As the new Sustainability Fellow in the UCSF Office of Sustainability, Robby Barnes is helping the office reach its goals for sustainable practices throughout the campus community.
“Robby comes to us from the SEI Climate Corps,” said Sustainability Director, Gail Lee. “He has done a wonderful job engaging staff at tabling events on every UCSF Campus and Health building to recruit those interested in getting their office, lab, clinic or unit green certified.”
All offices, labs, homes, clinics/units, and event planners at UCSF can be recognized through the Sustainability Certification Program. This helps UCSF provide a healthier planet by reducing emissions, saving energy, conserving water and reducing waste. So far, Barnes has generated 55 new signups.
“Robby has also helped us research various outreach activities, including different marketing promotions, electric vehicle availability and pricing, and general outreach and engagement,” Lee said. “He’s been collegial, easy to work with and enthusiastic to learn and contribute to our sustainability programs.”
Barnes previously worked at UC Riverside’s Office of Sustainability where he led the reimplementation of the Cool Campus Challenge program. Now, he hopes to help the UCSF Sustainability team reach its goals for sustainable practices throughout the UCSF community.
His initial interest in sustainability came through his high school AP Environmental Science class. “This led me to choose Environmental Science as my major at the University of Oregon, where I continued to take courses related to life sciences and environmentalism,” Barnes said. “However, it was my Environmental Justice course that propelled my passion for sustainability to become my career and convinced me to spend my time working with the communities most at risk from environmental injustices.”
Following graduation, Barnes (posing, left, in the koala cutout used at Sustainability events) was accepted as a Peace Corp volunteer and planned to spend two years in Zambia before the pandemic lockdown began. He eventually accepted a position with AmeriCorps in Colorado.
Barnes later joined the San Diego chapter of the Sunrise Movement, which is a group dedicated to stopping the climate crisis and win a Green New Deal. “The main project we were working on at the time was an awareness campaign about the predatory lithium mining in Thacker Pass, Nevada, on ancestral land of the indigenous communities in the area.”
Since then, Barnes spent a year in Riverside completing a fellowship with the UC Riverside Office of Sustainability.
“Now that I’m in San Francisco, I plan to settle down for the foreseeable future. I want to start exploring some of the hiking areas outside of the city.” He also plans to get involved with environmental organizations throughout the Bay Area to push for environmental justice.
He has seamlessly transitioned into the UCSF Office of Sustainability. “I love how dedicated and knowledgeable everyone is. It keeps me motivated to build my skills and push myself to keep up. The work is much more technical and involved than anything I have done in the past, so I get to learn new things and implement them in real time each day I come to work.”
