Sustainability Initiative Director Abigail Reyes (right) receives Best Practices award at the 2016 CHESC.

Sustainability Initiative Director Abigail Reyes (right) receives Best Practices Award at the 2016 CHESC from UC Chief Operating Officer Rachael Nava. Photo Credit: Seth Joel Photography

Sustainability Initiative Receives Best Practices Award at 2016 CHESC

Sustainability Initiative Director Abigail Reyes accepted a Best Practices Award during the 2016 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) on behalf of UCI for the category Sustainability in Academics: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Reyes joined a panel of best practice awardees for a discussion on how collaborations on- and off-campus among students, faculty, and communities are facilitating the development of meaningful solutions to sustainability challenges. By articulating the emerging benefits of integrating sustainability across the curriculum, these programs illustrate the curricular and co-curricular benefits of working with campus and community partners to empower students and faculty through experiential problem-solving.

Sustainability Initiative Director Abigail Reyes invited attendees from UC Irvine who assist with the Sustainability Initiative onstage to accept the award.

Members of UC Irvine’s sustainability leadership, staff, and students joined Sustainability Initiative Director Abigail Reyes on the CHESC stage to accept the 2016 Best Practices Award. Photo Credit: Seth Joel Photography

About CHESC
The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. This annual event is jointly organized by independent / private colleges, California Community Colleges, California State Universities, and the University of California creating the opportunity for dialogue across institutions.
UCI at CHESC
UCI was well represented at CHESC, sending 20 students, faculty and staff members. Many of these UCI representatives presented, including the following presentations:

  • Cultivating Behavior Change: Sustainability and Staff Engagement in Student Housing – Presented by Rachel Harvey, Sustainability Program Manager at UCI Student Housing
  • Approaching Sustainability Through Curricular and Co-Curricular Implementations – Presented by Jill Kardell, UCI undergraduate student
  • Mass Bicycle Education Events That Work – Presented by Carolyn Hernandez and Ramon Zavala from UCI Sustainable Transportation Program
  • The UC Irvine Garden Project – Presented by Emanuel Preciado, UCI Master’s candidate in Urban Planning, and Fernando Maldonado, Program Manager at the UCI Global Sustainability Resource Center
  • Improved “Business As Usual” Forecasting in Climate Action Plans – Presented by Kimberly Duong, UCI Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering