Current and Past Projects
Past Events
Mainstreaming CSR with Tara Rangarajan, 4/24/08
The CSR task force has invited Tara Rangarajan, Managing Director at BSR to visit campus and discuss "Mainstreaming CSR."
Jeopardy Social, 2/28/08
The Jeopardy Social featured a live trivia show with topics such as microfinance, renewable energy and climate change. Three teams participated, which combined students and faculty from IR/PS and Rady. Over 95 attended.
Microfinance Roundtable Discussion, 2/21/08
The Microfinance taskforce invited Cary Mandel, former Director of Lending at Accion San Diego, to sit down with a small group of students to discuss the challenges, career opportunities, and impacts of Microfinance organizations in the U.S. Eight students attended the 1.5 hour session.
Paul Rice Speaker Event, 2/6/08
The Net Impact Officers from IR/PS coordinated with Professor Peter Gourevitch and Swanie Schmidt to plan and market a Paul Rice (CEO and President of Transfair USA) Public Speaker event after a career session with IR/PS students. The career session involved approximately ten students while the public event brought about 75 students, staff, faculty, and campus visitors.
$20,000 ESI Grant Awarded to Net Impact, January 2008-Present
The Green/Sustainability task force submitted a proposal and has recently been awarded a $20,000 seed grant from UCSD's Environment and Sustainability Initiative to implement a Sustainability Walk highlighting UCSD sustainability achievements on campus. "Monitors will display information on energy use, savings, and environmental impacts for existing gren projects as well as places targeted for green improvements in the near future." As of March 2008, the task force is working on solidifying project expenses and working with the administration to begin construction in the spring.
Focus the Nation, 1/30-31/2008
Net Impact worked with faculty at Rady and IR/PS to advertise Focus the Nation and have several professors address environmental issues in their classrooms during the two day “teach-in” that focused on global warming.
Renewable Energy Career Panel, 1/29/08
Planned by Net Impact members at Rady, the panel consisted of three local businesspersons working in Renewable Energy.
Jim Trauth – Envision Solar
Jay Brandeis – Teotl Energy Partners
Yeves Perez – Eco Investment Club
Approximately 15 Rady and IR/PS students attended the event.
Sustainability Idea Contest, Winter Quarter
Throughout the quarter, Net Impact setup a sustainability ideas contest by asking students and staff to come up with the best answer to “What is something small that IR/PS can do to increase its sustainability in a BIG way?” NI received over 40 submissions for the contest and narrowed these down to six top selections. These were then voted on by students and Josefine Durazo won the contest with her submission of “two sided printing with a discount in the computer lab." She received her choice between a $50 gift certificate to Kiva.org or any socially responsible organization of her choice.
Her idea was put into action in April 2008 (with the help of Gary, Stu, and Andrew) and all students printing from the computer lab now receive a 20% discount when printing two-sided. We also plan to introduce recycled paper to the computer lab in the coming months.
Four members of Net Impact—Eric Engelman, Jessie Atkinson, Preston Sharp and Lane Jost—attended the 2007 Net Impact Conference in Nashville, TN. We hope to increase the number of attendees from IR/Ps for the 2008 Net Impact Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
