Each October, universities around the world celebrate Campus Sustainability Month. It’s a chance to reflect on ways we can improve our world, but at UC Davis it’s not a one-month event. In fact, for 11 years in a row we've been named the greenest university in North America and among the top 10 worldwide.

Sustainability at UC Davis is a way we live out our promise to build a healthier future through our global research initiatives, enriching students’ experiences and empowering lives near and far.

Aggies are putting their knowledge to work and making a difference in lithium supply chains, coral survival in the South Pacific and other ways to address the impacts of climate change.

Research rooted in sustainability

Guided by UC Davis faculty, graduate students are finding ways to reshape the future of global resources. During his time as a Ph.D. student, Pablo Busch, along with Professor Alissa Kendall, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, modeled where the world’s lithium will come from as demand increases. They concluded that extensive recycling and smaller batteries could cut the number of new lithium mines needed by 2050 from as many as 85 to as few as 15.

Meanwhile, at a coral nursery in the Cook Islands, Associate Professor Rachael Bay and Assistant Professor Anya Brown, both of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, are conducting a long-term field study on why some corals survive heat and others don’t. Funded by National Geographic and a UC Davis Global Affairs Seed Grant for International Activities, the study’s findings could help in the South Pacific and beyond.

The UC Davis Summer Abroad program offers students an immersive opportunity to understand food security and explore climate solutions in other parts of the world. Led by Assistant Professor Xiaofei Zhang of the Department of Plant Sciences, students visit Colombia, working alongside scientists and local farmers to study soil health and sustainable farming practices. These hands-on experiences deepen students’ understanding of ways to future-proof our food systems while advancing their academic pursuits.

Our sustainability commitment is also shaped by the work of our world-class faculty on policies and economic strategies that support a healthier planet. Tessa Hill, a marine scientist and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education in the College of Letters and Science, is one of only two U.S. scientists appointed to the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, focusing on methane — one of the strongest levers we have to slow our climate crisis.

The university’s sustainability footprint also extends to technology. Through our AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, or AIFS, a $20 million institute funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our researchers are working to optimize crop and food production while ensuring a nutritious, efficient and safe food supply.

Building the future at UC Davis

Our campus also serves as a training ground to shape how we lead and teach sustainability across our community.

The Green Initiative Fund is one way we’re taking action right here on campus. Student fees fund projects that support sustainability initiatives ranging from reducing waste to advances in clean energy. The fund has supported more than 150 projects, providing $1.3 million to improve access to education and research.

Community programs like Sprout Up send UC Davis students into Title Ielementary classrooms to teach environmental education and build a culture of sustainability from an early age. Separately, UC Davis’ upcoming Climate Change Literacy general education requirement will ensure every Aggie graduates with climate fluency.

We are also working to explore environmentally sustainable ways to power the AI-driven data center boom, with our College of Engineering faculty prototyping modular data centers with alternative cooling methods as one potential answer. Our AI Steering Committee has recommended making environmental sustainability a standing criterion, alongside cost, performance and security, when we evaluate AI infrastructure investments for UC Davis.

Get involved

To our students ready to build a thriving future, I encourage you to apply to the quarterly Sustainable Development Goals Internship, look out for yearly recruitments for Global Impact Fellows, pursue funding for social impact projects and research via Widening Circles or Global Grad Grantsand know that any Aggie with a campus sustainability idea can apply to The Green Initiative Fund.

I also want to call on our policymakers and community partners to continue supporting our educational and research programs. The Horticulture Innovation Lab at UC Davis — known for advancing research and solutions in global and domestic agriculture — closed in 2025 after USAID funding was withdrawn. That loss will affect future outcomes.
When we focus on sustainability, we aren’t just protecting the environment; we are preparing students to become future leaders with the research skills to drive our economy and create lasting impact from Davis to the global stage.

Sincerely,

Gary S. May
Chancellor