Get Involved

Civil and Human Rights

The Civil and Human Rights campaign focuses on the intersection between sustainability and social justice. Currently we are working towards being more active in the San Diego community through an off-campus community garden. We also are working to support unhoused students here at UC San Diego.

Projects:

• We will be collaborating with Mundo Gardens in South San Diego to develop a new community garden in South San Diego where there is a food desert. We believe access to food is a human right.
• We will be connecting with the Homelessness Hub on campus and OTTA United to help support unhoused people on the UCSD campus.

Corporate Accountability

The Corporate Accountability campaign focuses on identifying areas where UC San Diego falls short in promoting sustainability and reducing emissions, particularly concerning the well-being of its students. Currently efforts are directed toward creating a Sustainable Action Plan to ensure purchases made by the Associated Students are in line with ethical standards such as supporting small businesses, Black-owned businesses, migrant-owned businesses, and sustainability-focused businesses. In addition, we are pushing to encourage students to upcycle and donate old clothes and goods, learn about sustainable alternatives to commonly used products, and provide students with fresh fruits and vegetables through a Free Farmer's Market.  

Projects 

• AS Sustainable Action Plan 

  • Requiring purchases made through the Associated Students to reach a minimum “community investment” requirement, including purchasing from small businesses and avoiding “divestment” companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and Disney

  • Requiring members of AS UCSD to follow Waste Reduction Protocols 

• Ethical Consumption Fair 

  • Provide students with exposure to sustainable alternatives to products they use in their everyday lives 

• Swap Meet & Upcycling Fair 

  • Opportunity for students to buy, sell, donate, and repair clothing and other items 

• Free Farmer’s Market 

  • Collaborating with UCSD’s College Councils to provide students with fresh fruits and vegetables, all free of charge

Energy and Waste

The Energy and Waste campaign works on waste reduction in inorganics like batteries, plastic wrappers, or pens through specialty recycling pop-ups. We collaborate with energy focused labs. We also do San Diego outreach to inform students of waste reduction initiatives in the region.

Projects:

• Specialty recycling pop-up
• Free refill station and sewing machine mending stations in the SRC
• Smart plugs scavenger hunt
• Transition to AS Zero Waste events
• San Diego community service events

Food Justice

The Food Justice campaign addresses all things in the intersection of sustainability and food: food waste, food insecurity, sustainable food, and food justice. We do this by holding events, creating educational resources and post, connecting food stakeholders on campus, running programs, and advocating for change within the University food system.

• Food Waste: 
  • SSC Food Scrap Drop-Off Program: recruit as participants as possible, involve all volunteers interested in supporting the program, and collect as many food scraps as possible with the food justice resources offered by all the food orgs on campus, in addition to creating a sense of community and collaboration among all the food orgs.
  • Advocate for a mandatory organic waste recycling/ edible food recovery plan section in the event planning process
  • Push for non-HDH vendors to comply with composting mandates put forth by SB1383
  • Give students dorm food waste reduction tips
• Food Security:
  • Food Justice Expo: Connect as many students as possible with the food justice resources offered by all the food orgs on campus, in addition to creating a sense of community and collaboration among all the food orgs
  • Promote the UCSD Food Guide made by USP 142C: Sustainable Food Systems as a resource that students can use to familiarize themselves with their newly found independence over their food
• Sustainable Food:
  • Collaborate with Transportation Director to make Reels that show how to take public transportation to different farmers' markets around San Diego
  • Vegan Cook-Off: Host 1 themed cook-off per quarter that gives students a chance to try their hand at vegan cooking, share recipes with others, and be in community with students who are passionate about environmentally-conscious eating
• General Advocacy:
  • Participate in the Sustainable Food Action Group with food stakeholders from HDH, UCEN, and faculty and represent student interests.
  • Create a Food Systems minor under the USP Department. This is my ESYS Senior Project. 

Public Health

• Project examples:
  • Developing and running a meal kit program to provide low-cost, healthy meal kits for students containing recipes, corresponding ingredients, and nutrition guidance.
  • Hosting interactive, informative events based around physical and mental wellness (e.g. healthy and sustainable cooking, sleep, sexual assault prevention, and environmental health awareness).
  • Expanding access to menstrual products in campus bathrooms, with a focus on reusable and sustainable products.
  • Expanding access to naloxone and other health products on campus.

Urban Development & Transportation Justice

The Urban Development and Transportation Justice Campaign focuses on raising more awareness of individual's role in transportation-related sustainability and organize events that encourages micro-mobility. The Campaign Director also actively participates in school-wide urban development meeting and voice student's concern there.

Projects:​

• Creating events with other organizations on campus to promote cleaner ways of transportation

• Working with outside of UC San Diego Orgs to create volunteer opportunities for students

Water

The Water campaign works to seek hands on volunteering, internship opportunities and community engagement opportunities that are related to improving water quality, equity and understanding what type of environmental injustices occur with our water resources.

Project:

• Work with local non-profits to clean up local waterways, and opportunities to connect with the community and fellow students