Expanding Outreach for Advocacy Colleen McCamy Student Engagement Intern Carbon Neutrality Initiative

Forms of Outreach Marketing  Spreading awareness and promoting UCSB’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions  Educating the student body about the Carbon Neutrality Initiative Engagement  Taking action in discussions  Creating and giving critical feedback  Initiating and involvement of projects  Building political buy-in from students for the Carbon Neutrality Initiative

Cool Campus Challenge: Marketing Strategies Set up tables promoting the challenge – Graduate student gatherings, soccer game, arbor Free ice cream event Class presentations Social media in addition to flyers, posters, and stickers Team Competitions in the challenge – Collaborated with athletic teams, residence halls, graduate students, acapella groups, labs, and Greek life groups to create a team

Coalition Building: Engagement Strategies Attending organization’s meetings and connecting with organization student representatives Linking efforts that students are already working on to the Carbon Neutrality Initiative Extending beyond by using Facebook, texting, and phone calls to communicate Directly collaborating with student groups in to ensure direct engagement

Campus Sustainability Plan Feedback: Engagement Strategies Gave students the opportunity to shape our goals and actions in developing critical feedback for the plan Feedback period during student schedule and a longer feedback period Give sections of the plan to match student's expertize, rather than whole plan Student feedback discussion meetings Quarterly Sustainability Forum

Role of Student Advocacy Advocacy advances beyond just pledging to the goal and includes the engagement in achieving the goal Leads to student activism and involvement in projects that extend beyond the low hanging fruit Initiates student innovation to reach targeted goals An engaged student body with advocates motivates the campus to take action

Student Advocacy and the Carbon Neutrality Initiative Students mobilize projects  Previous examples include UC Go Solar, and the Lot 22 solar arrays Founds a system of support for neutrality goals

Next Steps Continue marketing efforts to create a campus-wide consciousness of the initiative  Set up tables during Earth Day festivities  Reach out to student communities we may have missed in previous outreach efforts Develop a best practices outline for student feedback engagement Continue to involve students in the discussion on how to reach carbon neutrality  Building committees, Chancellor Sustainability Committees Create a mini-coalition of student advocates  Continuing communication with reliable student contacts