Go Green to Save Green!
PACES (Program for the Assessment and Certification for the Environment and Sustainability) is UCSB’s green office program that recognizes departments moving toward sustainability. We assess how departments currently apply ecological practices, raise awareness about campus policies and standard practices, and offer resources to help implement them. We also connect departments with knowledgeable stakeholders that can provide technical assistance to help implement new practices.
Certified Departments:
The following departments (among others) have participated in the PACES program:
- Materials Research Laboratory
- University Center Administration
- University Center Dining Services
- West Campus Children’s Center
- Isla Vista Tenants Union
- Associated Students Coastal Fund
- Associated Students Community Affairs Board
- Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
- College of Creative Studies
- College of Letters and Science
- English
- Geography
- Transportation and Parking Services
- Political Science
Benefits:
- Help keep campus utility bills low and reduce the need for budget cuts
- Reduce UCSB’s impact on the environment and promote sustainable living
- Support departments in complying with UCOP and UCSB Sustainability Policies
- Create a healthier and more comfortable workplace, increasing worker productivity
- Play a key role at UCSB by maintaining our national leadership as a steward of the planet
- Help your building earn a high certification within the USGBC LEEDTM process
- Receive recognition via campus-wide Green Awards
Measurable Accomplishments:
- Saving $45/year per computer by changing monitor settings
- Increasing waste diversion rate, from 47% to 60%
- Increasing graduate student and volunteer involvement in departments
- Regularly co-hosting energy audits with LabRATS, PowerSave Green Campus, and USGBC Students
- Regularly co-hosting composting workshops and waste audits with AS Recycling and the Bren Student Sustainability Committee
Process:
- Introduction: (15-30 min w/Business Officer) Overview of the program and the steps involved.
- Interview (w/Business Officer): (45 min) Questions in this stage will be geared toward departmental policies and programs. This will be completed through an interview or, if needed, an electronic survey.
- Data Collection: PACES will collect measurable data related to: communications/ training, energy, food, human health, purchasing, transportation, waste reduction and recycling, and water. Our methods include
- Walkthrough: We will evaluate departmentally controlled rooms, conducting a visual energy and waste audit, along with assessing sustainable practices. This will require access to each room for 2-3 minutes for visual assessments.
- Building Occupant Survey: (5-10min) We will send out an electronic survey to all building occupants to evaluate attitudes, behaviors, and understanding of current policies.
*Please note: If your department includes laboratories, we recommend you consider voluntarily participating in an assessment with our partner organization, LabRATS (Laboratory Research and Technical Staff), will assess them. For more information, visit: http://www.sustainability.ucsb.edu/labrats/
- Report and Presentation: (30 min - 1 hr) Once data from the assessment is compiled and summarized, PACES will offer a brief presentation on our findings and recommendations for department staff, faculty, and students. During the presentation, we will solicit feedback on goals and initiatives that the audience would like the department to commit to and that they, as building occupants, want to commit to.
- Draft Plan: PACES will draft a sustainability and climate action plan to help the department reduce its environmental impact. Goals and priorities brainstormed in the presentation will be included. The plan will not be put into effect until the department reviews, modifies, and approves the plan through the appropriate channels, as determined by the department.
- (Optional) Follow-up (condensed review after one year): We will deliver shortened surveys to the department in one year's time to gauge effectiveness of the program.
Certification/Awards:
Upon completion of the sustainability and climate action plan, the department will receive a certificate of recognition as a PACES Green Certified department. The department may also receive one of the following levels of certification, based on the department’s level of sustainability efforts as assessed by PACES. To maintain or improve levels of certification, departments are encouraged to complete a PACES assessment every five years.