They learned to compost, plant succulents in recycled water bottles, appreciate the unseen beauty beneath the sea and conserve water. UC San Diego’s Earth Week participants rolled up their sleeves for various events April 19-25 to learn how to live more sustainably, while demonstrating UC San Diego’s commitment to protecting the planet.
At UC San Diego, Greek life embodies values of leadership, service, intellect and lifelong friendship. With 44 social Greek organizations on campus, students have the opportunity to find their niche, and take part in experiencing a 200-year-old tradition. In addition, one of the main missions of UC San Diego Greek chapters is to bridge their organizations with the institutional missions of the university. Most recently, students in campus Greek chapters have taken the initiative to establish Greeks United for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (GUIDE) in an effort to educate their fellow students on diversity issues and advocate for social justice and equity.
Looking out over the newly created Triton Ballpark, Rick Nowak, recalled his days of playing when the campus’s baseball field was accessible only by an unpaved road.
How do you explain—in just three minutes and to someone outside of your field—why you are researching the brain’s unconscious processing, or what you hope to learn from studying the diet of whales? That’s the challenge that UC San Diego graduate students took up at the second annual Grad SLAM competition, which concluded April 15. In addition to a prize of $2,500, the top winner will compete in the first-ever UC system-wide Grad SLAM in Oakland May 4.
For Chris Johnson and his fellow groundskeepers Andre Leon and Michael Scarry, growing their own trees and planting them on campus seemed like one of the most sustainable things they could do. It was this belief that led them to start making their own compost and growing their own plants in their spare time two years ago. Now, their efforts have earned them the first-ever grant from the Staff Sustainability Network, one of the campus’s newest staff associations and the only organization of its kind within the University of California system.
The University of California, San Diego will recognize Earth Week, April 19-25 with festivities which will include a trash sort, Earth Day fair, walking tours of campus sustainability initiatives and more. This year’s celebration is particularly important, as campus community members have a special call to action: Conserve water.
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