UC Law SF Boosts Sustainability Efforts Across its Campus

Kathryn Cunningham, UC Law SF’ Sustainability Manager, adds a LEED sticker to one of the rooms at 333 Golden Gate Ave.

UC Law SF is ramping up its sustainability efforts.

So far, the law school has started energy and water conservation projects, waste reduction initiatives across campus, earned LEED Platinum Certification for the Cotchett Law Center at 333 Golden Gate Ave., and is bolstering community engagement through increased signage and education.

The College also is in the process of creating a Climate Action Plan to track existing and upcoming projects, identify goals, and keep the College accountable in its sustainability efforts.

“As an educational institution and one of the nation’s premier law schools, UC Law SF has a unique responsibility to take on a leadership role in the fight against climate change; this includes meaningful action both in the classroom, on our campus, in the greater Tenderloin neighborhood, and beyond. Through leveraging previous projects and embracing daring new ideas, initiatives, and practices, UC Law SF is committed to reducing its contribution to climate change,” said UC Law SF Chancellor & Dean David Faigman.

Hastings put together a team of employees to implement the sustainability goals, led by Kathryn Cunningham, its Operations and Sustainability Manager. Cunningham, Green Building Fellow Costanza Gonzalo, and Joseph Layton-Santos, from the Institutional Technology Department developed a Climate Action Plan video to share the school’s efforts more widely.

The school’s goal is to create a livable, healthy, and prosperous environment in which members of the Hastings community and the surrounding Tenderloin district may work, live, and thrive. Cunningham said, “The past few years, the college’s sustainability team has been hard at work initiating projects to reduce our carbon footprint. This journey, however, will not be without its challenges: the solutions for the climate crisis are just as thorny and complicated as the issue. We are proud of the work we have accomplished so far, but to achieve our sustainability goals, we will need the support and participation of our entire community.”

These ongoing efforts will continue as the college opens its new academic and residential tower at 198 McAllister St. in 2023 and upgrades its building at 100 McAlister St. Hastings also will be launching a Climate Action Plan Task Force, a cross-campus committee made up of students, faculty and staff, who will work with the sustainability team on environmental issues involving the campus.

For more information on how to get involved, please reach out to Operations@UCHastings.edu.