Sustainability Action Research

How our program works

During fall quarter, students who wish to participate must apply to the Sustainability Action Research program for winter and spring quarters. Students can apply to be either a leader (185C) or a member (185B), which is a 3 or 2-unit course, respectively. This equates to 6 or 4 graded, upper-division units over the course of winter and spring quarters. Each SAR team consists of 2 co-leaders and four to five members in addition to their stakeholder(s). 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the 2024-25 SAR Directors, Audrey Jason and Gabrielle Biederman, at ucla.sar@gmail.com.

program
Team leaders and members work together with a campus stakeholder to research, rethink, investigate, and tackle UCLA’s greatest sustainability issues. Above, the 2019-20 SAR Zero Waste Team partnered with Zero Waste Coordinator, Kikei Wong, to increase waste diversion at the Young Research Library (YRL). To kick off their research project, they conducted their own waste audit with the help of student volunteers and fellow SAR members.

Leaders have the opportunity to:

  • Design sustainability projects and implement actionable solutions on campus.
  • Work towards sustainability goals for UCLA.
  • Establish unique relationships with UCLA faculty, staff, and fellow students who are passionate about human and environmental challenges.
  • Develop leadership skills in an applied and professional setting.

In turn, leaders are expected to:

  • Attend all mandatory meetings.
    • Weekly meetings on Thursdays from 5:00-6:15 pm, which fall within scheduled class time
    • Bi-weekly leader trainings and/or quarterly leader meetings with SAR directors
    • Notify a director or faculty advisor of any foreseen absence, with reasonable notice. Excessive absences will affect final grades.
  • Organize team and stakeholder meetings.
    • Meet with your team at least once a week, in an accessible location, at a mutually convenient time
    • Prepare for and conduct meetings
  • Act as primary liaison between the team and the stakeholder.
    • Organize meetings with stakeholders bi-weekly at least, as well as on an as-needed basis
    • Keep open communication concerning all aspects of their projects
  • Track and drive work flow.
    • Keep track of team members’ weekly meeting attendance and level of contribution
    • Delegate equitably to keep all team members engaged and involved
    • Listen actively to co-leader’s and members’ feedback
    • Be approachable, welcoming, and motivational
  • Maintain professional conduct in emails, phone calls, and meetings involving a stakeholder, UCLA faculty member, UCLA employee, or outside contact.
  • Seek counsel from a SAR director or faculty adviser if team issues remain unresolved or are unsure how to proceed.

Please note that leaders are NOT expected to do the majority of their team’s work. It is their responsibility to assign equitable portions of their research/projects to team members.

Members have the opportunity to:

  • Design sustainability projects and implement actionable solutions on campus.
  • Work towards sustainability goals for UCLA.
  • Establish unique relationships with UCLA faculty, staff, and fellow students who are passionate about human and environmental challenges.

In turn, members are expected to:

  • Attend all mandatory meetings.
    • Weekly class lectures on Thursdays from 5:00-6:15 pm
    • Weekly one-hour meetings within their teams
    • Members are strongly encouraged to attend bi-weekly stakeholder meetings
    • Notify a director and leader of any foreseen absence, with reasonable notice. Excessive absences will affect final grades.
  • Engage actively in team projects.
    • Listen actively to co-leader’s and members’ feedback
    • Be approachable, welcoming, and collaborate respectfully with their team
    • Communicate preferences and schedule availability clearly and consistently
    • Take on a fair amount of work, and finish it by team-determined deadlines
    • Make your strengths and weaknesses known, and use them to your team’s advantage
    • Maintain professional conduct in emails, phone calls, and meetings involving a stakeholder, UCLA faculty member, UCLA employee, etc
  • Seek counsel from a SAR director or faculty adviser if team issues remain unresolved.