The Green Initiative Fund chose 14 projects this year, awarding a total of $168,398 to help make UCSB a greener campus. A big thanks to the student population whose fees make the implementation of these projects possible, and to the TGIF committee for their dedication to this great program. See below for summaries of each project you can expect to see completed over the next academic year:


Healthy Beverage Initiative (HBI) Hydration Stations ($24,340)
TGIF is funding the installation of 6 hydration stations as a partial match to the 22 hydration stations that HBI secured funding for from UC Human Resources.  TGIF funding, will be used to install hydration stations at Theater and Dance on the 1st floor of HSSB, the Baseball Stadium, EEMB in North Hall, and Sociology and Global Studies in SMSS. These are all student centered academic departments and athletic spaces with high foot traffic. The Healthy Beverage Initiative aims to support students, staff, faculty, and campus administration to reconsider beverage choices in terms of both what we are consuming and the environmental impact of single use containers.  


Storke Apartments Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ($12,050)
The Storke Apartments Electric Vehicle Charging stations project will provide accessible, cost effective, charging capabilities within the West Neighborhood apartments for students, families, and visitors to Family Student Housing (FSH). Moving towards EV usage will help reduce the need for fossil fuels, especially as UC Santa Barbara and California increase the percentage of renewable energy to the electric grid. 


Energy Efficient Window Film in the Ombuds Office ($3,382)
Funds will be used to install reflective coating on South facing windows in the Ombuds office, which will help to maintain and enhance both comfort and confidentiality, while reducing the energy required to maintain this environment. This project has the potential to reduce the incoming solar energy by 61% (source, 3M). The sun control window film also rejects 99% of harmful UV light while increasing privacy for visitors. 


LED lights for campus plant growth chamber facilities ($17,050)
TGIF awarded matching funding for energy-saving upgrades towards two new plant growth chambers, to incorporate LED growth lights into the instrument design. The LED upgrades eliminate labor, bulb-changeout time, and the generation of mercury-containing wastes required by fluorescent and halogen lights. Furthermore, they reduce greenhouse gas emissions (57,700 lbs/yr for both units) and provide astonishing energy savings ($8774/yr for both units) as compared to the older technology which is default on these units. 


The C3JN and UCSB Environmental and Climate Justice Hub (EJCJ Hub) ($13,800)
The Central Coast Climate Justice Network (C3JN) and UCSB Environmental and Climate Justice Hub (EJCJ Hub) have partnered on a scholar-activist research collaboration rooted in climate and environmental justice. The overarching purpose of this collaboration is to cultivate a practice of scholar-activism in Santa Barbara focused on developing research skills and leadership for environmental and climate justice. A newly formed ‘lab space’ at UCSB, under EJ/CJ, is the hub of this collaboration, consisting of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from departments across campus. In this lab, students have the opportunity to work in teams on projects with organizations in C3JN, participate in a series of workshops on scholar-advocacy methods, learn more about key environmental and climate justice issues along California’s Central Coast, and receive guidance on making academic research publicly accessible, legible, and relevant. Funding from TGIF will be used primarily to fund undergraduate student researchers.

 
TGIF Irrigation Improvements for Pardall ($11,000)
Funding will be used to extend recycled water infrastructure to 17,540 ft2 of turf, and 41,762 ft2 of ornamental shrubs, that are currently being irrigated with potable water. This project will save 655,829 gallons of potable water annually.


TGIF Alternative Vehicle Incentive Program ($12,500)
This year’s committee has awarded $12,500 to the Alternative Vehicle Incentive Program. The program offers departments a ~10% rebate on their purchase of an alternatively fueled vehicle. Offering an additional incentive helps push departmental car buyers away from making the mistake of purchasing conventional gas powered vehicles instead of EVs/hybrids, or greener options. 


Early Childhood Educators for Water Resource Education ($4,900)
TGIF Funding will be used to purchase an ENERGY STAR certified Lamber DSP4DPS dishwasher (estimated savings of 5,000 gallons of water) for the Orfalea Family Children's Center and to support water conservation curriculum.


Lotte Lehmann Sustainable Lighting Initiative ($23,961)
The Department of Music will use the funding to begin transitioning the existing on-stage theatrical lighting in Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall (LLCH) to a more modern and energy-efficient system. This is the first phase in a multi-phase plan to eventually replace each current fixture with a safer, more capable, and longer lasting commensurate LED instrument. In addition to saving approximately 126,256 kWh annually, this project will also improve the quality of light, and reduce the amount of labor hours put in by the department’s technical staff, as they will no longer need to work at-height in a lift to replace color gels or lamps. 


Improving electrical efficiency on the Santa Cruz Island Reserve ($7,070)
As an off-grid location, the majority of the Santa Cruz Islands Reserve’s electric use comes from solar arrays or a gas-powered backup generator when solar is unavailable. One of the largest single sources of electrical draw on the Reserve’s solar power comes from outdated and inefficient refrigerators that support both research and class users, as well as staff. TGIF funding will be utilized to purchase six new Energy-Star refrigerators, transport the old refrigerators off-island for proper recycling, and transport of the new refrigerators to the island for installation. This project will not only reduce generator gas costs and emissions, it will reduce the cost and emissions associated with transportation of fuel from the mainland to the reserve.


Building clean energy, electric transportation infrastructure at UCSB’s VESR ($4,947)
TGIF has awarded matching funding for the installation of two Level-2 electric vehicle charging stations at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) to support the growing need for clean low cost transportation at this remote UCSB facility. The charging stations will be available to all students, researchers and visitors to the reserves, where there is currently no alternatives for efficient car charging. 


Autoclaves Across the Campus - Retrofit for Water Efficiency ($3,616)
Most modern autoclaves utilize a large amount of water, TGIF funding will be used to purchase and install WaterEco Basic units which drastically reduce the water consumed by the autoclave.


 LED Retrofit of UCSB Recreation Center Tennis Court Lights ($27,327)
TGIF has awarded matching funding to the Department of Recreation to retrofit the current light fixtures at the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Recreation Center tennis courts with LED lights (OSQ High Output - 40L). There are 46 tennis court light fixtures over six tennis courts that are on from dusk to midnight. This retrofit will not only reduce UCSB’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 39,000 pounds CO2e annually, it will also save money for the Recreation Center from reduced energy use, and save time and money for Facilities Management from reduced maintenance. The Recreation Center is an auxiliary facility at UC Santa Barbara - meaning they pay their own energy bill from student service fees - so the efficiencies that come out of this project will directly benefit the students who pay student services fees.


CHESC ($2,475)
TGIF funding will be used to cover registration costs for 33 UCSB students to attend the 2020 California Higher Education virtual Sustainability Conference (CHESC). This conference brings in over 700 people from UC, CSU, CCC, and private colleges from all around the state to highlight proven best practices in sustainability. Topics include green building, energy, water efficiency, social equity, waste management, sustainable procurement, sustainability in curriculum, transportation, and more.