Awards and Recognition

UC San Diego regularly receives recognition for its many sustainable operating practices.

2009
National Wildlife Federation Chill Out Campus Solutions to Global Warming Video Award, for “UC San Diego: A Living Laboratory for Real-World Solutions”
SANDAG Diamond Awards:
- Program Excellence, for campus transportation programs
- Innovation, for pioneering approaches to transportation, such as GPS bus tracking
Clinton Global Initiative University certificate of recognition, for commitment to launch all-electric hybrid CNG micro-turbine buses

2008
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best HVAC Retrofit award, for chilled water valve upgrades
SANDEE Special Achievement in Transportation Award, for commuting alternatives
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Energy, Vice Chancellor Steven Relyea for championing sustainability
Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus USA award, selected to host tree-planting events
City of San Diego Climate Protection Champion award, for being the first campus on the West Coast to join the Chicago Climate Exchange
Model Pollution Prevention certification for Vehicle Services facility

2007
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Campus Owned and Operated Transportation, electric vehicle fleet
SANDEE Award Outstanding Organizational Achievement Award for alternative transportation, Green Campus Program and support during 2007 wildfires
California Climate Action Registry Climate Action Leader designation for verifying the campus’s emissions inventory (2003-2007)
Model Pollution Prevention certification for Vehicle Services facility

2006
SANDEE Award Special Achievement in Sustainable Transportation, for drafting a sustainable fleet management plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Best Load Management Program, Sustainable Operations, steam turbine retrofit
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Best HVAC Retrofit, Sustainable Operations, Cognitive Sciences building HVAC retrofit
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Best HVAC Design, New Construction and Major Renovation, Price Center expansion
Flex Your Power Awards Demand Response Honorable Mention, for installing three major demand response systems, yielding up to 25% savings of campus energy load
Model Pollution Prevention certification for Vehicle Services facility

2005
SANDEE Award Special Achievement in Energy by a Government or Institution, for refurbishing the university’s oldest and largest steam turbine powered chiller with a 3 MW steam turbine electrical generator, resulting in a 10 percent increase in operating efficiency and a 25% reduction in steam required for cooling
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Best HVAC Retrofit, Supercomputer Center expansion
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Best HVAC Design, laboratory retrofit
UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference Best Practices awards Best Load Management, load-shed programming
Flex Your Power Awards Education and Leadership Honorable Mention, for saving 3.4 million kWh and nearly 684,000 therms of natural gas through retrofits
Model Pollution Prevention certification for Vehicle Services facility