Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus is UCSC's longest student-run guide to sustainability.
The Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus is UC Santa Cruz's student-led vision for a more sustainable future. Created by the Student Environmental Center (SEC), it outlines student-developed goals and actions across key sustainability topics, including climate action, food systems, transportation, energy, waste, and environmental justice.
Published annually from 2002 to 2021, the Blueprint remains a lasting record of student leadership and a foundation for building a more sustainable and equitable UC Santa Cruz.
Each year, students, staff, and faculty collaborate through Blueprint Breakouts to evaluate the campus's progress and identify new priorities. These conversations shape the Blueprint's visions and actions, creating a roadmap for meaningful change at UCSC.
Beyond serving as a strategic guide, the Blueprint is also a resource for advocacy, education, and action. It has informed campus sustainability planning, supported student organizations, and guided funding opportunities through the Campus Sustainability Council for projects that advance Blueprint goals.
The 2019-2021 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2019–2021 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus reimagines sustainability through the lens of environmental and social justice, recognizing that a truly sustainable campus must also be equitable and accessible. It explores the history of sustainability at UC Santa Cruz, reflects on the university's successes and shortcomings, and emphasizes the importance of addressing issues such as housing, food security, transportation, climate action, and Indigenous sovereignty. The Blueprint presents student-generated visions and actions across ten sustainability topics, encouraging both individual and institutional change while centering the voices of those most impacted by environmental and social injustices.
The 2018-2019 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2018–2019 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus marked a major shift in Enviroslug’s vision by redefining sustainability through the lens of environmental justice, equity, and decolonization. Rather than viewing sustainability as only reducing environmental impacts, the Blueprint argues that true sustainability cannot exist without addressing social inequities, systemic oppression, and the communities most affected by environmental harm. It emphasizes that environmental action must include affordable housing, food security, healthcare, equitable transportation, and institutional accountability.
The Blueprint also highlights Enviroslug’s effort to make the document itself more inclusive and accessible by incorporating more diverse perspectives, graphics, and writing styles while grounding every recommendation in the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice. It presents the Blueprint as a living document that guides student organizations, faculty, and campus leaders in creating both immediate and long-term change through collaborative action, education, and advocacy.
The 2017-2018 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2017–2018 Blueprint emphasizes the role of student leadership in creating a more sustainable UC Santa Cruz through both individual action and systemic change. It highlights the history of Enviroslug and campus sustainability efforts while presenting student visions for integrating sustainability into academics, transitioning to renewable energy, improving food systems, reducing waste, protecting natural resources, advancing environmental justice, and creating a more transparent and accountable university. The Blueprint encourages students to become active changemakers by combining education, advocacy, and collaborative action to build a more resilient campus.
The 2016-2017 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2016–2017 Blueprint presents student-led visions for advancing sustainability at UC Santa Cruz by emphasizing education, environmental stewardship, and collective action. It explores the history of Enviroslug and campus sustainability organizations while outlining goals across academics, energy conservation, food systems, green building, purchasing, transportation, waste prevention, water conservation, social and environmental justice, and land stewardship. The Blueprint encourages students to advocate for institutional change while providing practical actions that individuals and organizations can take to create a more equitable, environmentally responsible, and student-centered campus.
The 2015-2016 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2015–2016 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus focused on building a comprehensive, student-led vision for sustainability at UC Santa Cruz. Its central theme was using student leadership and collaboration to advance sustainability across all aspects of campus—from transportation and energy to food systems, academics, social justice, and resource conservation—while turning broad sustainability goals into actionable campus initiatives.
The 2014-2015 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2016–2017 Blueprint presents student-led visions for advancing sustainability at UC Santa Cruz by emphasizing education, environmental stewardship, and collective action. It explores the history of Enviroslug and campus sustainability organizations while outlining goals across academics, energy conservation, food systems, green building, purchasing, transportation, waste prevention, water conservation, social and environmental justice, and land stewardship. The Blueprint encourages students to advocate for institutional change while providing practical actions that individuals and organizations can take to create a more equitable, environmentally responsible, and student-centered campus.
The 2013-2014 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2013–2014 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus centered on student-driven sustainability and systemic change. It emphasized that creating a sustainable campus requires more than individual actions—it requires organized student leadership, institutional accountability, and collaboration to improve environmental practices, social justice, campus infrastructure, and sustainability education. The Blueprint served as a guide for prioritizing long-term campus initiatives and empowering students to shape the future of sustainability at UC Santa Cruz.
The 2012 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2012 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus expanded UCSC's sustainability vision by combining campus progress reports with student-developed visions and action steps across ten sustainability topics. Developed through Blueprint Breakouts and Earth Summit discussions, the document emphasized that lasting sustainability depends on student leadership, collaboration, and institutional accountability. It served as both a resource guide and a roadmap for campus organizations to turn ideas into tangible sustainability initiatives.
The Blueprint highlighted major sustainability priorities including energy conservation, food systems, green building, transportation, waste prevention, water conservation, land and watershed protection, green purchasing, academics, and social and environmental justice. Each section reviewed existing campus programs, identified challenges, and proposed practical actions for students and the university to improve sustainability outcomes.
The 2011 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2011 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus marked the Blueprint's 10th edition and introduced a more collaborative approach to developing UCSC's sustainability vision. Through a series of Sustainability Breakout events and the 10th Annual Earth Summit, nearly 500 students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members contributed ideas, priorities, and action steps to shape the future of sustainability at UC Santa Cruz.
Building on the university's Campus Sustainability Plan, the 2011 Blueprint expanded to ten sustainability topics, including Green Building, Energy, Food Systems, Land & Watershed, Transportation, Waste, Water, Social & Environmental Justice, and Academics. Each section documented campus progress, highlighted existing programs, identified current challenges, and proposed student-driven 2020 visions and actions to guide future sustainability efforts.
The 2009 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus
The 2009 Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus presents a student vision for improving sustainability at UC Santa Cruz through practical recommendations across ten focus areas: waste prevention, transportation, land and watershed stewardship, food systems, green buildings, green purchasing, social and environmental justice, academics, energy conservation, and water conservation. Throughout these sections, the Blueprint examines existing campus initiatives, identifies ongoing challenges, and proposes actions such as expanding renewable energy, improving public transit and bicycle infrastructure, increasing local and organic food access, protecting natural habitats, reducing waste, strengthening sustainability education, adopting environmentally responsible purchasing practices, conserving water, and integrating social justice into environmental decision-making. Together, these recommendations emphasize reducing the university's environmental footprint while fostering a healthier, more equitable, and more resilient campus community.