Ben Wollack
Decolonizing UCSB
During my freshman year, I came to the realization that UCSB did not take enough action toward their land acknowledgement for the Chumash, and I believed the university could not claim to be a leader in sustainability without addressing the colonial systems present here. My initial idea was to change the name of Portola Dining Commons since it is named after the Portolá Expedition which colonized the Santa Barbara area and destroyed Chumash culture. I ended up learning about the complexities of naming and navigating the environmental justice field, and I ultimately decided it would be best to not change the name. I then decided to host a sign making event where we would highlight ethnobotany, or the uses of native plants. However, this ended up being more complicated than I initially thought too. Although no external change occurred, I did grow a lot internally and learned about how challenging engaging in environmental justice really is.
Chloe Neal
Sydney Kauff
Eco-Entrepreneur Ideation
Our ELI project aimed to empower youth to tackle the climate crisis through entrepreneurship by partnering with UCSB’s Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP) to host a two-day eco-entrepreneurship event for local high school students. During the event, students heard from guest speakers who have launched sustainable businesses, collaborated in teams to develop their own environmentally focused business proposals, and pitched their ideas to a panel of judges. Our goal is to make this an annual program that inspires youth to become environmental leaders. We also hope to improve the curriculum and share it with other YEP chapters at different schools.
Azucena Morales
Environmental Wellness: Connecting Underrepresented Students with Nature
As a resident and employee of University Housing for the past four years, I recognized the need for more equitable access to basic needs, mental health support, and outdoor engagement. My project aimed to address these gaps by organizing and leading two inclusive, educational outdoor activities focused on mental health and environmental wellness. These events specifically supported Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students and Living Learning Communities such as Chicanx/Latinx Scholars, Black Scholars, and First-Gen Scholars. I created a facilitation guide to help Resident Assistants plan similar future programs and proposed a new Residential Curriculum requirement to reduce barriers to nature-based resources and wellness.
Kaili Mikami
Lauren Buyalos
FLOW: Facilitating Laboratory Optimization and Waste
FLOW aimed to create lasting improvements in laboratory waste management at UCSB. In collaboration with UCSB Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), and Associated Students (AS) Recycling, FLOW implemented recycling infrastructure and educational initiatives to reduce waste and improve recycling in research spaces. Many labs struggled with waste mismanagement due to the lack of recycling bin infrastructure and confusion about what is municipally recyclable. In partnership with Facilities, The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), and Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA), FLOW addressed this issue by providing free recycling and trash receptacles and creating campus-wide lab-specific recycling signage. FLOW created the UCSB x Art From Scrap Partnership to collect non-recyclable single-use lab plastics, effectively redirecting the flow of these materials away from the landfill and towards reuse. Through strategic partnerships and targeted interventions, FLOW promoted a more sustainable approach to laboratory operations.
Ashley Reckers
Lilly Walsh
Food Recovery in Isla Vista
We were inspired to reduce food waste in Isla Vista, as decomposing food in the landfill is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. We spent the year learning about how to market environmental solutions and pitching the Too Good To Go app to local businesses. After pitching to 17 businesses, we were unable to fully implement the app as we expected. However, we were successful in communicating about food recovery solutions to the community through community outreach, tabling, and Instagram informational posts. Our efforts persist in connecting businesses to food waste reduction pathways.
Taylor Platz
Quincy Wedbush
Green Journal Project
We started the Green Journal Project to create a space that allows people to relax and de-stress outside and to have the opportunity to learn about different grounding techniques like journaling, meditation, and yoga, through weekly journaling meetups and monthly workshops! We worked with professionals in various fields, including clinical psychology, environmental science, and education, to learn more about nature therapy and how we could make the biggest impact. We then held journal meetups every Monday evening at Sea Lookout Park, and every month, we worked with a guest leader to host a workshop and guide us in a grounding practice. We were able to provide free journals, snacks, and art supplies at our events from the grants we received, and we plan to continue to host events and provide resources by working with the Associated Students (A.S.) program board and UCSB Health and Wellness.
Alyssa Boucher
Phoebe Wagner
Grounds for Growth: Transforming Coffee Waste into a Regenerative Resource
Our ELI project, Grounds for Growth, focused on reducing food waste by collecting spent coffee grounds from Old Town Coffee and composting them through a partnership with the Isla Vista Compost Collective (IVCC). We created a consistent collection system, picking up around 100 pounds of grounds each week. Over two quarters, we diverted more than 1,050 pounds of organic waste from the landfill, helped IVCC balance their compost piles with nitrogen-rich material, and delivered finished compost gardening kits to Paradise Farms. This circular system transformed a valuable source of plant nutrients while fostering community engagement and outreach.
Kaan Johnson
Peace Sticks as a Tool for Environmental Change
Winter and Spring 2025, I developed five workshops at UCSB that used the game Peace Sticks to promote mindfulness and environmental action. Peace Sticks, taught in collaboration with World Peace Tribe, involves the simultaneous throwing and catching of sticks between partners to encourage presence and connection. Each workshop contained a specific environmental focus, such as tree planting with Your Children’s Trees and ocean awareness through The Plunge workshop. Over 100 students participated in total, and the project’s success has laid the groundwork for launching Peace Sticks UCSB, a student-based organization striving to combine movement, community, collaboration, flow, and environmental action, in Fall 2025.
Ella Graban
Stephen Bond
Reenvisioning Recycling
Throughout the ELI program, we worked towards our goal of reducing the amount of thin-film plastic waste generated by our community that goes unrecycled. To do this, we partnered with Planet Protectors, an organization in Santa Barbara, to collect and properly recycle this plastic, which is not recyclable within our county’s traditional facilities. We established permanent collection sites at the Arbor Cafe and the I.V. Amazon Locker. Along with these facilities, we held four community waste collection events by collaborating with on-campus organizations like AS Zero Waste. Through our efforts, we diverted over 300 pounds of thin film plastic from ending up in landfills or polluting our environment.
Makayla Beland
Root to Table Cooking Series
For my Environmental Leadership Incubator project, I partnered with Apples to Zucchini Cooking School and the Isla Vista Co-Op to create the “Root to Table Cooking Series.” Every Tuesday for 8 weeks, 14 UCSB college students would learn how to cook an affordable, nutritious, and delicious vegetarian meal before sitting down to all enjoy it together. I also incorporated bi-weekly guest leaders with diverse cultural backgrounds and levels of expertise to deliver the most educational experience possible. Overall, it was my goal to emphasize the experience of food: making it fun, communal, and empowering!
Leah Jensen
The Creative Earth Initiative
I worked to create a network between UCSB and the Isla Vista community where artists can use their skills to bring awareness to local environmental issues. I facilitated this through a mini-zine workshop, where I educated participants on how to use their creativity for activism. Nine participants each left the workshop having created their own unique booklets. I also hosted an art gallery at IVCC focused on bringing awareness to the water crisis in California. For this event, I was able to gather 32 art pieces, two interactive art pieces, and two live performances, with a total of 45 attendees, to educate our community on how important it is to have access to water for humans and ecosystems to thrive.
Peyton Stoller
Sprout Storytelling
For my ELI project, I successfully created an environmental children’s book entitled La Luna’s Gift: The Tale of Sofía and Ollie. The goal of this project was to write and illustrate the book in collaboration with a fellow UCSB student so that it could be read in 1st and 2nd grade classrooms throughout the Santa Barbara community. The book was developed as resource for Sprout Up, a local nonprofit organization that provides free environmental science curriculum to Title I schools nationwide. This project aimed to support early environmental education and inspire stewardship in young learners.
Jack Simon
Sustaining Strength
Gyms are a significant and often overlooked source of water and electricity usage. That is how Sustaining Strength started, as I set out to partner with local gyms to reduce their environmental impact. I worked with Key 2 Fitness, Kinetic Fitness, and Prevail Conditioning. I successfully installed a total of 10 low flow faucet aerators at these gyms, which will save tens of thousands of gallons of water annually. I also helped gather funding for and develop an LED lighting upgrade plan that will reduce electricity usage by over 3000kWh/year. Moving forward, I plan on continuing to work closely with the gym owner during the lighting retrofit, aiding in planning an energy efficient AC unit replacement, and discussing the potential for green business certifications.
Jack Phillips
The Grown Surfboard: A Sustainable Materials Exploration
My ELI project addresses a disconnect within the surf community. Many surfers are also
environmentalists, fighting for the conservation of our coasts. But, over 400,000 surfboards are built every year using wasteful practices and environmentally harmful materials. During this project, I explored mycelium composites in the context of surfboard construction. Can performance and sustainability coexist in the surfboard industry? That’s the exact question that I dedicated my senior year to answering.
Mikey He
The Moss Wall Installation at UCSB
I led the creation of a 4-by-4.2-foot moss wall panel with a plexiglass cover, representing Santa Barbara’s native forest ecosystem. With no prior moss wall precedent at UCSB, I collaborated with two art majors who contributed to the visual design and construction. We tested each step—from building the wood base to selecting and arranging moss. An indoor air quality monitor was installed beside the wall to track humidity and CO₂ levels. Visitors could download an app to view multi-week data and export it as a CSV, combining visual impact with environmental data engagement. This project introduced biophilic design to campus while encouraging dialogue around student-driven sustainability initiatives.
Isabella Valderrama
UCSB's Heart of the Backyard: Connecting Transfer Students with Nature & Each Other
During my ELI project, I created and implemented a program called “UCSB’s Heart of the Backyard” to help UCSB transfer students build community and connect with local natural spaces. Transfer students are only here for a short time, and they often miss out on these beautiful places and experiences. I organized several nature-based outings and social events, including painting mason jars, tidepooling at Campus Point, and a nature walk followed by coffee at Dune. My project engaged 25–30 participants and provided a welcoming space for transfer students to learn about the natural areas near UCSB and meet like-minded peers. This project strengthened my leadership skills and built a strong foundation for future student-led community-building efforts.
Bella Rosemarie Crosland Bell
Emma Trakh
UCSB Sustainable Refillables
In creating UCSB Sustainable Refillables, we came together with a shared goal: to establish a sustainable resource refill station for students on campus and bridge the gap between accessibility and sustainability. The refill station—currently housed at the AS Food Bank—offers free access to essential hygiene and household products such as shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, dish soap, and body wash, all without the use of single-use plastics. As of June 2025, we’ve raised over $4,500 to support this initiative and empower students to adopt more sustainable consumption habits. Through our efforts, we’ve already prevented 238.9 kg of CO₂ equivalent from being emitted into the atmosphere and hope to continue our efforts through the 2025-26 school year!
Jenny Gibson
UCSB's Triple "E" (Environmental Education Enrichment)
I worked on creating a sustainability and environment general education requirement so all UCSB students can learn about the natural beauty surrounding the campus before graduating. I met with over 10 faculty and staff members through 22 Zoom meetings and interviews, where I gathered information and researched the process of establishing a new GE requirement. I also led a student group that helped collect feedback from faculty across various academic departments on my proposal. I plan to meet with UCSB’s Academic Senate to present the proposal and pass this new requirement to make sustainability education a core part of the UCSB experience.