Calculating the UC Davis Nitrogen Footprint in SIMAP

The Footprinting University Nitrogen (FUN) student group, a sub-group of SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology, Education, Diversity, and Sustainability), consisting of students from multiple majors and class years, was established in 2015 to calculate, interpret, and communicate a nitrogen footprint for UC Davis.

The nitrogen footprint contributes significantly to an understanding of campus sustainability by quantifying the reactive nitrogen linked to a cascade of negative environmental impacts that include smog formation, acidification, eutrophication, global climate change, and ozone depletion. The goal of this project is to use the new Sustainability Indicator Mapping and Assessment Platform (SIMAP) tool for assessing UC Davis’ nitrogen footprint, using both data previously collected by FUN for a 2015 baseline year calculation and new data that is collected with improved methods. The student group is primarily responsible for collecting new data and entering it into the online platform of SIMAP.

Footprinting University Nitrogen

SIMAP Tool