Appropriately, Chancellor Yang unveiled the executive summary of the first UCSB Campus Sustainability Plan on Earth Day. In so doing, he paid tribute to the Department of Geography as an example 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,” and he expressed appreciation to all those who have been involved, including our own Mo Lovegreen, Executive Officer of the Subcommittee on Sustainability.
The executive summary of the Campus Sustainability Plan includes a mission statement, goals, and objectives and is conceived of as a working document to be updated on a regular basis: “The Campus Sustainability Plan is a dynamic document intended to provide a roadmap for major steps toward achieving sustainability over the next 20 years. Nine functional areas have been identified (Academics and Research, Built Environment, Energy, Food, Landscape/Biotic Environment, Procurement, Transportation, Waste, and Water), and campus groups have developed a series of recommendations, goals, objectives and benchmarks over a one, five, and twenty year timeframe” (see for the complete text).
Editor’s note: Earth Day began in 1970 as a grassroots movement to promote awareness about environmental conservation and pollution, and it has evolved into an international movement with political and corporate overtones. For a time line of Earth Day’s evolution, see http://www.epa.gov/earthday/history.htm.
