Take 10 with a Triton: Carrie Metzgar is Chasing STARS

Years she has worked at UC San Diego: Metzgar joined the university about eight months ago. Prior to starting in this new role, she served as the Senior Sustainability Planner at UC Irvine for six years.   

What she does at UC San Diego: “I have the pleasure of leading and facilitating UC San Diego’s overall campus sustainability efforts including strategic planning, climate action work and reporting,” Metzgar said. “I am based in the Office of Utilities and Sustainability, but collaborate more widely with the ecosystem of individuals, groups and departments contributing to overall campus sustainability efforts.”

In addition to providing annual campus sustainability data to the University of California, Metzgar is focused on a global rating system for sustainability in higher education, the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Roughly 1,000 institutions across the world participate in AASHE STARS, which encompasses 20 topic areas with more than 1,200 quantitative and qualitative measurements. Metzgar highlighted that at UC Irvine, she worked with 200 people across the campus to compile the information for the report.  

“The STARS score and rating for UC San Diego is based on a comprehensive evaluation of overall sustainability performance including scientific research, sustainability programs, academic courses, community engagement and campus operations,” she noted. “There are so many amazing sustainability efforts taking place on this campus and we want to be sure to capture them all.”

To ensure our campus can comprehensively showcase all current sustainability efforts, Metzgar is encouraging all UC San Diego students, staff, faculty and alumni to participate in a survey which will close on Sunday, May 5, 2024. UC San Diego will submit our report in the summer, and receive our rating in the fall.

Although she is tracking our sustainability efforts, showing how we can make progress and celebrating wins, Metzgar has a larger goal in mind, “Through this work, I hope to embed and integrate the value of sustainability into everyday decisions, processes, practices and experience of students, staff and faculty.”

What she loves about UC San Diego: “I love the Triton community,” she said. “My position enables me to have a unique opportunity to interact with students, staff and faculty from nearly all parts of campus and I have quickly noticed how much people genuinely care about sustainability or are curious and eager to learn more. The extensive support for this work empowers me to make a difference.”

Best advice she has received: She once coordinated an event with Jane Goodall as the speaker. During her remarks, Goodall stated, “Each one of us matters, has a role to play and makes a difference. Show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other.” Metzgar emphasized that her passion for sustainability is driven by her sense of hope for the future, but also her connections with the people around her, “Each one of us does truly matter when striving for a more sustainable future. Small actions, when multiplied, have a ripple effect for inspiring collective action.”

Something unique in her workspace: Metzgar keeps a photo from her childhood that is a constant reminder of her sustainability journey. “It is a photo of the treehouse I built with my family when I was eight years old,” she shared. “I sketched the design of the treehouse so that no branches or trees would be damaged, building around the trunk of the tree and its branches, ensuring space was left to allow for continuous tree growth. All materials used were repurposed and recycled. Little did I know my career would one day be focused on sustainable planning!”

Her favorite spot on campus: She loves the Climate Action Lab, appropriately located in the LEED Platinum Certified North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. “It is a beautiful, collaborative space for hosting events, leading classes and meeting with organizations,” she said. “Utilities and Sustainability hosts several events in this space, but we also take advantage of the Price Center, where we will hold the Climate Conversations series this quarter. Engaging in dialogue with the campus community helps guide the goals and actions for a climate-ready UC San Diego.”

Something most people don’t know about her: Metzgar previously lived abroad in Australia and England. “Those times in my life were some of the most pivotal experiences in shaping my future career pathway,” she recalled. “While seeking a global understanding of the subject, I was inspired to return home to Southern California, apply what I learned and make a difference locally.”

If she had one day to do whatever she wanted: She cherishes days that include nature, good food and friends and family, “I would wake-up and go for a long run, enjoy a breakfast burrito and coffee from my favorite local coffee shop, then ride my bike to the beach to spend time on the sand and in the waves with family and friends.”