Leading in Sustainability
Explore Our Impact
Goals and Progress
Water
Campus water conservation has surpassed its 2025 target. The university has already reduced water usage by 41%, exceeding the original goal of a 36% cut compared to 2005–08 levels.
Waste
Significant progress has been made toward reducing and diverting waste, though some goals are still ahead. Per capita municipal solid waste generation is already down 25.28%, meeting the 2025 target, and the campus has reached 49% diversion from landfill toward the 90% goal set for 2030. The initiative to eliminate single-use plastics is 90% complete.
Food
The campus dining program is steadily moving toward a more plant-focused menu. Currently, 23% of all food served is plant-based, closing in on the 25% goal for 2025.
Fleet (Campus Vehicles)
The university is transitioning its fleet to low-emission options, though work remains. At present, 24% of new vehicles purchased after 2023 are electric or hybrid, nearly halfway to the target of at least 50%.
Green Building & Operations
New construction and major renovations are increasingly built to higher environmental standards. All projects met or exceeded the LEED certification required of them.
Explore our Living Labs Map.
The UC Santa Cruz Living Labs Map is an interactive map that provides links to a wide range of programs organized into six categories:
- Agroecology
- Design & Engineering
- Environmental Education
- Environmental Justice and Sustainability
- UCSC Natural Reserves
- Stewardship & Natural History
Recent News
Environmental studies professor wins grant to support community-engaged research on California watersheds
Hannah Waterhouse was awarded the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award for her research on soil health practices.
A Lifeline for Salmon: UCSC and NOAA Join Forces to Secure a Future for California’s Most Iconic Fish
A decades-long collaboration is giving Central California’s dwindling coho salmon population a fighting chance.
Streamlining desalination to save drinking water
Sea level rise means fresh groundwater will increasingly become salty. Yat Li explains how his novel 3D-printed desalination tool can offer a solution.
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