UCSB is a world-renowned institution with faculty members discovering and developing solutions that actively work to promote sustainability on a global front. The UCSB Sustainability’s Speakers Bureau is a platform that connects the university’s researchers with the local community. 

The goal of the bureau has been to create a directory of faculty who would be open to speaking about their research experience. UCSB faculty researchers have contributed considerable findings to the scholarly community in the fields of sciences and humanities. Currently, the UCSB faculty includes six Nobel Prize laureates, one Field Medalist, 29 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 27 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 31 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Leiden University in the Netherlands recently ranked UCSB as the #7 “best” university in the world for its research findings. In 2014, the Academic Ranking of World Universities listed UCSB’s engineering sciences as #7 worldwide. Additionally, the university has consistently received notable rankings from Times Higher Education and US News. It is no wonder that UCSB has been referred to as a “Public Ivy.”

UCSB was also ranked third of the nation’s top 50 “green schools” through a composite ranking that included a criteria of prestigious green ratings by Princeton Review, the Sierra Club, U.S. News & World Report, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Additional accolades include a silver rating for a “Bike Friendly Community” (silver rating) and a gold rating for a “Bike Friendly University” from the League of American Bicyclists, and for the breadth of its sustainability-centered academia. 

“We are home to the first LEED-certified building in the UC system and the first LEED Platinum certified laboratory facility in the country, one of the oldest environmental programs in the nation and one of the first ‘Green Funds,’ making it evident that the UCSB community has a strong dedication to sustainability,” said Jewel Snavely, campus sustainability coordinator for UCSB. “With more than 45 environmental related student organizations on our campus, students play a strong role in driving sustainability forward and pushing us to be a leader among universities. There is a culture of sustainability on this campus that you don’t find many other places, making it a pleasure to learn, work and live here.”

UCSB continues to be trailblazing university in terms of sustainability and environmental best-practices. The UCSB Sustainability Speakers Bureau hopes to connect the campus’ impressive resume of environmentalist and researchers to the greater community.