Stethoscope on the Cardiogram
Stethoscope on the Cardiogram
Abstract Water
Palm Trees
Palm Trees

Rethink Your Drink

Our Initiative

The UC HBI’s goal is to decrease the consumption of SSBs on our UC campuses, and increase the availability of tap water as an alternative.

 

The UCSB HBI Research Group is dedicated to understanding the environmental, health, social justice and financial impacts of beverages on the UCSB campus. Our initial focus has been estimating the net environmental impact of reducing SSB and bottled water sales on campus and increase tap water accessibility. We will also be estimating the reduced risk of diet related diseases if SSBs are substituted with tap water. In Fall 2020, we are organizing conversations about UCSB's beverage environment and how it can be improved to support environmental health, human health. We plan to estimate the reduced health are costs due to improved health over time, as a result of these changes, and the environmental benefit of reduced health care, like reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

 

The UCSB HBI Implementation Group, led by Katie Maynard in the Sustainability Program, is responsible for surveying the campus beverage environment, and arranging installation of new water filling stations.

Projects

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UCSB Parents & Family Weekend Survey Results

During UCSB’s Parents’ Weekend (November 2nd, 2019), a survey assessing parent perspectives on food and beverage consumption and sales on campus was distributed at Prof. David Cleveland’s presentation (“Is There a ‘Best’ Diet for us, our Students, and Planet?”). Click to learn more and read our results!

Glasses of Water
The potential environmental benefits of substituting SSBs and bottle water with tap water on a university campus

- IN PROGESS - 

The potential net environmental impact of replacing both SSBs and bottled water with tap water are being investigated through our research. We are working with UCSB Dining to gather data on on campus. Documenting these co-benefits could increase policy and behavioral incentives for change. Click to learn more and join the conversation!

Events

Where We

Started...

In 2015, UCSF implemented a “Healthy Beverage Initiative” (HBI) which involved an organized phase-out of SSBs from all UCSF campus eateries and vending machines. An evaluation of the UCSF HBI revealed significant health impacts in a subset of UCSF employees studied before and 10 months after the HBI took place.

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This initiative sparked the implementation of HBIs, an evidence-based public health effort to prevent obesity and related cardiometabolic diseases among community members, throughout the University of California campuses.

Let the updates
come to you.

UCSB Healthy Beverage Initiative Research Group

Part of the UC Healthy Campus Network

First year is funded by the UC Office of the President

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ucsb.healthybeverageinitiative@gmail.com

Instagram: @ucsb.hbirg

Facebook: @ucsbhbirg