Get Involved

The Student Sustainability Collective seeks to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony. It works to fulfill the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations. The most widely quoted definition internationally is that sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The sustainability-oriented student organization promotes sustainable development, activism and progress through education, technical cooperation and capacity building at UC San Diego. The achievement of sustainable development requires the integration of its economic, environmental, and social components at all levels. This is facilitated by continuous dialogue and action in cooperative partnership, focusing on the key, dynamic sustainable development issues.

The following are opportunities that students can seek out if they would like get involved environmentally, socially, or both. All meetings are open to the public and are held in the Sustainability Resource Center.

If you have any comments, questions, concerns or just want to let us know about a great idea, feel free to email us at sscucsd@gmail.com.

For more information and instant updates, follow us on Instagram @sscucsd.

Campaign Working Groups

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 enhancing the availability of fair trade, cruelty-free, and sustainably packaged products in campus markets. We are researching the areas where UCSD has not met its 2019 Climate Action Planning goals. Additionally we are pushing to encourage students to upcycle and donate old clothes and other goods, preventing them from ending up in landfills.

Projects:

  • The Swap and Upcycling Fair:
    • Aims to encourage students to buy second hand and buy locally, as well as, divert waste by mending and fixing the items they already have
  • The Climate Action Plan (CAP)
    • Keep UCSD accountable to their commitments of reducing fossil-fuel emission and increasing their efforts of sustainability starts at an official statement
    • Get UCSD on a sustainability timeline to measure what UCSD is actively achieving.

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.

Projects:
  • 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

The Public Health campaign will be working on increasing basic healthcare access and expanding the scope of health education to UCSD undergraduate students.

Projects:

  • Reopening the AS Wellness Vending Machine alongside the AS Office of Health and Wellbeing
  • Starting the health education perspective series "Tick Talks: Public Health Crises and What You Can Do About Them" targeting towards increasing awareness of local public health crises for UCSD students
  • Hosting public health informational events based around physical wellness (nutrition, menstrual care, etc.)

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

Internships and Hiring

Thank you for your interest in the Student Sustainability Collective! The Collective is dedicated to serving the university community by providing resources, support, and space to foster an active culture of responsibility for environmental and social justice on campus and in the community. We advocate for sustainability through policy development/implementation and awareness campaigns. We are located in the Sustainability Resource Center (located next to Price Center Theatre in PC Plaza).

Email: sscucsd@gmail.com

The SSC envisions a socio-economically just world made of clean and healthy environments sustained through individuals and communities equitably sharing resources, responsibilities, and power.

The 2022-2024 Cycle 15 intern application is now closed.

SSC Internship Program

SSC Interns are required to have two weekly office hours in the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC), to attend weekly staff meetings (4:00-6:00pm Tuesdays), and to meet with their director as the director sees fit. Additionally, we require participation in one of our seven main projects (Transportation Justice, Water, Energy and Waste, Corporate Accountability, Civil & Human Rights, Public Health). Interns will also be expected to attend mandatory Winter Retreat. The estimated weekly time commitment will be 5-7 hours a week.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at sscusd@gmail.com or to come by the SRC anytime from 11 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday to chat with a current staff member.

Hiring

Job Description for ALL SSC Director Positions

All SSC members work in partnership to actualize SSC-wide campaigns and projects, manage the Sustainability Resource Center, and maintain healthy Collective dynamics through shared leadership. The SSC Cycle 15 director apps are now closed.

Time Commitment

  • Commitment of 15-20 hours per week at $150/week stipend. Must pay UC registration fees each quarter while working.
  • Participate in mandatory 2-hour weekly staff meetings
  • Participate in at least 2 weekly Working Group meeting
  • Attend at least 3 office hours per week in the SRC
  • Attend mandatory quarterly staff retreats
  • Must be available on occasional evenings and weekends

Responsibilities

  • Hold a voting role in decisions pertaining to operations, activities, and events including, but not limited to, budget allocations and staff hiring
  • Participate in developing internal documents and procedures of the SSC
  • Build and maintain connections with students, staff, and faculty members who are allies to the SSC
  • Assist in facility maintenance including, but not limited to, basic cleaning, furniture rearrangements, and supply inventory
  • Submit quarterly and end-of-year evaluations of your collective experience to give an overall assessment of your position and provide recommendations for future improvements
  • Provide support to Sustainability Program Office staff and interns in order to maintain a collaborative relationship within the Sustainability Resource Center
  • Complete summer coursework and reading by the beginning of the academic year in order to prepare for working as a director and to familiarize yourself with environmental and social justice issues

Professionalism and Collaboration

  • Bring an open mind to SSC meetings and respect community values and guidelines
  • Fully engage in activities that facilitate holistic development, which may involve personal and emotional investments beyond job-specific duties
  • Engage in one-on-one meetings with fellow SSC members;
  • Work with fellow directors to stay up-to-date on all collective activities and maintain accountability within the collective structure
  • ~Other duties as agreed upon by the Collective

View specific director descriptions.

Visit us at the Sustainability Resource Center between 11 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday to catch an SSC member during office hours– we'd love to meet you and talk to you about our experience in the Collective!

Volunteer Opportunities

Interested in Volunteering with the SSC?

Volunteers help out with our events and projects while learning more about the SSC

Sign up to be apart of our volunteer team here: https://forms.gle/fh2tisWZU1aQuc6o7

 

Other Environmental Sustainability Organizations

Organization Contact
Econauts majorplanet@ucsd.edu
Food Co-op food.cooperative@gmail.com
Greeks Gone Green gggucsd@gmail.com
Global Environmental Brigades ucsdgeb@globalbrigades.org
Power Save Green Campus ucsdpowersavecampus@gmail.com
The Sustainable Food Project cmwhitfield23@gmail.com
Renewable Energy Society at UCSD resucsd@gmail.com
Engineers for a Sustainable World esw.ucsd@gmail.com
Student Sustainability Collective sscucsd@gmail.com
Roger's Community Garden http://ncgardenucsd.com
Surfrider Club sshifrin@ucsd.edu
Ecology, Behavior and Evolution Club at UCSD ebeclub@ucsd.edu
Global Water Brigades gwb@ucsd.edu
UCSD USGBC Students usgbc@ucsd.edu
Biofuels Awareness Action Network https://sites.google.com/site/ucsdbaan/

Social Sustainability Organizations

Organization Contact
Che Café http://thechecafe.blogspot.com
General Store Co-op gstorecoop@gmail.com
Groundwork Books Collective groundworkbookscollective@yahoo.com
People for the Elimination of Animal
Cruelty through Education
ucsdpeace@gmail.com
AVP Environmental and Social Justice avpenvironmental@ucsd.edu
Collective Effort for Justice collectiveeffort4justice@gmail.com
Students for a Sustainable Peace studentsforsustainablepeace@gmail.com
Human Rights Organization HumanRightsatUCSD@gmail.com
Multicultural Coexistence http://ucsdmcce.weebly.com/
Alternative Breaks @UCSD abatucsd@gmail.com
Growth International Volunteer Excursions give@ucsd.edu
Engineers Without Borders at UCSD ewb.ucsd@gmail.com
Public Health Brigades ucsdphb@globalbrigades.org
Global Health Initiative Student Advisory Board gph-ghi@ucsd.edu