basis, the plan was drafted by the Campus Planning Committee’s 17-member Subcommittee on Sustainability, chaired by Marc Fisher, associate vice chancellor for campus design and facilities. The group worked in consultation with a broad-based coalition of some 75 campus “change agents,” coordinated by Perrin Pelligrin, representing the faculty, staff, and students.

“Our students have made an enormous contribution in raising awareness of the importance of sustainability on our own campus as well as in the entire UC system and the broader community,” said Yang.

In addition, scientists and other scholars in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the Marine Science Institute, Department of Environmental Studies, and Department of Geography, among other units, contributed to the plan.

According to the plan’s executive summary, in addition to the “greening” of campus structures, UCSB already has made significant strides in adopting sustainable practices in several other areas, including purchasing, facility maintenance, and accountability for overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Highlights of the plan’s goals over the next 20 years, include promoting education and research on the social, economic, and environmental impacts of sustainability; creating superior places to study, work, and live that enhance the health and performance of building occupants; striving for a climate neutral campus through energy efficiency, conservation, and on-site generation; and seeking to develop a local and organic closed-loop food system by observing sustainability criteria for all food purchasing, preparation and service, cleaning, and waste disposal.

Other goals include development of transportation strategies that reduce fuel use, air pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions while providing opportunities for alternative transportation; and eventually the elimination of waste streams on campus with the ultimate goal of a net zero waste campus in a “cradle to cradle” process.

A link to the plan’s executive summary and more information about the plan and the campus’s sustainability activities are at <http://sustainability.ucsb.edu>.

Implementation of the plan is the responsibility of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Ron Cortez.

Chancellor Yang also plans to appoint a special task force, as recommended in the plan submitted to him. The Campus Committee for Sustainability will advise and make recommendations on sustainability initiatives, help prioritize and monitor campus sustainability goals, set funding priorities, and provide guidance on sustainability issues and questions, among other things.

UC Santa Barbara has long been a leader in environmental education and sustainable practices. The U.S. Green Building Council named UCSB’s Bren Hall the greenest classroom and laboratory building in the country when it opened in 2002. In 2004, the campus adopted a Green Building Policy and committed to constructing and operating both new and existing campus buildings to meet very high sustainability standards. The student-owned Recreation Center is the latest existing building to retrofit to gain a green ranking.

In addition, the campus’s proposed new Long Range Development Plan embraces sustainability, incorporating green building practices, the use of sustainable materials, water reuse, alternative transportation, energy efficiency, and other actions.