News & Events

Litter Free IV: ELI Students for a Cleaner Community

This raccoon graphic will soon welcome visitors to Devereux Beach and remind them to pack in or pack out, or at least use provided trash receptacle, thanks to ELI students, Sophia Glover and Dani Bier (ELI Class of 2023), who tackled the IV pollution problem with a new trash can near the entrance to Devereux Beach.

UC More Bats: ELI Students Bring Bats to Campus

ELI students, Shannon Carew and Fiona Jeweler, get their hands dirty, bringing native plants to the North Campus Open Space to restore the site to help declining bat populations.

Low and Slow: Fashion the Sustainable Way

ELI students, Ellah Foster and Vincent Cuenco (2022-2023), created digital magazine—Low and Slow—focused on the Isla Vista’ slow fashion scene, clothing sustainability, style, and everything in between.

The Great Outdoors: ELI Students Develop Green Study Space

Finding a decent spot in the library is a struggle known to all Gauchos. Any lack of seating in Davidson is only part of the issue, though–why isn’t there adequate seating outside? ELI students Isabella Puchkova (Environmental Studies BS, ‘24) and Erica Kinsel (Environmental Studies BA, ‘25) sought to remedy the lack of outdoor study spaces on campus by installing a green study space for all UCSB students to enjoy. 

Climate Convos: Addressing Eco-Anxiety and Climate Grief

ELI student (2022-2023), Danica Kern, brings Climate Convos, a student club where members can discuss emotions associated with caring deeply for the planet, to the UCSB campus.

ELI Student Brings Sustainable Reading to Campus

Communications major, Shoshana Medved, brings little free libraries to the UCSB residence halls to promote book sharing and sustainability.

“Free little libraries”--small boxes filled with donated books from neighborhood residents–are often an iconic and quaint facet of any neighborhood, including our very own Isla Vista. However, there were no free little libraries on the UCSB Campus, a significant lapse considering a large portion of students opt to live in residence halls rather than in Isla Vista. 

ELI Students Give Tools for Financial Wellness

ELI Students, Lisa Tobin and Ethan Takekawa, create Sustainable Investing and Financial Literacy Workshops

ELI Student Creates the Sustainable Food Studies Lab

Sustainable Food Studies Lab: Student-led Food Access and Autonomy at UCSB

ELI student Lily Melendez (‘22-’23) leads hands-on sustainable food studies lab, covering food systems, nutrition, and sustainability through the lens of student empowerment

2023 ELI Capstone Event

We are excited to announce our annual Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI) Capstone event will be happening next week, Friday, June 2, from 12-2 pm in Bren 4016 (or via zoom).  

ELI students have worked hard all year on environmental leadership projects either individually or in groups of 2-3 students. Please join us in celebrating their hard work and successes at this Capstone event as they share their goals, efforts, and environmental impact of their undergraduate environmental leadership projects.  

ELI Application is Open

To watch a recorded ELI Information Session, visit us here.

Do you want to join this cool group?  Do you want to start making an environmental impact as an undergraduate student?  If yes, then apply today to join the Environmental Leadership Incubator's 2023-2024 Cohort.

ELI Students in the News

ELI alum are in the news for their ELI project turned art installation.

The Current recently published an article about ELI Alum, Lukas Kraak and Noah Weiss', art exhibit Anthroterra.  Anthroterra aims to ignite change through art.  The new library installation at the UCSB library attempt to "spark serious thinking about human impacts on the environment."

Read more at The Current.

ELI Project Launches Eco-Anxiety Conversations

Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI) student, Danica Kern (2022-2023), launches a new eco-anxiety lecture series to begin climate community conversations at UCSB.