SAN DIEGO, Calif. — As part of a larger, overall conservation strategy, UCSD will be the first West Coast university to take part in the country's only voluntary, legally binding trading system for greenhouse gases.

The school announced the move last week as part of a larger carbon-reduction strategy, which includes installing at least one megawatt of solar power this year, developing ultra-clean hydrogen fuel cell energy, and exploring the use of cold sea water to reduce energy and fresh water use.

UCSD has already put in place a a cogeneration facility that supplies about 90 percent of the campus's electricity. The plant uses natural gas to produce two forms of energy -- electricity and heat -- and its state-of-the-art pollution controls produce 75 percent less smog than a conventional natural gas plant.

"Because we've become much more energy efficient and generate most of our own power, our campus can now sell surplus greenhouse gas credits on an open market," said Steven Relyea, UCSD's Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs. "This not only shows our commitment to green practices and reducing our carbon footprint, but also our commitment to employing innovative, leading-edge technology."

The university's commitment with the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) will require UCSD to reduce its GHG emissions to baseline levels through 2010. But the school expects that its cogeneration facility will allow it to cut emissions beyond the baseline level, and trade the excess on the CCX's open market.