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About

The University of California system has been committed to responsible stewardship of its resources, education and innovation for the public good since its first campus opened in 1868. Today, its 10 campuses and five medical centers are nationally recognized living laboratories of sustainability working to ensure that students have a healthy environment in which to learn for generations to come.

Campus Units

Achieving our sustainability goals takes the collective effort of everyone at UC San Diego. Staff, students and faculty from across many areas are working collaboratively to develop solutions and elevate initiatives for a more sustainable campus. Together, we comprise UC San Diego Sustainability. Learn more about what these campus units are doing to make a difference.

See Units

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Goals

Our campus has established and follows key Principles of Sustainability and an Advisory Committee on Sustainability provides a forum to bring together academic program, facility planning and campus operating interests in sustainability. UC San Diego follows the sustainability goals outlined in the UC Sustainable Practices Policy. Key sustainability goals include:

  • Climate: Reduce total emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3) at least 90% by 2045 without relying on carbon offsets.
  • Food Service: Procure 25% sustainable food by 2030. Procure 25% plant-based food by 2030 and strive to procure 30%.
  • General Sustainability Performance Assessment: Achieve an Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System’s (AASHE STARS) Gold rating and strive for Platinum.
  • Green Building: Design and construct all new buildings and major renovations to a minimum LEED BD+C (Building Design and Construction) Gold rating.
  • Procurement: Achieve full compliance with required level green spend criteria per product category; reach 25% preferred level green spend per product category; reach 25% economically and socially responsible spend.
  • Sustainable Building Operations and Labs: Implement an ongoing Green Labs assessment program and report the number of researchers directly and indirectly engaged by the program annually.
  • Fleet: All sedan and minivan acquisitions will be zero-emission or plug-in hybrid vehicles, except for public safety vehicles with special performance requirements. At least 50% of all vehicles acquired by each UC location after July 2023 will be zero-emission or plug-in hybrid.
  • Commute: Have no more than 40% of employees and no more than 30% of all employees and students commuting to the location by SOV by 2050.
  • Water: Reduce growth-adjusted potable water consumption at each location by 36% by 2025, when compared to a three-year-average baseline of fiscal year 2005–06, fiscal year 2006–07 and fiscal year 2007–08.
  • Zero Waste: Divert 90% of municipal solid waste from the landfill at each campus. Reduce and eliminate single-use plastic items, such as bags, foodware accessory items and beverage bottles, by 2024.

Learn more about our sustainability focus areas and how you can get involved.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement of
UC Sustainability Offices and Staff

We recognize that the environmental and sustainability fields have a legacy of systemic racism that impacts all of our sustainability work. We have a collective and individual responsibility to learn about environmental racism and systemic racism and to address and dismantle it. In order to achieve this, UC San Diego Sustainability signed onto a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement of UC Sustainability Offices and Staff that commits us to specific actions, accountability, and transparency.