Jesu Rosas
Siaa Singh
Bridging the Gap: Integrating Intersectionality into Climate Curriculum
Our project aimed to establish a Climate Change and Society requirement at UCSB, ensuring all students understand the humanistic and social dimensions of this complex issue. We conducted extensive interviews and research to understand how academic changes are implemented at UCSB. Identifying challenges like class space and unit additions, we decided that mobilizing students first and having faculty pledge to adjust their syllabi for climate justice was the best approach. Surveying around 300 students confirmed strong support for our initiative. Encouraged by these results, we plan to gain more faculty pledges and work closely with the academic senate next year.
Catrina Sada
Cooking for Coalition
I coordinated cooking vegan food en masse for potlucks, protests, and events relating to social justice. I also helped host events with a variety of organizations within an on-campus anti-war coalition at my housing co-op, Dolores Huerta house. We hosted Shabbat, orientation, and potlucks. During protests for this coalition, I helped coordinate vegan meals for hundreds of students in collaboration with Food Not Bombs Isla Vista. Overall, I contributed to activism regarding anti-war and anti-imperial initiatives through coordination, cooking, and hosting.
Dana Schlomovits
Eco-Connections: Bridging Communities for Sustainability
In my ELI project, Eco-Connections, I focused on forming partnerships and planning joint events between UCSB campus organizations and local groups to promote sustainability. I concentrated on connecting different organizations, both environmental and non-environmental, through everchanging outreach strategies, including email campaigns and social media engagement. While my initial goal was to host numerous physical events, the project evolved into a growth journey for learning how to cultivate meaningful partnerships and laying the groundwork for future collaborations. Despite personal challenges, I adapted my strategies, learning invaluable lessons in flexibility, communication, and leadership. This project has profoundly impacted my life and solidified my commitment to pursuing a future in sustainability, inspiring me to continue immersing myself in community engagement in sustainable initiatives.
Alliza Manayan
ECO-nnect: Navigating Environmental Engagement at UCSB
During this journey of my ELI project, I was able to help transform and renovate some environmental newsletters at UCSB, especially the UCSB Sustainability Bulletin. I was able to give them a new template that they can use and edit to engage and inform students. In addition, I was able to include many different environmental resources and organizations at this year’s IV Earth Day festival for students to learn. Lastly, I started the process of implementing a new mandatory environmental resources workshop to include in the Orientation Services for freshmen and transfer students to take part in before they enter campus.
Alex Carlin
Edible Insect Initiative Art Exhibit
The Edible Insect Initiative (EII) was an interdisciplinary multimedia art exhibit that took place at the UCSB GlassBox Gallery from April 1st-5th, 2024, with a reception on April 4th from 5:00 to 7:30PM. It focused on edible insects and the role they play in regenerative agriculture, environmental applications, and cultural cuisine. The goal of the EII was to educate the UCSB student and staff population about edible insects and shift negative preconceptions by allowing for a multi-sensory experience through observation of the art in the exhibit, listening to pre-recorded interviews through QR codes on photographs, discussions with experts in the field, and taste-testing opportunities of Oaxacan-inspired dishes.
Jess Lickstein
Education+
I created an organization with over 50 UCSB student volunteers to promote local educational equity and environmental awareness for kids preschool - 8th grade. As a group we led free virtual tutoring sessions daily from 3-9pm in English and Spanish, helping over 40 students in the local school districts. We held two additional programs, CodeExplorers, a free 10 week long coding class for 15 students, and EnvironmentalExplorers, a free bi-weekly in person environmental workshop on Sunday mornings in the park which attracted a total of over 50 kids. We plan on adding SpanishExplorers, an introductory course to learn Spanish, this coming fall.
Eva Mills
Molly McGee
Isla Vista Fix-It Fair
For our ELI project, we chose to organize repair events because we recognize that rampant overconsumption and waste is a huge issue in the environmental crisis. Repair serves as a powerful opportunity to create change at the local level through community action. Therefore, we worked to provide Isla Vista residents and UCSB students with access to free repair and repair education in order to motivate and empower them to prolong the lives of their items. The Isla Vista Fix-It Fair, held tri-annually in the fall, winter, and spring quarter, offered clothing, bike, and jewelry repair, all thanks to the participation of talented volunteers.
Elle Viefhaus
Isla Vista Pedicabs
Isla Vista appears to be very safe and sustainable with many residents walking or biking for transportation. On the weekends, however, party-goers can be found Ubering short distances, riding Lime Scooters while drunk, or are left stranded on Del Playa uncomfortable to walk home alone. Wanting to offer a safe and sustainable transportation option, I sought to establish a low-cost pedicab service on weekend nights. To bring Isla Vista Pedicabs to fruition, I met with many professionals in IV and Santa Barbara who focus on transportation, accessibility, and community engagement. I focused most of my time in ELI applying for funding, searching for storage, gaining insurance quotes, considering safety, and inquiring about permitting.
Christopher Tai
Vivian Liang
Learn, Don't Burn! : Wildfire Emergency Planning Workshops For UCSB Students
Our project aimed to raise wildfire preparedness among UCSB students through educational workshops and events. We hosted two workshops on wildfire safety and emergency planning and invited guest speakers from UCSB Environmental Health and Safety and Santa Barbara Firesafe Council to help participants create their own personalized evacuation plans. We also had two tabling events where reached UCSB students, spread awareness, and distributed useful materials such as planning brochures and first-aid kits. With our project, students are better prepared with the knowledge and materials needed to prepare for a wildfire emergency, ensuring the safety of their household and local community.
Emily Hernandez
Tanner Ellison
Native Garden Study Space
Growing up, we learned the value of existing in green spaces and how important they are to community mental health, collaboration, and knowledge of native plants. Coming into ELI, we both wanted to see more green spaces and decided to pursue an on-campus garden. We toured the campus for potential locations and surveyed the resources available, using our data to upload to the interactive campus map under Outdoor Study Spaces. For our garden, we have looked to AIISA and CCBER for native plant knowledge and to Health & Wellness for maintenance of the space. Check out the garden by building 477!
Madison Brown
SustainaBITE Labeling
My ELI project was designed to be an environmental food labeling service used to educate UCSB students about sustainable food options in our local community. Throughout this experience, I developed a brand centered around creating environmental impact labels to implement at restaurants in Isla Vista. These labels would be displayed on menus to tell students what the lowest-impact food items are and explain how the impact score for each item was calculated. I had planned on implementing these labels at the IV Food Co-op, however, I now am looking for a new restaurant to partner with. Currently, I am creating educational content on my SustainaBITE social media page to share information on plant-based and low-impact meals in Isla Vista and on campus.
Aaron Ruiz
Sustainable Transportation
Growing up in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, I witnessed the challenges of urban sprawl firsthand, which fueled my drive to advocate for sustainable transportation. My project evolved to address broader issues of pedestrian and cyclist safety in Isla Vista, which allowed me to engage with stakeholders, conduct traffic observations, and understand the potential hurdles in advocating for sustainable infrastructure and transportation. I began volunteering as a student consultant for IVCSD’s mobility plan and attended UCSB Sustainability Transportation Committee meetings to advocate for this. Through community outreach, such as the "Gaucho Guide to Safe Biking" and surveys on commuting experiences, I connected with fellow students and advocates, reinforcing the power of shared goals.
Lior Kishinevsky
The “Plunge” – A Wave for Ocean Conservation
This Earth Day, we attempted to break the world record for the most people jumping into the ocean at once. The “Plunge” brought together over 800 humans in an electrifying step towards raising ocean consciousness. We partnered and fundraised with the Marine Conservation Network, a non-profit dedicated to empowering the next generation of ocean warriors. The current record of 3,500 remains to be broken, so IV get ready for Earth Day 2025!
Lily Poehler
The Microfiber Initiative
The Microfiber Initiative was a campaign with the goal of reducing plastic microfiber pollution through increasing awareness about the issue and policy change. Microfibers are microplastics shed from clothing, and they are abundant in our food, air, water, and bodies. I created a petition on change.org asking the California Government to address microfiber pollution by enforcing the California Statewide Microplastics Strategy. I ran a letter writing campaign where citizens could send a pre-written letter to their local California representatives asking for action on microfiber pollution. The petition gained almost 900 signatures and about 200 letters were sent. On the campaign’s Instagram, I posted information about microfiber pollution and at-home solutions, and gained around 200 followers. To promote the petition and letter-writing campaign, I tabled at many environmental events such as Santa Barbara Earth Day. The culmination of my project was at California Ocean’s Day in Sacramento where I lobbied for legislation to reduce microfiber pollution to California State Senators and Assembly Members.
Lucian Scher
To Reef or Not to Reef, That is the Question
Less than two miles from Isla Vista, Oil Platform Holly stands as an aging reminder of extraction in the Santa Barbara Channel. Below the surface, UCSB researchers call the structure supporting the platform “among the most productive marine fish habitats globally”. The goal of my ELI project was to bring awareness to the potential of Holly as an artificial reef that could set a precedent for decommissioning the next three platforms also in state waters. To accomplish this I started an instagram campaign @oilplatformholly, led 15+ informative kayaking trips to Holly and wrote a public comment to acknowledge research, recreation and socioeconomic factors in the Environmental Impact Report done by the California State Lands Commision who will ultimately make the decision to reef or remove Holly.
Matthew Schoen
The UCSB Shoe Recycling Initiative
I worked to implement a permanent shoe recycling program in what would become the nation’s first university-wide shoe recycling initiative! I collaborated with AS Recycling, to develop a collection, sorting, and shipping system. I also worked closely with members of the Zero Waste Committee to drive community awareness. I set up two permanent on-campus collection locations located in the UCSB Recreation Center and Intercollegiate Athletics Gym (ICA) where shoes can be recycled year-round. The whole project was/is completely sponsored by Gotsneakers? who received the collected shoes and sorted them to either be resold to underprivileged communities or recycled by Fast Feet Grinded located in the Netherlands. In its first quarter of implementation, the program successfully collected and recycled over 300 pairs of shoes!
Emma Sayre
Ruby Wedbush
UCSB Sustainable Surfers
Aiming to create a community of eco-conscious surfers in Isla Vista, we planned two different surf swap and social events. At these events, we invited everyone to bring their old boards and surf gear to either swap, sell, or donate. Both of our events helped 13 boards find new homes, 20 wetsuits get recycled, 12 wetsuits donated for further use, and about 20 swimsuits sold and swapped. There were over 150 attendees at both of our events combined, and we reached 220 eco-conscious surfers through our Instagram account. Overall, we raised awareness about the sustainability issues in the surfing industry and encouraged buying used equipment over new, helping reduce the ecological footprint of our local surfers.
Ally Flacks
Watch Your Footprint! The Game
Watch Your Footprint! is a climate education game that engages students with real-world environmental issues in the Santa Barbara area. I created this project by spending time analyzing other classroom games and instructions, and then designing the resources that were required to make a fun and efficient game. During this time, I worked with my mentors and middle-school teachers to better understand what a good climate education game would look like. I finally hired a graphic designer to help me produce the resources, and I was able to play the game with over 60 students in the local area. I hope to expand the game by bringing awareness to its website, watchyourfootprint.com.