By Mary Hoang
Daily Bruin Contributor
In the 1970s, the UCLA community endured an average of 100
stage-one smog alerts every year. Today that number is less than
ten, and efforts to quell air pollution and other environmental
problems have become part of campus life.
Environmental concern on campus encompasses more than the usual
recycling efforts. Over the years, several campus organizations
have rallied around environmental issues to help shape UCLA
policies.
Ecological awareness has its place in the classroom through
courses taught in the Earth and Space Sciences and Geography
departments and the Institute of the Environment.
“The Institute of the Environment has focused on
environmental research and has brought together faculty of
different disciplines to work on important environmental
problems,” said Richard Ambrose, the director of the
environmental sciences and engineering program.
Efforts to reduce waste on campus via recycling and managing
consumption are regulated by Facilities Management.
The recycling program received a boost earlier this year when 12
recycling clusters for glass, aluminum and plastic were placed on
campus in addition to the 60 newspaper recycling bins already in
place. Facilities Management has recycled white paper, green waste
and construction site material for several years.
Facilities Management installed the recycling bins on campus
with a $29,000 grant from the California Department of
Conservation.
Ben Saltsman, chapter chair of the California Public Interest
Research Group, said the increased number of bins will also
increase the recycling effort of the campus.
“The more bins we have, the better the chance that
students will recycle because not only will they have an easier
time finding a bin, but hopefully we can promote a more
environmentally aware student body,” Saltsman said.
Since the fuel used in numerous vehicles impacts air quality,
Facilities Management and Transportation Services have incorporated
more environmentally friendly vehicles to their fleets.
“About 30 percent of our vehicle fleet are zero-emission
electric, and our passenger vehicles are powered by compressed
natural gas,” said Jack Powazek, assistant vice chancellor of
facilities management.
Using natural gas creates much less emissions than regular gas,
he added.
UCLA Transportation Services’ entire bus fleet now runs on
compressed natural gas, said director Mark Stocki.
“We are also purchasing more compressed natural gas
vehicles and a few mini-van sized electric vehicles from
Honda,” he added.
Brian Rudiger, fourth-year history student and member of the
Environmental Coalition, said the transportation system here is in
a terrible state. He said other campuses have more efficient
programs, including better public transportation and free bus fare
for students ““ which decrease the amount of commuter induced
pollution.
Another environmental issue not apparent on a daily basis is the
movement of used water.
“The annual water consumption has decreased by 19 percent
since 1994,” Powazek said.
This was achieved by installing water restrictors and a
computerized irrigation system, he added.
In addition to the amount of water used, a project to divert
possibly contaminated water was also implemented recently.
“We have a new storm-water runoff program that prevents
potentially hazardous materials from going to the storm drains that
lead to Santa Monica bay,” said Rick Greenwood, director of
the Office of Environment, Health and Safety.
Rudiger said he feels environmental, human and workers’
rights can’t be separated, and the negative effects of
globalization have stirred concern in those areas.
“The most powerful block to environmental protection in
the United States is corporate power,” Rudiger said.
Rudiger said the Environmental Coalition is working with ASUCLA
on the “Fair Trade Coffee Campaign,” which he said is
part of a fight against corporate power that places profits over
environment and worker rights.
Rudiger said many corporations pay workers less and use less
environmentally conscious tactics to grow their coffee.
In comparison to other campuses like Berkeley, some say the
environmental effort of UCLA is not as visible.
“There is much more activism there and more concern at
Berkeley. Recycling bins are everywhere and they have been there
forever,” said Scott Sherman, a lecturer in English at UCLA
and self-proclaimed environmentalist.
Saltsman said these problems are not abstract crises in a
far-off land, but rather issues that affect us all.
“Ultimately these issues directly impact the quality of
our life, and the more people that take action, the better our
world and our lives can be,” he said.