Cycles of Life
Another academic year has begun on campus, and a blitz of green initiatives
has placed the focus on UC Santa Barbara’s Campus Sustainability Plan.
This fall, the university has adopted the motto: “Leave no footprint behind.”
Incoming freshmen and transfer students were introduced to that motto during
the keynote address at New Student Convocation in September (page 18). Explorer
and environmentalist Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques -Cousteau, served
up a lesson about staying mindful of your impact on every environment—whether
a small island in the Pacific or a beautiful college campus on the Pacific Coast.
In our corner of paradise, Ron Cortez, associate vice chancellor for administrative
services, will shepherd UCSB’s sustainability movement and pull together
the diverse efforts on campus. A PowerPoint presentation on monitors around campus
will feature UCSB’s accomplishments and goals. Dining hall displays will
explain the different sustainability programs on campus—and how students
can get involved. In fact, Coastlines spotlights one such group, UCSB’s
LabRATS, which received a national award for its volunteer efforts in this area
(page 19).This issue of Coastlines also highlights how alumni are involved in
the sustainability discourse at UCSB. Jorgen Staal ’88, who developed a
successful business out of repurposing 
shipping containers, donated several of
them to The Container Project, which transforms the metal boxes into useable
work and living spaces (page 8). In bringing concepts of repurposing, recycling
and reuse into the creative process, UCSB Art Professor Kim Yasuda is asking
her art students “to engage their projects within a larger social dimensions.”
Other alumni bring a message of sustainability to campus as well. At his Harder
Stadium concert in August, Jack Johnson ’98 gathered environmentally minded
organizations into an area called the Village Green. Along with the four national
organizations usually at his shows, concertgoers were able to learn about 15
regional nonprofits, including these UCSB groups that promote green initiatives
on campus: Emerging Green Builders, Ecological Coalition, Environmental Affairs
Board, The Green Initiative Fund and Coastal Fund. The Ecological Coalition (http://sustainability.ucsb.edu/students/)
serves as a network of more than 30 student organizations.
Beyond covering stories about sustainability efforts, Coastlines and the Alumni
Association also play an active role in campus initiatives, from simple paper
recycling to energy conservation to sustainable building operations for Mosher
Alumni House.
We’re also looking at the impact printing Coastlines has on the environment.
To lessen the magazine’s footprint, for example, Coastlines is printed
with soy-based ink on chlorine-free, 10 percent post-consumer-waste recycled
paper. In addition, we use Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, which
means it comes from renewable and well-managed resources. Even our printing company
employs sustainable practices, including digital proofs (rather than paper) and
a waste-recycling program.The last step in the Coastlines’ greening process
is in your hands. Once you and your family have thoroughly read and enjoyed the
magazine, please push the effort forward by recycling Coastlines.Now, it’s
up to you.
Andrea Huebner ’91
Coastlines editor
UC Santa Barbara
We welcome feedback on Coastlines as well as any comments from
alumni. Letters can be sent through
the mail to:
CoastLines
Mosher Alumni House, UCSB,
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-1120
or e-mail andrea.huebner@ia.ucsb.edu.
