Kelp Help aims to close critical gaps in kelp forest monitoring and restoration by leveraging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology to improve the detection, monitoring, and analysis of kelp canopy coverage and condition.
Small-scale energy technologies like rooftop solar and electric vehicles are key to decarbonizing energy systems, but grid capacity to support these technologies may not be distributed equitably across communities. This project will develop an accessible workflow that combines grid infrastructure and socioeconomic data to help identify inequities and support a fairer transition to clean energy.
This project explores the potential to repurpose marine waste streams into sustainable, non-synthetic fertilizers or soil amendments for home gardeners and small-scale agriculture. Our initial business model centers on capturing and diverting marine waste before it is discarded, thus reducing environmental harm while creating a locally sourced, value-added product.
Wildfires are an increasing threat in the western U.S., and understanding community and ecosystem resilience is critical for reducing risk. This project will create an open-source tool that makes wildfire resilience data easier to access and use, helping researchers and practitioners support better preparedness and recovery.
The U.S. healthcare industry generates approximately 6 million tons of waste annually, which is nearly equivalent to the country of India’s entire annual waste production. SustainRx aims to equip hospitals and healthcare providers with a centralized way to track, reduce, and manage medical waste without compromising patient safety. The project will help eliminate waste at its source using a centralized, data-driven platform that enables healthcare organizations to monitor procurement and disposal patterns, assess inefficiencies, and receive actionable waste reduction recommendations.
Environmental reviews in California rely on accurate species data, but current workflows are time-consuming and difficult to reproduce. This project will create an automated system that streamlines species data management, helping biologists make more consistent and effective conservation decisions.
The project’s aim is to find a new, safe and sustainable alternative to the synthetic hair products sold in the beauty industry. Focusing on the intersection between public and environmental health, ReNew’s goal addresses the harms affecting the current consumer base, specifically Black and Black mixed-race women, girls and other femmes.
Hydropower is a key renewable energy source, but expanding it can harm rivers and ecosystems if not carefully planned. This project will estimate how much hydropower can be developed sustainably worldwide and share the results through an interactive tool to support climate and conservation goals.
This project aims to evaluate the feasibility of CRLF reintroduction by assessing habitat suitability and identifying the physical, biological, and regulatory requirements for success. As part of this assessment, our team will collect on-farm data for a variety of variables, including pond water quality and surrounding vegetation and wildlife.
California’s 30×30 initiative aims to protect biodiversity, but decision-makers need better evidence to guide conservation investments. This project will use bird observation data to compare biodiversity trends in protected and unprotected areas, helping inform more effective conservation strategies across the state.
For over 450 years, Pilcomayo river basin has been heavily contaminated by mining waste originating from the Potosí region, including toxic heavy metals and acidic byproducts. Advanced Minerals Technology S. Korea, Inc. (AMTSK) is taking a dual approach to address the contamination issue: environmental remediation and treatment of affected populations.
The City of Santa Barbara has adopted an aspirational climate goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Decreasing natural gas use would reduce the City’s overall emissions; thus, converting existing residential buildings to all-electric systems would bring the City closer to carbon neutrality. To assess the feasibility of different electrification options, this project will review best practices from residential buildings' electrification in other jurisdictions. Furthermore, the project will create an economic model to calculate greenhouse gas reductions and the lifetime financial savings from electrification.
This project is a partnership between UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRT) to create a regional restoration plan for the central San Joaquin Valley.
While the crucial role of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPs & LCs) and their territories in realizing global climate and conservation goals is well established, a significant gap exists in scientific knowledge in terms of the current and future implications of a changing climate on IPs’ & LCs’ territories. The newly established Global Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Center at Conservation International seeks to work with and for IPs & LCs to enhance the climate resiliency of these communities and their territories. As part of this effort, this project aims to understand the current and future impact of climate change on IPs & LCs and the biodiversity and carbon within their territories. Based on this understanding, the project team will identify strategies and actions that can be implemented to increase climate resiliency of IPs’ & LCs’ territories.
This project addresses California's textile waste crisis, where millions of tons of clothing and textiles are landfilled annually, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental justice concerns. California's newly enacted SB 707, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, establishes an Extended Producer Responsibility framework requiring producers to fund collection and recycling programs, but implementation pathways remain unclear. This research will develop a comprehensive baseline assessment of California's textile waste streams, conduct an environmental assessment of different end-of-life management approaches, and create implementation frameworks to support the transition to circular textile systems under SB 707.
This project aims to develop a baseline environmental understanding of the CHNMS region by assessing habitats and the status and trends of key species within its boundaries. This foundational assessment will use current literature and historical datasets to identify regional trends and monitoring gaps. These findings will inform the sanctuary’s first Condition Report and Climate Vulnerability Assessment, guiding future management and conservation strategies.
Black bears play a crucial ecological role; contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem health through services such as seed dispersal, scavenging, and nutrient cycling. Known to be more abundant and smaller than their grizzly counterparts, they have similar impacts on the ecosystem as they increase soil fertilization through their foraging behaviors and influence the movement of other forest species. In recent years, black bears have been expanding their range into California’s Northern Bay Area. Their gradual movement through this increasingly developed ecosystem inevitably results in more frequent conflict with humans in urban areas. While researchers are still unsure about the cause of this movement, it is clear that there is a need to find methods of sustainable coexistence between humans and black bears. By identifying a safety corridor for black bears and proposing land management techniques, the team aims to improve human-bear interaction outcomes.
The proposed project will analyze BOEM’s current permitting framework to identify key challenges, opportunities for improvement, and potential pathways to facilitate the development and implementation of small-scale projects. Possible approaches include regulatory mapping, case study examination of existing small-scale projects, and policy scenario modeling. As state and federal governments are striving for carbon reduction targets, developing a well-defined renewable energy portfolio will be paramount. This portfolio should encompass a variety of generation methods and scale sizes to optimize potential renewable energy capacity.
In an effort to address the intersection between California’s current housing crisis and escalating climatic risks, this project supports the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) in the redevelopment of Presidio Springs - a senior low-income housing complex. The team will conduct a material audit of the original development, identify sustainable and climate-resilient building materials, and formulate recommendations for green design strategies to reduce both the embodied and operational carbon footprint of the complex.
This project addresses the growing challenge of managing coastal retreat in California due to rising sea levels and extreme weather events. Beaches, wetlands, infrastructure, and private property are all at risk, and while traditional adaptation strategies like seawalls and beach nourishment offer temporary relief, they often come with significant ecological and social trade-offs. Managed shoreline retreat—strategically relocating infrastructure and development away from vulnerable shorelines—offers a more sustainable long-term solution, but it remains underused due to political resistance, high upfront costs, and a lack of clear guidance for implementation.
