 Though UCSC has been known for its conservation efforts and environmentally minded students since it was founded , since 2000 enthusiasm for the UCSC sustainability movement has grown steadily among students and administrators alike . Students established the Student Environmental Center ( SEC ) in 2001 , have held annual Earth Summits , and established a sustainability funding body , the Campus Sustainability Council . In 2004 , the UC Policy on Sustainable Practices was released , stating that the University of California Office of the President was committed to minimizing its impact on the environment and reducing its dependence on non @-@ renewable energy . This set the scene for huge breakthroughs in 2006 , when a Committee on Sustainability and Stewardship ( CSS ) was established and a campus @-@ wide Sustainability Assessment was completed . The following year , the pilot Sustainability Office was created to help institutionalize sustainability , coordinate communication and collaboration between the many entities already engaged in campus sustainability activities at UCSC , support policy implementation , and serve as a resource for the campus . Sustainability has become a major part of every aspect of the campus , and students , staff , and faculty campus @-@ wide are working toward sustainability in a variety of different ways . 
