Early Care & Education Gardening
We are the Early Care & Education Gardening team for the 2023-2024 school year. Our team is focused on developing a safe, accessible, and sustainable garden at the UCLA Krieger…
Sustainability Action Research
Plastic Policy Investigation
We are the Plastic Policy Investigation team for the 2023-2024 school year. Our team is conducting a study that seeks to assess the existing levels of adherence to the UCLA…
Reusable Container Study
We are the Reusable Container team for the 2023-2024 school year. Our team is conducting a study on the feasibility of implementing a reusable container program in UCLA dining locations…
Soil Health and Sustainable Landscaping
We are the Soil Health and Sustainable Landscaping team for the SAR 2023-2024 year. Our team is on a mission to explore the intricate world beneath our feet, exploring possible…
UCLA Health Waste Pilot Program
We are the Health Waste team for the 2023-2024 school year and are dedicated to researching the impacts of implementing a centralized waste system for non-medical waste in non-clinical areas…
Zero Waste Communication
We are the Zero Waste Communication team for the 2023-2024 school year. This year we are focusing on evaluating and piloting waste sorting signage in Ackerman Student Union. To do…
Arts and Architecture Team: Resource Acquisition and Waste Management Analysis of UCLA’s School of Arts and Architecture
The Arts and Architecture SAR team will work closely with Arts and Architecture students to perform an audit of supplies used by students throughout the duration of their degree. Methods may include interviews with art students and professionals...
Energy Team: Energy Reduction in UCLA Facilities
The 2023 Energy Team will work to optimize energy use in UCLA facilities on the basis of the occupants’ schedules to produce savings for Facilities Management. To accomplish this, we…
Irrigation Team: Investigating various irrigation types on campus and their corresponding water use savings
The 2023 Irrigation Team will investigate the water usage across various irrigation types at turf areas on campus and calculate water savings associated with converting these areas to native landscaping…
Native Bees Team: Identifying and Increasing Native Bee Presence and Raising Awareness on UCLA’s Campus
Native pollinators contribute to ecosystem diversity by spreading pollen as they travel from plant to plant, increasing flower and plant populations and therefore encouraging species diversity. Since pollinators are such…
Sustainability Communications Team: Assessing Efforts to Educate the Campus Community About UCLA’s Sustainability Initiatives
The Sustainability Communications team will be assessing the the effectiveness of UCLA Sustainability’s current methods of communicating with the campus community. The team aims to determine which channels of communication…
Sustainable Food Team: Increasing Organic and Local Sustainable Food Across UCLA Dining
The SAR Sustainable Food Team hopes to work toward the UC-wide goal of 25% sustainable food purchases by 2025 by standardizing the processes of obtaining and accounting sustainable food purchases.…
UCLA Health Team: Piloting a Sustainability Certification Process Within UCLA Health for Individual Departments
Across the UC system and within UCLA, there are many comprehensive sustainability policies. However, UC Policy can be confusing, complex, and inaccessible, and not all departments within UCLA Health understand…
Energy Team 2022: Energy Conservation Behavior
Students and faculty have the opportunity to aid UCLA’s goal of 2% annual energy use reduction and 100% clean electricity by 2025. This year’s SAR Energy team will examine data…
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Team 2022: Understanding the Intersection of EDI and Sustainability
As UCLA continues to develop its Sustainability Master Plan and determine what sustainability initiatives and programs would be most beneficial for UCLA students. As sustainability grows on campus, the university…
Food Recovery Team 2022: Quantifying and Streamlining Food Recovery to Create Sustainable Food Systems
This year’s food recovery systems team will examine topics like food security, sustainable food systems, and eliminating food waste to determine how UCLA can increase food security while eliminating…
Native Plant Nursery Team 2022: Logistics of Landscaping for Native Plants on Campus
UCLA has continued to transition away from non-native plants to drought tolerant native plants as part of the university’s efforts to reduce potable water use 36% by 2025. As the…
NFT Team 2022: Evaluating Sustainability in Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) Deals
UCLA is currently experiencing a high input of non-fungible token (NFT) proposals. As the demand for NFTs grows, UCLA departments will decide how to proceed with these recent proposals. Given…
Plastic Policy Implementation (PPI) Team: Enhancing Student Usage of Reusable Dining Ware
In October 2020, UCLA passed their Single Use Plastic Policy to become a plastic-free university by 2023. In response to the recent restrictions against the acceptance of bioplastics by UCLA’s…
Zero Waste 2022: Examining Contamination in Sorting Waste for Best Zero Waste Practices
UCLA has a policy target of hitting 90% waste diversion and 25% waste generation reduction by 2025; however, despite campus-wide educational campaigns, the university still must make substantial progress to…
Assessing the Feasibility of Plastic Alternatives in UCLA Dining
Our team will be researching the usage of plastics by UCLA Dining and Catering to find ways to reduce or replace current use, given the guidelines set by Sustainability Manager Erin Fabris’ single-use plastic policy.
Assessment of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Efforts in the UCLA Sustainability Community Through Student Experiences
Team EDI is investigating the current status of EDI in sustainability, specifically the measures being implemented at UCLA and student feedback.
Bridging the Gap: Facilitating Conversations on Sustainability with UCLA Athletics
The 2021 Green Games Team is working with Bruin Environmental Leadership Team, a group of student athletes interested in environmental matters, to research and raise awareness about environmental justice, specifically on accessibility to outdoor spaces and recreation facilities.
Establishing a Long-Term Management Plan for Edible Landscapes on Campus
Our team is working to increase and improve edible spaces on campus by developing a standard operating procedure for long-term management of edible landscapes for the UCLA Landscape Master Plan.
Establishment of Styrofoam Reduction Plans in UCLA Laboratories through Waste Diversion
The 2021 SAR Green Labs team mission is to identify the sources of styrofoam that are used in UCLA’s laboratories and the current disposal practices through surveys targeting UCLA labs.
Inclusive Zero Waste Engagement in a Virtual Environment and Beyond
The Academic Waste Diversion team will work to understand how zero waste may not be accessible to the UCLA community. Our focus is on UCLA demographics during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We aim to use this data to inform action in regards to UCLA zero waste policies and the single use plastic ban.
Synthesizing and Assessing an Environmental Framework for UCLA Licensing Agreements
Our Research Project focuses on how we can incorporate environmental standards into ASUCLA Licensing protocol.
Creating a Centralized Management System for Student Applied Sustainably Research at UCLA
SAR Database Team Creating a Centralized Management System for Student Applied Sustainably Research at UCLA Final Report “Developing a Centralized Database for the Sustainability Community at UCLA” The Student Applied…
Exploring Community Garden Engagement on Campus
Exploring How Increased Community Garden Engagement Can Connect Students, Faculty, and Staff to Existing Campus Resources, Which Promote Food Security, Urban Agriculture, and Healthy Lifestyles
Greening Entertainment at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television
Pictured above, left to right: Joris Eigirdas (team leader), Aria Soeprono, Emilee Hosking, Kyle Alves, Kikei Wong (stakeholder), Leah Liking’s, Natalie Gonzalez (team leader) SAR Academic Waste Diversion Team: Greening…
Implementing Sustainable Practices in UCLA Labs Through Audits and Education
Pictured above, left to right: [top] Griffin Carter, [middle] Annie Wu, Aya Elarid, Laurel Thomas, [bottom] Elizabeth Popescu (team leader), Ritika Singh (stakeholder), Anh-Vy Pham (team leader) SAR Green…
Measuring the Effectiveness of Compost Usage on UCLA Lawns in Comparison to Traditional Fertilizers
Pictured above, left to right: Elizabeth Tanner (team leader), Liana Huang, Jasmine Summers-Evans (team leader), Kristen Tam, Madeleine Farrington, Clare Schumann SAR Lawn Management Team: Measuring the Effectiveness of…
Quantitatively and Qualitatively Assessing Sustainability in UCLA Athletics
Pictured above, left to right: Jo Tarczynski, Maria Ignacio, Kate Minden (team leader), Alexandra Koch, Fumio Igarashi, Sarina Levin (team leader) SAR Green Games Team: Quantitatively and Qualitatively Assessing Sustainability…
Replacing Bioplastics with Marine Degradable Alternatives at UCLA Dining Services
Pictured above, left to right: Seth So, Jinsuh Jung-Aum, Sophia Winter (team leader), Jasleen Kahlon, Lia Cohen, David Scolari (team leader) SAR Dining Purchasing Team: Replacing Bioplastics with Marine…
Assessing Emerging Active Transportation Options at UCLA
Pictured above, left to right: Kyle Willenborg, Anna Weir, Brooke Shimasaki (Team Leader), Natalie Gonzalez, and Madeline Jordan (Team Leader) SAR Transportation Team: Assessing Emerging Active Transportation Options at…
Developing A Comprehensive Resilience Plan for UCLA
Pictured above, left to right: Anh-Vy Pham, Sophia Bozone, Tory Coffin, Lea Le Rouzo (Team Leader), David Scolari, and Nicholas Caton (Team Leader) SAR Resilience Team: Developing A Comprehensive Resilience…
Enhancing the Ethical and Sustainable Framework of UCLA’s Promotional Product Supply Chains
Pictured above, left to right: Ryan Hallman (Team Leader), Monica Portillo, Ayahna Mack, Gabriel Hernandez, Stephanie Hauschildt (Team Leader), and Corbin Kehrberg SAR Sustainable Purchasing Team: Enhancing the Ethical and Sustainable Framework of UCLA’s Promotional…
Enhancing UCLA Athletic Event Sustainability Through Development of Comprehensive Green Templates
Pictured above, left to right: Jonah Eisen, Jacob Gerigk (Team Leader), Amber Lam, Kate Minden, Zachary Alter (Team Leader), and Sarina Levin SAR Green Games Team: Enhancing UCLA Athletic…
Increasing Student Accessibility to UCLA’s Basic Needs Resources
Pictured above, left to right: Maninder Kaur, Jasmine Summers- Evans, Rosemary Wallace, Diana Nguyen (Team Leader), Alicia Kwan (Team Leader), Melinda McMonigle, and Fiona Zhang SAR Food Justice and Basic Needs Team: Increasing…
Rethinking Trash: Understanding the Value of Food Waste
Pictured above, left to right: Emma Stanfield (Team Leader), Maia Rodriguez-Choi, Caroline Schreck, and Elizabeth Popescu. Not pictured: Zachary Devereux (Team Leader) and Cali Ngyuen. SAR University Apartments Waste Diversion…
Zero-Waste at Young Research Library: Effectiveness of Educational and Outreach Methods at Increasing Waste Diversion
SAR Zero Waste Team: Project Description: The Zero-Waste SAR team will be conducting a research project on the use of educational signage and outreach campaigns to increase waste diversion at…
An Institutional Guideline for Ecologically Sound and Aesthetic Landscaping
The Biodiversity and Landscaping Team is a group dedicated to enhancing the ecology of the UCLA campus. We believe that being ecologically sound and aesthetically pleasing are not mutually exclusive. UCLA was…
Assessing Impacts of Education on Food Waste Behaviors at UCLA Dining Halls
Our sustainability project is motivated by the belief that students’ lack of awareness on food waste is a major driver of excessive food waste at UCLA. Our stakeholder, Charles Wilcots,…
Assessment and Revitalization of the Boneyard at Sage Hill for Mixed Use Purposes
The Boneyard at Sagehill The Urban Nature Laboratory team will be focusing on three main objectives this year. Firstly, we will be conducting research and reaching out to other institutions and facilities…
Diverting Landfill Waste in UCLA’s Graduate Housing
By building on past student research, we hope to perfect a waste diversion program implemented in Spring of 2017 at two of UCLA’s graduate housing apartment complexes. We are focused on improving…
Enhancing the feasibility of Zero Waste Practices at UCLA Recreation Events
Our project’s goal is to make Zero Waste events achievable for all sides involved in event planning. To accomplish this goal, we plan to create a Zero Waste Event guideline system that…
Evaluating Sustainable Cleaning Products Purchased by UCLA Facilities Management
The 2018 SAR Sustainable Purchasing team will evaluate new green cleaning products to replace the cleaning products currently used by UCLA Facilities Management. We will research the effectiveness and safety of these…
Implementing Sustainable Supply Chain Initiatives Within UCLA Health
UCLA Health has committed long-term to providing high-quality health care while protecting the health of the environment as well. A few of its current sustainability goals include diverting 50% of…
Assessing Air Quality (PM2.5) and Environmental Health Effects of Cleaning Products at UCLA Recreation Facilities
Our team’s mission is to promote a healthy environment for UCLA students who utilize the John Wooden and Bruin Fitness Recreation Centers on campus. By assessing particulate matter in select…
Assessment of Food Waste Behaviors in UCLA Residential Restaurants
Our team wants to decrease food waste in UCLA dining establishments by educating students and staff on current food waste issues on campus and how to change current food waste…
Biodiversity Restoration: Giving Sage Hill a Physical, Educational, and Digital Presence
Sage Hill, a biodiversity hotspot home to many California native plants, has huge potential to serve as an educational and recreational spot for the UCLA community, as well as a…
Developing an Attainment Model for LEED Re-certification at Pauley Pavilion.
It is estimated that people spend nearly 90% of their time in buildings, so indoor environmental quality profoundly impacts human health. Maximizing the safety, livability, and sustainability of a space…
Diverting Landfill Waste in Graduate Housing Communities
This year, Sustainability Action Research’s Graduate Housing Team has set out to accomplish a variety of ambitious goals in a branch of UCLA housing that hasn’t traditionally been associated with…
Enhancing Institutional Resilience through Sustainable Water Planning.
The objective of our team is to implement a rainwater capture system on UCLA’s campus. The purpose of the capture system is threefold: 1) to capture rainwater for irrigation reuse…
Reducing Rodenticide Use on UCLA Campus through the Use of Alternative Sustainable Methods
Our goals are to reduce the usage of rodenticide on campus which can have deleterious effects on the local ecosystems. To do this we have piloted a pest-proof trash collector…
Biodiversity at Sage Hill
2016’s Biodiversity Action Research Team conducted research at Sage Hill on the UCLA campus. The team studied proof of concept for best methods of restoration. The project looked into the…
Environmentally Preferred Purchasing
The current UC procurement guidelines are vague with respect to sustainability, which is not conducive to sustainable purchasing. The 2016 Housing Team evaluated current procurement practices in the UCLA Housing…
Green Spaces & Buildings
The Green Spaces & Buildings team approached the Green Buildings sector of sustainability practices in an alternative way with the goal of maximizing use of spaces already existing on UCLA…
Hospital Sustainability
This year’s Hospital Action Research Team is excited to be working with the Sustainability Programs Manager of UCLA Health, Teresa Hildebrand, on a research project to update and implement an…
Indoor Air Quality
The 2016 Recreation Team tested the indoor air quality in various rooms across UCLA Recreation’s John Wooden Center. The team specifically focused Yates Gym, which was been equipped with an…
Krieger Daycare Sustainability
The team worked with the Krieger Center, a child care center on UCLA’s campus, to improve sustainability at the facility. The center serves the 165 children of UCLA faculty, staff,…
Resilience Planning
The Resilience Team worked on two components. The first is an assessment of UCLA’s current resilience, which will be measured relative to the Rockefeller Institute’s resilience framework. To produce a…
Biking in On-Campus Housing
The team worked with UCLA’s Housing & Hospitality Services and UCLA Transportation to encourage and better accommodate bike ridership on the residential Hill. The team advised on the addition of…
Biodiversity survey of manicured and non-manicured areas of UCLA
The 2015 Biodiversity Action Research Team indexed the biodiversity of flora and fauna between manicured and non-manicured regions of campus. The data helped indicated what ecosystem is more beneficial for the…
Campus Energy
The Energy Team conducted an energy audit of the Physics and Astronomy Building on campus, using light and occupancy data loggers to examine if unoccupied rooms had lights consistently turned…
Green Labs: Recycling Initiative
The goal of the project was to create a simple waste program for lab representatives of each lab category (biological, chemical, and engineering) that would emulate and expand campus-wide. The…
John Wooden Energy Audit
The team’s goals were to improve energy efficiency in John Wooden Center by gathering data from electrical audits with an emphasis on large-scale lighting and air handlers. In addition, the…
Waste Diversion at University Apartments
The University Apartments Team worked toward increasing the diversion of waste to recycling at the UCLA University Village graduate apartments on Sawtelle and Sepulveda Avenues. The team educated residents about…
Water Conservation in Campus Buildings
The focus of the 2015 Water Action Research Team was to decrease water consumption in on-campus restrooms. The team worked towards getting aerators installed on faucets across campus. Aerators attach…
Action Research Team: Hospital Sustainability
The 2014 Hospital Sustainability Team focused efforts on three main sustainability projects for the UCLA Health System: assessing the sustainability of the food system, assisting with the Earth Day Fair at Ronald Reagan Medical Center (RRMC), and improving educational initiatives through an online module for new hospital staff.
ART on ART
ART On ART is the first-ever auditing team, responsible for reviewing previous teams' results and gaining insights to improve future teams. The team researched, analyzed, and identified past teams' research methodologies, metrics, and goals in order to evaluate their efficacy.
Campus Recycling
The Recycling Team audited waste on campus and consequently, made recommendations for the campus’ recycling program. The recommendations include but not limited to: optimal bin placement, new types of bins that…
Energy Efficiency Education
The 2014 Team Energy worked on raising awareness about energy usage, by creating a culture of stair-taking that will benefit the environment, public health, and UCLA's bank. Burn calories, not electricity!
LEED certification of Residential Buildings
The Green Buildings Team worked on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for all the on-campus residential buildings for UCLA Housing. In order to do so, they collected LEED credits for energy, water, waste, indoor air, site purchasing and green cleaning.
Sustainable Food Systems: Food Waste
The 2014 Sustainable Food Systems Team (SFS) measured food waste in on-campus eateries and educated the UCLA campus about the many linkages between food, waste, water, and climate change. The…
UCLA Grand Challenges Assessment
2014 was first year for a ART Grand Challenge Team. The team’s primary goals for the year are to figure out how research being done by professors at UCLA can…
Water Action Research
The 2014 Water Team is collaborated with UCLA’s Water Task Force to research, develop, and implement water conservation efforts aimed at helping the university meet the standards set by UC policy and…
Zero Waste Pauley Pavilion
The Zero Waste Pauley Pavilion Team worked on making Pauley Pavilion, UCLA’s indoor sports arena, a zero-waste facility, ensuring that all waste is either composted, recycled, or re-purposed. The team conducted waste…
ASUCLA Sustainability
The 2013 ASUCLA team worked to educate students on proper waste disposal practices, particularly with respect to recycling. Through extensive surveying, waste audits, student feedback, meetings with Athens Services and more, the…
Energy Efficiency Action Research
The 2013 Energy Team focused on campaigning and outreaching to students and faculty on campus to spread awareness and encourage the adoption of energy-efficient behavior. To accomplish this, the team piloted a project…
Hospital Sustainability
The 2013 Hospital Team focused on two buildings, the Ronald Reagan Medical Center (RRMC) and the Medical Plaza in Westwood. Through the collection of original data and analysis, the team were able…
Space Utilization
The team researched patterns of student space-use, functional needs, and student preference of spaces to discover how spaces should be created for students. It was done through a student survey, a video interviewing…
Sustainable Food Procurement
The 2013 Sustainable Food Systems Team aimed to help UCLA meet its campus goal of 20% sustainable food by 2020. The project focused on the new sustainable and health-themed Sproul…
Tobacco-Free Campus
In conjunction with UCLA’s new tobacco-free policy, the team focused on creating and structuring a research study and media campaign for several Earth Day events. The overall objective of the team’s research…
Water Action Plan
The team made substantial progress in helping the UCLA Water Task Force and UCLA Housing & Hospitality identify areas in which substantial water savings may be realized. The team conducted primary…
Zero Waste Pauley
The 2013 Zero Waste Team worked to plan a smooth and effective transition for Pauley Pavilion into a zero-waste facility. With the ultimate goal of complete waste diversion at all…
ASUCLA Recycling
2012 ASUCLA Action Research Team
Campus Energy
2012 Campus Energy Action Research Team
Hospital Sustainability
2012 Hospital Sustainability Action Research Team
John Wooden Sustainability
2012 Recreation Action Research Team
LEED Assessment
2012 LEED Action Research Team
Responsible Investment
2012 Responsible Investing Action Research Team
Student Ecological Footprint
2012 On-Campus Housing Action Research Team
Sustainable Food Policies and Education
2012 Sustainable Food Systems Team
Transportation and Sustainable Mapping
2012 Transportation & Sustainability Mapping Action Research Team (TSMART)
Waste Watchers: Composting
2012 Waste Watchers Action Research Team
Achieving 20% Sustainable Foods by 2020
2011 Sustainable Food Systems Action Research Team
Fair Trade Education
2011 ASUCLA Action Research Team
Green the Greeks
2011 Pan-Hellenic Action Research Team
Hill Energy Metering Project (HEMP)
2011 On-Campus Housing Action Research Team
Hospital Sustainability
2011 Hospital Action Research Team
John Wooden Sustainability
2011 Recreation Action Research Team
On vs. Off-Campus Ecological Footprint
2011 On vs. Off-Campus Action Research Team
Recycling Behavior Changes
2011 Recycling Action Research Team
USAC Sustainability
2011 Undergraduate Student Association Council Action Research Team
Green Orientation
2010 Green Orientation Action Research Team
Greening Grad Housing
2010 Graduate Housing Action Research Team
Native & Drought Tolerant Plants
2010 Campus Landscape Action Research Team
Paperless Evaluations
2010 Office of Instructional Development Action Research Team
Sustainability Survey & Campus Outreach
2010 Sustainability Curriculum Action Research Team
Water Fountain Usage at UCLA
2010 Drinking Fountain Action Research Team
Wooden Sustainability
2010 Recreation Action Research Team
Artificial Turf
2009 Recreation Action Research Team
Campus Waste Disposal Practices
2009 Waste Division & Diversion Action Research Team
Green Living Project: Energy
2009 Energy Action Research Team
Green Living Project: Waste/Compost
2009 Waste/Compost Action Research Team
Green Living Project: Water
2009 Water Action Research Team
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System
2009 STARS Action Research Team
Waste Watchers
2009 Food Waste Action Research Team
Pilot Program Recycling in Campus Buildings
2008 Campus Recycling Action Research Team
Recycling in the Residence Halls
2008 On-Campus Housing Action Research Team
Sustainable Lab Practices
2008 Sustainable Labs Action Research Team