News & Events

Revamping Isla Vista's Native Plant Landscape

ELI students, Jamie Luu, Hunter Maher, and Milena Seymour, created Revamping Isla Vista's Native Plant Landscape to make Isla Vista (IV) a more beautiful place to call home. Specifically, the ELI team is repopulating IV landscapes with native plants that are specialized for widespread pollination and that add to the aesthetics of the community.

ELI in the News: Learn about Education+

Education+ started as an ELI program and is now featured in the Santa Barbara Independent.

Vertical Sustainability: A Moss Wall Inspired by Santa Barbara’s Native Ecosystems

ELI alum, Mikey He, alongside non-ELI partners, Yangyang Huang and Kayli Chiu, spearheaded the creation of a 4-by-4.2-foot moss wall installation, now a permanent exhibition at the UCEN, that reflects the resilience and biodiversity of Santa Barbara’s native forest ecosystems. 

ELI in the News: Education+ Seeks Volunteers

Education+, a UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus organization that provides tutoring and mentoring to public schools kids, continues to expand and seeks volunteers, according to a recent article in Santa Barbara-based online news source, Edhat.

Attention! T-shirt design contest!!

Have you ever dreamed about turning your art into clothing? Do you want to see other students wearing your art? 

Now’s your chance!  

Submit your design to the UCSB Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI) T-shirt design contest! The winning design will be featured on shirts worn by ELI students.

Requirements:

ELI Project Published in The Current for Efforts to Curb UCSB Lab Waste

Driven by concerns regarding excess waste they observed in UCSB lab classes, ELI graduates ('25) Kaili Mikami and Lauren Buyalos, tackled this problem for their ELI change-making project, implementing and launching FLOW: Facilitating Laboratory Optimization and Waste to divert UCSB lab waste from landfills to recycling and reuse initiatives.

La Luna's Gift - An ELI Project Turned Children's Book

Inspired by studies in Costa Rica, ELI student, Peyton Stoller, turned her vision of sharing the lessons she learned about sea turtles and the pure vida life into a children's book, La Luna's Gift:  The Tale of Sofia and Ollie, to inspire stewardship in young learners.  

Native Plant Garden and Study Space Blooms at UCSB

Feeling like there was an inadequate amount of greenspace in and around the UCSB, ELI students, Tanner Ellison and Emily Hernandez, got to work on adding a small garden study space to the campus. Tanner and Emily wanted to encourage people to spend more time outdoors amongst plants and sunlight. The hope was that this could help provide a bright spot in a person’s day and they can feel a little better having enjoyed some time outside.

Re-envisioning Recycling: Giving New Life to Old Waste

Re-envisioning Recycling, an initiative launched by ELI students, Ella Graban and Stephen Bond, offers the UCSB community the opportunity to give thin-film plastic waste, like plastic bags, a new life.

Grounds for Growth

The Grounds for Growth: Sustainable Coffee Initiative, a successful project launched by ELI students, Alyssa Boucher and Phoebe Wagner, transforms used coffee grounds into nutrient-rich compost. In an effort to close the coffee loop, Alyssa and Phoebe launched this effort to turn coffee grounds into growth. 

ELI Students Launch a Free Basic Needs Hygiene Refill Station

In an effort to bridge the gap between sustainability and accessibility, ELI students, Emma Trakh and Bella Rosemarie Crosland Bell, designed a free basic needs hygiene refill station to serve students and the surrounding Goleta community. 

Home Cooking on Campus 

ELI student, Makayla Beland, implements a plant-based cooking series to combat food insecurity and promote a sustainable diet.