Earlier this year, Governor Brown declared a drought state of emergency and called on Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent. UC San Francisco has already taken action but recognizes that more is needed. We take this call to action seriously. I am writing to let you know what the campus is doing and how you can take action, too.
First, you may be interested to learn that while UCSF square footage has increased 74.7% since 1990, our water usage has actually declined from 1990 to 2013 due to ongoing proactive efforts.
In response to the UC President Napolitano announced goal of reducing per capita water use by 20 percent by 2020, UCSF has committed to six strategic actions. For more information on the six action items selected, please visit this link.
Current campus water-saving measures
UC San Francisco has just completed our first Water Action Plan which outlines our actions to achieve a 20% reduction in water use by 2020. These strategiesinclude infrastructure and large equipment upgrades and retrofits. However, the Governor has asked the state to reduce water consumption by 20% this year. To do this we need your help in reducing our daily water consumption immediately.We need your help!
Join your colleagues across the campus community in saving water in several ways:· Labs are a major user of water on campus. Lab and office workers should get their labs and offices LivingGreen Certified to focus on energy and water saving strategies as soon as possible. Use less DI, RO or distilled water if possible.
· We need each UCSF community member to immediately reduce their personal water usage wherever possible. In restrooms, break rooms and labs, turn off water when you are not directly using it.
· Report water leaks, broken fixtures and irrigation spray heads, and other water waste immediately to Facilities Services (campus) at (415) 476-2021 or the Medical Center at (415) 353-1120.
The California Department of Water Resources hosts an excellent website, Save Our Water, with more resources for water savings.
Thank you for doing your part to save water as California faces this drought together. If you have any questions or suggestions, please post them on http://brightideas.ucsf.edu.
Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Interim Chancellor and Dean, School of Medicine