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56 resources

Climate Action Implementation: Governance Approaches for Climate Implementation

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Colleges and universities across the globe have set very ambitious targets for climate action ranging from steep mitigation goals of zero carbon, to ensuring a resilient campus and preparing for ...

  • Posted Feb. 21, 2024
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Building Climate Resilience and Centering Equity: Case Studies from the University of California

  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, San Diego (CA)
  • Introba

Equity-Centered climate-resilient planning is a vital component of responding to the challenges posed by a changing climate. The University of California (UC) system has taken a proactive approach to developing ...

  • Posted Feb. 21, 2024
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Differential Vulnerability to Extreme Heat Events Among the UC Campuses: A quantitative analysis of social vulnerability to extreme heat in communities surrounding UC Campuses

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Davis (CA)

Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense, and longer as a result of global climate change. Individual characteristics and conditions amplify exposure and impact of extreme heat events. I ...


Sustainability Change Agent Campfire Stories: Navigating Inherent Tensions

  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Sustainability work in higher education requires a straddling of multiple dualities such as academic/operational, incremental/transformational, deliberative pace/sense of urgency, and risk averse/risk taking. This session will ...

  • Posted May 17, 2023
  • Conference Presentations
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The Wild West of Scope 3 Mitigation

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • Brailsford & Dunlavey (DC)

Join California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and the University of California (UC) System as they share their measurable Scope 3 mitigation solutions approach. In collaboration with the Brailsford & ...

  • Posted May 17, 2023
  • Conference Presentations
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Zero Waste Goal Setting – Qualitative vs. Quantitative and the Challenges with Diversion

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of Arizona (AZ)
  • Williams College (MA)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

While diversion has been the go-to metric for evaluating our waste reduction efforts, it skips over several levels of the waste reduction hierarchy, resulting in the prioritization of recycling and ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
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Designing Buildings for Future Climate Realities

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • Arup (NY)

The University of California launched the Designing Buildings for Future Climate Realities project to optimize buildings and infrastructure to the changing climate in which they will be operating. Standard industry ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Change Management Campfire Stories: Telling Stories About Our Stumbles and What We Learned

  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This session will provide a virtual campfire story swap where long-time campus sustainability professionals will talk about their  stumbles, unexpected outcomes, how they felt, and what they learned. The saying ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Implementation of a Single-Use Plastics Ban: Navigating Contracts, Procurement, and Outreach

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

In 2020, the UC system passed a single-use plastics policy that aims to greatly reduce plastics on campuses and health systems. The policy went into effect in 2021, starting with ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Expanding Sustainability: Using Food Procurement to Help Poultry Workers (through a new consortium)

  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of Michigan (MI)

Many colleges and universities are working on sustainable procurement goals, but how many of us have looked at social sustainability and the impact of our procurement on workers? During the ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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A Campus Framework for Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion-Centered Climate Resilience Planning

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
  • Integral Group (CA)

"Climate resilience planning" has been a growing buzz phrase across the country for years. Although many municipalities are beginning to incorporate current and future climate realities into their planning efforts ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Tackling Plastic from Policy to Implementation

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)

Recent changes in the recycling markets have made it more important than ever to prevent waste from being generated before it needs to be managed at the end of life ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
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Leveraging the Buying Power of Universities for Sustainable Procurement and Market Transformation

  • Boston University (MA)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (MA)

College campuses are seeking to use purchasing power to drive sustainability goals, yet lack the leverage, as single institutions, to shift supplier behaviors. This session will begin with the compelling ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Looking ahead to 2030: Updating the University of California Sustainable Food Policy

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

In 2009, the University of California (UC) developed a goal to meet 20% sustainable food by 2020, asking each UC campus to integrate sustainable food into their menus while remaining ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Engage Your Climate Action Toolbox: Renewable Energy, Carbon Offsets and Renewable Natural Gas

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • Center for Resource Solutions | Green-e (CA)

The clock is ticking to greatly reduce carbon emissions to avoid the worst of a climate catastrophe. These negative impacts will affect everyone, not just those who are emitting the ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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How the University of California is Evaluating the Sustainability of Supplier Supply Chains

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

What is the best way to measure the social and environmental sustainability of suppliers and their long supply chains that are located in and across multiple countries? This panel will ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Policy on Sustainable Practices

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

The Sustainable Practices Policy (“Policy”) establishes goals in nine areas of sustainable practices: green building, clean energy, transportation, climate protection, sustainable operations, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable procurement, sustainable foodservice ...


Integrating climate and food policies in higher education: a case study of the University of California

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

Most climate change mitigation policies, including those of higher education institutions, do not include food system greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Yet the food system contributes ~30% of anthropogenic GHGE, mostly ...

  • Posted July 10, 2020
  • Publications
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Are Electric Buildings a Feasible Carbon Neutrality Strategy?

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (CA)

The path to campus carbon neutrality is becoming clearer: electrify everything and procure renewable electricity. Electrifying campus energy infrastructure is a complex undertaking that requires a significant financial investment. While ...

  • Posted March 18, 2020
  • Videos & Webinars
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Zero Waste - Rethinking Definitions and Metrics

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

The University of California has been undertaking a process of rethinking how we define and measure zero waste. Previous targets had been based on diversion rates; however, we have recently ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
  • Conference Presentations
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Leveraging Institutional Buying Power for Sustainable Procurement: A Strategizing Session

  • Boston University (MA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Many colleges and universities have separate conversations with the same suppliers. Imagine the impact we could have on the environment if higher ed coordinated sustainability requests of these companies and ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Cool Campus Challenge - Engaging Campuses in Carbon Neutrality to Create a Culture of Sustainability

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The University of California's Cool Campus Challenge is a friendly 4-week competition between all ten campuses in the UC system designed to educate and motivate the campus community (students ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Medical Centers and Campus Sustainability: Best Practices and Developing a National Network

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Many institutions of higher education are associated with medical centers and schools. However, engaging hospitals on sustainability has several challenges. Hospitals face different regulatory environments, have different financial circumstances and ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Are Electric Buildings a Feasible Carbon Neutrality Strategy?

  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Irvine (CA)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (CA)
  • EHDD (CA)

The path to campus carbon neutrality is becoming clearer: electrify everything and procure renewable electricity. Electrifying campus energy infrastructure is a complex undertaking that requires a significant financial investment. While ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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UC Sustainable Procurement Program and Policy Overhaul

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Purchasing departments, such as those of the University of California campuses, have embraced the responsibility and opportunity to leverage their purchasing power as a force for good. But assessing and ...


University of California’s Cool Campus Challenge

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

In 2019 the University of California launched the Cool Campus Challenge, an online competition between all ten campuses to engage students, faculty, and staff in the UC Carbon Neutrality initiative ...


Climate Lab: Taking the Gloom out of the Doom

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Let's face it - thinking about climate change and sustainability - and what to do about these pressing issues - can be downright depressing. People don't want to hear about starving ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
  • Conference Presentations
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UC3: The Research University's Role in Place-Based, Cross-Sector Climate Action

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • Second Nature (MA)

The University Climate Change Coalition, or UC3, is a coalition of 13 leading North American research universities that are prototyping a collaborative model designed to help local communities achieve their ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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From Incremental to Transformative Climate Action: Lessons Learned From Addressing Barriers

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

What are the most fundamental and challenging barriers to achieving carbon neutrality at a large research university? The first University of California campus to publish a climate action plan (CAP ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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University of California Merced 2020 Project

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

In 2012, UC Merced launched the “2020 Project”, an initiative to add a significant amount of new teaching, research, housing, recreation and support facilities to the campus that would accommodate ...


Sustainable Nation Podcast

  • Swarthmore College (PA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

This podcast releases three new episodes every week, consisting of interviews with global sustainability leaders in higher education, business and government. This can be a great resource for any sustainability ...


Green Gigawatt Partnership: Ramping Up Renewables in Higher Education

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Edison Energy (CA)

The Green Gigawatt Partnership seeks to catalyze one gigawatt of green power development by 2020 by recognizing colleges and universities who have signed long term contracts to purchase green power ...

  • Posted March 27, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Six: Scientists really aren't the best champions of climate science

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the sixth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted May 25, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Five: The fight to rethink (and reinvent) nuclear power

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the fifth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted May 22, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Four: Food waste is the world's dumbest problem

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the fourth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted May 15, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Three: Why your old phones collect in a junk drawer of sadness

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the third episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted May 4, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Two: Going green shouldn't be this hard

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the second episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode One: Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

This is the first episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted April 24, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Transformational Sustainability Leadership: Accelerating the shift to life-sustaining and just societies

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Irvine (CA)
  • SERES (Sacatepequez)

Over the last few years the Sustainability Initiative at the University of California, Irvine and the nonprofit SERES have collaborated to offer students an introductory and advanced level training in ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Prioritizing Co-curricular and Curricular Strategies to Create Sustainability Literate Graduates - and how to Measure Success

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
  • University of California, Irvine (CA)
  • Purdue University (IN)

What are the most effective strategies and programs for creating sustainability literate graduates who are ready to go beyond the campus? What do we mean by effective-and how do we ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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University of California's Presidential Initiative for Carbon Neutrality: A Multi-Institutional, Multi-Dimensional Perspective

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Riverside (CA)
  • University of California, San Diego (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
  • University of California, Merced (CA)

The 2014 UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative builds on pioneering work on climate research to make all ten campuses carbon neutral in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025. All UC ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Bridging the gap: The Next-Generation of Sustainability in Higher Education

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • Swarthmore College (PA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • University of British Columbia (BC)

The sustainability movement in higher education has helped to establish our role as sustainability professionals and over the years significant gains have been made. Pioneering efforts have led to the ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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UC Cool Campus Challenge

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

In the fall of 2015, the Cool Campus Challenge (CCC) engaged nearly 20,000 staff, students and faculty at the University of California (UC) in an online pledge campaign aimed ...


Getting everyone on board with carbon neutrality: UC system best practices for faculty, student, and staff engagement

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

In 2014, University of California President Janet Napolitano announced the Carbon Neutrality Initiative, committing UC to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. President Napolitano formed a Global Climate Leadership Council to ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Water Action Plan - How to achieve real water savings

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)

The University of California (UC) has committed to reducing their per capita potable water use by 20% by 2020. All UC Campuses are writing water action plans that outline strategies ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability at Scale: LEED EBOM and The Next Big Step Toward the Sustainable Campus

  • California State University, Channel Islands (CA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • Brightworks Sustainability (OR)

To emphasize the high importance but low attention paid to existing facilities in environmental stewardship, in 2012 the U. S. Green Building council published an article calling existing buildings “the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Benchmark-based Whole-Building Energy Performance Targets for UC Buildings

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Most efforts to improve energy performance in campus buildings use efficiency standards as a reference point. Programs often specify energy efficiency at ten to thirty percent beyond ASHRAE 90.1 ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Stronger Together: Collaboration Opportunities for Campus Diversity Officers and Campus Sustainability Officers

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • Yale University (CT)
  • McGill University (QC)

Campus diversity and inclusion departments educate and engage students, staff and faculty to promote inclusion, diversity and equity. Campus sustainability departments educate and engage students, staff and faculty about how ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transforming Enemies Into Allies: How to Have Difficult—But Necessary—Conversations in Our Roles as Sustainability Change Agents

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of Hawaii - West Oahu (HI)
  • GreenerU (MA)

This workshop will give us the space to learn and practice some tactics for having those difficult conversations that are unavoidably part of the work of making change happen within ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transforming Enemies Into Allies: How to Have Difficult-But Necessary-Conversations in Our Roles as Sustainability Change Agents

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College (HI)
  • University of Hawaii - West Oahu (HI)
  • GreenerU (MA)

This workshop will give us the space to learn and practice some tactics for having those difficult conversations that are unavoidably part of the work of making change happen within ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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