Mission
The mission of the UCLA Sustainability Committee is to create a culture of sustainability at UCLA in which the entire UCLA community is aware of, engaged in, and committed to advancing sustainability through education, research, operations, and community partnerships.
The Committee works under the Office of the Chancellor and supports sustainability at UCLA by:
Fostering cross-cutting collaborations for the purpose of increasing awareness of sustainability concepts throughout the campus community and creating synergies that will educate and engage students, faculty and staff in these efforts.
Infusing sustainability into core academic and educational programs to ensure that our students are prepared to face the global challenges of the 21st century; promoting the application of the University’s unique resources to complex environmental, economic and social issues by: incorporating sustainability concepts into the academic curriculum, advancing interdisciplinary research, and engaging in community service activities that promote sustainability.
Integrating sustainable practices into campus operations and long-term planning by minimizing resource consumption and waste generation; establishing innovative procurement practices; utilizing indicators of sustainability that enable assessment of performance; and recognizing, supporting, and rewarding initiatives that promote sustainability.
Background
In the spring of 2004, the CA Student Sustainability Coalition at UCLA drafted a letter to Chancellor Carnesale requesting the creation of a Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability. Chancellor Carnesale responded generously and commissioned the creation of the Campus Sustainability Committee.
Several faculty and administrators from a variety of campus departments, including student affairs, capital programs, general services, communications, and the chancellor’s office, along with two graduate and two undergraduate student representatives were appointed to the committee. Two co-chairs were appointed to the committee, Mary Nichols, then Director of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment, and Tova Lelah, Campus Environmental Planner. The committee was chaired for eight years by Cully Nordby, Academic Director of the Institute of Environment and Sustainability.
Over the years the Committee has established three sub-Committees; Academics, Operations, and Communications, and later area specific taskforces to help coordinate initiatives across the broad campus. Sustainability is inherently multidisciplinary and involves all departments of an institution. The committee plays a critical role in managing the complex issues of sustainability in a university setting.
In 2016, in recognition of the scope of challenges ahead and the need for full engagement of leadership, an Executive Committee was created with key leadership from across the university.