UC Berkeley Office of Sustainability & Energy

02/11/2023

Centering on the concept of “border-land” and the themes of migration, mobilities and immobilities that have emerged as among the most pressing 21st century challenges, that cut across 11 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, this UC-Berkeley - University of Copenhagen course, in collaboration with Chiang Mai University, engages students from multiple disciplines in thinking critically about the research process, epistemologies, and ethics in conducting research.

Students will interact with international and local scholars in structured seminars, and with communities and organizations working to address pressing local, regional and global issues through their placement with local NGOs and research projects.

Where: Chiang Mai, Thailand
When: July 3 – July 28, 2023
Who: Advanced undergraduate (bachelor level) and postgraduate (master level) – open for students from all disciplines. ECTS 7,5
Deadline for application: April 1st, 2023
Stipend opportunities available.

More information and application: https://kurser.ku.dk/course/aana18107u/2022-2023

12/22/2022

Introducing the new Business Air Travel Carbon Mitigation Program!

The Office of Sustainability is excited to announce the launch of the UC Berkeley Business Air Travel Carbon Mitigation Program. In a typical year, business air travel is the campus's second largest source of carbon emissions with the Berkeley community, taking more than 32,000 trips and emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide! This new program will lessen the high environmental impacts of campus business air travel by investing in innovative and necessary on-campus projects that promote collaboration, measurable improvements and carbon emission reductions.

Unlike market carbon offsets that fund initiatives off-site, the Business Air Travel Carbon Mitigation Program invests in campus projects to improve operations across departments, saving energy and money, and helping the campus meet the goal of net-zero carbon emissions. By assessing a small fee to each air travel trip, Berkeley is creating a fund to support initiatives such as retrofitting conference rooms for hybrid meetings to reduce the need to travel, providing incentives to update lab equipment to reduce energy consumption, kick-starting new solar PV installations, and implementing action-oriented engagement campaigns. The inaugural projects will launch Spring 2023.

Berkeley has long been recognized for its commitment to sustainability and carbon solutions and this program provides the campus with new paths to continue leading the way. To learn more about the program, visit our website: sustainability.berkeley.edu

Questions can be directed to [email protected].

12/17/2022

Alejandra Marquez Wins 2022 AASHE Sustainability Award for Campus Sustainability

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently announced the 12 winners for the 2022 AASHE Sustainability Awards. The awards provide global recognition to the individuals and organizations leading the higher education sustainability movement.

For undergraduate research into campus sustainability, Alejandra Marquez was awarded for her honors thesis, “Information Disclosure and Climate-Friendly Consumption: Assessing the Impact of Carbon Labeling at a University Dining Hall,” investigating the impact of implementing a traffic-light-colored carbon label in one of UC Berkeley’s dining halls. Her work showed that servings of red labeled (i.e., high emission) dishes decreased by 33% compared during the experiment, leading to an overall 13% reduction in average emissions per serving.

Read about Alejandra Marquez’s research here: https://hub.aashe.org/browse/publication/26281/Information-Disclosure-and-Climate-Friendly-Consumption-Assessing-the-Impact-of-Carbon-Labelling-at-a-University-Dining-Hall

Read more about the award winners here: https://www.aashe.org/news/2022-aashe-sustainability-award-winners-announced/?utm_source=Higher%20Logic%20Marketing%20Automation&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Marketing&_zs=fuE7a&_zl=25gM3

Global dietary patterns are increasingly reliant on animal products, which are highly carbon intensive and significantly contribute to climate change. While transitioning towards plant-based diets is regarded as an important way to mitigate climate change, the best strategies to encourage this trans...

11/08/2022

PAID POSITION ALERT!

The Zero Waste Coalition is searching for its next Vice-Chair! The Zero Waste Coalition is composed of over a dozen organizations, both departmental and student-led, focused on waste-related work at UC Berkeley. The ideal candidate is a second or third year undergraduate student with previous involvement in zero waste work on campus and strong leadership skills. The Vice-Chair will serve for Spring of 2023 and then will continue on to assume the role of Chair / Zero Waste Fellow for the 2023-2024 school year following their term. Accepting this position is a 1.5 year commitment.
You can read more about the position on the first page of the application form! Feel free to apply or nominate someone that you believe would be a good fit for this position. Interviews will take place in the weeks following the application due date. Good luck everyone!

View application here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9zKc37nm3ahBflrHdOV-ym6i4o75HrFMLri0IVGANQtTb3A/viewform?usp=sf_link

11/06/2022

**To view the full article, read the news item on our website here: https://sustainability.berkeley.edu/news/uc-berkeley-takes-1-first-ever-qs-sustainability-world-university-rankings **

UC Berkeley has been named the top sustainable university out of 700 global higher education institutions, for its focus on tackling Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Based on the evaluation by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) of the environmental impact and the social impact of higher education institutions across the globe, UC Berkeley achieved a perfect score of 100 — pulling Berkeley ahead of the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.

For more information on the ranking and methodology indicators visit the QS website (https://www.qs.com/rankings-released-qs-world-university-rankings-sustainability-2023/ ). Find more detail on the UC Berkeley evaluation here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14ZBHqoG4xUNAwgjHj2mq1ts5BPJcbmto/view?usp=share_link

10/12/2022

Zero Waste October 2022!

This Fall 2022, we are continuing this tradition to celebrate zero waste during the month of October. We are calling on the campus community to join us in celebrating, highlighting and achieving zero waste through a diverse series of events and gatherings; the goal is to spread awareness about reducing overall campus waste and provide students with the tools and knowledge to do so.

As part of Zero Waste October, we will also be collaborating with SERC to support Climate Justice Week (Oct 30 - Nov 5) to recognize efforts on-campus and beyond and advocate for inclusive, equitable paths towards a racially, environmentally, and socially just future.

To learn more about the events below that we will be hosting and attending, email [email protected]


Zero Waste October Events:

October 3rd - 24th Cool Campus Challenge in the Residence Halls

Friday, Oct. 7th, 9am-5:30PM Resource Symposium on Carbon Management @ Banatao Auditorium at Sutardja Dai Hall: Register here: https://clt1245713.bmetrack.com/c/l?u=E6CB9EF&e=15134D2&c=130211&t=0&l=4CF4E867&email=FRfiQLVzXweJC2c%2FH0yI1lhGT7zZRUFUQZ0OJmuySec%3D&seq=1

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 1-2:30PM Reusables Webinar, Finding The Path From Single Use To Reuse: Register here: https://clt1245713.bmetrack.com/c/l?u=E6CB9F0&e=15134D2&c=130211&t=0&l=4CF4E867&email=FRfiQLVzXweJC2c%2FH0yI1lhGT7zZRUFUQZ0OJmuySec%3D&seq=1

Thursday, Oct. 13, 5-6PM Zero Waste Coalition Meeting @ SERC Space

Thursday, Oct. 13, all day Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF) Fall Feature Series: Watch here: https://clt1245713.bmetrack.com/c/l?u=E6CB9F1&e=15134D2&c=130211&t=0&l=4CF4E867&email=FRfiQLVzXweJC2c%2FH0yI1lhGT7zZRUFUQZ0OJmuySec%3D&seq=1

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 11AM Enviro Pet Waste Network Webinar: Register here: https://clt1245713.bmetrack.com/c/l?u=E6CB9F2&e=15134D2&c=130211&t=0&l=4CF4E867&email=FRfiQLVzXweJC2c%2FH0yI1lhGT7zZRUFUQZ0OJmuySec%3D&seq=1

Saturday, October 22 Cal v. Washington: Zero Waste Game

Wednesday, Oct 26 5-6PM GladRags, Reusable Menstrual Products

Wednesday, Oct. 26 6-7:30PM A Virtual Tour of the Berkeley Recycling Facility: Register here: https://clt1245713.bmetrack.com/c/l?u=E6CB9F3&e=15134D2&c=130211&t=0&l=4CF4E867&email=FRfiQLVzXweJC2c%2FH0yI1lhGT7zZRUFUQZ0OJmuySec%3D&seq=1

10/12/2022

Climate Justice Week will be hosted from Oct 31st - Nov 4th!

SERC is looking for individuals and organizations to host events, panels, or community building/art activities related to climate justice! This year's theme is monarch butterflies, community building, resilience, and adaptation.

October 12, event applications can be found here: bit.ly/CJWeek22Apps

SERC would love to support you in making your event possible. Join us in exploring community dialogue on what climate justice means to us all!

10/11/2022

Climate Resilience in the Global South – Perspectives from South Asia

In Fall 2022, the Institute for South Asia Studies at the University of California, Berkeley launches a multi-year Climate Change Initiative that brings together academic programs and think tanks from across UC Berkeley and in South Asia to foster interdisciplinary research and transformative policy impacts on climate change in the region.

The inaugural program of the Climate Change Initiative, jointly organized by the Institute for South Asia Studies and the South Asia Centre for Labour Mobility and Migrants (SALAM), is a virtual webinar with academics and activists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

DATE: Thursday, October 13, 2022
TIME: 8 - 10 am PST
REGISTER: On Zoom here: https://berkeley.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3tJJsB2qSUuDgNHc0ibL9w

LIVESTREAM: On FB at Isas At UC Berkeley

Sponsors: Institute for South Asia Studies, The Subir & Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies, The Center on Contemporary India, The Berkeley Pakistan Initiative, The Berkeley Himalayan Initiative, South Asia Centre for Labour Mobility and Migrants (SALAM)

09/23/2022

October is Clean Air Month!

UC Berkeley affiliates are invited to participate in the fifth annual California Clean Air Day on and leading up to October 5, 2022, as the annual event focuses on air quality, especially in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, which are disproportionately impacted by poor air quality. Designed around individual actions, this statewide event allows millions of participants to take part via a simple, online pledge of at least one action that will help clean our air.

Clean Air Day is an accessible opportunity that allows for virtual and in-person participation, as well as the ability for businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations to sign up to engage their members, students, employees, and customers to encourage participation.

To pledge as a member of the University:
www.cleanairday.org/pledge/individual/UCBerkeley

www.cleanairday.org/pledge/youth/UCBerkeley (if you have a child and would want them to pledge too!)

Learn more about Clean Air Month and its events here: https://pt.berkeley.edu/CleanAirDay22

EasyPass and BayPass Recipients: Please read this alert pertaining to your respective passes. Our office hours to process replacements are 7:30am-3pm Monday-Friday

07/12/2022

UC Berkeley Chancellor's Summer Reading, Top 10 Climate Novels

Katherine Snyder, an associate professor of English, teaches a class on climate fiction. Sometimes depressing and scary, and other times inspiring and fun, books about the human experience in relation to environmental change can show us more imaginative ways to respond to and envision the world.

English professor Katherine Snyder first taught the class Climate Fiction in fall 2019, when fires raged across California and the skies turned a hazy orange. “There was nothing theoretical a…

06/06/2022

Building on the excellent work of the 2022 Cal Move Out Student Coalition and in partnership with city, community, and campus partners, Cooperative Reuse kicked off the fifth annual furniture recycling program on May 20. The program, managed by Cal Zero Waste (CZW) Coalition Chair Kathryn Wilson ’22 with strong support from CZW Vice Chair Emily Que, is a simple and efficient way for off-campus students to recycle their gently-used furniture: donated furniture is made free to students and the larger community. Thanks to Chipman Relocation and Logistics, over two weekends more than 100 Southside student households had their gently-used furniture picked up, free of charge. Hundreds more students (& parents) dropped off reusable furniture at the SW parking lot of Clark Kerr; and hundreds of visitors left with new-to-them household items, keeping them out of the waste stream (and off the sidewalk). This year's effort collected 802 mattresses for recycling and 180,000+ pounds of furniture, seeing over 2000 visitors!
Cooperative Reuse’s day-to-day operations benefited from the support (and physical strength!) of the Office of ASUC Executive Vice President — outgoing EAVP Riya Master and incoming EAVP Bailey Henderson, who put in some hours moving furniture and greeting community members — Office of Sustainability fellows, SERC students, and Cal in Local Government/GCR intern Julie Zhu.

Cooperative Reuse is a program of Cal Move Out, managed with staff support from GCR and in partnership with Assistant to the City Manager Peter Radu, Public Works, Zero Waste; and with the support of the City leaders Councilmember Robinson ’18, Councilmember Droste, Mayor Arreguín and their staff. Other support came from the campus Parking & Transportation, Moving Services, University Business Partnerships & Services, and the generous help from the IFC. Visit Instagram () for stories and pics from the moveout event. Pictured below: Berkeley Student Cooperative students taking a break from filling their truck with new-to-BSC items; RSSP student staff and friends; demonstrating furniture testing; student lead Kathryn stacking mattresses.
https://calmoveout.com/

04/27/2022

MAKE UCB A CLEAN DECARBONIZED ENERGY CAMPUS & ADVOCATE FOR STATE FUNDING…

Will you ask lawmakers to support critical funding for Clean Energy and Climate Change Solutions?
The Berkeley Clean Energy Campus initiative aims to transition the campus to a 100% electrified and renewable energy system and be a model for real climate change solutions. After years of advocacy by faculty, staff and students and feasibility planning, we are ready to make the campus energy decarbonization transformation a reality.
Given the State of California's large budget surplus this year, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for state lawmakers, on behalf of the people of California, to allocate a significant one-time investment that will benefit the UC, UC Berkeley and the state for decades to come. UC Berkeley is requesting $365 million in state funding to replace its aged, fossil-fuel cogeneration plant with a model 21st century 100% clean-energy microgrid that reduces campus building energy carbon emissions by 80%. This project is part of UC’s overall $1.63B capital outlay request to the State.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

From now through mid-May 2022, you can let state lawmakers know how important this decarbonization project is and to support UC Berkeley's $365M funding request.

Two easy steps that will just take a few minutes:
1. Learn about the plans, benefits and opportunities of the Berkeley Clean Energy Campus [tinyurl.com/cleanenergycampus]
2. Send a customized email to State lawmakers advocating for funding to help [https://sustainability.berkeley.edu/news/make-ucb-clean-decarbonized-energy-campus-advocate-202223-state-funding]