Sustainability Annual Report 2024
Following up on the 2022 campus-wide strategic planning process, Leading the Change, UCSC’s Sustainability Office embarked on a rewriting of the campus’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.
The plan engaged faculty, staff and students across the campus community and was released in summer 2023. The plan’s goals focus on building communities of care in the face of climate change, decarbonization, stewarding the water and land, and advancing a circular economy.
Read More about Sustainability at UC Santa Cruz
In summer 2023, the campus published its Decarbonization & Electrification (D&E) Predesign Report outlining the technological options to reduce fossil fuel use by 95%. After the completion of the report, the campus formed a subcommittee to apply a just transition and equity lens to the technical study recommendations. The analysis is available on the Just Transition and Equity website.
UCSC’s Green Labs team had a busy year recertifying 11 labs, certifying eight others and providing financial incentives for freezers, fridges and other sustainable lab equipment.
UCSC rolled out its first bike sharing program with approximately 400 BCycle e-Bikes and 800 docks available throughout the City of Santa Cruz and UCSC. There are currently more than 25 docking stations across campus.
The Sustainability Office continues its community climate equity work through Community-Academic Partnerships to Advance Equity-Focused Climate Action (CAPECA). Funded by the Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities grant program, staff is implementing CAPECA best practices by facilitating a community-led effort to identify three to five climate adaptation and resilience projects in historically excluded areas of Santa Cruz County.
Stories
J. Mijin Cha Testifies on Solutions to Energy Poverty Before Congressional Subcommittee
UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha testified during a legislative hearing to discuss energy poverty and share her insights on solutions that could make electricity more affordable for low-income families across America.
Rebates Can Offer Solutions to California’s Groundwater Woes
A new study by UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley researchers calculates how a unique program modeled after rooftop solar metering can help to enhance the storage of groundwater.
EMISSIONS
*Interim goals for 2030, 2035 and 2040 to be developed through fossil-free planning that is underway at each location
**90% direct reduction of total emissions from 2019 levels with residual emissions negated by carbon removal
New construction, such as the Rachel Carson College Dining Hall and the large student housing project — Kresge Renewal Project — came online this reporting year. Additionally, UCSC started collecting natural gas and electrical data from two new locations (100 Panetta and 120 Getchell), as well as backup generator diesel data. UCSC saw a significant increase in commuting emissions due to a rise in single-occupancy vehicle use and in the estimated commuters’ average trip from 11.6 to 12.6 miles.
ENERGY – RENEWABLE ENERGY USE
ENERGY USE INTENSITY (EUI)
UCSC saw a decrease in its EUI in the calendar year 2023.
FOOD
of food and beverage purchases met sustainability criteria ($1.9M)
of food and beverage purchases were plant-based ($4.7M)
For the second year in a row, more than 30% of UCSC Dining’s food expenditures was on plant-based products, showcasing the campus’s commitment to providing healthy food for humans and the planet. The campus’s spend on sustainably sourced products declined this year due to changes in reporting requirements surrounding local items and vendors no longer meeting all of those requirements. UCSC is making changes to its menu in the coming year in response to this analysis.
Green building
UC Santa Cruz received no new LEED certifications last year. The campus has 17 total LEED certifications.
8 Gold, 7 Silver and 2 Certified
Total number of LEED certifications
procurement
green spend on electronics (79%)
green spend on indoor office furniture (80%)
green spend on cleaning supplies (42%)
green spend on office supplies (7%)
The University reports on green spend, as defined in the Sustainable Procurement Guidelines, and reached out to suppliers for spend data in four product categories for this year’s report.
Green spend is defined as meeting preferred or minimum criteria in UC’s Sustainable Procurement Guidelines.
Suppliers reporting: Electronics (6), Furniture (5), Cleaning supplies (5), Office supplies (4).
UC Systemwide Spend Analytics category data provided by CalUSource.
Sustainable Building & Laboratory Operations
UCSC’s green labs team had a busy year recertifying 11 labs, certifying eight labs and providing thousands of dollars in incentives for freezers, fridges and other sustainable lab equipment.
total assessed green laboratories
Transportation
of students and employees are utilizing sustainable commuting methods
of all vehicles and 100% of sedans and minivans acquired in 2024 were electric (zero-emission), plug-in hybrid or clean transportation fuel
EV charging ports
Lack of electric vehicle (EV) chargers is slowing the pace of EV adoption. Two fleet projects, at UCSC’s heat plant and the Emergency Response Center, to install 13 ports — including four direct-current fast-charging ports — are under design. A planning process to identify areas for additional public EV charging stations has begun.
WATER
*Based on a 3-year average of fiscal years 2005-08
**2025 goal is a 36% reduction from baseline.
Water usage increased. The Rachel Carson College Dining Hall and Kresge Renewal Project came online this year, potentially contributing to increased water demand.
ZERO WASTE – GENERATION
*These numbers might include a small amount of incineration that is being phased out.
**In 2021, waste generation per weighted campus user spiked due to pandemic-related closures as base-level operations continued but the number of users on campus decreased.
UCSC saw small increases in landfill and organic waste this year. These increases are attributed to more on-campus residents, more events and programming on campus and a new dining hall that experienced dish room issues. Overall, the waste generated per person per day remained similar to last fiscal year.
ZERO WASTE – DIVERsion
*Waste incineration was counted as diversion prior to July 2022.
UCSC’s total diversion rate rose dramatically due to a large-scale construction project that recycled 16,000 tons of concrete. Excluding construction activities, UCSC’s diversion rate remained steady compared with last year despite a new waste sorting application for campus, increased education programming and increased compost bin availability. As many of these changes were made in the second half of the fiscal year, UCSC expects to see a greater diversion rate next year as these changes will have been in effect for a full year.
Single-Use Plastics Phase-Out
Complete Phase-out*
- Plastic bags
Partial Phase-out
- Foodware in UC dining facilities
- Foodware in third-party dining facilities
- Beverage bottles in UC dining facilities
Starting Soon
- Beverage bottles in vending machines
*Complete phase-out of single-use plastics may include exemptions where reasonable alternatives to plastic do not exist.
UCSC eliminated all single-use plastic ware from dining halls and catering operations, making progress towards eliminating single-use plastic ware from all UC-operated dining facilities. Removing single-use plastic from vending machines is a priority initiative in the coming year.
Awards
UCSC maintains a Gold rating in AASHE STARS 2.2. The report is valid until 2025. The campus sustainability office conducted a gap analysis and has been communicating the new criteria in STARS 3.0 to campus partners.
A full list of awards is featured on the UC Office of the President’s website.
