Faculty Engagement

UC faculty are global leaders in sustainability-related research, teaching and public service. Faculty also support UC’s sustainability leadership through involvement in campus and systemwide sustainability committees and working groups, by earning green certifications for their labs, office and events, and by participating in UC-wide curriculum, research and outreach projects.

UC faculty have been very active in UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative. When the initiative was first launched, each campus appointed Faculty Climate Action Champions and also organized curriculum-building workshops involving 228 faculty from more than 160 different academic units. UC faculty have also teamed with faculty colleagues in the California State University System to form a statewide network coordinating efforts to advance transformative climate change and sustainability education and action at the K-12 level as well as the college level.

In recent years, faculty active in the initiative have used systemwide seed funding to launch the Bending the Curve curriculum, UC Center for Climate Justice, UC Center for Climate Health and Equity, UC-CSU Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects, and the Community-Academic Partnerships for Equity-Focused Climate Action.