In June 2004, UC President Robert C. Dynes issued the UC Policy on Green Building Design and Clean Energy Standards (PDF). The policy specifies green building design and clean energy standards for constructing and renovating campus facilities.

Green building design criteria:

• New buildings will:
  • Outperform Title 24 (state building code requirements for minimum energy efficiency levels) by 20%
  • Meet or exceed LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) 2.1 "Certified" equivalent rating or Labs21 (Labs for the 21st century) criteria
  • Be planned and designed focusing on lifecycle cost and long-term operation and maintenance
• Existing buildings will be evaluated by Facilities Management according to LEED 2.1 criteria.
• New equipment and systems will be strategically purchased for maximum efficiency.

Clean energy goals:

• Develop and implement retrofit and retro-commissioning projects for existing buildings and infrastructure, to be funded by UC/CSU partnership with the Public Utilities Commission and statewide utilities (PGE, SCE, SDGE, and SoCal Gas)
• Reduce consumption of non-renewable energy sources through energy-efficiency projects and green energy purchasing
• Obtain 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2017
• Provide up to 10 megawatts of local renewable power by 2014
• Develop funding sources and financing alternatives for energy efficiency, renewable resources, and clean energy projects

UCSD is meeting green building and clean energy goals by:

• Completing $1.3 million in energy retrofit and retro-commission projects in 2005
• Supplying approximately 85% of campus electricity through cogeneration
• Researching photovoltaic (PV) opportunities, financing, and best locations for use on campus
• Installing:
  • Energy Star equipment and energy-saving devices (e.g., programmable HVAC controls, motion-sensitive lighting controls, etc.)
  • Water-saving devices where applicable
  • Recycled material where appropriate
• Installing native plants as the standard for landscaping (turf in programmed functional areas only)
• Using reclaimed water for irrigation
• Adding hybrid vehicles to its long-term lease and rental fleet
• Investigating hybrid and fuel cell buses/ shuttles and electric vehicles for campus service operations
• Developing and testing new shuttle routes for campus commuters
• Working with the city of San Diego to bring light-rail transit to campus

For more information about sustainable building design and construction at UCSD, see Sustainability Contacts.