Awards

1. Interactive Learning Pavilion - U.S. Building of the Year from World-Architects.
2. Platinum Award from the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly University
3. Interactive Learning Pavilion - Recipient of the Green Schools Honor Award by the Central Coast Green Building Council

1. Gold Certified Campus in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS (Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System)
2. Platinum Award from the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly University 
3. Certified Bee Campus USA Affiliate 
4. Katie Maynard, UCSB’s Professional Women’s Association, Unsung Heroine award
5. Food Security & Basic Needs, UCSB Division of Student Affairs, William J. Villa Departmental Service to Students Award

1. Gold Certified Campus in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS (Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System)
2. Platinum Award from the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly University
3. Certified Bee Campus USA Affiliate 
4. UCSB Ranked 10th in the 2022 Edition of the The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges

1. The League of American Bicyclists awarded UC Santa Barbara with its highest distinction: the title of Platinum-level Bike Friendly University.
2. In 2021, UC Santa Barbara was rated No. 16 on Sierra magazine’s list of “Coolest Schools.” The Sierra Club’s official publication recognizes over 200 colleges and universities.
3. In 2021, UC Santa Barbara achieved our fourth AASHE STARS Gold rating. Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge relative progress toward sustainability (including its social, economic, and environmental components).
4. The Green Electronics Council (GEC) recognized UC Santa Barbara as a 2021 EPEAT Purchaser Award Winner, in recognition of leadership in sustainable electronics procurement.

1. The League of American Bicyclists awarded UC Santa Barbara with its highest distinction: the title of Platinum-level Bike Friendly University. 
2. The Green Electronics Council (GEC) recognized University of California Santa Barbara as a 2020 EPEAT Purchaser Award Winner, in recognition of our leadership in sustainable electronics procurement. 
3. In September 2019, UCSB was rated No. 43 on Sierra magazine’s list of “Coolest Schools.” The Sierra Club’s official publication recognizes 201 colleges and universities.
4. CHESC Best Practice Award in Interdisciplinary Academics (2020) for UC-CSU NXTerra – California’s New Climate Crisis Teaching Tool - UC-CSU NXTerra Co-Director Dr. John Foran is a distinguished UCSB Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies.
5. CHESC Best Practice Award for Sustainability Innovations as a Multi-campus Partnership (2020) - UC Santa Barbara and UC Los Angeles - Merging Social and Environmental Sustainability in UC Supply Chains

1. The League of American Bicyclists has recognized UCSB as a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly University (BFU). The campus has held this designation since 2011, when the award program was first launched. 
2. UC Santa Barbara received a Two-Star EPEAT Purchaser Award from the Green Electronics Council for its leadership in the procurement of sustainable IT products (Full Announcement). UC Santa Barbara was recognized for its purchases in two IT product categories: PCs and Displays, and Imaging Equipment.
3. The campus received a Cool Planet Award from Southern California Edison (SCE) and The Climate Registry.
4. UCSB won a 2019 best practice award in sustainable food service for Housing, Dining, and Auxiliary Enterprises’ Miramar Food Pantry. 
5. Sustainability Coordinator, Katie Maynard, was awarded the UC Sustainability Champion Award at the 2019 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference.

1. In 2018 the Campus won a Best Practice Award in   renewable energy for this project from the
   CHESC Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards competition.
2. In May 2018, the Green Electronics Council (GEC) who manages the EPEAT ecolabel, announced UC Santa Barbara as a winner of the 2018 EPEAT Purchaser Award.

1. The League of American Bicyclists has recognized UCSB as a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly University (BFU). The campus has held this designation since 2011, when the award program was first launched.
2. UCSB won a 2016 Best Practice Award in the annual Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Awards contest presented at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) for the Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building Advanced Lighting and Controls Project.
3. In September 2017, UCSB was rated No. 49th on Sierra magazine’s list of “Coolest Schools.” The Sierra Club’s official publication recognizes 201 colleges and universities. In 2016 UCSB was rated No. 29.
4. In September 2017, UCSB was rated No. 22 on The Princeton Review Guide to 361 Green Colleges. In 2016 UCSB was rated No. 13.
5. We achieved our third AASHE STARS Gold rating in November 2016.
6. In July of 2017 UCSB was named as a Finalist for the 2017 Climate Leadership Awards Presented by Second Nature.

1. UCSB won a 2016 Best Practice Award in the annual Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Awards contest presented at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) for the Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building Advanced Lighting and Controls Project.
2. Named a Gold Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists
   • List of 2015 Awardees
3. UCSB ranked 13 in the Princeton Review Guide to 361 Green Colleges

1. UCSB Named Greenest Public University in U.S. by Online Schools Center
2. UCSB was awarded 3 Best Practice Awards at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference in the categories of Waste Reduction, Monitoring-Based Commissioning and Sustainability Innovations.

1. Named a Gold Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists
2. Received National Recognition for leading the way in water conservation by the Earth Day Network
3. UCSB Extension’s Green Building Program earned the coveted U.S. Green Building Council’s education award
4. UCSB received one of the highest scores (99) in the Princeton Review’s Green Rating and was named to the 2014 “Green Rating Honor Roll.” The Company tallied the rating for 832 institutions, based on its institutional surveys of colleges in 2012-13 concerning their environmentally related practices, policies, and academic offerings.
5. In August 2014, UCSB was rated No. 24 on Sierra magazine’s list of “Coolest Schools.” The Sierra Club’s official publication recognizes 162 colleges and universities that are creating solutions to climate problems and are making huge strides to operate sustainably.
6. UCSB received a Gold rating under STARS (Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System), a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to use to measure their sustainability performance and which is maintained by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
7. Ranked number 53 on The Daily Meal’s list of the 75 Best Colleges for Food in America
8. UCSB placed 2nd in the Alliance to Save Energy’s annual Campus Conservation National energy savings competition. UCSB saved over 5,700 kWh in this competition against 23 other Southern California schools.
9. UCSB was ranked 4th on the list of the top 25 healthiest colleges in the nation by Greatest, an online health and fitness media start-up

1. UC Santa Barbara won the 2013 Best Practice Award in the category of Water Efficiency and Site Water Quality for its innovative Water Action Plan. The Water Action Plan evaluates water use and provides strategies for reducing water consumption. It provides holistic insights and solutions for various types of water: potable, non-potable, reclaimed, wastewater, stormwater, and gray water. UCSB staff collaborated with students from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management to produce the plan, which doubled as the students’ master’s thesis. They collected and analyzed water data to help shape recommendations, giving them the opportunity to implement their academic experiences in the field. The Water Action Plan also incorporates understanding of watersheds into the academic curriculum and educational outreach campaigns to the campus community.
2. Received an award from the California Central Coast chapter of U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in the category of Resource Efficiency for construction waste minimization and a 90% waste diversion rate in the creation of the North Campus Faculty Housing Phase I.
3. The University of California’s Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN) was awarded the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) in the field of Green Chemistry.  The UC CEIN earned the award for their nanotechnology environmental health and safety efforts.  Since its inception in 2008, the UC CEIN has become a world-class research facility focused on the responsible use and safe implementation of nanotechnology in the environment.  UC CEIN is widely respected globally for implementation of novel approaches to assess nanomaterial properties that determine hazard, environmental exposure, and impact on marine and terrestrial ecosystems.  These efforts have helped create a paradigm shift for investigating nanomaterial hazard and risk at a scale commensurate with the rate of new nanomaterial development.
4. UC Santa Barbara received two awards during the Green Business Program Luncheon in February 2013 hosted by Santa Barbara County’s Green Business Program.  The Southern California Gas Company awarded UCSB with the Energy Smart Award for UCSB’s commitment to energy efficiency as well as a Certificate of Participation for UCSB’s participation in  its energy efficiency programs.  In 2011, UCSB’s participation in Southern California Gas Company’s energy efficiency programs saved an estimated 55,326 therms of gas and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 647,314 pounds.

Awards:

1. STARS 1.2 Gold (May 2012)
2. UC Wide Best Practice Award in Sustainable Innovations (Central Coast Sustainability Summit – at the time named “south coast” sustainability summit, 150 attendees) from the California Higher Education Sustainability.
3. Root 217 won a Best Practices Award at the CHESC conference this past June and has been featured in two trade journals, “Food Service Equipment” and ”Foodservice Director’s Magazine.”
4. In 2011, UCSB Received a Bicycle Friendly Business Gold Award from the League of American Bicyclists.
5. In 2011 and 2012, UCSB was recognized as “Climate Efficient” as part of the Southern California Edison Cool Planet Program.
6. In May 2012, UCSB was cited as one of the 10 Most Bike-Friendly Campuses Across America by Best Colleges Online.
7. Associated Students/Student Life “Group Achievement Award” to Compost Pilot Project (June 2012).
8. Plastics Pollution Coalition (coalition of 19 organizations) received a best practice award from the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference
9. UC Wide Best Practice Award in Water Efficiency and Site Water Quality was provided to UCSB’s San Nicolas wetland and library mall.

Certifications:

1. Received two LEED-EBOM Gold certifications: San Clemente Villages and Ellison Hall, both under the Portfolio Program, for a total of 12 LEED-EB buildings on campus, more than any college or university in the nation.
2. Received 22 LEED for Homes certifications for 2011 North Campus Faculty Housing-Phase 1 (8 Silver and 14 Gold).
3. Four Santa Barbara County Green Business Certifications (one for each of our four dining commons)
4. Six Santa Barbara County Green Business Certifications – Coral Tree Café, UCen Catering, UCen Central Kitchen, The Arbor, The Store at Buchanan, The Cornerstore.

Publications:

1. Featured in an article on surplus chemical programs in the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety, Volume 19, Issue 1, January–February 2012, Pages 12–22; “Secrets revealed: Chemical surplus sharing at colleges and universities.”
2. Published a paper in collaboration with The Department of Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and UC Davis on fume hood sash closure stickers: “Fume Hood Sash Stickers Increase Laboratory Safety and Efficiency at Minimal Cost: Success at two University of California Campuses.”
3. Referenced in an article in the Scientist Magazine July 2011: “How Green Is My Lab?”

Grants:

UCSB Sustainability has received many grants through the following funds that have helped with the inception and implementation of innovative and successful projects:

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)

Coastal Fund