Newswise — As University of California San Diego students start school, they'll walk on new carpet and sit on furniture made from recycled material, drink from reusable water bottles, eat with a full line of recyclable food service products and register in some of the universities' 80 green seminars, workshops and courses. The greening of UC San Diego's campus this fall is a part of the university's drive to be one of the greenest universities and to train a new generation of leaders in sustainable living.
Green Move-In Day: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday Sept. 17 -- Sixth College, one of the six colleges at UC San Diego, will opt for an online check-in system. The system is an alternative to the paper forms usually distributed to students who move into the dorm rooms. Students will be given a reusable water bottle to use throughout the school year, and Housing, Dining, Hospitality will give students discounts on drinks when they bring their bottles to the dining halls. Green Campus interns will provide students eco-friendly compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to reduce the campus's use of electricity. Large recycling dumpsters will be strategically positioned throughout housing areas so students can recycle as they move in.
Green Dorms: Freshmen at Sixth College will move into renovated dorms that are equipped with solar thermal heating and new carpet and furniture made from recycled material. The student residences also will have low-flow shower heads and energy-efficient lighting. In addition, each on-campus apartment will be equipped with a bucket of eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
Green Orientation: 7 a.m., Thursday Sept. 19 through 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 -- Warren College Orientation will take place over three days and is filled with several green-themed activities. Orientation leaders, playing a major role in Warren College's green efforts, will teach new students how to recycle and will discuss eco-friendly decorating tips. Warren College is working with Housing, Dining, Hospitality to provide reusable water bottles for all incoming students who attend orientation. With over 1,000 students expected to attend orientation this year, Warren will save over 2,000 plastic water bottles from ending up in the trash, along with the 3,000 liters of water and 500 liters of oil that would be used to manufacture the bottles. A power point presentation on green jobs also is part of the orientation.
Sustainability Social 'Take One': 4:30 p.m., Tuesday Sept. 23 " This event at the Student Services Center will introduce new students to UC San Diego's sustainability efforts and will teach them how to get involved in green student organizations. Following the mixer, students will participate in a town hall where they'll talk about the year ahead. Organic and vegetarian food will be served.
Composting: Starting Monday, Sept. 22 " Compost bins have been set up in the dining halls, and educational signs will encourage students to sort recycling, compost and trash for uneaten items. Housing, Dining Hospitality's goal is to roll out a campus-wide composting program that will help fertilize the plants and trees around campus. In addition, Catering and Dining Services will feature a full line of compostable food service products from Eco-Products Inc., including corn cups, straws, hot cups, cup lids, cutlery, food containers and other compostable items.
Light Bulb Exchanges: Various times and dates, all Colleges -- The Green Campus Interns will replace regular incandescent light bulbs with CFLs. The exchanges will take place at several of the colleges' student fairs and during the college move-in days. CFLs use 60 percent less energy than regular light bulbs. The simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every household in the U.S. made the switch, the country would reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds.
Green Classes: starting Thursday, Sept. 25 -- UC San Diego will emphasize a wide range of sustainability concepts in dozens of classes and seminars ranging from global warming and consumerism to alternative energy, all taught by some of the university's most distinguished faculty. UC San Diego is offering more than 80 green seminars, workshops and courses that cover sustainability issues this fall. Throughout the year, nearly 200 courses are offered with sustainability-related content, and new green classes are being added each quarter.
Fall Festival on the Green: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 " An abundance of green rushing will take place at the Fall Festival on the Green along Library Walk. At the event, over 100 student organizations will set up tables to share information and attract new members. In addition, there will be live entertainment and performances, prize giveaways and free food. Eco-friendly groups such as Greeks Gone Green, Green Campus, Habitat for Humanity, The Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots, the Compostables, One Earth One Justice and the Student Environment Sustainability Committee will work to recruit new students.
Sustainability Social and Green Dance Revolution: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15 -- The Loft is partnering with campus' environmental action groups to talk about the benefits of sustainability and socialize with other eco-friendly folks. It's an opportunity for students to kick off the year with a party and meet and greet with the campus environmental action groups. The Loft, which opens Sept. 25, will feature printed pieces (postcards, CD jackets, journals) on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. In addition, all merchandise is going to be printed on organic cotton and the venue will always offer organic food and drinks.
Environmental Forum: From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday October 15 and 16 " The Housing, Dining, Hospitality sustainability group will host a Environmental Forum at the Price Center for on-campus residents to discuss their environmental interests and ways that students can get involved in the campus's sustainability efforts.
Across the campus, collaborative efforts result in a multitude of research, academic and operations projects that make UC San Diego a world leader in climate change solutions. Symbolizing the university's status as one of the greenest universities, the campus this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Keeling Curve, the first measurement of greenhouse gas build-up, which was conducted by Charles David Keeling of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
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