University of California-San Diego Principles of Sustainability

Type: Policy

Status: In effect

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Text:

UC San Diego strives to practice and promote the principle of sustainability, which we define as taking from the Earth only what it can provide indefinitely, thus leaving future generations no less than we have access to ourselves.

The following draft "Principles of Sustainability" marks the beginning of a series of conversations between members of the Advisory Committee on Sustainability and the UC San Diego community.

We encourage you to join the conversation and share your thoughts on these sustainability principles.

The ultimate success of the university, the well-being of its constituents and the surrounding community, depend on our ability to achieve our research, education, and service missions while promoting sustainable behaviors and practices.

The university, therefore, establishes and acknowledges the following Principles of Sustainability in order to establish sustainability as a foundational value of the university, equivalent to the importance of diversity, free expression, and open inquiry set forth in the UCSD Principles of Community.

• We are committed to the creation of a sustainable relationship between human societies and the natural environment upon which we all depend.
• We recognize that sustainability is a key part of our mission, and that sustainability encompasses social, economic, and cultural interactions set within a supporting ecosystem.
• We recognize that UCSD can make vital contributions to sustainability solutions through its research, teaching, and operations.
• We encourage the development of academic programs to create sustainability solutions through research and experiential learning.
• We encourage the incorporation of sustainability concepts in all academic disciplines and across all levels of education and campus operations.
• We commit to conduct open, periodic assessments of UCSD’s progress toward sustainability to guide campus policy and decision making, and to openly communicate assessment results to the university community.

We are committed to the development and enforcement of policies that promote the fulfillment of these principles.