Sustainability generates an ever-growing discussion at UC San Diego. The large number of student organizations dedicated to environmental issues is a testament of the sustainability-minded atmosphere at UCSD. These groups are very welcoming of students who want to get involved, and are a great resource for finding out about environmental movements happening on campus. This post highlights two of the campus-wide sustainability organizations:
PowerSaves:
The team at PowerSaves focuses on decreasing energy consumption on campus, such as through lighting improvements. Their approach is two-pronged; one of their goals is to complete projects that have measurable energy savings, and their other goal is to educate the community about energy issues. The team provides technical education on how to conserve energy and how to measure it, and they undertake academic infusion such as class presentations and workshops. They also work on developing the green workforce and educating people about jobs in the energy sector.
Contact: ucsdpowersavecampus@gmail.com
Student Sustainability Collective (SSC):
One of the largest sustainability groups on campus, the SSC is often at the core of environmental and sustainability movements at UCSD. One of their prominent and highly successful campaigns was to install hydration stations across campus for people to refill reusable water bottles. Their current projects are focused on water and sustainable food campaigning, and they work to mobilize student opinion in order to effect change in policies and legislation. Events they have hosted in the past include power mixers between sustainability orgs on campus, and opportunities for UCSD students to connect with external organizations. One of the SSC’s main focuses is to gather and incorporate student input, to affect change on a legislative level.
Contact: sscucsd@gmail.com
by: Linda Tong, UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative Student Fellow