Reaching for the STARS

The grand opening of the Blue Line Trolley extension in 2021 also had a significant impact. Students, employees and community members gained direct access to the heart of campus via fast and cost-effective trolley service, enabling all to take advantage of the educational, cultural, employment and health care opportunities offered by UC San Diego. In 2023, total ridership to and from the two campus stations increased to nearly 2 million rides, indicating a nearly 60% increase year over year.

To ensure the campus showcased all current sustainability efforts, Campus Sustainability Officer Carrie Metzgar engaged with more than 100 UC San Diego students, staff and faculty from 75 campus departments. One goal was tracking the university’s sustainability efforts, but another was integrating the value of sustainability into everyday decisions, processes, practices and experiences of campus community members.

“Our STARS report is a testament to the power of collaboration and collective action,” said Metzgar. “Everyone plays a vital role in cultivating a culture of sustainability, and together, we’re creating a more sustainable, resilient and equitable campus.”

Campus operations also contribute to UC San Diego’s sustainability efforts. Over the last two decades, the university has made significant progress in reducing emissions with a one-third reduction since 2008, despite the campus growing by 50% in square footage and 40% in student enrollment. To support the campus’s growth while helping to meet its sustainability goals, UC San Diego has a flexible, resilient, reliable and secure energy distribution system to support continuous campus operations. One example of this is the central plant and distribution system – with its two gas-turbine generators the plant has reliably served electricity and thermal needs at about 25% of cost and has expanded its chiller capacity to meet increased cooling demands.

“Over the next year, we’re creating a sustainability and climate action plan that will outline the steps needed to meet our overall goals and a path toward achieving a 90% reduction in total emissions no later than 2045,” added Metzgar. “We’ll keep the campus informed of opportunities to get involved in the planning process.”

In addition to achieving a platinum rating, UC San Diego was recognized as a “top performer” in AASHE’s 2024 sustainable campus index for the large percentage and support of our research related to sustainability – a theme that has been part of UC San Diego’s strategic plan for years and will continue to be a priority in the plan update. From sharing how local governments can lead the way in decarbonizing the U.S. to helping at-risk communities adapt and thrive in the face of increasing heat waves and gaining a better understanding of how to successfully integrate more distributed energy sources into the power grid, researchers are at the forefront of  finding ways to better understand and protect the planet.

To learn more about UC San Diego’s sustainability efforts, visit the Sustainability website.

Learn more about research and education at UC San Diego in: Climate Change