Initiatives With the Potential to Help Residents Achieve a More Sustainable Way of Living and Increased Quality of Life

San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition partnered with the students in Dr. Samantha Bova’s ENV S 302 Climate Change Solutions course on research projects related to sustainability and community support. Their goal was to gain student input on projects that, if implemented, could improve sustainability and the quality of life of residents in Southeast San Diego. The students in the class conducted literature reviews and, in some cases, prospective research, to identity issues that currently exist in the Southeast San Diego area concerning sustainability. They then developed solutions targeting these issues and created proposals in the form of posters, which were presented to representatives from the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition. In Southeast San Diego, the main areas of need that the students discovered were an increase in green space, improved community knowledge as well as access to energy and water conservation tools, improvements in the efficiency of public transportation, additions of climate change education programs for youth, and resources for people experiencing homelessness. A few of the proposals for increasing the amount of green space and community access in Southeast San Diego included implementing more pocket parks, green-lining roads, and creating a community garden. To increase energy efficiency in Southeast San Diego, the students proposed implementing a mobile app to help residents find a clean energy plan within their budget, implementing programs to educate residents on free and reduced-cost water conservation tools, and making a few adjustments to the development of the San Diego Energy Equity Campus to make the facility more energy efficient. To improve the efficiency of public transportation, the students proposed creating a simpler timetable system as well as eliminating redundant stops. Finally, to support the community, the students proposed implementing climate change education into the curriculum of public schools in Southeast San Diego, starting as young as grade school, as well as implementing more space-efficient housing programs for those experiencing homelessness.