Oct 23, 2007 8:00 AM

The greening of UCLA

How do you commute to work? How do you pour cream into your morning coffee and squeeze ketchup on your lunch burger? Where does your trash go, how much water do you waste and to what extent do your workday activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions?

"Everyone needs to increasingly think about these things, to consider [one's] daily actions" to make UCLA — and the planet — a more sustainable place, said Roy Champawat, director of the ASUCLA Student Union. That organization has taken on an ambitious program to make its eateries and other facilities at LuValle Commons "greener." So coffee creamer comes in pitchers, and ketchup and mustard in condiment pumps instead of what Champawat called the "hundreds of tiny pieces of waste" that are individual serving-size packets.

ASUCLA was among numerous campus organizations touting their environmentally friendly endeavors during the UCLA Sustainability Fair at Bruin Plaza on Oct. 11. The festive event included a colorful showcase of alternative fuel vehicles, energy-efficient lighting and water faucet aerators, organic cleaning products and information on where you can recycle electronic equipment, CDs and other items on campus.

"This event feels like a 'coming-out' party to celebrate and acknowledge the many campus activities that have been going on behind the scenes, making UCLA a leader on several sustainability fronts," Tova Lelah, assistant director of campus environmental planning, told fair-goers.

Lelah also co-chairs — with Acting Director of the Institute of the Environment Thomas Smith — the Campus Sustainability Committee, which was created in 2005 by then-Chancellor Albert Carnesale to develop a "culture of sustainability" at UCLA. Guiding the committee's activities is the UC Office of the President's Policy on Sustainable Practices, which sets systemwide standards in green building design, clean and renewable energy, transportation and recycling and waste management, among other areas.

"Our campus is committed and well on its way to meeting — and in a few cases, even exceeding — the standards that have been set," Lelah said.

Transportation Services, for example, has reduced pollution, congestion and parking demands by partnering with local public transit programs to encourage commuters to take the bus to work and urging the campus community to bike and even walk. Further, the Transit Campus Shuttle Program is fueled 100% by compressed natural gas, resulting in cleaner air as well as lower fuel costs.

Conventional lighting fixtures and bulbs throughout campus have been replaced with energy-efficient versions. Recycling receptacles are popping up everywhere. And products are now purchased with an eye toward such factors as recycled content. For example, utensils made of cornstarch are being used at several campus eateries, LuValle Commons among them.

"We're putting our vendors on notice that in the long term we're interested in these things, and they need to keep working on them," said ASUCLA's Champawat.

Campus construction and renovation have also gone green. Projects over $5 million must achieve a green building-certified rating, Lelah said. Plans for renovating Rieber Hall include energy-efficient features such as double-paned windows and environmentally smart mechanical-electrical systems and plumbing fixtures.

The Life Sciences Replacement Building will be the first high-tech wet laboratory building at UCLA to incorporate a more complex set of sustainability features. Next on the green list are the Police Station replacement building and the Spieker Aquatic Center planned for Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.

The campus is also developing a climate action plan and recycling plan to set and achieve emissions and waste reduction targets, in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Public Works' "Getting to Zero Waste" program.

"The overarching goal," said Lelah, "is to more fully institutionalize sustainability at UCLA and prepare our students to face the global challenges of the 21st century."

See related story, "UC named one of the UC named one of the top 10 'coolest' schools in battle against global warming."

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