April 21, 2008

TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pleasure that I am able to share with you the first UC Santa Barbara Campus Sustainability Plan. The executive summary, which is attached, contains the plan’s approved mission statement and goals and objectives. The plan itself was developed as a working document to be updated on a regular basis; it can be viewed on the Web at http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/plan/. The executive summary will serve as both the long-term vision and a blueprint for our campus’s sustainability efforts.

UC Santa Barbara is a world leader in the area of sustainability. Our Bren School, Department of Environmental Studies, Marine Science Institute, and Department of Geography are just a few examples of the academic units on campus that, through their outstanding research and instruction, contribute to the international recognition and reputation we have achieved in this area. In addition, our students have made an enormous contribution in raising awareness of the importance of sustainability on our own campus as well as in the entire UC system and the broader community. The mission, goals, and objectives contained in our Campus Sustainability Plan, along with our existing commitment of staff and resources, will confirm our international leadership role in this critically important area and provide the necessary framework for our continued success.

I am proud of the work embodied in this plan, and I want to express my sincere appreciation to all who have been involved, including our Campus Planning Committee; Associate Vice Chancellor Marc Fisher, for his leadership as Chair of the CPC Subcommittee on Sustainability; all of the members of the Subcommittee (who are listed below); Associate Vice Chancellor Ron Cortez, who is now responsible for coordinating the implementation of this plan; and the more than 75 people on campus who participated in workshops and continue to serve as “change agents” in their departments. The Campus Sustainability Plan is a truly collaborative endeavor, and an exciting milestone in our continuing efforts to create a more sustainable future for UC Santa Barbara.

Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor

Attachment – Executive Summary - http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/plan/docs/SustainPlanExecSumm_Final.pdf

Campus Planning Committee Subcommittee on Sustainability

Marc Fisher (Chair), Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Design and Facilities
Kelly Ann Burns, past Associated Students representative
Roland Geyer, Assistant Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
Aaron Gilliam, past Associated Students representative
Logan Green, past Associated Students representative
Chuck Haines, Director, Business and Financial Planning/CFO, Housing and Residential Services
Shari Hammond, Senior Planner, Campus Planning and Design
Martie Levy, Director, Capital Development, Office of Budget and Planning
Mo Lovegreen, Executive Officer, Geography
Sarvy Mahdavi, past Graduate Students Association representative
Soumil Mehta, past Associated Students representative
Perrin Pellegrin, Campus Sustainability Manager, Physical Facilities
Jim Reichman, Professor, Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology
Mark Rousseau, Energy and Environmental Manager, Housing and Residential Services
Bruce Tiffney, Dean, College of Creative Studies
Mark Weeks, past Graduate Students Association representative
Kim Yasuda, Professor, Art