Sustainability Project Commission
Caitlin Yee
Shruti Gundu
Sustainability Project Commissioner
Sustainability Project Commissioner
Hello, Anteaters! My name is Caitlin Yee (she/her/hers), and I am serving as one of your 2022-2023 commissioners for the Sustainability Project Commission. I am a fourth-year biological sciences major and Asian American studies minor. I am passionate about the intersection of sustainability, human and environment health, research, and science communication, and some of my favorite sustainability topics are waste management, plastic pollution, and environmental conservation. With my experience as a 2021-2022 Sustainability Project intern, I am excited to continue to host sustainability-related events (e.g. Sustainival, Earth Week, Zot ‘n Clothes) that involve students and raise awareness of various issues. This year I am looking forward to exploring new, creative ideas that further UCI’s sustainability goals and educate the student body about sustainability resources on campus. My main hope is that students use their sustainability knowledge to apply it in daily, meaningful, and practical ways personally and in their communities.
Office Hours: Friday 10-11 am
Hello! My name is Shruti Gundu (she/her/hers) and I am serving as one of the Sustainability Project Co-Commissioners. I am a second-year economics major and some of my interests lie in the relationship between sustainability and health, consumerism and sustainable development, and also climate change and environmental conservation. As a previous intern for the Sustainability Project Commission last year, I hope to continue bridging the gap between students and sustainability efforts at the university and community levels. Additionally, I hope to work towards bringing back successful events like Zot ‘n Clothes, Sustainival and Earth Week, with more new ideas and events to engage and interact with the student body. As a commissioner, I hope to make sustainability a more accessible concept for students and widen the narrative to be more inclusive for everyone, and in doing so, achieve my goal of establishing and strengthening a passionate and driven community of students working towards meaningful changes at the University of California, Irvine.
Office Hours: Monday 12-1 pm
Commission Description:
The Sustainability Project Commission targets intersectional advocacy, environmental justice, waste management and reduction, recycling, energy efficiency, and self-sufficiency in the UCI student and staff community. Through close collaboration with organizations such as the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) and the CA Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), we support green initiatives on campus to work towards UCI’s sustainability goals, and on a state-wide scale – the University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative as presented from the UCOP.
Previously, we have hosted and been a part of successful events such as Sustainival, Zot n Clothes, Earth Week, Sustainability Action Week, and many more. Along with the Garden Commission and the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC), we help maintain the Ants in Your Plants Garden in Arroyo Vista which donates campus-grown produce to UCI’s FRESH Basic Needs Hub.
Goals:
– Increase student awareness and student involvement in sustainability initiatives and projects on campus
– Support University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative and UCI’s Zero Waste goals through community engagement, policy work, and immediate action
– Collaborate with registered student organizations (RSOs) to plan and coordinate school-wide events targeting environmentalism and sustainable living
– Provide quantitative data to the administration on our campus-wide impacts, e.g. food waste composted, produce grown, student involvement, clothes donated, etc.
– Support Garden Commission’s initiatives to encourage students to destress at the Ants in Your Plants Garden while making a sustainable impact