Building Climate Resiliency

Goals

The goal of this project is to help prepare the community for climate-related and other disasters. This is facilitated through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program designed to prepare the UCSB community for effective disaster response and emergency management. Increasing involvement in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) not only allows building connections among members and community organizations, but also addresses issues UCSB faces regarding disaster readiness. Teaching students what to do in emergency disaster situations ensures they are prepared to respond proactively and potentially help others around them, reinforcing community cohesion. 

This project also aims to improve upon the climate resilience portion of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) to ensure there are strong policy measures holding individuals accountable in building a sustainable future. 

This project aims to build climate resilience on campus by empowering community members through free training and certifications focused on emergency preparedness and disaster response. It serves as a collaborative effort between the Sustainability Internships and Community Resources Department (SICR), the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services, and the Emergency Management Office. 

As Climate Resilience Intern, Sneha Namboordiri serves as a student leader and staff support for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Registered Campus Organization. Sneha assists with the  coordination of CERT, managing logistics, and outreach efforts. 

CERT is a long-standing program that offers free emergency preparedness training to students and other campus community members. These trainings consist of a three-day series held each quarter and focuses on providing educational resources and classes on fire safety, basic medical aid, search and rescue operations, and other related emergency response skills. Providing accessible training enables participants to respond proactively during natural disasters and support others around them, reinforcing community cohesion. Individuals who successfully complete the program receive certification and are identified as potential trainers for future CERT cohorts. In addition to being a leader for CERT, Sneha coordinates with Campus Emergency Manager Jim Caesar to host one- to two-hour Community Disaster Educational (CDE) workshops, which provide participants with volunteer hours and various certifications. 

Beyond CERT, Sneha works to integrate feedback from UCSB community members into the upcoming 2025 Climate Action Plan (CAP). She supports the ongoing revision of the climate resilience and adaptation chapter of the CAP. During Summer 2025, she began planning the CERT series for the incoming Fall Quarter and worked on initial steps of obtaining community input for CAP. Since then, she continuously engaged in outreach to a wide range of campus organizations, including different Associated Students (AS) groups and environmentally-focused clubs to ensure the feedback process incorporates diverse perspectives across the campus community.